"What the heck is with the red sky?" Miko said, bristling with agitation. With nervous energy, she paced across the small room in an abandoned building they'd found. "It's just creepy!"
"..."
"Okay, I know, we're tapped here," Miko said, sighing. "I'm just voicing my thoughts. What are we going to do? What if the Devil Princess comes after us? Do you think we could even plead a case?" Already, Miko suspected the culprit's identity. It didn't make her optimistic about their chances. Instead, it gave her gut ripping terror.
"It's worth a try," Kelv said. "What's the worst that could happen?… Okay, dumb question."
"..."
"You're a genius, Chō!" Her partner said, beaming. "Emiyo's a lieutenant! She's bound to have some ideas about how to escape this situation."
"The problem is luring her out," Miko said, voicing her thoughts. "If she wants to be gone, we'll never find her."
"No need, I've already got her!" A voice said from the doorway. Miko gasped as Nyx entered with her partner in tow. Emiyo looked in terrible shape, dirty, and wearing a ragged cloak. She looked nothing like the prim, uptight magical girl Miko was used to.
"Emiyo, you're okay!" Tears pricked Miko's eyes, glad her boss was safe. "We feared the worst!"
"I found her at the crash site, scoping it out!" Nyx said. "She wasn't as hard to find as I feared. I figured she'd stay close to Seina to observe her, and I was right!"
"Nyx already told me everything. Apparently, you rushed to rescue me because you thought I was getting waterboarded by Seina and her cohorts or something. How could you think something so ridiculous!" Emiyo said, shaking her shaggy hair before scratching her scalp.
"I, um, assumed Seina was your typical magical girl!" Miko said, flushing.
"..."
"Yeah, I realize that now. Anyway, I feared the worst! You were gone forever, Emiyo." Miko replied.
"Seina is Seina," Emiyo said, shrugging. "She's just your typical kindhearted ten-year-old, really. Not surprising, considering she'd received no proper training at Starlight Dream. But we have greater problems."
"Right, the Devil Princess!" Miko said, her worry returning to full force. "They're kinda angry at Seina for wreaking things at home. She actually destroyed the Hall of Agony! So one came here."
"I saw her after she caused that crazy plane crash. It was Yuuka Tsujikawa. I heard everything. She's playing a game with our favorite magical girl." After scratching her hair again, Emiyo explained their dilemma.
"..."
Miko joined the string of curses, hating her terrible luck. They were doomed! It seemed unlikely they could escape with their hides intact. Yuuka would insist they play the game. It was a game no one, not even Seina and her accursed Devil's luck, could win.
"Lucky, I already have a plan!" Emiyo said, her mouth twisting into a satisfied smile.
"You aren't suggesting we join forces with Seina?" A magical girl had her pride. Miko refused to work with an enemy! Especially that traitor, Jin! If she ever saw that fairy again, her former partner would pay for her cruel betrayal!
"No, but she plays a vital part in my plan," Emiyo replied, scratching her head. "While they're still doomed, I believe Seina's team will give Yuuka more of a run for her money than she's expecting. She doesn't realize we exist. I say we use that to our advantage."
"..."
"Yeah, that's crazy talk!" Miko said in protest. "Even if they beat her half-dead, Yuuka will still make mincemeat of us if we try attacking her!"
Emiyo crossed her arms. "It's not a perfect plan. But it's our best chance. And if it succeeds, it answers all our problems! Seina will die, and Yuuka will be out of everyone's hair. No one likes her anyway!"
After giving it some thought, Miko sighed and nodded. "Okay, sure. If we take advantage of her arrogance, we might, might just succeed. But her special power is terrifying. She's using it to seal this entire universe!"
".."
"That's a good backup plan. Good thinking, Chō." Seina might distract the Devil Princess enough that she'd redirect her power elsewhere, weakening her barrier around the universe. It'd be a cinch to escape.
I guess we have a plan! Not that Miko wasn't still terrified out of her mind, struggling to control her trembling knees.
"Let's switch to something more important. When did you have your last bath, Emiyo?" Miko said, turning her nose up. She'd been ignoring the omnipresent stench since the meeting first started.
"Damn right," Nyx said. "I'm not leaving my partner looking like that!"
Much to their collective surprise, Emiyo only rolled her eyes. "We have bigger problems. You know, not getting horribly killed by a bloodthirsty maniac!"
"But, but you like bathing! And you need a pedicure, at least!" Nyx said, struggling to collect her thoughts.
"Trapped as I was, it's given me time to think. And I'm going to survive no matter what the cost." Emiyo replied. "I refuse to relax until Yuuka is dead! Instead, we should focus on monitoring the target. She's infamous for her unpredictability and might randomly start the game early. With my power, it'll be easy to monitor her undetected."
"Okay. What about us?" Miko mentally kicked herself for missing the obvious. When death was close to their doorstep, who cared about a spa date?
"A little training," Emiyo said, her grin mischievous. "A little trick I learned from the rebel. It's not much of an advantage, but it's better than nothing. Against Yuuka, we'll need every advantage to survive."
"Then a full-day spa date after this whole mess ends?" Nyx said, still insistent. She wouldn't let this go. It mortified the fairy to see her partner in such rags and filth.
"Of course." Emiyo chuckled, amused. "Anything for you, Nyx."
"Hey, stop it." The fairy said, laughing as her partner gave her a tight hug. "You smell!"
"I missed you," Emiyo said, her voice barely a whisper.
"Me too." Nyx shuttered, wiping grime from her fur after the embrace ended. "No more hugs until you're clean, okay?"
---
"Seina!" A voice said above her. Pain was a constant companion. Her body filled with liquid agony as she tried raising her head.
"What happened?" Takako asked. "What caused this?" Colten watched in concern, waving the others over.
"Seina!" Almost bowling Takako over, her bodyguard rushed to her side. With gentle hands, he picked Seina up. He sent a venomous glare toward Takako. "Heal her."
"I was planning to. Sheesh." With a wave of her ribbon, healing energy filled Seina. She blinked as all the pain vanished like it'd never existed. Despite experiencing this several times, the sensation always felt bizarre to her.
When Seina returned to her feet, she saw everyone had come. Trepidation hid in their eyes, fearful of who'd be powerful enough to defeat the seemingly unstoppable Seina. When asked, Seina gave a brief rundown of the situation. She explained about the two girls who were looking to rescue Emiyo. They'd fought, only for the Devil Princess to appear and ruin everything.
"Sorry about my room, Mr. Kiyojiro," Seina said, chagrined. "I did my best to stop it from getting too damaged." She wondered if she could convince Takako to fix it, her magic best suited to the task.
"Forget that." Her bodyguard replied. "What about you? Are you okay? You really got your butt whooped."
"I'm fine," Seina said, lying through her teeth.
Of course, nothing was okay. A madwoman was running loose around their world. The recent destruction was just the beginning. Worse, Seina felt powerless to stop it. So much for the mightiest magical girl. What a joke. But she did her best to keep her utter dejection hidden.
While the others seemed to buy the lie, her partner Colten gave her hand a tight squeeze. He always seemed the most aware of her emotions. Mr. Kiyojiro, wise as ever, watched her with concern.
But Seina soon realized her worries were minor compared to another of her friends. When she'd heard Yuuka's name, Ume had gone stricken, white as a ghost. Seina sensed there was some history between the two of them.
"Ume, do you know anything about Yuuka?" Seina said, her voice coxing and compassionate. She declared her pain and doubts didn't matter compared to whatever Ume was going through.
"What?" Ume asked, surprised someone was suddenly talking to her. Very unlike the usually professional magical girl. Seina always assumed little could rattle the girl. After collecting her thoughts, Ume finally spoke.
"Yuuka Tsujikawa." Ume tightened her fist so tight that blood oozed down her palm. "Is the worst type of monster. Murder's in her blood!"
"Ume?" The others joined her in giving their new friend a strange look. Turbulent emotions hid behind Ume's eyes, raw grief bubbling to the surface.
"And now she's here." Ume's entire body shook with pure fury. "Her."
"So?" Takako said, tactless as ever. "What history do you have?"
"When the Devil Princesses took over Starlight Dream, Yuuka was instrumental in hunting us down. It was a game for her, Magical girls were that creature's playthings. I lost so many comrades because of her."
But Seina sensed it went further than that, much further. She put a comforting hand on her friend's arm. "And we'll stop her, prevent her from hurting anyone else."
"But how though?" Himari said, her voice worried. "Seina, you have no clue how powerful she is! We're dead when she's decided to stop playing games with us."
Her bodyguard nodded. "I doubt she'll leave and never bother us again if you win this hide-and-seek game."
Everyone went silent as they considered their basically nonexistent options. But a sudden question popped into Seina's head. "So, why is she allowed to use her magical girl powers while untransformed? Was I facing only a small portion of her power?"
"She must have a greater link with her power," Himari said. "Even without transforming, a magical girl has some magical ability, though it's usually only used for protection."
"Is it because of her age as a magical girl, or because of her greater power?" Mr. Kiyojiro asked, turning to address Ume.
"Beats me. But it's likely the latter." Ume paused, giving the matter further consideration before shaking her head. "I've heard rumors the old queen had prophetic dreams. One of the many countless tall tales about her. Most are beyond outrageous."
"And her fairy, Charity, could read the future too. What's up with that?" Seina asked.
"Well, they do share a connection," Himari replied. "Maybe fairies can access their partner's powers somewhat?"
"That explains so much!" Colten said, beaming. "That explains why my time powers are so powerful. I must be tapping into Seina's raw magical strength!"
"Sorry, what?" Takako said, blinking. Everyone else gave the fairy a blank, confused look.
To explain, Colten summoned a familiar mask in his paws. With a dramatic flourish, he placed it on his tiny, chubby face. There was a burst of blinding, radiant light, and Paliah appeared in his stead.
"Greetings again," Paliah said, giving a polite bow. "You can call me Paliah. Seina's protector and partner."
"What?!" Everyone's jaw, except Seina's, dropped in pure shock.
"Yeah, I have special magical powers that allow me to take human form." Paliah waved a dismissive hand. "It's a long story."
"But what?" Everyone exploded in questions, demanding answers.
But Paliah only raised a hand. "I'll explain later. Seina might be on to something. If I can better channel Seina's special powers. I'll become a veritable force to be reckoned with. Yuuka doesn't know I exist, and my powers can be quite troublesome."
"Right," Takako said. "It's something, but we're facing a Devil Princess. She'll be expecting dirty tricks. It won't be enough."
"Ah, but who'se better at dirty tricks than you, Takako!" Seina said, beaming. "And we outnumber her!"
"Yeah, sure," Takako said with little enthusiasm, but nodded. She wasn't optimistic, but she wouldn't just surrender, either.
"Yuuka is giving us a day. I say we use it to train and plan." Seina said. Unlike the others, she'd never lost hope. She was determined to win. "This Devil Princess is arrogant. She'll make mistakes, and we'll exploit them."
"And then we'll kill her," Ume said, voice hard. When she caught Seina's expression, she gave a grim smile. "Don't worry. You wouldn't be the one dirtying your hands. She needs to die. Too much blood is on her hands. Allowing her to live would be a crime. Monsters like her can't change."
"Okay." While Seina wanted to argue, her friend's expression told her there wasn't any room for compromise. She only sighed. That was a problem they'd work out later.
The bigger issue was how they'd win. To defeat Yuuka, they'd need everything they'd got. She only hoped it was enough. She briefly considered asking Miko, Emiyo, and Chō for help. With Jin's help, maybe she could convince her partner to switch sides!
No, there's no way Miko will forgive her partner for such a betrayal. I wouldn't.
Heck, Seina feared Miko's group might interfere in their efforts to curry favor with their Devil Princess mistress. After giving Paliah another hug, she steadied herself. Somehow, they'd get through this nightmare. Hope was all they had.
---
"Hm, how annoying," Dreven said from the shadows. Despite regaining his human properties, he still lingered in the shadows. After decades as a vampire, his instinctive dislike of the sun had trouble fading. He supposed, deep down, he'd always been a creature of darkness.
How should he respond to this recent, unexpected development? It had shocked him to see a small girl riding carefree on top of an airplane, laughing her head off. Despite her weak apperence, the crash hadn't inflicted a single injury. So this was the much-feared Devil Princess's power. Talk about being on another level. But what could he do?
While he could withstand much, Dreven doubted he'd survive the universe's utter annihilation. It left him with quite a dilemma. He'd heard the fear in Seina's voice when she'd spoken about confronting Yuuka. Hard to imagine anything could truly frighten someone of her power.
"So what? Assist in the fight?" But his powers were still untested. Dreven was still learning his new capabilities.
"No, I'm still too weak." He doubted he'd stand a chance against even Colten's strange new powers. But that was alright. It only meant he had a greater opportunity to improve.
"Let them all die." While it disappointed Dreven that Seina was soon for the grave, his immediate survival was the priority. Dreven would survive the Devil Princess's wrath once Seina and her allies eventually failed. And he knew exactly how he'd accomplish such a feat.
It'd reduce him to a mere scavenger, a jackal searching for scraps. But they'd be plentiful once the fight began in earnest. Dreven would continue where he started with Emiyo, using his pseudo-vampiric nature to drain away greater power. Seina and her friend's corpses would raise him to even greater height. Once free of this universe, he'd prey on other wandering magical girls until he was more powerful than even the Devil Princesses.
"And hey, if I'm lucky. I'll be the one to finish Seina in her dying breath!" What a delicious thought that was. While everyone else was fighting for survival, Lotus Butcher would reap the benefits.
He extended a slender hand, much different from the hulking beast he'd been as Dreven, the unlikable vampire. Like Colten, absorbing Emiyo had changed him, altering him forever. Even his mother wouldn't recognize him any longer, but that was alright. If absorbing another magical girl would change him further, he won't care. What was appearance when you had ultimate power?
"Yes, Yuuka Tsujikawa, kill them all!" Dreven laughed, his voice much higher pitched than his former self. And if she failed, that was okay. He'd dine on the Devil Princess instead. Either way, he'd eat well tomorrow.