Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[UCC]

After Ramune Anyone

To be a magical girl
—-
Yokosuka April 2014

Ishikki groaned as she trudged into class.

"Morning Tamaki. Praise the Dark One."

"Good morning Tamaki. Praise the Dark One."

"Mornin' Miku, Ono…Praise the Dark One…"

Ishikki greeted the Tengu and Kitsune as she sat down at her desk…

"Wait?" Her head jerked up to see two girls hovering over her desk.


Natsumi smirked. "See, I told you she wouldn't notice us."

"That was still mean Natsumi." Asuka sighed. "Hello Tamaki. Thanks for the drinks the other day."

"Praise the Dark One." Natsumi added for good effect.

Ishikki looked at the two girls in stunned disbelief. "But…how?"

Natsumi pulled out her phone and showed her a video clip. The pink haired girl's eyes widened as she watched a white cloaked magical girl engage the Cult, as pink magic and smoke flew about. "This was taken by a streamer who happened to be there. Thankfully no one seemed to make the connection. We only knew because of the ramune."

"Sorry you had to go through that." Asuka apologized. "If I had known, I would have asked for a green tea."

"Still, fighting an entire cult of Abyssals on your own? Impressive, most impressive." Natsumi commented. "We'll be watching your career with great interest."

Ishikki rolled her eyes. "Th-thanks. I'm erm…was just doing my job."

Natsumi smirked. "So…are you now a member of the cult?"

Ishikki wanted to die.

—-
Adachi Ward

"Wait…you're the Dark One?" Ishikki shouted in disbelief.

Jin's face was a bit flushed in embarrassment. "Y-yeah. Sorry about that. I guess I forgot to mention that."

"Meaning that…I could have just gone up to them and said you needed the ramune? And they probably would have given it to me? Just like that?"

Jin scratched her head awkwardly. "I guess so…so yeah….sorry."

"And why didn't you tell me about this?" Ishikki demanded. "I put my life on the line here!"

"Well…it's not something that I typically advertise." Jin tried to explain, "And like, I didn't know if it was the Cult of the Dark One or some other cult."

"Other cults?"

"You know, like the Cult of the Fiery One, the Cult of the Pure One, and the Cult of Tanaka's Steel Balls."

"The what?"

"Y-yeah…something about how he puts on his pants every day." Jin muttered. "I try to disassociate myself with them whenever possible. So like…sorry about that."

Ishikki glared at the mizuchi. "I see. I guess…I would be a bit embarrassed if I had a cult as well."

"Y-yeah."

"So…you'll forgive me for attacking the cultists?"

Jin shrugged, "Oh yeah, that's on me. Mom's already talking em down. Consider everything under the bridge."

Ishikki sighed a breath of relief. "That's good. I was worried you were going to get mad about the basement door."

Jin paused. "Wait…what's this about the basement door?"

—-

"And now I have to work extra to pay for the door repairs." Ishikki groaned, before pausing. "Wait, why I am I telling you two?"

Natsumi smirked. "Because I'm a kitsune and it amuses me."

Ishikki rolled her eyes, "Well yeah. You girls are a bunch of Yokai rich kids aren't you?"

Asuka froze as Natsumi's eyes narrowed. "Is that how you see us as?"

"Well yeah," The pink haired girl shrugged, "Yeah I get that Yokai are treated poorly and stuff. Like, I heard some of the stories about the reservations and they're not pretty places for sure. But like…you guys get a lot of perks? Long life, pretty faces, natural powerhouses, and some of you guys got powerful families and money. Me? I lost everything. My home, my parents, my sister…and all I have to show for it is these flashy little tricks that apparently can't even hurt a mizuchi. So no offense, but don't think that just because I got you drinks means that we're friends or anything."

With that Ishikki got up and left the two Yokai. She walked towards a certain classmate.

"Ahh, Ishikki, I saw you on the stream. How's the Dark One?" Her classmate greeted her.

"I don't have time for this. Look, about the project." Ishikki growled, "Remember how I wasn't really interested?"

"Yeah. Did you get a magical change of heart?"

"Har har har. Let's just say I changed my mind. I'm in." She grinned, "We need to beat those rich kids and their stupid op budget works. And I know just how we're going to do it!"

—-

Natsumi turned to Asuka, "Well that happened."

"Should we tell Jin?" Asuka wondered allowed.

The kitsune shook her head. "I don't think so. I think we should give her some space. She's clearly got a lot on her plate so…Let's talk to Harry about this. Maybe he can help her meet some other magical girls."

"Other magical girls?" Asuka wondered allowed.

"Yes, Harry knows a few of them too." Natsumi chuckled, "Hopefully they can help her with her issues."

—-
Sasebo April 2014

Shima frowned as she stared at her watch. Rina had promised to meet with her at the pier at 2:00. But now it was 2:30 and the blonde was nowhere in sight.

Maybe…she had underestimated herself. Maybe Rina had just hung her to dry. Which was a pity. She really liked Rina. Rina was outgoing, she was cheerful, and she didn't judge her for liking shipgirls and magic (some of her female classmates thought shipgirls just gave boys excuses to leer even harder). So…she was kinda excited about meeting up with Rina. She had even tried to find a nice dress to wear as well.

Well, she would wait a little bit longer and hope she would was just late.

—-
Shalimar, Emiri Kisaki's Witch Labyrinth

Rika glared at the cackling witch. "So who wants to explain how one of Emiri's familiar got away from us?"

The black haired magical girl shrugged, "Could just be a coincidence. Like a really bad joke!"

The blue haired girl frowned, "Let's just take it down before anyone finds out."

Rika raised her handmirror at the cackling abomination. "You're making me miss my date! And that really, really, pisses me off!"

—-

"Shima! Sorry I'm late!"

Shima had waited an hour in the end, but there she was. "Ahh Rina! No problems."

Rina tackled the silver haired girl in a hug. "It's not no problems! I was an hour late and didn't give any warning. You should have left by now! I'm so sorry."


"It's…it's ok." Shima muttered, blushing at the very close and intimate contact.

"Anyways, let me make it up to you!" Rina giggled as she released her hug. "You'll have my complete and undivided attention for the entire afternoon ok?"

Shima's heart rate quickened as the blonde's smile pierced through her. "H-Hai!"

 

[UCC]

During the Orochi Bunker

To Serve and Protect
—-
Adachi Ward June 2014

Ishikki trudged home after a long day of errands. First the damned dragon had her head all the way out to the next ward to pick up motorcycle parts, then she had to bring ration books to some new Yokai families living in the city. Then she had to negotiate with the freaking cult, she's Jin's "messenger of the Dark One" now, to organize a reclamation effort at a nearby stream as a favor to one of the river kami.

Jin never mentioned she had to teach the abyssals how to pick up and dispose of trash efficiently though. She had to talk a few of them down from outright blowing up the river because it would "be more effective".

That had taken most of the day and Ishikki was ready to enjoy the warmth of her bed and a nice hot meal. Then she could continue to complain about how unfair it was that Ono and Potter's group had won the school festival fundraiser project with such an op line up. She had danced, sung, and fought way too many times for the kid's stage performance. Who knew Precure had unlimited stamina?

The phone rang. Ishikki was tempted to not answer. Especially when the ringtone was "Cruella de vil". But she knew she had to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Bratling…where are you?"

Ishikki paused, noticing the urgency in her voice. "Not far, was heading home."

"Ok, head over to Yuu's drug store and tell 'em I need my specialty bag…oh and get yours as well."

"A specialty bag, and I have one too?" ishikki was confused. "What's going on?"

"Can't explain over the phone. Brat…Ishikki, I'm going to be honest. Right now I need you to just listen and obey ok? Something's happened and we need to get moving fast."

"Umm…ok."

"Good, now get the gear and meet me out front in 10."

"R-right." Ishikki hung up the phone and broke into a run.

Jin had never…ever called her by her first name before. Which meant that something was definitely off. And when something was off, Ishikki knew better than to argue.

A minute later, she dashed through the door of the drug store. A nice woman glanced up from her magazine. "Ahh Tamaki, can I help you?"

"Jin sent me. Says she needs her specialty bag and…mine too?"

The woman…now revealed as a Jorogumo jerked straight up. "You're sure. Jin asked for the specialty bag? Not the formal bag or the prank Kiba bag?"

Ishikki nodded.

The spider reached a leg up and into the ceiling tile. Pulling the part of ceiling off, she brought a pair of gym bags down and hefted them down on the counter. "There you go. Jin's specialty bag, and your bag as well. Also be careful, I put lightening charms on them, but they're still quite heavy."

"Thanks." Ishikki slung the two bags over her shoulders and nearly tripped. Those bags were heavier than she thought.

"I warned you," the woman tried but Ishikki cut her off.

"I know I know." Summoning her transformation, Ishikki used her enhanced strength to stand back up and broke into a run towards the apartment building.

She reached the building just in time to see several Yokai arrive as well. She recognized a few of them. They were all dressed for a battle, something Ishikki dreaded.

"You made it just in time." Jin nodded gravely.

"I got the bags. Now what?"

Jin reached into one of the bags and pulled out a dark jacket and pants. It was made out of a material Ishikki didn't recognize. "Now we put 'em on. That's your bag. Head on in and put 'em on."

"What is it?" Ishikki asked, picking up the bag and following the mizuchi.

"Body armor. I've got em specially made for situations like this." Jin smirked, "Can't have you running around a combat zone in that squishy outfit of yours after all."

"C-combat zone?" Ishikki paused, taking off her shirt and pulling the oversized shirt over her chest.

Jin's expression turned grave. "I won't hide the details, but we've got a crisis right now, and it's a serious threat. Some kids got trapped in a bunker…and we're pretty sure it's a Unit 942 lab with a lot of very dangerous weapons inside."

"Unit 942?"

"So you know how during the war, we did some pretty nasty stuff right?"

Ishikki paused, "Y-yeah. Don't know a lot but it was mentioned in class once."

"Ok, now imagine a magical side to the group committing war crimes."

Ishikki froze. "Wait you mean that this is the remains of a magical unit from the war?"

Jin nodded. "Yep, that's why we're so eager to go destroy it."

"But…why am I here? Do you need me to fight?"

Jin shook her head. "Nothing of the sort. We've got plenty of heavy hitters going. What I need you for is a much greater purpose."

"And what's that?"

"Why to carry my stuff!" Jin announced unashamed.

Ishikki paused. "R-really?"

"Yep!" Jin picked up a few bags that Ishikki recognized from the basement. "This is medical supplies, and this one is water, oh and that one is my booze supply."

"I'm not grabbing that one," Ishikki glared.

"Yes you are." Jin shot back. "There are things in there you just can't look at sober. So you're grabbing that bag too."

A few minutes later, Ishikki joined the group, clad in the dark body armor. She grunted under weight of the bags. "Ready to go ma'am."

Jin smirked. "Good, thanks for coming over here." She called over to the other Yokai.

Kiba scowled. "Asuka is trapped in there. It's personal."

Ishikki's eyes widened. Wait, Asuka was trapped in there? Wasn't she on the Onsen vacation with the rest of op squad?

Jin held a crystal high. "Yokosuka onsen !"

—-
Just outside of the Orochi Bunker

For all Ishikki's exposure to magic, never before had she used the floo nor had she used a port key . More often than not, she was shooting people who teleported rather than teleporting herself. So it was perfectly normal for her to nearly lose her stomach as the group flashed into an active military zone. The rain did not help.

All around her, Ishikki could see the signs of legitimate military activity. Helicopters were hovering around the bunker entrance and groups of soldiers, both no-maj and Yokai, were actively patrolling the landing zone.

Jin took one whiff of the air around her and snarled aloud, scales running up her neck as her eyes turned to black sludge. Her appearance caused magical girl next to her to shudder in fear.

"Bratling," Jin's voice even had turned draconian in tone. "Put our bags down at the supplies stations, then join me."

"R-right," Ishikki stuttered, grabbing the bags and lugging them over, a rather difficult feat in the pouring rain. As she did, an adult in auror robes stopped her. "Hey, this is a restricted area. Who authorized you to be here?"

Ishikki looked up at the woman in question. Aurors were always troublesome. All nosey and in your business. "I am the servant of Jin No Hisakawa," she replied, "She requested me to bring the bags over."

"She brought a kid with her? In a combat zone?" The black haired woman frowned. "You shouldn't be here. It's very dangerous."

Ishikki shot the auror in question a glare. "I can handle myself. Now let me do my job."

As she trudged past her, Kaya Sugihara frowned as she turned to her partner. "You think it's ok for her to be here?"

Mae shook her head. "If she's with Jin no Hisakawa, then we have no right to butt in."

"I guess. I just…I don't like to see kids here."

Meanwhile Ishikki brought her bags to a sheltered zone covered by several shipgirls. "Jin sent me." Ishikki mentioned only to blanch at the sight of Naka herself raising her brow.

"Ahh Tamaki, you came with Jin?"

Naka knew her? Ishikki nodded, "Yeah…"

"Makes sense. But don't worry too much." Naka reassured the girl, "We got enough big guns that we probably won't need magical girls. But thanks for coming anyways. Harry would appreciate it."

Naka knew she was a magical girl?! Oh wait, she was friends with Harry. Of course she knew. "Wait…Potter's in there?"

Naka nodded, "Yep. Chibi and his friends are all in there, trapped with a horde of monstrosities the old Kamo government cooked up. That's why we're all here. We're here to rescue the kids and put an end to a terrible relic left behind by our ancestors."

"I-I see…" Ishikki swallowed hard. Potter was down there, which meant all those other Yokai kids…and chuuni baka and her friends were as well. "However I can be of help them."

Naka frowned before nodding, "I think I got just the thing for you. Know any healing magic?"

Ishikki frowned, but nodded, "A little. Learned a few first aid spells from a book. But I don't have a wand, so they're not very effective."

"Good enough," Taking the girl by the shoulder, Naka led the magical girl to a large encampment on the far side of the clearing, right across from a large stream. Inside, she found a dozen women dressed in robes scurrying about.

Naka caught the leader, a woman with a Red Cross on her robe. "Excuse me, you the head nurse here?"

The woman nodded, "I am. How can I help you?"

"This gal here is one of our volunteers. She's got a bit of healing magic under her belt so I figured she could make herself useful here."

The nurse gave a critical eye over Ishikki. "I don't know how much you can do, but we could use some help moving supplies into the tent."

Ishikki nodded numbly. "Ok. Miss Naka, can you tell Jin where I am?"

Naka gave her signature smile. "No problem kiddo!"

An explosion rocked the ground. "Ahh sounds like they just breached the bunker. Gotta head back. Thanks for the help kiddo." With that, the light cruiser ran off towards the battle.

The nurse gave the girl a look over. "I'm too busy to ask where you came from, but I need to those boxes yesterday. You with me?"

Ishikki nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"Good, the boxes are over in the main compound. They're labeled medical and have the Red Cross on them."

Ishikki dashed back out into the rain. What was she doing? She didn't sign up to be another person's servant! And Jin was nowhere in sight! She could just run off and…

Ishikki froze. She could just run off…and leave Potter and those kids to suffer against the scariest beings imaginable. It sounded ok. They were just a bunch of spoiled kids, given the gift of magic and having power and wealth to lord over the rest of them. But why didn't it feel right?

"Dammit!" Ishikki muttered as she resumed her sprint. No one deserved what could be hiding in those tunnels. Not even those annoying rich kids. She reached the main compound and located the first crate. She picked up the crate and resumed her run through the mud, the rain pelting her face.

A minute later and Ishikki broke into the medical tent, her breath fogging up the air around her. "Where do I put it?"

The head nurse gestured to the far side. "Good, and not a moment too soon."

Ishikki placed down the crate and looked up. Already, several stretchers were being brought into the tent, each one carrying a human or Yokai on it.

Ishikki's eyes caught sight of blood oozing from several wounds on a solider's chest. She saw an Oni nursing a slashing wound on their arm. A kitsune missing an arm. An auror coughing up blood as nurses tried to treat a stab wound.

Ishikki dashed out of the tent and towards the river. Her stomach gave way and caused her to vomit the remains of her lunch into the river. Ishikki wasn't unfamiliar to blood. She had shot enough aurors and…others to have seen blood, but even then, she generally aimed for the wrist or forearm. This…this was something totally different.

"Hey kid! We need another crate!" The nurse shouted from the entrance of the tent.

"H-Hai!" Ishikki nodded robotically and began a run.

Another crate later and Ishikki was back in the tent, but the tent had become significantly more crowded.

Several Oni were escorting a stretcher in carrying a wounded soldier. A female Oni was speaking to him in hushed voices.

"Good." She aided the man into one of the cots. "Apart from the obvious damage to his arm, he has three broken ribs and maybe spinal damage, I will treat his ribs as you treat his arm and search his spine for damage."

Nurses rushed to and fro, continuing to provide potions and fresh bandages to the wounded.

Not wanting to stay too close to the blood, Ishikki prepared herself for another run when she heard a scream.

"They're in the water!"

Ishikki jerked her gaze over to the riverbank as her eyes widened.

Several ghostly figures were emerging from under riverbed. 6 foot tall warriors clad in full samurai armor, each one carrying a deadly looking katana. Instead of faces, all Ishikki could make out were a pair of ghostly white eyes.

Already personnel were responding to the surprise attack. A few soldiers were running towards warriors, taking up defensive positions as they raised their rifles to bear. A pair of wizards joined them, wands raised as they began to chant charms and curses.

But Ishikki could count the number of soldiers and wizards on two hands. And there were a lot more samurai than there were wizards. Ishikki knew they would have to fall back, retreating closer and closer to the medical tents.

Ishikki considered her situation. Those samurai looked very strong. Those swords were razor sharp. She was just a kid, a teenager. She didn't need to get involved. Reinforcements would arrive soon enough.

So why was she running towards the action, transforming out of her clothing into her white and black outfit, her crossbow raised?"

"Dammit!" She shouted, taking aim at the nearest and opening fire. Pink magic bolts struck the front samurai, causing it to stumble. The samurai's head turned towards Ishikki in surprise as it turned its lumbering body to follow.

Ishikki kept running, using her momentum to slide under the first samurai's legs. Drawing her dagger, she slashed the gap in the warrior's leg armor, causing it to stumble. Moving to finish the job, she stood up behind the warrior and stabbed the dagger into the warrior's exposed neck.

Ishikki's eyes widened when the warrior didn't seem fazed in the slightest. The warrior jerked up suddenly, throwing the magical girl off its back and turned to face her, its katana raised high.

Only for an explosion to knock the samurai back. Ishikki turned to see the platoon of soldiers and wizards waving to her.

"You're clear, fall back!"

Ishikki was never happier to be told to retreat. She rolled onto her feet and ran over to the squad.

The auror in the group raised his brow, "Magical girl right?"

Stunned, Ishikki nodded. "h-Hai."

The wizard nodded, "Met a few of your type in Kyoto. You guys are quite the bunch."

"She's a magical girl!?" One soldier gasped aloud, "A real live magical girl?"

Ishikki groaned, "Yes. I am. Unfortunately, my magic bolts don't seem to hurt them much."

The soldier shrugged, "Not like we're doing much better."

The wizard turned to the soliders, "Provide covering fire, magical girl, you aim for the eyes."

Ishikki nodded and aimed her crossbow.

To an outside observed, the image of a Japanese special forces, Wizards, and a magical girl forming a single line of rifles, wands, and a crossbow would be an image they would take to their grave.

The combined group opened fire, letting lose a stream of bullets, bolts, and spells at the charging samurai. Ishikki focused her shots on the samurais' heads, causing several to roar in pain as the bolts shattered and tore into their eyes. But even so, they did not cease their relentless charge.

"Change of plans," Ishikki shouted, "Cover me."

She drew her dagger and rushed the samurai. The first one swung its blade in a sideways strike. Ishikki dived under the attack and slashed the warrior's wrist. The warrior dropped its blade as its hand was rendered inept. Ishikki kicked the blade away and jammed her crossbow into its exposed face. Gritting hard, she fired the strongest bolt she could muster, tearing right through the back of the warrior's helmet. But even as she did, she noticed the warrior's head starting to reform.

"Kid get back!"

Ishikki didn't even hesitate, she leaped back just as a wave of bullets and spell fire riddled the incapacitated warrior, blowing it to smithereens.

Ishikki sighed a breath of relief. They had done it, they had beaten one…only twenty or so more to go.

She looked back and noticed how close the med tent was to the retreating soldiers. She got up and rushed towards the next samurai…only to slip on the mud, sliding a few feet until she was right in front of one of the warriors.

"Oof!"

"Kid!" One of the soldiers screamed.

Ishikki's eyes widened as the warrior raised its sword. This was it wasn't it? This was how she was going to die. Not to an angry mizuchi. Not to wizards. But to an evil ghost samurai. She shut her eyes…only to hear a sudden clanging noise.

She opened her eyes to find the warrior's katana fly out of its hands. Standing over her was a young woman dressed in a one piece swimsuit, a rain coat covering her upper torso. In her hand, a diving knife was held in her hand. "That…was really really stupid of you." The girl muttered, "but that was also the second most brave thing I've ever seen a chibi try to pull off."

USN Harder fished a grenade out of her jacket and jammed it into the warrior's head. With a mighty kick the warrior was thrown back, its head exploding a moment later. The submarine offered a hand to the magical girl. "Naka sends her regards. But we'll handle it from here."

Ishikki took her hand in shakily. "Th-thanks."

As she noticed her surroundings, she saw several young woman engaging, not not engaging, pummeling the samurai. The ghostly warriors didn't stand a chance as the submarine squad obliterated the flanking group.

Harder turned to the soldiers. "Thanks for holding the line. We figure there's a secondary underwater entrance to the bunker down there. We'll go investigate."

The sergeant nodded, "Roger that. Thanks for the save."

Ishikki nodded warily. Her brain tried to process what had happened. She had nearly died right there. She nearly died. A hand on her shoulder pulled her out.

She twisted around to find the head nurse holding her shoulder. "So…you're a magical girl huh? Better come inside. We need to make sure you didn't take any concussions or injuries."

Nodding slowly, Ishikki followed her into the tent. "Roger."

"And kid." The nurse sent a small smile. "Thank you. You saved a lot of lives today."

Ishikki froze. That's right. She had just saved people. What was the world coming to?

"Y-you're welcome."

 

[UCC]

After To serve and protect

A brief respite
—-
Orochi Bunker June 2014

"So what did you do wrong?" Jin growled.

"I…I didn't tell you where I was." Ishikki muttered.

"Damn right you didn't. I nearly freaked out when you weren't at your post. Didn't have time to go find you until after we cleared the bunker." Jin clarified. "Now I find out not only did you get roped in at the medical tent, but also went and fought the enemy when I explicitly told you I didn't want you on the frontlines."

"Wasn't on the frontlines…" Ishikki muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing at all." Ishikki squeaked. "I'm sorry for not telling you."

The mizuchi sighed, "Look bratling, I know I sound harsh…but…like…I was really worried for you. For all I knew, you were with the Guard and the special forces who got pummeled by the Orochi. And…I can't have you dying on me ok?"

Ishikki sighed as she turned to leave, "Right…so when are we getting out of here?"

To her surprise, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her chest. "Ishikki, it pains me a bit, but…I'm proud of you. You protected the wounded and bought time for the shipgirls to arrive. G-good job."

Ishikki felt her cheeks reddening, "It-it's nothing. They needed help…and I would have felt bad if I hadn't helped."

"Even so, that was very brave of you Ishikki."

Her face heating up, Ishikki broke free of the mizuchi's hug and stormed off. "Anyways, I'm cold, wet, and miserable. Can we go home now?"

Jin watched the girl walk off and smirked. "Soon bratling. Soon."

—-
Yokosuka Hospital June 2014

Ishikki peaked into the room. "Hello?"

Harry looked up from his game of wizzarding chess. "Tamaki! Thanks for visiting."

The rest of the residents of the room looked up. "Hey Tamaki, praise the Dark One!" Natsumi greeted cheekily.

Nobu gave a smirk. "Hey edge lord!"

Okita sighed as she put down her book. "Hello Tamaki. Didn't know you were cleared to visit us."

Ishikki rolled her eyes. "The boss sent me. Brought drinks."

Unslinging her bag, she pulled out several glass bottles. "Ramune anyone?"

Asuka's eyes widened. "Wait, you got more?"

"Praise the Dark One." Ishikki sarcastically quipped, handing the tengu a bottle.

Ayaka frowned, "I feel like there's a joke I'm missing."

Natsumi smirked, "Praise the Dark One."

The other residents stared at the girl in confusion. "Wait, how are you allowed to be here?"

Ishikki shrugged, "Not really. But it's not like guards and security means much to me. Jin said we needed to get rid of the stock and so here I am."

"Wait, you snuck your way here? But how?" Okita boggled in confusion.

Harry gave a smug chuckled, "You see my dear Okita-Chan, Tamaki-san is my personal magical girl."

"I don't work for you." Ishikki shot back. "Just because you made the Kyubey doesn't mean I serve you."

"She's a what?" Ayaka shouted in disbelief.

"Dad's going to have an aneurism." Usagi muttered.

Harry threw his arms up…and winced. "Pan paka pan! Magical girls are real! And it's all my fault!"

Natsumi sighed, "Yes, we know. Anyways, thanks Tamaki for the drinks. How are you doing? Obaa-san mentioned that you were at the bunker."

Ishikki rolled her eyes, "It was nothing. I just shot a few of those warriors that came from behind. Not like what you dealt with."

"Oh?" Harry raised her brow.

"J-Jin told me what you've been dealing with over the past few years. And…I owe you an…an apology." Ishikki muttered, fidgeting with her hands, "You guys deal with a lot…magical or not, you guys got it rough too. So…sorry."

Harry turned to Natsumi. "Natsumi, can I hug her?"

Natsumi pondered the thought but Nobu beat her to it.

"Cute girl hug!" Nobu shouted as she tackled the pink haired magical girl.

"Argh, get off of me you damn chuuni."

"Actually…" Harry smirked, "She's not a chuuni. Tamaki, meet Nobu, the actual reincarnated Oda Nobunaga."

Ishikki's eyes widened, "You're joking!"

Nobu rubbed her head against Ishikki's stomach as she giggled, "Tis true! It is I, the unifier of Japan in the flesh, and about to enjoy this cute fles-ITAHH!"

"That's enough," Okita grabbed the warlord and dragged her off the magical girl. "Sorry about that. And thank you for your assistance Tamaki. If you ever need a kendo instructor, I'd be happy to help you."

Ishikki was still dealing with the previous development, her head trying to wrap itself around her new reality. She slowly got up, her back to the window.

Ayaka turned to Harry. "So there's more magical girls?"

Harry grinned, "Yep. There's another magical girl I know who's really nice and looks just like Hamakaze-"

At that moment, the window blew open and a silver and white angel flew through the window, only to crash into the pink haired magical girl.

"Ouch…sorry about that." Shima apologized. "Ahh Harry, Hamakaze said you were hurt in a fight, but wouldn't tell me more. Are you ok?"

Harry looked down at the now flattened magical girl, "umm…"

The silver haired magical girl looked down at the pink haired magical girl.

"Ahhh!"


—-

"I'm really sorry about that." Shima bowed earnestly. "I wasn't paying attention and was just worried about Harry."

Ishikki tried to scowl at the older girl but it more looked like an injured kitten than an angry lion. "I said it's fine ok? Just…be more careful."

Shima bowed again, "Th-thank you. So…"

Harry grinned, "Perfect timing. Shima, meet Ishikki. You're both magical girls."

Shima's eyes widened. "You're a magical girl too?"

"There are more of us?" Ishikki raised her brow.

"Yep!" Harry grinned. "Now I want you two to get along ok?"

As the two gave each other cautious gazes, Natsumi scooted up to Harry. "You're right Harry, she really does look like Hamakaze. A smaller Hamakaze."

Harry smirked, "Dess! And that's not the best part! She's also a shipgirl expert like myself."

Natsumi raised her brow in interest. "Oh? How's her skill?"

The wizard grinned, "Watch. Hey Shima!"

"H-Hai?"

"Poi, poi poi poi!"

Shima froze, her brain trying to calculate all the various nuances and subtle hand gestures and glints of Harry's glasses into a sentence. "Umm…I didn't quite get the last part but…poi, poi~, Poi!"

Harry sighed, "Almost Shima. Almost. You need to practice your hair tuffs a bit more and you'll get it."

"H-Hai! I mean Poi!"

Asuka turned to Natsumi, "Did you get it?"

The kitsune nodded, "I understood about 80 percent of Shima's. Naturally I understand 100 percent of Harry's poi though. Consider me impressed Harry, Shima-san."

"Th-thank you."

Ishikki stared at the interaction with concerned eyes. "You guys are loonies, all of you."

Kaku groaned, "Welcome to the club, Tamaki. Not a day goes by when we aren't trying to grasp what new and absurd method those two find to make us go nuts."

Ishikki sighed, "Anyways…I guess you're my magical girl senpai?"

Shima frowned, "I guess so…how long have you been a magical girl?"

"Two and a half years."

The entire room froze. Harry turned to the pink haired girl in question. "Tamaki, you've been a magical girl for over two years?"

"Yeah. Why?" Ishikki shrugged.

"You might be the oldest magical girl we know." Harry muttered.

"I only contracted a year and a half ago." Shima admitted, before her eyes widened. "Wait, that's terrible. You don't know about the side effects!"

Ishikki froze. "What side effects?"

Harry's face went grim. "Tamaki, I need to apologize. We didn't know when Kyubey first started its contracting spree but…there's a very bad side effect for all that magic power."

"If you use too much of your power, your magic reserves will dry out and cripple you." Shima explained. "We need to get you to Shimazu Sensei asap. She can help you."

Ishikki froze, her mind trying to process what she had just discovered. "Wait…so…my magic is hurting me?"

Shima winced. "Sorta…it's better when Sensei explains it. When are you free to visit Kyoto?"

Ishikki shrugged. "I'll have to check in with my boss. Maybe she knows your Sensei."

Harry nodded, "Please do. I completely forgot to mention this earlier. I'm…I'm sorry."

The magical girl paused. "Well…the contract was my choice anyways. Kyubey saved me from some bad aurors. So…I'd say it was worth the contract. Anyways, I gotta go. I'll…try to reach out to your Sensei about finding out the side effects."

Shima nodded, "H-Hai! Here's my number just in case."

"Thanks." With that, she opened the window and popped out, vanishing into the night.

Shima sighed, "I hope she's ok."

Harry nodded, "I think she'll be ok."

Nobu smirked, "So you're a magical girl too?"

Shima spun around and noticed the rest of the teens in the hospital room. "Oh, hi. Y-yes, I'm a magical girl."

"Show us some magic!"

"Do you have a transformation sequence?"

"How many super villains have you put down?"

"What is your magical weapon?"

"What's your theme song?"

Shima's eyes spiraled as she began to feel overwhelmed.

—-
Sasebo Naval Base July 2014

"So…what am I looking at?" Admiral Richardson looked over the files.

The police investigator pointed at various folders, "These are the files of the victims we've found so far."

"And you can't find any cause of death."

"Y-yes. We began to suspect something…supernatural was at stake."

"Which is why you came to the Navy because of our shipgirls." Richardson muttered, "Well…I don't know anything, but I can consult some magic specialists and such and-"

"Hey daddy!"

The admiral and investigator were interrupted as a teenage girl poked on. "Sorry to bother you, but Mutsu mama says she wants you home early tonight for a special dinner."

Richardson nodded, "I see. Thank you Jane. As you can see here, I'm meeting with investigator Takehashi right now and-"

Without asking Jane gave the files a brief glance through before freezing. "Daddy…"

John winced. This was definitely stuff a teenage girl should be looking at. "Jane sweetie, this is a bit too-"

"Why am I looking at lifeless Puella Magi?"

The room went deadly silent.

"I'm sorry," the investigator spoke, "Puella Magi?"

"You know, Magical girls." Jane offered. "They make contracts with an evil being called the incubator, who takes their souls out of their bodies and makes them witch out in despair. The report you have matches what they show in the anime."

Richardson gave his daughter a very stern look. "Jane, I don't appreciate joking around and stuff-"

"Hold on." The investigator interrupted, "You're saying that magical girls are real?"

Jane nodded, "There's been some talk about them recently."

"Well…we have been having some strange reports about vigilante activities by young women…and if magical girls are real…" the investigator mused. "Can I get in contact with a magical girl? Maybe they can help our investigation."

John groaned, "Look, this is quite a stretch and-"

"Can do." Jane saluted. "Cus mentioned that there's a magical girl who lives here in Sasebo. I'll ask him to give us her contact info."

"Thank you Miss. You've been most helpful." The investigator left the office, leaving Jane and her father alone.

"Jane…did you really-"

"Daddy, can you trust me on this one?" Jane's voice had gone icy cold. "There's…I've got a hunch ok? That this is part of something a lot bigger than just some magical vigilantes."

"O-ok then." The admiral nodded, "So…Mutsu has something special planned?"

Jane resumed her cheery demeanor. "That's right! She said she had something really really special planned for tonight!"

—-
Sasebo July 2014

Mitsune Miwa stumbled her way down an alleyway.

"Just a bit longer." She muttered, her breath short. "Just a little bit longer."

She focused her magic a bit harder. She needed to keep everyone away from her. They needed to stay safe. Away from her, away from the next disaster.

"Just a little bit longer." She muttered, her eyes focused on her darkening ring. "Just hang in there a little bit longer."

 

[UCC]

takes place after A brief respite

Mentors
—-
Norimune put down her hand. "I want one! Give me one."

Toku stared with a horrified expression. "Excuse me?"

Several hours earlier

Kamakura July 2014

Noriume peeked her head into the shrine's dojo. "Anyone home?"

Seeing the area being empty, she crept into the dojo, taking care to remove her shoes before she went inside. "Toku? You there?"

"Can I help you?" A voice came from behind.

Looking back, Norimune agreed that she over reacted. However, at the time, she felt like it was an appropriate response. She pulled her bear mace out of her back pocket and sprayed the green haired girl right in the face.

"Ahh!! My eyes! It burns!" Kako Natsume screamed as she collapsed on the floor in pain.

"Don't scare me like that!" The Muramasa cried out in frustration.

"What's going on here?" Three girls ran onto the scene.

Akira took one look at the writhing girl on the floor and the empty bottle of bear mace in the woman's hand and instantly made the connect. "Kako! You'll pay for this!"

"Intruder! Sound the alarm!" Nanaka instructed, transforming.

Norimune's eyes widened as she recognized the transformation. "Wait are you Toku's magi-"

"This is for Kako!" Akira yelled as she rushed the blonde, her brass knuckles ready.

"Hey I'm not done talking!" Norimune shot back as she dodged the girl's strike. But just as she stepped back to dodge, her instincts alerted her to duck, just as a steel claw swiped where her head had been.


Meiyui cursed as she fell back after her initial surprise attack failed. Nanaka's eyes observed the situation before she she pointed her finger. "Meiyui, take the flank, I'll support Akira from the rear. Just as we practiced."

"Roger."

Norimune's eyes widened as her guard was relentlessly harassed by the magical girl trio, weaving their attacks in fluid and deadly precision. However, she noticed the attacks felt like it was off a beat, as though there there was a gap in their strikes, an opening that normally should be filled. Ahh that was it, the girl who she knocked out was that missing piece, the filler in the relentless attack style. This meant that their teamwork, while strong…was flawed.

Norimune waited for the next gap before striking. She reached out and grabbed the brawler's wrist, pulling her around and throwing her into the blunette trying to get her from behind.

"Ahh!" The two girls collided into each other. The cherry haired girl struck, trying to take advantage of the blonde's blind spot but Norimune had seen that coming from miles away. Her other hand caught the katana with two fingers.

Nanaka's eyes widened before Norimune's free hand chopped her on the head, causing her to collapse oh the floor.

Panting a bit, Normimune glanced around. Four teenage girls lay on the ground around her. It was also at that moment that Masamune no Toku rushed in. "I heard sounds of fighting, is everyone ok?"

She looked down at the girls, then at Norimune. The blonde chuckled awkwardly. "Hey Toku…I swear this isn't what it looks like."

—-

"So you wished to speak with me…but instead you decided to harass my students and utterly humiliate them?"

Norimune scratched her head. "I said I was sorry about that. The first one caught me off guard and I panicked."

"By spraying a 12 year old with bear mace. Kako is going to have serious trauma over this." Toku remarked dryly. "She's very skittish at times…and now you've pretty much terrified her."

"Ugh. Why can't I make a good impression on magical girls?" Norimune groaned.

"That's a good point." Toku recalled, "You and Jin met that other magical girl, right?"

"Ishikki. Yeah, you missed her at the Bunker. But she's more Jin's errand girl than mine." Norimune offhandedly commented. "Still though, she's very resourceful for a kid. And apparently she actually gave Jin's cult a run for their money."

Toku giggled softly. "I see. It's not every day a young magical can put an abyssal in their place. Still though, the idea that magical girls are real is quite an amusing thought. Had I not met my girls I never would have believed it."

"Yeah, though they're kinda aggressive and violent." Norimune added.

"They're simply misguided." Toku answered, "All four of my girls had lost their way and needed purpose, wisdom, and guidance. I'm proud of the growth they've shown over the past six months. And apparently Shimazu has had success with her girls as well."

"Shimazu has magical girls as well?" Norimune raised her brow in surprise. "That's the first I've heard of them."

"Yes. She's been a great resource for me to learn how to teach and guide my four. What the incubator did to them is both a blessing and a curse." Toku sipped her tea. "I've seen the dangers that magical girl powers can pose. But at the same time, for girls who have never had the privilege to pick up a wand or sword before, is it not a blessing as well? This is why I still teach them, why I still instruct them, that they can take the gifts given to them and harness them with wisdom and maturity."

Norimune sighed. "Raising kids huh? I guess I sorta skipped that part of the process. Colombe, Jackie, and Del are already adults…and Erhen and Claire act like adults most of the time. So I don't really have a kid to raise and disciple…"

"I'm sorry you missed those years with them. It sounded like they were quite the children."

"That's it!"

Toku put down her tea. "What is it?"

Norimune put down her hand. "I want one! Give me one."

Toku stared with a horrified expression. "Excuse me?"

"One of your girls. I want a magical girl." Norimune blissfully imagined, "I would mentor her, raise her, show her all my tricks and tips for surviving on the battlefield. Then we'd go on adventures and hunt down evildoers together. So which one can I have?"

"None of them!" Toku shrieked in abhorrer. "They're not just things to be given! And plus…they're a group. I can't just split them up!"

"Oh? So you see them as your children huh?" Norimune teased, "Preparing for your own kids with Colombe are you?"

Toku's face turned bright red. "Th-that has nothing to do with it. And besides, they're not my kids. They're my students."

"The way you dote on them tells me otherwise."

Toku took a deep breath before letting out slowly. "These girls are my pupils and no one will be changing that. If you want a magical girl, go get your own."

"Maybe I will." Norimune smirked. "Just you wait, I'll have the most badass magical as my pupil and you'll be super jealous."

—-
Banbanzai Kyoto

"Achoo!" Florence Mitsuki sneezed as she paused, trying to figure out how why she had sneezed.

"Flo, get your ass moving! We have customers to serve!" Tsukune's voice called from the kitchen.

"Coming!" Florence retorted, grumbling as she picked up a tray of food.

 

[UCC]

Meet the Team!

—-
Kyoto July 2014

Shimazu stared at the magical girl in front of her. "So you're probably the most veteran magical girl I've worked with yet."

Ishikki glared, "Get to the point. That auror friend of yours looks like she's going to murder me."

The black haired woman frowned, "I'm not going to kill you? I'm just observing while waiting for Obaa-chan to finish so I can be free to go check in on Momo and Naoki."

The blue haired woman shrugged, "Just head on over Kaya. I'll be fine."

The woman frowned, but shrugged. "If you're sure."

Shimazu waited for Kaya to leave before returning her gaze to Ishikki. "How much do you know about your powers?"

Ishikki frowned, "Well…I have my magic crossbow, but most of my skills are centered around invisibility and illusions."

"I see." The researcher mentioned, "And apparently you've been learning some magic on your own?"

The magical girl shrugged, "Kinda? I read a few books on jinxes and charms. But I can only manage a few of them since I don't have a wand."

Shimazu nodded, "That can be fixed. There's a wand maker I know here who would be happy to help you get a wand. And you already having a basic knowledge of magic will make my job a lot easier."

"What kind…of job?" Ishikki asked, "I was told that our magic hurts us or something like that."

"For now, yes." Shimazu agreed, "The incubator's effects on you is extremely risky and if left unattended, will cause serious damage to your magic organs."

The pink haired girl's eyes narrowed. "Unattended?"

"Haven't had much time recently due to some…complications…but yes." The researcher explained, "I do believe I've found a possible work around for your magical powers and how to reduce the burden it places on your bodies. It's not ready yet, but I've got the basic theory down."

Ishikki nodded, "I see."

"Which is exactly why you're the perfect test subject." Shimazu concluded, "You've been a magical girl the longest and I can already tell how much damage has been done to your body. Which can give me a clear example of how fast the deterioration occurs…though…"

"Though what?" She growled, "I don't like being treated like a lab rat."

"Well…it's just…"

"What?"

Shimazu adjusted her glasses. "You're probably one of the weakest magical girls I've ever worked on."

Ishikki froze. "What?"

"I mean, you definitely have magic. You've got a decent bit of it. But like…in comparison to Yui or Isuzu, you're sorta a pushover."

"A…a pushover."

"Well…you've probably got like…half of what Yui has in magic reserves and maybe a third of what Isuzu has. You're not that far from Toku's girls though. They're only slightly higher than yours. But then again. They're martially oriented girls, unlike the other two, who are casting oriented."

"I'm a pushover?" Ishikki shouted.

"…sorta." Shimazu shrugged, "Don't feel too bad about it. You're still an excellent specimen for understanding how the incubator's magic system works and I look forward to working with you."

"…" Ishikki remained silent for a moment before raising her crossbow at the woman. "Fuck you!"

The bolt struck a barrier in front of the unfazed Shimazu. "Yeah, I saw that coming. This entire lab is my domain. If you really think you can harm me in my home with that puny crossbow of yours, then you really have a lot to learn."

Her glasses tinted. "Now then, I do believe it's Punishment time."

—-
Sasebo high school July 2014

The bell rang, signaling the end of school. Rina (or Rika, depending on which universe you were in) Ayano stretched as she began to pack her bag. Checking her phone, she scanned the incoming messages from her friends before sending sending out her own texts.

"Rina-chan!"

Rina looked up to see R-Shima Isuzu, her soft silver hair partially covering her right eye. "Hey Shima-chan! You look cheery."

Shima blushed, "Actually, well…a friend I knew got hurt and I just found out he got out of the hospital."

"Oh? Is he someone special? A boyfriend?" Rina teased.

The silver haired girl shook her head. "It's not like that. He's a very close friend, but that's all it is. I'm actually trying to help him get together with a friend of mine."

"Oh." Rina shrugged, "And here I was worried I was going to have competition."

Shima paused as she tried to process her words, then broke into a serious blush. "Ahh…I promise, we're not like that. And well…I…I like girls so."

The blonde raised her brow enthusiastically. "You do? That's great! Me too."

The silver haired girl smiled, "Who would have known, right?"

Rina winced internally. The way she smiled was just like her. The way she adjusted her hair, how her pale blue eyes flickered left to right when she was anxious, it was just like her. And somehow, that made it hurt even more. "So…any plans this weekend?"

Shima nodded, "I've been invited to go to a festival this weekend."

"Oh…is that so?" Rina muttered.

Shima pondered, "If you're free…you can come as well. I'm sure Harry and his friends would be ok with you joining us."

"I'd love to-" Rina agreed, only for her phone to buzz. Her eyes caught the message on the screen.

Mitsune missing. B rdy. - Shizuku

Rina's eyes widened. "Actually, I can't. One of my friends needs a hand and so…I'll be busy."

"Oh, ok." Shima drooped, looking like a hurt puppy. Dammit, she did it just like how she did it.

"I'm sorry about it. Maybe next time ok?" Rina tried to salvage the mood.

Shima nodded, "Sounds good. Take care Rina."

Rina smiled but paused. "Hey Shima-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Do…do you believe in fate?"

Shima frowned, "Fate?"

"You know, like fated encounters. Or the red string of fate. The one that binds two souls across the universe together. That kind of stuff."

Shima paused, "Well…maybe. Fate seems kinda fickle you know? Fate means that there's a predetermined ending in place…and it feels sorta limiting. So like, maybe fate exists…but I'm not sure I would trust it."

Rina considered her words. "I see. Well…sometimes I think fate is unavoidable you know? Some things are just meant to happen, no matter what you try to do to make 'em seem otherwise."

"Isn't that just resignation? Wouldn't it be better to stand against fate, to forge your own future the way you want it to happen?"

Rina shrugged, "Maybe…I wish I had your optimism Shima. Thanks anyways. Hope you have a good weekend."

Getting up, Rina exited the classroom, her fists clenched. If fate were that easy to defy, then she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. After all, fate is what kept them in their place. The fate of all magical girls. The fate of the puella magi. Opening the text app on her phone, Rina wrote a short message.

Let's meet up 2nite to find her. And say farewell. - Rika

—-
Isuzu Residence

"I'm home." Shima called, closing the door behind her. She noted that there was another pair of shoes at the door. "Mom? Do we have guests?"


She entered the living room of their apartment and froze. Sitting across the couch from her parents was a young woman with long brown hair.


Her parents sat somewhat uncomfortably on the sofa, their eyes catching sight of her.


"Ahh welcome home Shima," her mother chimed, "We were just having a nice chat with Miss-"


"Jintsuu. Please, call me Jintsuu." The woman explained.


"H-Hai." Shima nodded, her mind in chaos. Jinstuu was in her home. Jintsuu was sitting on the couch and talking with her parents. Why was she here? Was she in trouble or something?


"Miss Isuzu." Jintsuu gave a professional smile, "I have come to request your assistance. The admiral wishes your help with an urgent matter."


Shima wanted to die.
—-
Sasebo Naval Base

Shima fidgeted awkwardly before the two men before her.

"Miss Shima Isuzu, 2nd year high schooler. Daughter to Ken and Yae Isuzu. Not part of any school clubs. Enjoys researching shipgirls and drawing." Inspector Takehashi read aloud. "Is that you?"

Shima nodded, "Hai…"

"Also Shima Isuzu, magical girl. Contracted with a magical familiar calling itself Kyubey. Has a record of magical terrorism against the local Auror department. Is a known collaborator of the Yokai Underground Railroad. Is nicknamed "The Angel of Sasebo"." Admiral Richardson read a second report. "Has an arrest warrant by the Tokyo Auror department. Is this also you?"

Shima shamefully bowed her head, "H-hai."

Takehashi sighed as he put down his report. "I'm…new to this entire magical world, much less the politics surrounding Yokai and magical policy. And while some should say that I ought to arrest you for undermining authority…I'm also aware that this is way over my current authority, plus, you're our best chance at solving this case. So rest easy."

Shima let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Takahashi looked over to Richardson who nodded. "Miss Isuzu, if you could look at these reports."

Shima opened the first file and gasped. "Umm…is she…"

The admiral lowered his head. "Yes. Kari Misoka's body was found five months ago in an alleyway. There was no explainable cause of death."

Shima slowly opened the next one and her eyes widened. "She's the same?"

Takahashi gravely nodded. "Emiri Misaki was also found last month at the top of an office building. No explainable cause of death. I've gone over numerous possible explanations as to these girl's deaths. But I just kept drawing blanks. That was…until an observation was made."

Admiral Richardson gave the girl a grave stare. "What do you know of Puella Magi Madoka Magica?"

Shima slowly nodded, "Yes I've seen it. I've seen it several times, my dad helped animate it…" Her eyes widened as she began to connect the pieces. "Wait you don't mean?"

"I admit." Takahashi sighed, "I didn't make the connection at first. But I quickly binged the series and…it makes uncomfortable amounts of sense."

"But that's impossible." Shima protested, "Kyubey here doesn't corrupt your soul. We don't have soul gems. We don't turn into witches."

"So I've been told." Richardson agreed, "Goto's reports have been very enlightening and assure us that this is not the case. However, we cannot discount the possibility of our worst possible fears."

"The possibility that there's a second breed of magical girls. Which means…"

"That the real incubator is out there." Shima concluded, her voice turning cold. "If that's true then…Inspector, Admiral, please allow me to assist you in your investigation. Kyubey must be stopped at all costs."

"That's exactly what we were hoping you'd say." Takahashi nodded, "We're putting together a task force to investigate this. Police, magical authorities, a shipgirl or two, and hopefully, magical girls as well."

Shima nodded, "Please let me join. This is a magical girl matter now. I'll get some fellow magical girls to join as well."

Richardson nodded, "That would be appreciated." He glanced at the clock, "It's getting late and we don't want to keep you. Keep us in the loop."

"This is my number." Takahashi handed her a business card. "Please share it with the other magical girls."

Shima nodded, "I will do so. If you'll excuse me."

—-
Kyoto Auror Department

Florence ducked under a jet of flame as she pointed her own wand at the brunette. "Levisoa!" She called, flicking her wand.

Caught off guard, Tsukune found herself rising from her cover. "W-Woah!"

Florence cheered, "I did it! I finally beat you!"

But the brunette smirked, "Oh Flo, if only that were so." She drew an ofuda and placed it on her feet. The paper ignited and sent flames jetting outwards. "Yahhhh!"

Flo's eyes widened as the brunette used the flames to turn herself into a flaming rocket towards the blonde. "Oh shoot!"

The flaming girl slammed into the blonde, sending her flying back. Tsukune smirked as she got up and brushed herself off. "Well that went off without a hitch. You need to work on your dodging skills."

Florence mumbled. "Thought that would work. Book mentioned no one could work out how to fly with the levitation spell."

Tsukune gave a smirk. "Well they're not the mightiest magical girl are they?"

The two girls packed up their things and exited the arena. Around them a few aurors gave the two a thumbs up. "Nice shot Mitsuki! Almost had her."

Another called out. "Try spinning, I hear it's a good trick."

"Thanks!" the blonde replied, face a bit awkward.

Auror Sugihara had apparently gotten permission for magical girls to use the Kyoto Auror department's dueling arenas to practice their magic under supervision. She had felt it was a safe way for magical girls to practice their skills while avoiding causing trouble for the public. Tsukune had eagerly agreed and convinced the rest of the Kyoto girls to join her.

As the two began to pack their gym bags, Tsukune noticed a text on her phone. "Hmmm…oh it's Shima!"

Florence gave her a raised brow. "That other girl?"

The brunette nodded, as she read the text.

Possible Incubator in Sasebo. Need assistance. Might be witches. -Shima

Tsukune frowned. Kyubey being in Sasebo was interesting but not anything to be concerned about. But…why would she use the word Incubator? Wait…witches? Like in the anime…

Immediately Tsukune's aura grew fiery. "Flo, we need to get to Sasebo as soon as possible. There's trouble amidst."

Florence raised her brow but nodded. "Ok?"

 

[UCC]

after meet the team

The briefing

—-
Isuzu residence Sasebo July 2014

The fireplace lit up as several girls flashed into existence.

Shima smiled as she greeted the leader. "Welcome to Sasebo Tsukune!"

The brunette nodded, "Thank you. Let me introduce you to the gang!"

She gestured to the trio behind her. "This is Florence, Koko, and Masa."

"Hello there. Thank you for having us." The brunette nodded, a girl around her age. "I'm Kokoro, and Miss Tall and Brooding over there is Masara."

The tall white haired grunted in greeting.

Florence grinned, "Is it true? You found a witch for us to smash?"

The room froze. Tsukune's eyes darkened. "Is it true?"

Shima shook her head. "We don't know. We have have a few hunches. They'll explain at the police department."

Tsukune jerked up. "Police department?"

Shima nodded, "Hai, the police were the first ones to notice. So we'll be working with the police."

"Are…are there any aurors?" Masara finally spoke, a cool and firm tone.

Shima internally wanted to squeal. Masara totally had Hamakaze vibes. But the months spent around her older doppelgänger had taught her to control her fan girl. "Y-yes. They agreed to lend their support as well. At least that's what Inspector Takehashi said."

"I hope they're wrong." Kokoro muttered, "Being a magical girl is an amazing gift, even with the side effects. But I can't imagine having to be one of those girls and knowing I'm going to die at any time."

Tsukune nodded, "That's why we're going to find them! And then we're going to save them!"

The group collectively agreed. Except for one.

"I don't get it." Florence shrugged. "But if there's a fight involved, I'm in."

Tsukune sighed, "Good enough."

—-
Sasebo Police Station

Shima thought she could handle seeing aurors again. After all, she regularly saw the Kyoto aurors and they were really nice.

But seeing the Sasebo aurors again and seeing some…familiar faces…was a bit much for her.

She hoped they wouldn't recognize her.

The briefing room was filled with dozens of people though. Shima recognized Takehashi, as well as Miss Jintsuu.

Tsukune's eyes widened, "Shima-chan, Shima-chan, look! It's a real shipgirl! You think she'll sign an autograph."

Shima paused and wondered why she wasn't doing the same. She was supposed to be the shipgirl fan after all. Maybe it was being around Shinano and the Kagerous that had….numbed her a bit. "Not the time."

"Oh…right." Tsukune chuckled nervously.

The room slowly calmed down as everyone began to take their seats.

Inspector Takehashi, followed by a man in robes, walked up to the podium.

"Let's bring this briefing into order. The time is 1600 on the dot. The case is "Magical disturbances connected to possible otherworldly interference." He paused as he made sure he read that correctly. "Anyways, I want to thank all of you for being here, especially our compatriots from the Sasebo Auror force, the JMSDF, and our magical girl volunteers. Honestly, I don't know how to feel about bringing in kids, but you're our closest lead to the case. So thank you for volunteering your time."

He began to go into the details of the case, starting with the deceased teenagers found over the past few months. "After cross referencing with auror detective Shinzo, we found out that our investigations went hand in hand. Detective?"

The man in robes took the podium, awkwardly adjusting the microphone. "Is this working? Ok. I'm Sasebo Detective Shinzo. Inspector Takehashi is correct. For the past 6 months, we've been getting weird reports of magical incidents involving mysterious creatures. However, whenever we arrive on the scene, the creature is gone and there's no sign of a battle. However, our forensics team found evidence of young females in every scene shortly before we arrived." He grunted awkwardly, "This isn't our first 'magical girl' incident. We've been dealing with…one particular magical girl for some time now. However, these incidents did not match her MO. Thus I saw it fit to categorize these incidents as a separate magical vigilante group. Inspector Takehashi's finding coincided with our own and we realized that there's a high likelihood that the girls who have been found were connected to the magical girl incidents."

He pointed his wand at the large map of the city. Magically, dots began to appear. "Most of the reports we've found are located in this part of the city."

Takehashi looked at his marker, then at the detective's wand. Then he signed. "We've found the bodies in around the same area. Which indicates that the girls are operating in this general vicinity."

Shima gasped out loud, that was near where she lived and went to school!!

One auror raised his hand. "Do we have any evidence to suggest there are more of them?"

Takehashi shook his head. "As of late, we haven't."

"The last magical incident happened about two weeks ago." Shinzo explained.

Shima tried to recall what she was doing that weekend. Wasn't that the weekend she was on a date with Rina?

Detective Shinzo sighed, "I know there's not a lot to work with, but please check with your sources and reach out to us if you find anything correlating to that area."

"Ano?"

The group collectively turned to the brown braided magical girl.

"Ohh…" Kokoro blushed at the attention, "Would an increased crime rate in Sasebo train station be any hint?"

The room paused. Inspector Takehashi frowned. "Run that by me again?"

Kokoro blushed. "Ahh. Well I just thought to check my instagram and noticed that the Sasebo municipal news put out a notice about increased thefts and felonies near the station. And since it was in the search area…"

The inspector turned to the detective, who nodded. "It's worth a shot. He turned to his team. "Pull up all files about the recent crime spree. See if there's anything 'magical' related in it. I'll reach out to their municipal office."

"Auror team, go ahead and increase patrols near the train station. See if you can't spot anything out of the ordinary." Shinzo added, "Let's get moving."

He turned to the magical girl. "Good call."

Kokoro nodded as her cheeks reddened at the attention. "Th-thanks."

The room began to empty as officers and aurors stood up and left their seats.

Shima breathed a sigh of relief as she stood up. "Tsukune, let's go check it out as well."

"Miss Isuzu, a word?" Shima turned to see the detective behind her.

Shima paused, before nodding. "Go ahead Tsukune, I'll be right behind you."

Tsukune frowned, "If you're sure."

—-
Shima stood before the detective, feeling a sense of awkwardness hover over the room.

Detective Shinzo cleared his throat as he sat down on one for the seats. "It was about two years ago," he started, "I was assigned to the magical vigilantism case from Tokyo."

Shima's eyes widened. He was from Tokyo? Then that meant…

"I was assigned to assist with a new case of reservation escapees. Now keep in mind, I didn't really think about what was going on. I just heard that someone was obstructing the law and attacking aurors."

He chuckled nervously, "Consider my surprise when the reports mentioned a literal angel swooping down and opposing the reservation garrison. The 'Angel of Sasebo' they called her. Like she was so kind of reverent god or something."

"Ahh…haha…" Shima muttered, trying to laugh along.

"So I joined a group of pursuers. We tracked down a runaway Yokai nekomata."

Shima gulped awkwardly. She knew where this was going.

"Those tunnels were in horrendous condition, but we kept our pursuit. But just as we had cornered the runaway, she appeared."

"She did?" Shima tried to feign innocence.

"She did. An angel with silver hair and white wings. She shot my teammates with Aether bullets and then flew into the air." Shinzo recalled the incident. "Before I knew it, my wand had been cut in half and I was out like a rock."

"I-I see." She really didn't know how to respond to this.

"Found out half of the force is now scared of birds and flying objects. The other half can't look at a seagull without trying to shoot it." He chuckled.

Shima tried to shrink away. She hadn't meant to do that much trauma.

"I'm not too shaken up about it. But my wife swears I can't stand the sight of feathers. I can. I definitely can."

"Wh-why are you telling me all this?" Shima nervously asked.

"Because…" Shinzo tried to put it into words. "I just…wanted to clear up the air…Miss Angel. Like…no hard feelings?"

The magical girl in question frowned, "You know what they were doing to the Yokai in those reservations?"

"Well…now I know." Shinzo admitted. "I knew reservation guards were a…rowdy bunch, but being there definitely opened my eyes."

He sighed, "I know it's not much, but consider this an apology from the Sasebo Auror department. We tried to turn a blind eye to what was going on there and it caused you a lot of trouble. And…when we broke away to work with Kyoto, we rescinded your arrest warrant."

Shima gasped, "You did?"

"Not a lot of us like to admit it, but…you were doing the right thing. I just wanted you to know, no one in our team is going to give you any trouble Miss Isuzu." He held out his hand. "So can we count on your assistance…as we try to do the right thing for once?"

Shima took the hand. "I-I'll try."

—-
Sasebo Train Station

Rika looked from atop the rooftop. "Well, that's definitely Mitsune's style."

Shizuku frowned, "You'd think she'd be more discreet about it. She could get caught doing that."

"I…I'm not sure she really cares." Rika admitted. "We must need to find her before her witch hurts civilians."

"Well, it's not like anyone is going to catch us. What a joke!" Ayaka grinned.

Feeling the faint bending of reality around them, Shizuku grabbed the black haired magical girl by the collar. "You idiot! Why did you use your magic like that?"

Ayaka gave a lopsided grin. "Well you know me, gotta make sure everyone's safe! And like, it's going to be harder to stay hidden once we lose Mitsune."

Rika reached into her pocket, pulling out a small grey spindle. "Use it. I won't take no for an answer."

Ayaka gave a rare frown but nodded, "Th-thanks."

Pressing the spindle against her soul gem, she watched the darkness fade from her gem. "Alrighty, I'm better than Shizuku's sense of humor!"

The blue haired girl sent her a glare. "Any lock on Mitsune?"

Rika sighed. "Think we'll have to hunt her ourselves. Let's go."

The final Puella Magi transformed and began their hunt for their missing comrade.

—-

Introductions to the remaining Puella Magi (info straight out of Madoka Canon)

Spoiler: Rika (Rina) Ayano

Wish: I wish to make her fall in love with me. Used her wish to make her crush fall in love with her and break up with said girl's boyfriend. Broke off her relationship after realizing how fake it was. Was very close with Ren Isuzu (from Madoka verse). Unique Magic: Charm/Seduction

Spoiler: Shizuku Hozomi

Wish: I want to find the place where I belong. Used her wish to teleport to her friend, only to watch him die in her arms. Got involved with a magical girl cult before being saved. Unique Magic: Warp gates (almost unlimited distance)

Spoiler: Ayaka Mariko

Wish: I wish to carry on her smile. Used her wish to permanently force herself to be cheerful like her old friend was. Wishes to be a comedian despite being terrible at it (worse than dad jokes). Unique Magic: Joking (can turn concepts, ideas, and possible futures into jokes, thus negating them)

Spoiler: Mitsune Miwa

Wish: I wish to be a slacker magical girl. Used her wish to prove she could be a shut in magical girl. Didn't work out and instead she got tangled with a magical girl supremacy group. Now is trying to atone for her mistakes. Unique Magic: Subconscious Suggestion (implants suggestions into people's subconscious, causing them to do things they normally wouldn't).

 

[UCC]

Takes place immediately after the briefing

Station of Mystery & Confrontation
—-
Sasebo Train Station July 2014

The team of magical girls apparated into alleyway, holding the hand of an auror.

Shima bowed respectfully. "Th-thank you for the jump."

The auror nodded, "No worries. You know where you're going?"

Shima turned to the assembled magical girls. "We'll spread out around the station and look for clues."

"We'll ask the locals and see if they know anything." Tsukune added.

Shima, a natural introvert, turned her head towards Tsukune in shock. "We are?"

The "mightiest" nodded. "That's right!"

Kokoro sighed, "Tsukune and I will. Masara and you can focus on looking for signs of magical girl battles."

Masara simply nodded. Shima sighed in relief. Florence frowned, "What am I doing?"

"You'll be with me." Tsukune grinned. "Come on!"

Taking the blonde's hand, the two left the alleyway.

Shima turned to the white haired girl. "So…I can fly, so I'll find a rooftop. How about you?"

The girl shrugged, "I'll cover the ground. More efficient that way."

"Good to see you've got a plan." The auror nodded. "We'll keep in touch."

He handed Shima a slip of paper. Shima opened it to see a string of numbers. "What's this?"

"The detective's phone number. We're magicals. We're not barbarians."

With that, he vanished in a shower of sparks.

Shima looked at the number before handing it to Kokoro. "You wanna hold onto it?"

The brunette smiled, "No problem. How about you save the number on your phone and I'll keep the paper. That way two of us have it."

Was this the power of extroverts? The ability to naturally know how to communicate with strangers?

Shima transformed, flexing her wings before leaping upwards. Rather than propelling her, she used them to help maintain her balance as she leaped from wall to wall until she had reached the top of the 4 story building. Once on the wall, she released her transformation and pulled out a pair of binoculars (a gift from Yukikaze on her birthday). Then she began her own hunt.

—-

"Problems with theft?" An elderly woman frowned, "Can't say I have really noticed anything. We always have our share of pickpockets, but nothing really strange."

Kokoro nodded. "I see. Thanks for your assistance."

"My pleasure dear."

As she watched the elderly woman depart, Kokoro sighed. That was the fifth person she had talked to. While people seemed to have heard a thing or two, no one seemed to be in the know about a crime spree. Maybe it really was a bust and they were just wasting time.

"Thief! Thief! My bag!"

Kokoro spun around to see a young woman collapsed on the ground as she held out her hand towards the perpetrator…the very same old woman Kokoro had just been speaking with?

Kokoro shifted her body to pursue the woman but before she could respond the elderly woman collapsed.

A ghostly figure stood behind the woman, her arm raised. Kokoro sweat dropped as she recognized the girl. "Grab the purse. It's fine now." She spoke aloud, running up to the fallen lady. "Are you alright?"

The young woman nodded, "Hai. Umm…ahh my bag!

Kokoro jerked her head to see the white haired girl walking towards them, a small handbag in her arms. Masara handed the bag to the woman. "Keep a better eye on it."

Kokoro sent the white haired girl a stink eye. "Masara!"

"Just saying it for what it was."

The woman shook her head. "It's fine. I'm just glad I got my bag back."

"Is everyone alright?"

The trio turned to see two police officers running towards them.

Kokoro was about to speak, but then paused. Masara gave her a glance and then back at the old woman. She nodded.

Kokoro resumed. "I was helping this woman with her bag. That's all."

The officers glanced back towards the elderly lady. "Is she alright?"

"She will be." The brunette moved towards the officers before speaking in a lower voice, "We think she's part of the crime spree."

The first officer's eyes widened but nodded. "I see. Let's move her to the police box."

—-
Sasebo station Police Box

Kokoro put down her phone. "I called Tsukune."

Masara nodded, "Any luck?"

"She thinks she found a lead. She agreed to meet us here." Kokoro sighed, "Any luck?"

"The woman doesn't know anything. She claims that she just suddenly had to grab the woman's bag and did it." Masara's stoic expression was neutral, but Kokoro knew her well enough to know that Masara was being skeptical.

"So she doesn't have any criminal record. She doesn't knew why she grabbed the purse. And honestly, she didn't know anything about the crimes before this." Kokoro summarized. "Anything sounded suspicious to you?"

Masara raised her brow. "You think?"

"Maybe." Kokoro concluded, "Let's wait for Tsukune and the others."

The police box opened again, and the first officer walked out. "It's been like this all week!" He groaned. "One case after another. And each one of them claims to be clueless."

He turned to the girls. "Apologies. We got the notice about you being here."

He paused. "You guys really are…magical girls?"

Kokoro nodded, "Yeah, it's hard to believe. And we suspect this crime spree might be connected to another one."

The second officer joined them. "If it really is magic…I'd believe it. Too many cases like this? Something's definitely off."

"We're here!"

The group turned to see Tsukune running over, tugging a grumpy looking Florence by the arm. Kokoro waved over to them. "Thanks for coming! But where's Shima?"

"I'm right here." As if on cue, a silver figure dropped from the sky between them. The police officers jumped back in shock.

"Holy Kami, Shinto mother of Buddha!" The first officer exclaimed.

"What the fuck!"

Shima unfurled her wings. "S-sorry. I came as fast as I could."

Tsukune chuckled. "That's our Angel of Sasebo alright."

So what did you find?" Kokoro asked.

Tsukune frowned. "Not a lot of people remember crimes but people have heard about it."

The magical girl nodded, "Which aligns with what we found. A lot of people are committing crimes they didn't mean to do. And then they forget they even did them."

Shima frowned. "You think it's wizards?"

Tsukune shook her head. "I read up on memory charms. The people of Sasebo are pretty resistant due to the constant exposure of shipgirls. Also obliviate spells don't work like this."

One of the police officers froze. "You mean, they can wipe our memories?"

Shima shook her head. "Not very well anymore. Used to be a thing. But even then, this doesn't sound like a wizard or Omnyoji. But maybe a magical girl could."

Kokoro joined in, "That could be the case. Maybe the incubator is trying to wipe people's memories or…"

The two paused as they reached the same conclusion. "It could be a witch!"

Kokoro turned to the police officer, "did you see any weird marks on the woman?"

"I didn't." The trio turned around to face the white haired magical girl. "I checked her when I stopped her. No marks on her neck."

"Masara, you gotta tell us these things." Kokoro protested.

"Ah…I thought it was obvious." Masara shrugged.

Kokoro looked like she was ready to strangle her partner. "Ok. That leaves out witches. But we should check around the area."

"Oh, one more thing." Masara added. The group turned to face her. "The woman said something when I knocked her out. 'Save me'. Sorry…forgot the mention it."

"Masa-chan," Tsukune groaned. "You need to get better at telling us things."

"Believe me, I know." Kokoro joined in.

"Save me?" Shima frowned. "It sounds like…a call for help. If it's a magical girl from Madoka that means…"

Realization came to the group as a whole as the atmosphere deadly cold.

"I'll call the inspector." Kokoro pulled out her phone.

"Shima, take the to skies. We'll follow behind you." Tsukune ordered. She turned to the police officers, "Please try to evacuate the station. We have a magical girl problem."

The police officer in question froze but nodded. "Of-of course."

Shima shot into the air as the magical girls dashed into action.

—-

Sitting across from the police box at a small cafe, two supernatural beings sat at a small table. To the human eye, they were a pair of (rather homely and ugly) salarymen complaining about their job and boss. To the eyes of a Champion or other divine agent allowed to see beyond the Veil, they were something else... complaining about their job and the new policies implemented by their Boss -- the king of the Buddhist Underworld.

"You sure this is the right way?"

"Using the locals to solve these problems is the best for all of us." Gozu took a sip from his coffee mug. "At least they'll break through that stupid barrier."

"Go easy on her, will you? It's not really her fault." Mezu added. He sipped his tea. "Actually this tea is pretty good. Remind me to add this place for catering our next office party."

"I don't think they cater to the underworld." Gozu muttered. "Still though, making a conceptual barrier keeping us from directly intervening? Going to make her experience…less than streamline."

"Last two have been pretty smooth." Mezu stroked his shaggy neck. "But yes, having to wait for them to die before we get to them is so…inconvenient."

"Now now, let's be lenient here." A third figure joined them at the table. An elderly bald man sat down. "I know they're a bit of a handful, but this is for the best. If they're going to be saved, it should be by the girls who know them best."

"If you're sure Jizo." Gozu sighed. "Still going to make sure to lecture them about keeping us out. Who makes a conceptual barrier… as a joke?"

Jizo chuckled, "The best kind of people."

—-
Sasebo July 2014

Shima flew overhead as she tried to get a view on their missing magical girl. Unfortunately, hundreds of people came in and out of Sasebo train station all the time. She squinted her eyes, but saw no sign of a colorful or odd outfit that would signify a magical girl.

She landed on a rooftop as she tried to find to figure her bearings. There had to be a way to find the girl, but how? She closed her eyes. In the anime, magical girls could sense each other to a certain degree, even communicate telepathically. Why couldn't they?


Do you wished to be saved?

She flared her magic, putting as much power as she could into her thoughts.

Can you hear me? Do you wish to be saved?

Please, please, someone respond!

-S-A-*&*$*#-ME-

Shima jerked her eyes open. She knew. She didn't know, but she knew there was a direction. She pulled out her phone. "Kokoro I found her! But I don't think there's much time left."

"Ok. I've got the Detective and the Aurors as well as the cops. We're ready to go when you are."

Another voice added in. "Use the marker I gave you. That will provide a port key for the rest of us to apparate to your location."

"Got it."

Shima took to the skies, flying at high speed towards the distress beacon. Her eyes followed the narrow city alleyways as she tried to locate the girl. Finally, her senses went off and she just…knew she was in the right place.

She furled her wings in and landed at the end of a long back alley. Sitting at the end was a teenage girl, a bit older than herself. She had short grey hair and amber eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight of Shima. "Y-you found me."

Shima nodded, "H-hai, I'm Shima Isuzu and I'm here to save you."

The girl smiled bitterly, "A little late for that ain't it?"

Shima shook her head, taking out the marker and leaving atop a pipe. "It's never too late to be saved. And we'll save you too. What's your name?"

"I-I'm Miwa, Mitsune Miwa."

Shima nodded. All the fear, all the anxiety about meeting puella magi were gone. She was calm. "Nice to meet you Miwa. I know it's a lot to take in. But I'm not a Puella Magi. I'm actually a different kind of magical girl. And we know about your despair and want to help you."

"Y-you want to help me?"

Shima nodded, "Yes. We have some magical specialists who can help with your soul gems and-"

"Get away from her!"

A red laser shot past Shima's head. The magical girl jerked around to see three new girls dressed in magical outfits approaching her. And leading them was-

"Rina-chan?"

"Re-Shima-chan." The blonde muttered aloud. "It figures you know. Of course you'd also be a magical girl. That doesn't matter. Please step away from Mitsune."

"You guys…" Mitsune muttered. "You found me."

Shima frowned, "So you're also Puella Magi?"

Rina nodded, "And you are as well?"

Shima shook her head. "No, I was contracted from a different Kyubey, one that didn't steal our souls."

The black haired magical girl smiled. "Really? Does that make it a good Kyubey?"

"Yes." Shima nodded, "It's not like we don't have side effects, but we can use magic without risking our souls."

"I guess that makes you guys the Puella Not Die!"

The room froze as the blue haired girl sighed and smacked the black haired girl on the head. "Sorry, she does this from time to time."

Rina frowned, "I…I'm glad you're not contracted to the incubator…but the point still stands. We need to finish Mitsune before she witches out."

"Finish her?" Shima turned to the grey haired girl.

Mitsune smiled bleakly before revealing a small egg shaped gem. The gem had lost almost all of its color. Rina gestured towards it. "Mitsune's witch is likely the most powerful one out of our group. If she witches out, it's going to wreck havoc on the city. Even we'd have a hard time putting it down. So…it's better to do it now."

"But-" Shima tried to protest.

A hand touched Shima's. Mitsune spoke. "It's ok Shima-san. I'm living on borrowed time anyways. Let them do it."

Shima thought about it. This meant that Rina and the others were quietly killing each other to prevent their witches from hurting others. That…that was unacceptable. "I refuse! I won't let you kill each other."

"And we won't let you either."

The Puella Magi jerked around to see four magical girls standing behind them, wands and ofuda drawn. On cue, several robed figures dropped from the rooftops around them. Uniformed police officers rushed in from the alleyway entrance, batons in hand. Detective Shinzo pointed his wand steadily at the girls. "Puella Magi, in the name of the Sasebo police and auror departments, please stand down."

Rina looked at Shima in disbelief. "You actually got the civilians on your side?"

"They're not civilians Rina-chan." Shima somewhat proudly declared. "We're a team. Magical girls, aurors, and police officers, we even work with shipgirls."

"Shipgirls?" Ayaka exclaimed out loud, her eyes scanning the crowd for a possible shipgirls. "Rika, Shizuku, maybe working with them isn't such a bad idea."

Shizuku frowned, "Even so, there's not enough time. We need to stop Mitsune before she witches out."

Rina/Rika agreed. "There's too much at stake! And how do we know we won't be experimented on? We know what humans are capable of." She turned to Shima. "We can talk later, but we need to deal with Mitsune now."

Shima shook her head. "I won't let you kill her. We have a magical researcher who can help her."

"This isn't the time to argue this!" Rina shot back.

"T-too late." Mitsune muttered, as her soul gem faded to black.

A blast of energy erupted from the gem as the stone shattered, knocking everyone off their feet. Shima gasped in horror as she watched the a dark spindle rise from the ruins of the shattered gem. Dark energy spiraled around the spindle, causing it to grow in size until a massive witch had formed around it.

The witch Claudia roared, enveloping the surrounding area, magical girl, Puella Magi, Auror, and police officer included.

 

[UCC]

Rubia

—-
Claudia's Labyrinth, Sasebo July 2014

Shima watched in horror as the labyrinth formed over head. She looked down at the magical girl lying lifeless in front of her.

Her hands lay listlessly on her lap as her eyes gazed upwards, empty and hazy. When Shima put her hand on the girl's neck, she failed to detect a pulse.

Mitsune Miwa was gone. She had failed. Another magical girl had died…right in front of their eyes.

"Shima!"

Shima jerked up to see Tsukune grabbing her arm. "How is she?"

She shook her head. "We were too late."

"Dammit!" The brunette cursed, but then she recomposed herself. "But this is not the time to mourn. We're dealing with a real witch right out of the anime. A lot more people are going to die if we don't get back in the game now!"

Shima looked around in shock as she took in the situation. Already familiars had appeared, 4 foot tall sticklike creatures with cotton heads and felt mustaches. They were quickly surrounding the entourage of police, aurors, and magical girls, who were responding the best way they knew how.

Inspector Takehashi fired his revolver at the familiar. The bullets punctured the abomination, but the creature didn't seem fazed in the slightest. He slowly stepped backwards, trying to keep distance between the creature and himself. Just when he saw the creature drawing its tendril arm back, a voice shouted next to him.

"Incendio!"

A beam of flame engulfed the familiar, causing it to roar in anger. Takehashi turned his head to see Shinzo pointing his wand at the creature. "Well, looks like our fears were confirmed."

"In all my years, never thought we'd actually fight monsters like this." Muttered the inspector, "We need to regroup and plan a counter attack."

"Agreed."

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught another police and auror pair trying to stop a trio of the familiars. However, the creatures were quickly overwhelming them. "Look out!" The inspector called, raising his revolver.

The two men saw the creatures standing over them and braced for the worst. Suddenly a pair of red lasers tore through the familiars.

He turned to see the blonde Puella Magi pointing her hand mirror. "Get clear!"

She pointed her mirror at the next familiar, a pair of red beams shooting from the reflected metal. Said beams obliterated the familiars with ease.

Ayaka, the black haired Puella, pulled her massive hat from her head and held it like a magician's hat. Streamers and sparkly glitter erupted from the hat, flying into the air before homing on a trio of familiars. The shiny ribbons shot downwards, wrapping themselves around the familiars before crushing them tightly.

Shizuku raised her twin chakram and threw them in a deadly dance. Each razor sharp blade boomeranged and sliced cleanly through a wave of familiars before returning to her hands.

The trio of Puella Magi dispatched wave after wave of familiars, allowing the human police and aurors to regroup in the middle.

Florence put down her wand as she stared in awe at the deadly efficiency the Puella Magi practiced. Kokoro pressed another ofuda into her boxing gloves as she took a breather. The other magical girls enjoyed a moment of respite as Shima turned to Rina err Rika. "Th-thank you."

Rika shook her head. "We'll leave them in your care. We need to dispatch this witch as soon as possible."

Shima nodded. "I see…is there no way to save them?"

The blonde sighed. "I once wondered that as well. Where we came from, we even formed a union to fight against despair together. But ultimately, it failed. Hence why our universe came to an end."

Tsukune raised her brow. "So you're really from another universe?"

Ayaka nodded, "Yep. It's all Shizu's fault!"

"Shizuku can connect spaces. As our world collapsed, Shizuku was able to make a portal to your world for the six of us. We don't know how it worked, but it did." Rika explained. "Emiri's hypnosis and Ayaka's joke magic let us integrate into your world. And we…we've been living in your world since then."

Shima sighed. "But your world is an anime in ours."

"I know right? We even knew Madoka and her friends! How funny was it to see them as a tv show?" Ayaka exclaimed.

"Regardless." Rika sighed, "We need to finish this witch. Already the curse of despair is growing. I fear that the civilians will not be protected from its influence. Not to mention, Mitsune's always had a powerful mind magic. This ends now."

Shima looked back. The aurors and policemen were recovering, but she could tell that they all had anguished expressions on their faces.

"Fucking hell." Takehashi grunted as he tried to stand. His mind barraged him with despair as he tried to resist the mental attacks. "Shinzo…my neck. Do you see anything?"

Shinzo pulled down the inspector's collar and gasped. A small cryptic mark was stuck to the back of the man's neck. "Holy Kami…"

"So it is there." Takehashi muttered, his breaths labored. "Shinzo, we gotta get all the infected to the back. We're in no shape to fight."

"Already on it." The detective ran towards the larger group, barking orders.

Shima turned back to the Puella Magi. "I see…"

Shizuku nodded. "As you can see. Someone needs to protect them. We'll finish the witch."

Shima frowned. "But didn't you say that this witch would be too powerful for you? You can't fight it alone."

Rika smiled bitterly. "Yeah. But what choice do we have? Someone has to protect the people here."

"We've already had a good life." Ayaka chimed in, "It's time to go out, with a bang!"

"This world…isn't where we belong. It's only right than we finish it properly." Shizuku added.

Shima reach out her hand to stop them, but a roar sounded behind her.

Rika smiled. "Sounds like the familairs are back. You keep them off our backs ok?"

The three girls turned and headed deeper into the labyrinth.

Spoiler: Play for maximum feels

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Shima%20watched%20them%20leave%20but%20turned%20to%20face%20the%20wave%20of%20familiars%20chasing%20after%20them.%20%22I-it%27s%20not%20right.%20It%27s%20not%20right%20that%20you%20have%20to%20sacrifice%20yourselves%20to%20such%20a%20cruel%20fate.%22
%20
She%20turned%20to%20Tsukune,%20who%20nodded.%20%22Go%20ahead,%20we%27ll%20keep%20%27em%20at%20bay.%22
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The%20silver%20haired%20magical%20girl%20smiled.%20%22Thanks.%20And%20just%20this%20once,%20I%20think%20it%27s%20ok%20to%20go%20loud.%22
%20
%22I%20was%20just%20thinking%20the%20same%20thing.%22%20She%20turned%20to%20the%20other%20magical%20girls.%20%22All%20magical%20girls,%20it%27s%20time%20to%20let%20loose!%22
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Florence%20grinned.%20%22I%20thought%20you%27d%20never%20ask.%22%20She%20put%20her%20wand%20in%20her%20pocket%20and%20summoned%20her%20massive%20battle%20hammer.%20%22Oryahhh!%22
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Kokoro%20put%20down%20her%20boxing%20gloves%20and%20summoned%20her%20massive%20piledrivers.%20Masara%20summoned%20her%20blade.%20Tsukune%20picked%20up%20her%20fans%20and%20raised%20them%20high.%20%22Magical%20girls!%20Let%27s%20go!%22
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Tsukune%20focused%20her%20magic%20into%20her%20legs,%20%22Ora%20Ora%20Ora!%22%20She%20shot%20rocketed%20into%20the%20air,%20a%20flaming%20missile%20dead%20set%20on%20the%20familiar%20wave.
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Florence%20hefted%20her%20battle%20hammer%20as%20she%20ran%20towards%20the%20nearest%20group,%20%22Bam!%22
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Kokoro%20stood%20guard%20in%20front%20of%20the%20remaining%20aurors%20and%20officers,%20her%20piledrivers%20ready%20to%20repel%20anyone%20that%20got%20close.%20Masara%20flashed%20to%20and%20from,%20stabbing%20familiars%20with%20her%20dagger.
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Shinzo%20watched%20the%20magical%20girls%20enter%20the%20fray%20and%20sweated.%20%22Glad%20they%27re%20on%20our%20side.%22
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—-
%20
Shima%20ran%20after%20the%20Puella%20Magi,%20her%20staff%20in%20her%20hand.%20As%20she%20did,%20she%20stumbled%20as%20suddenly%20a%20wave%20of%20magic%20washed%20over%20her.%20Memories%20that%20were%20not%20hers%20flashed%20before%20her%20eyes.
%20"We%27ve%20lost%20too%20many.%20Sisters,%20friends,%20lovers.%20All%20to%20the%20terrible%20fate%20that%20awaits%20magical%20girls."
Mitsune%20stood%20in%20object%20horror%20as%20she%20watched%20her%20closest%20friend%20witched%20out%20before%20her%20eyes.%20Next%20to%20her,%20a%20blue%20haired%20girl%20turned%20to%20her%20comrades.%20%22Well%20now%20I%27m%20really%20angry.%22

%20
%20"We%27ve%20watched%20our%20friends%20kill%20each%20other%20in%20the%20name%20of%20salvation.%20%22%20Shizuku%20stood%20frozen%20stiff%20as%20the%20girl%27s%20battle%20axe%20smashed%20through%20her%20friend%27s%20soul%20gem.%20The%20girl%20dropped%20to%20the%20ground%20lifeless.%20%22Rryou!%22%20She%20screamed.%20
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/809317015881515048/1070583795692081182/78CD397E-5BC2-47FA-92F5-127C8F7F2DE5.jpeg

%20
%20"We%20saw%20the%20worst%20of%20humanity,%20and%20then%20our%20retaliation%20to%20it.%22
Ayaka%20watched%20with%20a%20forced%20smile%20as%20she%20saw%20protestors%20and%20rioters%20ransack%20the%20shops%20and%20streets%20of%20their%20city,%20their%20anger%20the%20result%20of%20a%20magical%20girl%27s%20tampering.%20
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/809317015881515048/1070583795964715069/5916B245-9100-40D5-8F98-EA03BE3AF21B.png
She%20then%20saw%20the%20same%20people%20collapsing%20on%20the%20street,%20their%20throats%20unable%20to%20drink.%20She%20saw%20young%20children%20trying%20to%20drink%20water,%20only%20to%20vomit%20the%20moment%20the%20liquid%20touched%20their%20tongues.%20All%20while%20the%20video%20screens%20showed%20a%20blue%20haired%20magical%20girl,%20demanding%20their%20fealty.%20%22Ain%27t%20that%20a%20cruel%20joke.%22%20The%20black%20haired%20magical%20girl%20mused.%20
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/809317015881515048/1070583796329623622/351EC689-7EB3-49C2-B11F-F431A398571F.png

%20
%20%22And%20we%27ve%20seen%20too%20much%20sacrifice.%20Every%20victory%20is%20bittersweet.%22
Rika%20lay%20in%20the%20mirrors%20labyrinth,%20wounded%20and%20battered.%20She%20tried%20to%20get%20up,%20but%20was%20stopped%20as%20a%20pair%20of%20arms%20caught%20her.%20%22Rika-chan,%20you%20can%27t.%22
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A%20silver%20haired%20magical%20girl%20held%20her%20as%20Rika%20lay%20in%20her%20arms.%20%22R-Ren-chan.%22%20
%20
Ren%20smiled.%20%22Just%20hang%20in%20there%20ok?%20I%27ll%20be%20right%20back.%22%20
%20
%22But…the%20witch…%22%20
%20
%22Rika-chan,%20you%27re%20my%20light,%20my%20reason%20for%20living.%20I%27ll%20be%20right%20back%20ok?%22%20
%20
With%20that,%20Ren%20lowered%20Rika%20to%20the%20ground,%20picked%20up%20her%20staff%20and%20ran%20towards%20the%20witch.%20Rika%20watched%20in%20pain%20only%20to%20notice%20the%20fireball%20too%20late.%20%22Ren!!%22%20
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/809317015881515048/1070583796690325554/831892AA-1375-4224-9D0A-39E13F9B4FBE.png

%20
Shima%20jerked%20out%20of%20the%20visions,%20panting.%20She%20understood%20now.%20She%20understood%20the%20pain,%20the%20suffering,%20and%20the%20anguish%20these%20girls%20had%20gone%20through.%20She%20understood%20why%20they%20were%20so%20hesitant%20to%20trust%20anyone.%20And%20she%20understood%20why%20they%20would%20selflessly%20sacrifice%20themselves%20like%20so.
%20
%22I%20understand%20your%20pain,%20but%20I%20refuse%20to%20let%20you%20suffer%20any%20longer.%22
%20
She%20thought%20of%20the%20loss%20of%20their%20comrades.%20%22We%27re%20in%20a%20world%20where%20we%20no%20longer%20have%20to%20succumb%20to%20despair.%20We%20can%20overcome%20it%20together.%22
%20
She%20thought%20about%20the%20murder%20and%20killing%20of%20their%20friends.%20%22Sure%20we%20may%20bicker%20and%20squabble%20from%20time%20to%20time,%20but%20here,%20we%20can%20become%20a%20united%20front%20towards%20our%20salvation.%22
%20
She%20remember%20their%20distrust%20of%20humanity.%20%22Here,%20humans,%20Yokai,%20and%20wizards%20have%20come%20together%20to%20support%20each%20other.%20You%27ll%20never%20be%20alone.%22
%20
And%20then%20she%20remember%20the%20girl%20who%20looked%20just%20like%20her.%20%22I%20may%20not%20be%20Ren%20Isuzu,%20but%20I%20promise%20I%20will%20never%20abandon%20you.%20I%20won%27t%20die%20like%20she%20did.%20I%27ll%20be%20tougher%20and%20stronger%20than%20Ren%20Isuzu%20ever%20was.%22
%20
With%20that%20final%20declaration,%20Shima%20finally%20broke%20past%20the%20magic%20barrier%20and%20into%20the%20center%20of%20the%20labyrinth.%20She%20looked%20around%20and%20then%20behind%20her.%20She%20knew%20what%20she%20had%20to%20do.%20She%20would%20save%20them,%20and%20prove%20to%20them%20no%20one%20needed%20to%20sacrifice%20themselves%20any%20longer!
%20
—-
%20
Claudia%20roared%20as%20it%20opened%20up%20its%20shower%20curtains%20to%20allow%20the%20rod%20to%20shoot%20out%20in%20multiple%20directions.
%20
Puella%20Magi%20leaped%20and%20dove%20to%20dodge%20the%20metal%20tendrils.%20Rika%20sent%20a%20beam%20of%20magic%20at%20the%20witch,%20only%20for%20it%20to%20block%20it%20with%20its%20shower%20curtain%20like%20shield.%20Ayaka%20smacked%20a%20pair%20of%20tendrils%20away%20with%20her%20hammer,%20but%20grunted%20as%20she%20did.%20%22You%20know,%20I%20don%27t%20think%20she%20appreciates%20us%20peeping%20on%20her%20in%20the%20shower.%22
%20
%22Shut%20it.%22%20Shizuku%20muttered,%20leaping%20over%20another%20pair%20of%20tendrils%20before%20hacking%20through%20them%20with%20her%20chakram.
%20
Rika%20tired%20to%20adjust%20the%20aim%20of%20her%20mirror,%20but%20couldn%27t%20find%20an%20angle.%20%22Dammit,%20what%20I%20would%20do%20for%20homing%20lasers.%22
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Ayaka%20nodded%20as%20she%20tired%20to%20find%20a%20way%20in.%20Suddenly%20her%20eyes%20widened,%20%22Rika,%20above%20you!%22
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The%20blonde%20glanced%20up%20just%20in%20time%20to%20see%20another%20set%20of%20tendrils%20diving%20in%20on%20her%20location.%20She%20dived%20to%20the%20side,%20barely%20avoiding%20the%20tendrils,%20even%20as%20one%20grazed%20her%20chest.
%20
Rika%20grimaced%20as%20she%20looked%20down.%20%22Well%20that%27s%20not%20good.%22
%20
Sure%20enough,%20a%20small%20piece%20of%20her%20soul%20gem%20had%20been%20chipped%20by%20the%20tendril.%20Rika%20frowned.%20Back%20in%20Kamihama,%20the%20healer%20girls%20could%20have%20fixed%20that%20no%20problem.%20Unfortunately,%20they%20didn%27t%20have%20any%20healers.%20In%20other%20words,%20that%20meant%20one%20thing.%20%22Guys,%20I%27ve%20got%20an%20idea.%22
%20
Shizuku%20frowned.%20%22I%20don%27t%20like%20that%20idea.%22
%20
%22If%20it%20involves%20using%20her%20soul%20gem%20as%20a%20bomb,%20don%27t%20do%20it!%22%20Ayaka%20had%20a%20rare%20serious%20moment.
%20
%22But%20if%20I%20don%27t…%22%20Rika%20countered.
%20
%22I%20won%27t%20let%20you%20sacrifice%20yourself%20Rika-chan!%22
%20
The%20trio%20turned%20to%20see%20a%20silver%20haired%20magical%20girl%20leap%20into%20the%20air%20and%20land%20in%20front%20of%20the%20blonde,%20her%20scythe%20drawn.%20%22I%20refuse%20to%20sacrifice%20anyone!%22%20Shima%20repeated.%20%22You%20stay%20back.%20I%27ll%20handle%20the%20witch.%22
%20
%22I%27ll%20be%20right%20back%20ok?%22
%20
%22N-no!%22%20Rika%27s%20eyes%20widened,%20%22I%20won%27t%20let%20you.%20I%20won%27t%20let%20you%20die%20on%20me%20again!%22
%20
Shima%20smiled%20softly,%20%22I%20know.%20That%27s%20why%20I%27m%20not%20alone.%22
%20
%22That%27s%20right!%22%20Tsukune%20jumped%20in,%20her%20fans%20in%20a%20cross%20position.%20%22It%27s%20time%20for%20the%20mightiest%20magical%20girl%20to%20take%20the%20stage!%22
%20
%22Some%20mightiest,%22%20Florence%20muttered,%20her%20arms%20slung%20over%20her%20battle%20hammer.%20%22You%20can%27t%20even%20handle%20foxes.%22
%20
%22Wait,%20you%27re%20afraid%20of%20foxes?%22%20Masara%20asked%20as%20she%20shimmered%20onto%20the%20field.
%20
%22Not%20afraid!%20I%20just%20really%20dislike%20them!%22%20Tsukune%20shot%20back.
%20
%22I%20guess%20the%20mightiest%20does%20have%20a%20weakness.%22%20Kokoro%20chuckled%20as%20she%20followed%20the%20group.
%20
Rika%20stared%20at%20them%20in%20shock.%20%22You%20guys,%20but%20how?%20Who%27s%20protecting%20the%20civilians?%22
%20
Tsukune%20smirked.%20%22See%20the%20thing%20is,%20we%27re%20not%20the%20only%20powerhouses%20in%20town.%22
%20
%22I%20called%20for%20back%20up.%22%20Kokoro%20gesture%20to%20the%20phone%20in%20her%20hand.
%20
—-
%20
BLAM!
%20
The%20familiar%20blew%20apart%20as%20the%20canister%20pellets%20punctured%20through%20the%20fluffy%20head.
%20
Hamakaze%20pumped%20the%20shotgun%27s%20gauge%20before%20aiming%20at%20the%20next%20familiar.
%20
%22Nice%20shot,%22%20Yukikaze%20called%20before%20swinging%20her%20anchor%20into%20another%20familiar.%20%22But%20you%20missed%20one.%22
%20
Another%20group%20of%20familiars%20detonated%20as%20a%20dive%20bomber%20bombed%20the%20group.%20%22I%20got%20them!%22%20Shinano%20cheered.
%20
%22Nice%20one%20Shinano,%20Harry%20would%20be%20proud!%22
%20
Isokaze%20and%20Urakaze,%20each%20wielding%20rifles,%20sent%20a%20hail%20of%20bullets%20into%20the%20abominations.
%20
Across%20from%20them,%20Arizona%20picked%20up%20a%20pair%20of%20the%20familiars%20and%20crushed%20their%20heads%20together.%20Her%20sister%20Pennsylvania%20stabbed%20another%20with%20her%20rifle%20bayonet.%20%22Utterly%20disgusting.%22
%20
%22Agreed.%22%20Arizona%20nodded.%20%22To%20think%20such%20vile%20creatures%20existed.%22
%20
Jinstuu%20didn%27t%20say%20a%20word,%20but%20instead%20dual%20wielded%20her%20naginata%20and%20tanto.%20Slashing%20familiars%20with%20the%20naginata%20before%20finishing%20them%20with%20Hogosha%20Odori,%20the%20blade%20seeming%20to%20giggle%20in%20delight%20as%20it%20stabbed%20effortlessly%20into%20the%20monster%20flesh.
%20
Another%20warrior%20rushed%20forward.%20%22With%20me,%20my%20students.%22%20Masamune%20no%20Tokunotakai%20called,%20drawing%20her%20blade.
%20
%22Roger!%22%20The%20four%20magical%20girls%20nodded.
%20
Akira%20rushed%20the%20pack%20of%20familiars,%20her%20fists%20smashing%20into%20the%20head%20of%20the%20first%20one.%20Meiyui%20followed%20up,%20slashing%20their%20sides%20with%20her%20claws.%20Kako%20slipped%20past%20their%20defenses%20and%20jabbed%20her%20spear%20through%20its%20chest.%20Finally%20Nanaka%20finished,%20drawing%20her%20katana.%20She%20inhaled%20deeply,%20her%20words%20spoken%20slowly%20but%20surely.%20%22First%20Form%20of%20the%20Way,%20SUDDEN%20SLASH!%22
%20
Her%20blade%20bisected%20the%20entire%20pack%20in%20an%20instant.%20Toku%20smiled,%20proud%20of%20her%20students%27%20work.%20%22Well%20done…for%20first%20years.%22
%20
Nanaka%20rolled%20her%20eyes.%20%22Hai,%20master.%22
%20
—-
%20
Rika%20couldn%27t%20believe%20her%20ears.%20%22Y-you…you…but…%22
%20
Shima%20nodded,%20%22As%20I%20said.%20We%27re%20not%20alone.%20We%20support%20each%20other,%20we%20ask%20for%20help,%20we%20have%20each%20other%27s%20backs,%20that%20way%20no%20one%20person%20is%20shouldering%20the%20burden%20alone.%22
%20
She%20took%20turned%20towards%20the%20witch.%20%22So%20please,%20let%20us%20handle%20it.%20Let%20us%20save%20you,%20Rika-chan.%22
%20
Tsukune%20looked%20over%20the%20witch.%20%22So%20it%20looks%20like%20its%20weak%20spot%20is%20behind%20the%20curtain,%20so%20we%20need%20to%20attack%20it%20from%20above.%20Shima?%22
%20
%22Roger.%22
%20
%22Kokoro,%20you%20focused%20on%20drawing%20its%20attention.%20Masara%20and%20Florence%20will%20cover%20your%20flanks.%22
%20
%22And%20what%20about%20you?%22%20Florence%20asked.
%20
Tsukune%20smirked.%20%22Why,%20I%27m%20going%20to%20get%20my%20mightiest%20attack%20ready!%22
%20
—-
%20
Kokoro%20stood%20before%20the%20witch,%20her%20weapons%20drawn.%20Focusing%20her%20defensive%20magic,%20she%20let%20the%20tendrils%20shoot%20towards%20her,%20not%20flinching%20in%20the%20slightest.%20As%20the%20tendrils%20reached%20her,%20Kokoro%20took%20action.%20With%20a%20mighty%20heave,%20she%20shot%20her%20armored%20hand%20forward,%20smashing%20the%20head%20of%20the%20pile%20driver%20into%20the%20tendril.%20The%20tendril%20shattered%20on%20impact.%20She%20continued%20fending%20off%20the%20attacks%20even%20as%20more%20tendrils%20began%20to%20snake%20around%20to%20her%20side,%20only%20to%20be%20stabbed%20by%20Masara%27s%20dagger%20or%20smashed%20by%20Florence%27s%20hammer.
%20
Shima%20rose%20high%20into%20the%20air%20with%20her%20wings,%20peppering%20the%20witch%20with%20Aether%20bolts.%20The%20witch%20roared%20in%20response%20as%20it%20sent%20more%20tendrils%20into%20the%20air.%20The%20Angel%20dived,%20rolling%20and%20twisting%20to%20dodge%20the%20tendrils,%20even%20as%20they%20turned%20to%20home%20in%20on%20her.%20Shima%20led%20them%20into%20a%20high%20pace%20chase%20as%20she%20hacked%20and%20slashed%20at%20tendrils%20until%20she%20was%20in%20the%20clear.
%20
Taking%20a%20deep%20breath,%20Shima%20focused%20her%20magic%20into%20a%20massive%20ball%20of%20Aether%20before%20sending%20it%20hurling%20downwards.%20The%20witch%20reacted%20immediately,%20sending%20all%20its%20tendrils%20to%20block%20the%20attack.%20The%20tendrils%20shattered%20and%20writhed%20under%20the%20massive%20attack,%20but%20managed%20to%20hold%20back%20Shima%27s%20assault.
%20
However,%20using%20all%20its%20resources%20blocking%20Shima%20meant%20it%20was%20vulnerable%20to%20other%20sources.
%20
%22You%27re%20clear%20now!%22%20She%20called%20downwards.
%20
%22Yosh!%22%20Tsukune%20rushed%20forward,%20igniting%20her%20fans%20as%20she%20ran.%20%22Flame%20Waltz!!%22
%20
Tsukune%20slammed%20head%20on%20into%20the%20witch,%20setting%20the%20witch%20ablaze%20with%20her%20flames.
%20
The%20mightiest%20magical%20girl%20smirked.%20%22Figures,%20shower%20curtains%20can%20be%20flammable%20after%20all.%22
%20
The%20witch%20roared%20in%20pain%20as%20it%20tried%20to%20put%20out%20the%20flames.%20The%20tendrils%20lashed%20out,%20only%20to%20catch%20ablaze%20as%20well.
%20
Tsukune%20turned%20to%20Florence.%20%22Do%20your%20best.%22
%20
%22You%20don%27t%20have%20to%20tell%20me%20twice!%22%20The%20girl%20grinned%20as%20she%20hefted%20her%20battle%20hammer.%20She%20ran%20up%20and%20smashed%20the%20hammer%20into%20the%20witch%20repeatedly.%20%22Bam!%20Wham!%20Kablam!%22
%20
With%20the%20witch%27s%20defensive%20curtain%20compromised,%20the%20powerful%20hammer%20attacks%20tore%20through%20the%20currtain%20rods,%20exposing%20the%20witch%27s%20core.%20Tsukune%20smirked,%20%22Now%20Shima!%22
%20
%22Hai!%22%20With%20that,%20Shima%20swooped%20down%20and%20cleaved%20the%20witch%20in%20two%20with%20her%20scythe.
%20
The%20witch%20screamed%20its%20last%20before%20disintegrating%20into%20dark%20sand.
%20
Shima%20panted%20as%20she%20looked%20around.%20The%20Puella%20Magi%20stared%20at%20them%20in%20awe.%20Rika%20smiled%20softly.%20%22You%27re%20an%20angel%20Shima,%20a%20real%20angel,%20you%20know%20that?%22
%20
The%20group%20of%20magical%20girls%20watched%20the%20labyrinth%20collapse%20around%20them,%20leaving%20a…rather%20large%20group%20of%20individuals%20gathered%20in%20the%20small%20alleyway.
%20
Shima%20returned%20to%20unmoving%20body%20of%20Mitsune.%20%22R-rest%20in%20peace,%20Miwa-san.%22
%20
Rika%20nodded.%20%22I%27m%20sure%20she%20will.%22
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Shizuku%20looked%20around%20at%20the%20amassed%20force%20before%20her%20and%20for%20the%20first%20time,%20breathed%20easy.%20Perhaps%20things%20would%20be%20looking%20up%20for%20once.
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%22So,%20who%20wants%20to%20hear%20a%20joke?%22%20Ayaka%20proposed.

 

[UCC]

immediately after Rubia

Endings, and a new beginning

—-
Sasebo July 2014 (immediately afterwards)

Rika sat down on the back of the ambulance, several small bandaids covered her face. She watched in utter amazement as dozens of people shuffled in and out of the alleyway.

To think that so many people would have shown up to help them. To save magical girls. To save them?

"Kinda hard to believe…" she muttered allowed.

Ayaka, sitting next to her nodded. "Like, who would have thought…magicals and mundane working together. It sounds like a bad comedy routine."

"Sorta makes one wonder, is it ok to be here? Can we belong here?" Shizuku added.

"You do." Shima walked up to them, a limping mildly.

"Re-Shima-chan!" Rika jerked up, "You're injured."

"It's nothing." The silver haired girl shrugged it off, "I just landed funny. Didn't even notice it until they checked me out."

"No pain, no gain!" Tsukune added, as she, Kokoro and Masara joined them.

"Where's Florence?" Shima asked.

"She's talking to those magical girls from Kamakura. Apparently her fighting style reminded them of someone."

Kokoro groaned. "Another blonde berserker? Now there's two of them?"

Shima shrugged.

"Excuse me." The group of girls turned to see a woman dressed in Miko robes, a long katana at her side, "You're the Puella Magi correct?"

Rika nodded, "And you are?"

"I'm Masamune no Tokunotakai, I'm Shimazu's younger sister."

"Oh!" Tsukune's eyes brightened, "You're sensei's sister!"

"Hai. I'm also a messenger for Hachiman-dono. And he brings a message for you."

"Hachiman? Like the Kami?" Shizuku frowned.

"The one and only."

"Wait, the Kami are real?" Ayaka exclaimed in shock. "Do they like jokes? Do they laugh?"

Toku's eyes darkened. "Actually…that's part of the problem. They're asking for the Puella Magi to take down their conceptual barrier keeping them from intervening. It's not funny any longer."

"Conceptual barrier?" Rika tried to postulate. "Wait…you don't mean?"

Shizuku groaned, "That actually worked?"

"What's going on?" Shima asked in confusion.

"Ayaka happened." Shizuku muttered as she recalled the first day they arrived.

—-
Sasebo January 2014

"So like, it turns out ships have returned as cute girls!" Ayaka exclaimed, "That's like totally wacko!"

"To think that magic is more widely accepted here." Shizuku glanced through her phone, reading various articles. "Wh-what if we're caught?"

"What? Divine beings trying to catch us? What a joke!" Ayaka laughed.

—-

"Wait, you're saying my joke worked?" Ayaka's eyes brightened, "I was funny! My jokes work!"

"Ayaka…" Shizuku glared at the girl.

Rika had her face cupped in her hands. "We are so sorry. We'll take it down immediately. Right?"

"Totally!" the comedian confirmed, "Us being untouchable by divine beings, what a joke!"

The girls suddenly experienced a vague dejavu as reality warped around them.

"For the record, that wasn't funny."

"I thought it was rather amazing."

The girls jumped up in shock at the sudden appearance of the two men standing in their midst.

The bald man smiled. "Oh don't mind us. We're just here to chat a bit."

Shima froze as she tried bowing. "A-are you Kami?"

The ox headed man nodded, "That is correct. I manage part of the underworld, while Jizo here is the Kami of children."

"Indeed." The elderly man agreed. He turned to the Puella Magi. "You've had tough lives, haven't you?"

Shizuku nodded slowly, unable to find the words to speak. There were real Kami in their midst. Real Kami.

"Ehh…sorry about the barrier. It was a joke! Honestly!"

The ox man grumbled but Jizo chuckled. "To see children enjoying pranks and laughter is completely normal I assure you. When your god approached us about saving you all, we were quite surprised. For a goddess so young, and so desperate that she begged us for aid, I was moved by her actions."

"Our god?" Rika muttered.

"Yes, the Law of Cycles. MadoKami some call her." Jizo acknowledged, "She just wanted a future for you girls. Free of despair and of pain. And so with much thought, we found a suitable solution."

Shima looked up in surprise. "You did?"

"Of course we did. We're Kami after all." Jizo chuckled. "It's quite simple really. While it was easy to convert your souls to be compatible with our world, your bodies, modified by the incubator, were incompatible. So the solution simply is to take your souls and put them in compatible bodies."

Rika frowned, "Compatible bodies?"

"Y-yes." Gozu nodded. "Amaterasu-dono and her sisters agreed to have artificial bodies crafted for you, in the form of Yokai. Your souls would be placed inside of them and last you a typical yokai's lifespan."

"I-I see." Rika nodded, "So…we would have to get rid of our current bodies then."

"Rest easy, they would make the bodies to be as similar to your current bodies as possible." Gozu placated Rika's worries. "Now, if you have any preferences for what body you wish to have-"

"Rika will be a Kitsune." Shima spoke bluntly.

Rika turned to Shima in surprise. "Huh?"

Shima's eyes were dead serious. "Rika-chan will be a Kitsune."

While Rika boggled at Shima's request, Jizo chuckled, "I see. We'll keep that in mind. And as for you two? Are you willing to follow through as well?"

"Bodies that are free from despair…and being free from our curse? How could we ever say no?" Shizuku muttered, "But there's a price I assume?"

The girls paused as they realized the same conclusion. Jizo nodded, "Ever the sharp mind I see. Yes, there is compensation involved. When you pass on, you are to become our servants for the next few centuries afterwards to pay off your bodies. There's plenty of work to be done in the heavenly realms and we're always looking for more employees."

"I see." Rika processed the information. "I…I still think it's worth while. I'm in."

"As am I." Shizuku nodded.

"If Shizu's in, so am I!" Ayaka cheered.

Jizo smiled warmly. "I'm happy to hear you accepted our terms. Your bodies should be ready within a month's time. When they're ready, please head to Hachiman's temple in Kamakura for the ritual. You'll hear from us then."

And just as abruptly as they arrived, the Kami vanished.

Shima let our her breath. "Well…that happened."

"We're…we're free!" Ayaka cheered as she hugged Shizuku. "I can pursue my dream of becoming a comedian!"

Shizuku frowned, "I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."

Rika looked over at Shima who smiled back. "I promised didn't I? I'm never going to leave you Rika-chan."

Rika smiled warmly as tears ran down her cheeks. "Yes. That you did."

—-
Elsewhere

"Please take a number."

Mitsune Miwa opened her eyes. She was standing in a large room. The room was filled with people and she was standing in front of a kiosk for some reason.

"Oi, I said, take a number."

"Oh…sorry." Mitsune looked at the blonde man scowling at her. "Umm number?"

"Yes. For the line." The man in the black robes responded. "Take a number and find a seat. Here, I'll do it for you."

He pulled a slip from the machine and handed it to her. "You're number 2814. Go and take a seat."

"H-Hai." Mitsune accepted the ticket and moved to the large waiting area. Hundreds of plastic benches formed massive rows. Each bench was filled with people of all sizes, shapes, and…species.

At the front, people lined up in front of several desks with other people in black robes sitting at them. Mitsune pondered to herself. "Did I end up in hell or something?"

The wait was hellish. Much to her chagrin, she didn't have her phone. Or any other electronics for that matter. She ended up fidgeting and messing with her fingers for hours.

"Number 2814 please report to desk number 5."

Mitsune jerked up and ran over to the desk. A young woman with short black hair looked up. "Mitsune Miwa…hmm…wait…it says here you're an other world visitor. You have to go to customs first."

"What?"

The woman pointed to a door. "Over there is the office of customs. You'll have to get clearance from them first and then line up again."

"What?" Mitsune muttered in disbelief. "But I already waited so long."

"Welcome to the underworld." The woman muttered as she handed her several sheets of paper. Next!"

"But, I don't even know what I'm doing here! What's going on!" The girl protested.

"Not my problem. If you have any issues, you can make a request at the help kiosk down the hall."

"But-"

"Rukia, I can handle things from here."

The woman glanced up and saw a towering figure coming up behind the girl. "G-Gozu-sama. Of course. I'll let you handle it. Next!"

Mitsune turned around and gasped. The man…if one could call him that, had a freaking horse head. "Horse man?"

"Call me Gozu." He clarified. "You're one of the Puella Magi that the Law of Cycles sent us. My apologies for the confusion. Now if you'll come with me."

He led the girl out of the room and into a small office. "Please take a seat."

Mitsune slowly sat down. "Umm…where am I? Last I remember, I turned into a witch."

"That's correct. You did. However, that doesn't mean life is over for you." Gozu sat down on his desk, digging through some papers. "You see, when you arrived in this world, the goddess of your world, nice lady by the way, made a request that we find a way to save you."

"S-she did?"

"Yes. The Law of Cycles pleaded with the Kami and eventually worked out a deal. She would rescind her rights and authority over you and your souls, and in exchange, we would be able to restore your souls, even after witchification. So technically your body is dead, but your soul is still alive."

"I-I see. What happens after that?"

"Well, you've got a few options." Gozu pulled out two brochures. "One, you can serve a Kami, become one of their attendants. I've got at least one Kami who's offered to take you in as an attendant. He's looking for a QA tester for his game line and would be happy to have you work for him."

"So…I'd be an eternal servant for a god?" Mitsune muttered, "Sounds like a pain."

"Well, it's a lot of work, but I hear they have good benefits and some even get retirement plans." Gozu agreed, "Your other option is reincarnation."

"Reincarnation…like an Isekai?"

"You're not the first person to ask that. Sorta. Well, actually for you, it actually is an Isekai. You'd be reborn into our world. Nothing special, you may keep some of your memories if you'd like, but most choose to leave them behind. You'd get a relatively normal life. Try life again without having the curse of despair."

"I see…Has…my other friends…" Mitsune began

"I'm going to stop you there." Gozu interrupted. "I cannot tell you what they chose. Patient confidentiality and everything. So it's entirely up to you. What do you say?"

Mitsune frowned as she considered the two brochures. "Ummm…I'll take the reincarnation. I…I don't want to remember my past life. It's…it's too messy, painful…so if I could start over…that would be nice."

Gozu smiled. "Very well then. If you'll come with me, there's a few disclaimer forms and stuff I need you to fill out before we begin."

Mitsune nodded, her heart somewhat…light for once. She'd get her second chance, a change to redo everything, to be free of her past.

—-
Sasebo Police Station July 2014

Takehashi stared at the screen of his computer. "H-how do I explain explain "and then the magical girls saved us"?"

Shinzo looked up from his report. "Ahh, you don't have a magical girl attachment?"

"Magical girl attachment?"

The detective pulled out a pink sheet from his binder. "You can use my copy."

Takehashi looked over the sheet. "Magical girl attachment. The following are actions are to be understood and excused. A. Transformation sequences. B. Sudden bursts of power while discussing truth, love, and friendship. C. New transformation sequences mid fight. D. Mid battle monologues. E. Point blank non lethal lasers in the face…what am I reading?"

"Basically, an excuse to say "this is magical girl bullshit, hell if I know". The higher ups in Kyoto made it a few months back to deal with the rising magical girl incidents. All you have to do is attach the names of the magical girls involved." Shinzo explained.

Takehashi nodded, "Hmm…I think I can scan it and attach to my form when I turn it in. Actually, can I get a few of these?"

"Sure thing." Shinzo pulled out his wand and tapped the form. "Geminio!"

A second form materialized beside the first. Takehashi froze. "Are you serious? Just like that?"

Shinzo shrugged. "Helps deal with having to file duplicates to multiple departments."

"…so this is magic huh?"

"It's not as impressive as it sounds." The detective muttered. "I still have to write the first form by hand. You guys get to file digitally."

Takehashi looked over the detective carefully. "Is your uniform also enchanted?"

"Yep. For durability, defense, and comfort."

"Comfort?"

"Well yeah, for one, we don't have any bulky holsters in our uniform. I imagine your shoulder holster is quite uncomfortable at times?" Shinzo gestured to Takehashi's coat.

"Oh you don't know the half of it, I had to deal with that thing digging into my side-"

—-
Shimazu's Lab Kyoto July 2014

"What's the meaning of this?"

Tsukune flinched as the scientist roared in frustration. "Here I am, preparing to go on tour and a much needed vacation. And now you choose to do stupid things!?"

Shizuku turned to Tsukune, "Is she?"

"Don't worry," Tsukune assured her, "She can be like this, but in reality she really cares and doesn't want us hurting ourselves. Just let her get this out of her system."

"Sounds like she needs to get laid." Florence giggled.

Shimazu stopped and sent the brat a glare. "I'll have you know I've got more sexual experience than you'll ever get. I've had experiences so vivid, so explicit, they had to be written in a book and became a best seller!"

Florence opened her mouth but wisely closed it. Kokoro bowed. "We're sorry for using our powers again. But we had to! It was to save everyone!"

"I know that." The researcher groaned. "I know you did it for the right reasons. But we have contingencies and back up for a reason. And I was just ready to implement my new workaround for fixing your magic powers."

"You were?" Tsukune raised her brow in excitement.

"Yes. Basically I've worked out a way that you can tap into religious powers built around the belief in magical girls. That way, your spells shouldn't strain your magic reserves so rapidly." She went the girls a glare. "It's no excuse for not learning how to magic the proper way…but it should give you the boost in power when you need it."

"Hai!" Tsukune cheered. "You're the best…err…second best, Shimazu Sensei!"

"Second best?"

"Kaya Shishou is the best naturally!"

"Figures."

Shimazu turned her attention on the Puella Magi. "And now for you two."

"H-Hai." Shizuku muttered awkwardly. "We're…sorry?"

The researcher sighed. "So like…I get your issues and stuff. And what the incubator did was terrible and everything. But using reincarnation to solve your problems? What were the Kami thinking?"

"It's not really reincarnation?" Ayaka shrugged, "More like animating new bodies! Like a video game!"

Shimazu sent a glare at the comedian. "Sure. But reincarnation has several side effects, like possibly wiping out the previous soul that lived there. Though…I guess since they're artificial bodies, they wouldn't override out any previous soul…but still! It's the ethics of it all!"

She groaned. "But if this is how the Kami want to handle it, so be it! But I'll be keeping a very close eye on your girls! You can count on it."

"H-Hai!" Shizuku and Ayaka squeaked out.

—-
Sasebo Naval Base July 2014

"So…it's over?" Richardson looked at the report before him.

Shima nodded, "Hai. The remaining Puella Magi are in our care."

"And you're certain the incubator has not arrived in our world."

Rika shook her head. "It was just the six of us. Kyubey wasn't with us when we arrived."

Richardson nodded. "I see. That is good to know." He turned to Rika, who was nervously fidgeting. "Please, speak freely. I may be an admiral, but knowing how we can best help you is both of our goals."

"H-Hai. Shima-chan…has been most helpful. Where we came from, we didn't trust the authorities. In fact, the authorities were outright out of the question. So talking with a…non magical girl about these issues is a bit unusual for me."

"I can understand such feelings." Richardson agreed. "Thankfully, at least Goto and I have your safety and futures in our best interests. I've received several outstanding reports from our people and the local authorities about your impact on the field. I wouldn't be surprised to see a magical girl branch to our police and peacekeeping departments in the future."

Shima nodded. "Hai."

"I…I see." Rika tried to process what she had been told. "So…what happens next?"

The admiral smiled softly. "For now, you rest. You take care of yourselves. I believe it would be best if you relocated to Kyoto, but honestly, we can set you up in Sasebo if you'd like. Our people will get to work trying to give you the best medical care we can provide."

As the two left the office, Shima turned to Rika. "Ummm…well that went well."

Rika chuckled, "Ahh well…I guess so. I never would have thought you had connections like this…with the military and everything."

"H-Hai. Ummm…Rina…I mean Rika…"

"I said it before, you can call me anything Shima."

Shima blushed. "Ok then…Rika-chan. Would you like to go to the festival this weekend with me?"

Rika smiled warmly. "Sure Shima-chan. It's a date!"

—-

I'd love to end it here. Rika and Shima go to the festival at Shiromizu's mountain (meeting Kensho and Harry there). Shimazu continues to berate the Kyoto gang while looking forward to her vacation. The three fallen Puella Magi (Karin, Emiri, and Mitsune) live out their lives as reincarnated souls. Tsukune curses the foxes. Florence wonders when she'll find a family.

But that would be boring wouldn't it? Better get some drama set up.

—-
Taiwan June 2014

A white haired girl looked out into the sea, the sea breeze blowing through her ponytail.

"Xiao Jie, you must return with us." A voice called behind her.

She sighed as she turned to the men in suits. "For the Buddha's sake, it's safe out here. Go pester my mom or something. I'm fine here."

The men's expressions didn't change. "Your mother has request your presence."

The white haired girl scoffed. "Is she trying to convince me to do a shoot? I already told them, I'm not interested in working for the nunnery. I want a life of action, adventure, not being a model for a photo shoot."

"Xiao Jie, your mother specifically demanded your presence. You should come immediately."

"Fine," she groaned, "I'll be there when I feel like it."

Watching the men leave, the girl returned her eyes to the crashing waves. That's when she noticed a small white creature pulling itself onto the pier.

Curious, she walked out to the end of the pier. The white cat like creature shook its fur free of excess water before looking up at her. "Konichiwa!"

The girl frowned, "Ni hao?"

"Ahh, you speak Mandarin!" The cat spoke to her, "Is this better?"

Befuddled at the talking cat, the girl nodded. "Wh-who are you?"

"I'm Kyubey! And I make contracts with girls to become magical girls."

The girl nodded slowly. "Magical girls?"

"Yes!" Kyubey clarified. "Magical girls are girls in Japan who have received powers to fight against evil and the oppressors."

"I see. And you can offer these powers to girls?"

The Kyubey nodded, "That's right. Hmm…you feel interesting. You're not human. Your aura is different."

The girl slowly nodded. "That's right."

"You seem somewhat like a kitsune of sorts." Kyubey concluded. "While I typically contract human girls, that doesn't mean I don't make exceptions. What is your name?"

"Wei Tsu Wa." The girl let her ears and tails show. "I'm a Huli Jing. Is that a problem?"

Kyubey shook its head. "Of course not. Now then Wei Tsu Wa, you wish for adventure, action, and romance?"

Tsu Wa paused, "Something like that. You can grant me that?"

"Well, magical girls have a significant boost to their combat abilities. Several of the girls I've contracted can hold their own against several aurors."

"I see."

"Well then," the beady eyes narrowed down on the foxy girl. "Wei Tsu Wa, will you make a contract with me and become a magical girl?"

 

[TheGrumpyMonk]

I'm so possed at this site. It took me like an hour to make my account. And now I have to post a comment to view other posts. Probably the worst UI of any site I've been on in the last decade.

 

[darthcourt10]

Let's go like this.

Ramune anyone - Set after Harry and Natsumi do their horror movie set up
(School project - Horror Film)

To be a magical girl - set immediately afterwards

To serve and protect - After Jin shows up on the scene (I don't remember the exact snippet) but probably before Kaya goes into the bunker
([Bunker] Cavalry Arrives) Jin shows up
([Shimazu] 2014 Wayward Flower 1 {Bunker} Kaya teleports to Bunker with Musashi and Toku


A brief respite - After Harry and co get out of the bunker and are in the hospital
([Bunker] The Moments After 1&2) - ?June 24 2014?

Mentors - after the bunker cools down, so maybe a week or so later ?June 31 2014?

Meet the team (and the entire Puella magi arc) - sometime before when Shiromizu is going to have the festival at her shrine
Before ([Ginzan Fest.] Heading for the Mountains 1) ?after? (Stuffing the cult of the DARK ONE (BEHOLD!) )