The Carnelian Sparrow

Chapter 11

Standing at the edge of a broken, collapsed highway leading out of Mitakihara, Esther Rinju was staring out at the horizon as the sun began to set. Her gaze was blank, yet to those that knew her, the fury in the blank orbs would be unmistakable. Her right hand was tightly balled into a fist, and her left clutched at her chest.

The highway she stood upon had been discontinued some time ago. Years, probably, when Kamihama City mysteriously closed itself off from the rest of the world. No one really knew what happened, not even the Magical Girls of the surrounding cities and towns. Even Kyubey had expressed confused interest in the incident, but didn’t have any information. The Magical Girls that knew Kyubey best even noted that it wasn’t so much that it was withholding information, but that the creature genuinely didn’t know what happened.

It wasn’t this city that drew Esther’s attention, however. Nor her ire. She had been called to this spot by a lead she was chasing during her previous outing, but for some reason, the trail had gone cold.

She had a good idea why, too. An envelope had been placed in her care, delivered by a messenger of a messenger. Careful instructions to follow, and a rendezvous that now didn’t seem to exist.

Esther had admittedly only glanced at the contents of the envelope, when it was still in her possession at least. But some time between her return to Mitakihara and now, she had lost the envelope.

Cursing at herself, wondering how she could be so careless with something so precious, not to mention getting caught up in the pettiness between herself and Yui Arashi, it showed Esther that even her perfect armor had cracks. Now, the one promising trail she had followed had grown cold. The best hope Esther had at the answers she had been desperate for over the last couple years, and she threw it away. All over a quarrel that she deep down didn’t even care about.

Looking at her phone, she noticed several missed calls. Multiple from Alice, one from her mother, and one she didn’t expect. “Hanako Sasaki… that first year girl. Right.” She had to remind herself that she had offered her services as mentor to the newbie, but usually, the girls never took her up on it. Most of them died or turned long before they picked up the phone. Some made it on their own, not wanting to compete with someone stronger than themselves over resources.

Esther made a mental note to follow up with her when she returned to town. This gave her something constructive to do. Something to take her mind off of everything. Leaving some highway left, Esther turned away. Smoldering piles of pavement and asphalt lay in her wake.

For now, Esther had to try something else to continue her pursuit. Another approach, perhaps. Her quest for the truth about her family was far from finished.

The sun had set over the empty lot, and the band of four dreaming girls began packing up in a tired, yet satisfied murmur. It was about as typical a practice session as one could ask for. And for once, Yui was the one grateful that she wasn’t on the mic as a singer or backup.

Her voice was hoarse the entire evening, prompting concern from Alice, Midori and even Shinju, who seemed far more energetic today. Yui barely even remembered the excuse she gave this time, but no one gave her a second glance afterwards. Her cheek, chest and neck were still neatly bandaged, redone before Yui left her apartment to come to practice, but these resulted in somehow fewer questions than the state of her voice.

“See, Yui?” Midori was the first to break the near silence during the gathering of instruments. “I told you that taking it easy would clear things up.”

An audible groan from Alice followed. “Really, Yui? You’re still hung up on stuff to the point that -Midori- is worrying over you?”

“What can I say, babe? I’m clearly losin’ my touch, eh?” Yui shrugged, clearing her throat after managing her first complete sentences of the night. She then opened the stone slab covering a secret compartment to store the band’s heavier belongings. It was a small, square stone hollow, possibly used by various criminal organizations in Mitakihara’s history to store weapons or other contraband. Now, it was used to store a drum set and the heavier instruments and equipment the band required, as well as their generator.

“Whoa!” Shinju chimed in, peering over Midori’s shoulder at the open cover. “So -that’s- how you’ve been hiding the speakers and everything? I mean, I knew you didn’t take it home with you, but…”

“Obviously. Yui’s grandfather owns this lot, after all.” Alice sighed again as she turned away from Yui. “Some kind of property he’s holding on to, until the city gives him a reasonable offer, or something like that. Right, Yui?”

Yui shrugged, loading the drum set first, then coming back up for the speakers. “Somethin’ like that. Long and short though, what we’re doin’ here is perfectly legal. Like, for real. I know I’m breakin’ the immersion of our super punk image, but—”

“Oh, we’re a punk band this week?” Midori chuckled, helping Yui with the rest of the loading. “What next, emo? Or do we go back to our pop roots to push out an album as soon as possible, hm?”

“God… gimme a break, will you, Midori? That was the one time!”

Shinju chuckled, for once not put off by the bickering. “Well now that I know, I can help move all that stuff next time.”

“Heh, careful what you volunteer for, Shinju.” Yui moved the stone slab back over the grotto, setting a tarp over it as well. “Give me an inch, and all that. Truth be told, I won’t say no to the help. Not if I keep kickin’ my own ass all the time,” she added, rubbing the bandage on her neck.

“Yeah. Next time I tell you to find a way to unwind, try not to kill yourself doing it, okay?” Midori’s tone was more maternal than she probably intended, but between this and Koharu’s cuts, she was falling into the role more than she would have liked.

“No promises.” Yui’s dismissive tone was echoed by a few deep coughs.

“Well anyway, I gotta get back. Mom’s a hyperfocus freight train, so I gotta hold down the fort.” Alice gave a little wave, followed by Yui, though the latter was a bit more dismissive. Shinju followed suit as Midori walked out of sight.

“I guess I’m next. ‘Haku isn’t here, so I think I’ll walk back. See ya all at school!”

Shinju started to walk away, stopped only by Alice’s call. “Whoa whoa… you’re gonna -walk- home? Don’t you live on the military base with your sister?”

Shinju thought for a moment, then gave a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine! The walk’ll do me some good. Besides, you should see what ‘Haku puts me through when she gets bored. This is nothing. Well, take care!” Before Alice could stop her a second time, Shinju ran off into the budding night.

Yui was silent through the exchange, her eyes having not left Shinju for even a second. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about the newcomer felt… off. Different. Something Yui couldn’t explain, or even put into words in her own mind, but something. Her sixth sense, the one she wasn’t in tune with, was giving some conflicting signals. Shinju couldn’t be… could she? And yet, here she was, suddenly brimming with confidence, far more than she had ever displayed to the rest of her band mates.

“She really did find a stride in the end, didn’t she?” Alice, of course, could pick up on Yui’s mood without much effort, though she wasn’t really in the ballpark this time around. “She got comfortable in a hurry.”

Yui shook her head, returning from her thoughts. “Huh, yeah. She really did. Like, overnight. Strike you as odd, babe?”

“No, not really. You took my advice and played nice with Hanako. That’s the only thing I can think of. She doesn’t have to feel guilty or like… this weird double agent thing, or whatever anymore.”

And Yui couldn’t deny that. Though they had met on rather tumultuous terms, Yui and Hanako had an understanding nowadays. She made a mental note to follow up with her at some point, but it would have to wait. “Yeah, I guess so. Hanako’s got a good head on her shoulders for a greenhorn. Pretty solid in a fight, too.”

“Why, Yui! Is that -respect- I hear in your voice? That’s a new one!” Alice swayed cutely where she stood, a rare smile lighting her face for just a moment.

Yui decided not to argue this time. “I can’t really deny it. After workin’ together to help Koharu out of that bind, I can’t really pretend I don’t. I don’t have that much pride, that I can’t admit when something’s going right. Hey, did she ever make contact with Esther, after all that stuff the other day?”

Alice’s smile, as expected, faded rather quickly at the mention of her older sister’s name. “She hasn’t told me anything, no. …Guess that makes two of you, doesn’t it?”

Yui sighed, though she didn’t fight the accusation, nor did she try and run from it. “Care to elaborate?”

“…I know, Yui. I know that…” Alice sighed this time, composing herself. “…I know you’re fighting. You and Esther. I know you two are fighting.”

Yui closed her eyes. “I’m not gonna insult your intelligence by pretending otherwise. All I wanna know is, how d’ya know?”

“Take off those bandages.” Alice’s voice was completely devoid of emotion, and she barely watched as Yui unwrapped the bandage covering her neck. The one on her cheek followed shortly after, showing the lingering burn marks. “…They’re not glowing white anymore, but I know those are… her work.”

Yui was quiet for awhile. She couldn’t deny the truth with Alice. How Alice knew this was a question for later, but the first thing Yui noticed, she blurted out. “Hey wait, they’re not white anymore? I guess that means they really are healing. Still hurts like hell though.”

“Focus, Yui. …Tell me, what made you two fight? It had to be serious, if she left those marks on you…”

“No sense hiding it. Well… remember last time I came by for tea?” Not waiting for her confirmation, Yui continued. “Esther chased me down after I left. Told me to stay away from you. Naturally, that wasn’t gonna happen. Well, I went to watch Pops fight the other night, and guess who his opponent was.”

Alice’s eyes widened in horror, but Yui didn’t give her a chance to interject. “She didn’t hurt him, don’t worry. But it was over in a flash. I went to give her a hard time afterwards, she said somethin’ about needing the money? Maybe to fund all these out of town trips…”

“Anyway, I told her to back off, or take back tellin’ me to back off. She was being difficult, so I made a bet. Fought her last night, and the deal was, if I lasted longer than Pops, she had to lay off, and if I couldn’t, I’d leave town.”

“But look, babe.” Yui spoke up a bit, noting the horrified expression on Alice’s face. “I had to. I -had- to give my all here. I had to lay it all on the line, just to get her to back off. ‘Cause I sure as shit wasn’t gonna let her tell me what to do, especially since that ‘what to do’ was just walkin’ away from you. Not in a thousand years.”

“I just didn’t expect her to do the same. She came at me pretty goddamn hard there, given how long it’s taken these damn burns to heal. She must’ve really wanted me out of the picture. Just can’t imagine why. …Then again, maybe she -wasn’t- givin’ her all. That’s a scarier thought.”

Alice lowered her head, staring at the ground. She was quiet for a few minutes before speaking again. “I see. Well, I can only assume you won the bet, then. That explains why Esther was using her magic…”

“I can’t fault her there. I did the same thing, bought time and an opening using a clap of thunder. Prob’ly how I came out in the end, heh. But uh… better question. You knew what her powers are?”

“Of course I did, Yui.” Alice’s voice was a bit colder, but steady. “How could I not? Esther and I are—” She stopped suddenly, correcting herself. “We were really open with one another. I knew when she made her wish, and what it was, more or less…”

“Uh… you never told me this before because…?”

Alice glared up at Yui. “For one, you never asked. Not that it was ever any of your business.”

“Oh come on, don’t give me that—”

“And -secondly-,” Alice snapped back, “if I -did- tell you what her powers were, you would’ve gone on a crusade to figure out how to fight around them, just to win in a spar or something. And don’t try to deny it, Yui, because we both know that deep down, when nothing serious is happening, trying to win the one fight you never have is your all consuming purpose.”

This shut Yui up for a moment. She couldn’t deny it. Deep down, deep in her very soul, Yui strove to fight. It was true ever since Yui was a child, even before primary school. It didn’t matter if the other person deserved it or not, though Yui did prefer to pick fights with bullies and the like. She wanted to fight. She wanted to -win-. “You’re your mother’s daughter, kid.” Garou’s voice would often echo in Yui’s mind whenever she felt the burning desire to fight rising within her.

She was capable of suppressing it, of course. Especially as she got older, and even more so when she forged her contract with Kyubey. Fighting Witches was the perfect outlet for Yui, so much so that it caught Alice off guard when Yui started showing more calmness around her. Ironically, despite the danger of Yui’s newfound life, it brought her and Alice closer together.

But Alice wasn’t wrong. Knowing Esther’s powers, her full capabilities would have set Yui on a path to figuring out how to beat them. To beat -her-, the one person and the one fight Yui never truly could win. It was why Yui made the bet that she did. If she put the stakes on winning or losing, Yui couldn’t have ever come out on top. It was all she could do to survive for the few minutes that she did.

“If I had to guess,” Alice said, cutting through Yui’s train of thought, still holding control of the conversation, “I would think that she left those marks on you as a warning. She knew she lost the bet, but she wanted to remind you who was really in charge. I think that’s what she was doing, anyway.”

Yui finally found her voice. “That, or make it awkward to be around me, since you’d know it was her, and it’d be a whole-ass thing. But that didn’t work either, since uh… you’re pretty calm about all of this.”

Alice shrugged, shrinking back down as she sat on the ground, hugging her knees. “I knew you wouldn’t lie to me. But knowing something in my head and feeling it in my heart are two different things, Yui. I needed the honesty, but it’s terrifying asking for it, you know?”

“I can’t lie to you, I kinda suck at lying. It’s a pain in the ass, anyway. Just look at the shitstorm I caused by leaving a little rock in the Newspaper Club room…” Yui sighed, shaking her head in earnest regret. It was an emotion Yui seldom felt, but it always hit her like a train whenever she did feel it.

Alice nodded, somewhat in a practiced technique to calm herself down, then rose to her feet. “I guess the only question left is why. Why did Esther want to push you away from me so desperately?”

“Well, why not just ask her? Be direct about it. Turn her little game on her instead, yeah? Make it awkward. God knows that’d make me feel better, if one of us can make her squirm a little…”

Visibly shuddering, Alice simply scoffed and looked away. “You know, I just might. I would if she were around, anyway,” she added, muttering.

“Oh son of a bitch. She skip town again? Wait, but I saw her at school today!”

Alice sighed, closing her eyes. “She left right after school. Was in kind of a hurry about it, but she promised not to be gone too long this time. Not that that matters… if she had her way, I’d be alone right now.”

“Like hell you would. If she’s out of town, all bets are off. Both of us are fightin’ like hell to keep that damn cat away from you. Doesn’t matter if we see things differently. She skips town, then I ain’t lettin’ you sit alone. She can bitch about it later.”

“Yeah… or she can set you on fire again.”

Yui scratched her unburnt cheek. “Yeah, uh… about that. Aren’t our wishes supposed to shape these powers? What the hell did Esther wish for, that she can give these lingering burns to people?”

“Oh, that.” Alice’s voice turned from melancholy to neutral as she answered Yui’s question. “Well, she wished for my fath— … Mom’s then husband to suffer, whenever Esther could physically see him.”

“What the hell?! I mean, not that I disagree, but like… no, what the hell?!”

Alice merely nodded. “As long as he was nearby, in the house, or somewhere Esther could see him, he would be in some sort of physical pain. Nothing life threatening, mostly discomfort… he hid it for a long time. But we could all tell. To a degree, anyway. One day, I guess he couldn’t take it anymore, because he went to the police station himself.”

“Turned himself in? I guess living in that kind of pain all the time would eventually eat at someone. …Sorry, babe, but is it messed up that I’m glad he suffered, at least?”

Alice chuckled somewhat darkly. “I’d be a hypocrite to give you a hard time over that, Yui. But that was her wish, to make him suffer. As a result, when she hits someone in the right mindset, it… lingers. Like a poison flame born from her malice.” Alice shuddered again. “It made me uncomfortable to think about, but Esther never really changed because of it. Not for the worst, anyway. …Not until lately, where she started vanishing like this.”

“Well, when she gets back, let’s get to the bottom of this. We’ll both ask her why she wanted me out of the picture. If Esther’s good about her word, then she can’t object.”

“…No more secrecy? I don’t want any more bad blood behind my back, Yui.”

Yui waved her hand, her cheery demeanor slowly returning to her. “No more secrecy.”

“But what if Esther tries something else? She went to all this trouble, on top of whatever she was already doing…”

Yui smirked, pulling an envelope out of her pocket. “I wouldn’t worry about that too much. This time, I got leverage.” As Alice’s eyes widened, Yui’s smirk deepened. “No more secrecy. You wanna know what she’s up to, right? Well, I might have an idea about how to get it out of her.”