The Carnelian Sparrow

Chapter 12

The walk home from school seemed even more gray than usual for Hanako. Shinju’s reaction to the attack shook Hanako to her core. For one, Hanako had to keep the secret of Magical Girls closer to the chest than she had been, and Shinju came dangerously close to overhearing some of the finer details about the attack. Fortunately, when Shinju had burst into the club room that day, the talk was far more vague and general.

But the other thing that had Hanako concerned was the thought of drawing Shinju into the conflict, especially without the powers that Kyubey could provide. In fact, that thought almost concerned Hanako more than the prospect of Shinju finding out about magic. At least if Shinju did find out, Hanako would have less to keep secret, and the worst Kyubey would do is offer Shinju the same contract.

Shaking her head, Hanako continued wandering in a strange fog that had descended around her, though she didn’t seem to notice. She hadn’t slept well in days now, ever since first encountering Rui. Hanako was constantly looking over her shoulder, looking for shadows that weren’t there, assailants that weren’t coming for her.

She had displayed total confidence when she stood up to Rui before, but now that Rui was making good on her implied threats, it was all Hanako could do to even stick to her daily routine. How her mother hadn’t caught onto any of this was beyond Hanako, but she was grateful for the supposed moment of blissful ignorance.

Then again, her mother had taken on a rather large case recently, one that was gaining a lot of media attention, and taking up most of her time. This wasn’t too uncommon. Katsumi Sasaki was known for jumping headfirst into whatever case caught her eye, and nothing could shake her from it once she took interest.

The fog around Hanako had grown thicker, and vines were running all over the ground. Thorns were sprouting and contracting at random intervals, and the sky and ground were one in the same shade of dull gray. Somehow, Hanako had wandered into a Witch’s barrier.

Quickly, Hanako transformed, her rapier appearing in her left hand. “…I suppose I should welcome the distraction.” Her eyes scanned as far as they could as Hanako turned around, looking for the source of the vines. What she found instead caused her to go completely pale, nearly dropping her weapon in shock.

“Hello there.” The sickeningly cold voice and empty eyes that met Hanako’s, the towering imposing figure of Rui Tomatsu stood a distance behind where Hanako was. “Was wondering if you were ever going to notice me. You sure do space out a lot. Almost laughable how easy it is to follow you, really. Do you just have no sense of self preservation, Sasaki?”

Rui was wearing an odd outfit, one that almost resembled a track runner’s uniform at school. It was a white jumpsuit with horizontal light blue streaks that ran down from her shoulders down her sides, all the way to her boots, which were connected to the rest of the outfit.

Hanako didn’t respond, simply gripping her weapon tight, staring daggers back at Rui. How did she find her? How long was she following her? Where did this Witch barrier come from? So many questions suddenly flooding Hanako’s mind, where it was largely calm and blank before. Her cyclone flared around her, making up for her lack of a reply.

Rui shrugged. “That’s alright. Doesn’t matter what you say anyway. You know why I’m here.” She held out her right hand, a silvery-white pistol materializing in it, her finger now resting on its trigger. “Listen. There’s two kinds of people here. The kind that are with me, and the kind that are against me.”

“I… I pity you. The world is much more vibrant than the black-and-white… dogma that you live behind.” Resolve started to show in Hanako’s voice. It was now or never, and she was tired of running anyway. At least Rui was alone here. Hanako didn’t see any sign of Yasu nearby, nor the Witch that spawned this barrier.

“Tell you what.” Scoffing, Rui let her weapon vanish, slowly dropping into a three-point stance. “Preach that shit when you’re on top, like I am.” She broke into a sprint, throwing her shoulder into Hanako’s waist and throwing the smaller girl far back into the thorny vines.

Yelping from the twofold attack, Hanako flipped back and hovered down to the ground upright, noting the tear in her gown and the cut along her stomach. “Tch…” Her wind flared out, carrying her rapier towards Rui.

Rui dodged to the side, coming at Hanako once more. She leapt over the vine as if it were a hurdle on a track, but Hanako spun to the side before Rui made contact. Summoning another ivory foil, Hanako swung up along Rui’s back, then pushed herself away with a gust of wind.

A sharp gasp came from Rui as she wheeled around, pure fury in her otherwise empty eyes, but stumbled forward, reaching back for her back. “How… how fucking DARE YOU?!” She jumped towards Hanako again after catching her breath, letting loose a barrage of kicks and punches, shoulder lunges mixed in. Hanako, however, swiftly, if not barely dodged each in turn, spinning back behind Rui and pushing away without the counterattack.

“You’re strong, Rui. I’ll give you that. But your… cohort has you beaten in terms of speed. It was a mistake… to send her after me before confronting me yourself.”

“Don’t you DARE speak to me about mistakes, Sasaki!” Rui stood upright as she called the gun back into her hand. “Because turning your back on me is the worst mistake you’ll have ever made in your entire fucking life!”

“Did you forget?! We’re trying to clear your name! Even now, even through all of this! We never stopped, don’t you see that?!”

Rui answered with the pull of the trigger. In the split second that followed, Hanako scanned for the metallic glint of a bullet, but saw nothing. With a whiz past her ear, Hanako clutched the side of her face, expecting blood but feeling none. Did she miss? Rui’s smug grin suggested otherwise.

“Who says I need to be faster than Yasu? Neither of you can outrun a gun anyway.” Relaxing her stance, Rui’s expression turned from sinister to neutral. “You don’t even really know who I am. Trying to clear my name at this school is a dead end. Ask that brat club leader of yours about what happened during -my- first year at this school, and you’ll understand. The only real way out of this is to join me and take down those—”

“And become your… your puppet?!” Hanako summoned a trio of rapiers to float in her cyclone. “No. No! Not a chance, Tomatsu…!”

Rui scoffed, raising the gun again. “That’s that, then. I guess we see just how fast you really are, Sasaki. Stubborn to the very last, but that’s usually how it goes. More fun that way, anyway.”

For Hanako, time seemed to stand still as she stared down the barrel of Rui’s magical pistol. She would need careful, impeccable timing in order to survive. If Rui hit, that was the end of it. Rui was using a gun, after all. But even if Rui missed, Hanako risked the brunt of her opponent’s overwhelming power. And running was no longer an option. Hanako would have to swerve away from Rui’s light bullet somehow, then get in close fast enough to land a swift, decisive blow to finish Rui off, all in one fell swoop.

One moment. That was all Hanako had to escape this situation. Life or death. Either Hanako’s plan would work, or it would fail. Hanako would escape, or she would be at Rui’s complete mercy. All that was left was the signal. Rui’s attack. Bang.

Instead of a bang, however, the silence and stillness was cut short by the sound of rushing water, followed by a shriek from a recoiling Rui, clutching the hand that once held her weapon. “What the fuck?!”

Hanako took full advantage of the distraction, launching herself with a burst of wind at her back. The three rapiers in her cyclone threw themselves out first. Rui dodged the first, deflected the second and caught the third in the palm of her hand that wasn’t holding the gun.

It was the weapon in Hanako’s left hand, however, that found its mark. With all the power she could muster, Hanako thrust forward, aiming directly at Rui’s heart. Rui, however, managed to turn to the side, taking only a glancing cut along her shoulder.

She knew she had failed, but Hanako’s instincts still managed to carry her a distance away from Rui with the fading of the wind. Turning to face her foe, Hanako expected a sight of unyielding rage, but instead, Hanako’s eyes widened at the sight before her.

Between Rui and Hanako, another girl had landed. After Hanako’s attack, she had moved to stand between them. A navy blue hood covered her face, stopping just below her eyes. It connected to a deep, navy blue kimono with matching sleeves, embroidered in white with water currents and a swimming school of dolphins seemingly animated in the embroidery. On her back, a matching navy-and-pearl umbrella, held in place not unlike a greatsword, water dripping from its tip.

The rage that illuminated Rui’s face, however, remained. Intensified, even. “Oh you fucking little… you’re DEAD!” Raising her pistol again, she fired several shots at the new arrival, who made little effort to dodge. Instead, her body seemed to bend around the beams of light, as if it were water parting around a rock.

Rui turned her attention towards Hanako, despite her failure at hitting the interloper. She fired a few more shots, only for her eyes to widen at the sight of a sphere of water engulfing Hanako, refracting the light shots safely away.

Hanako’s eyes widened at the sudden submerging in the water bubble, but a pocket of air quickly formed around her head, allowing her to catch her breath. She could still hear her surroundings, though muffled. Rui’s shrieks were easy to recognize, but it was the other voice, one Hanako recognized in an instant that caused her to drop her weapon completely this time, shock lighting her face.

“C’mon, is this really all the big bad bully’s got in the end? Or did I just really luck out with what powers I got?” Lowering her hood, the girl brushed her messy blue hair out from in front of her eyes, water droplets dripping from the tips. “Looks like I showed up just in time, eh Hanako?”

“I… I don’t… I don’t understand! Sh… Shinju?! But… how—”

“Questions later, bully now, yeah? And trust me, I have a -lot- of questions for you. Once we’re safe, that is.” Shinju then took the umbrella on her back, holding it out as if it were a sword.

The bubble around Hanako dissipated, water splashing in a puddle around her as she sheepishly picked up her weapon. “R-Right. I… I understand.”

“There isn’t gonna -be- a fucking later for either of you!” Rui charged in an instant, rushing past Shinju and sinking her fist into Hanako’s stomach. The impact sent her directly into a pile of vines, though their thorns had since retracted. In the back of Hanako’s mind, she mused that perhaps the Witch was taking pity on her? No, it was likely just fortuitous timing.

Pushing herself off, she rose back to her feet, just in time to see Shinju knocked back nearby, stopping on the ground beside the vines, rather than thrown into it directly. Rising herself, she and Hanako exchange a quick glance and a swift nod.

Shinju then rushes forward, with Hanako concentrating a heavy wind at Shinju’s back. Rui braces herself, but not quickly enough. Swinging her umbrella upwards in a slashing motion, she hits Rui directly in the front, landing behind her. Not stopping, she wheels around, pointing the umbrella at Rui’s back and opening it. A jet of water shoots forth, blasting Rui to the ground face first.

Rui lies motionless for a long moment, and Shinju closes and mounts her umbrella on her back once more. “Heh! We make a good team in the end, don’t we, Hanako?” Turning her attention to the prone Rui, her tone drops a bit. “Now you know not to pick on Hanako anymore, right? Besides, we’re doing you a favor, you idiot. ‘Least you can do is show a little gratitude. Right, Hanako?”

But Hanako had made a slow approach of her own, weapon in trembling hand as her eyes remained locked on her fallen opponent. She said nothing, approaching with even her footsteps muffled by the wind raging around her.

“Uh… Hanako? Earth to Hanako, hello?” Shinju waved her hand in an attempt to get Hanako’s attention, though she continued her slow, almost trance-like march towards Rui’s still unmoving body.

Raising her rapier above her head, pointing it down, Hanako seemed to hesitate for a moment. “…We have to… we have to end this now, Shinju. Before… before she can…” Her voice was even more lifeless than usual, and Shinju was struggling to stand in the force of wind emanating from Hanako’s body. “We… we have to…!”

Bringing her weapon down, Hanako stopped herself right before her weapon could pierce Rui’s body. Or would have pierced Rui, were her body still in the same position. Hanako looked around frantically, a crazed look in her eye before she finally caught sight of Rui’s savior.

Kneeling down by another convergence of vines, thorns protruding, Rui’s unconscious form rested in the arms of Yasu Matsushita. “Just in time… I really am starting to hate the fast ones,” she muttered, giving Hanako a curious, yet dark glance before fleeing from the barrier, out of sight of the others.

Hanako stared blankly in the direction the pair had fled, but made no effort to give chase. Shinju, however, snapped herself back to reality and stood in Hanako’s field of view. “Whoa! Are you nuts? You could’ve killed her, you know! How are we gonna clear a dead girl’s name, huh? This isn’t like you at all!”

This time, Hanako seemed to snap out of her own trance, light returning to her previously blank emerald gaze. “I… I didn’t… what did I do…?” She dropped her rapier, clutching at her forehead with both hands.

Shinju looks around the space around them, noticing that the vines had started contracting and crumbling. That girl must have killed the Witch on her way out, she thought. As if answering the thought, Shinju caught the glint of a fresh Grief Seed on the ground, picking it up. “Oh. So this is what it looks like, huh? ‘Haku told me how this all worked, but I didn’t think it was this small. Or eggy.”

She reached for Hanako’s hand. “Hey, gimme your Soul Gem real quick.” Hanako waited for awhile, blinking and shaking her head before she dropped her transformation, placing her clouded Soul Gem in the hand that Shinju held out. Once she did, Shinju pressed the Grief Seed against Hanako’s Soul Gem, and the cloudiness began to swirl and fade, until only a pure, pale green gem remained in Hanako’s outstretched hand.

“Whew! Okay, I’m learnin’ a lot on the fly here. Guess sis was right, it is better to just feel out how this all works. But man, I didn’t think I’d run into you here! Or that Tomato gal.” Noticing that the wind had started to die down, Shinju’s voice turned more serious. “So uh… how’re you feeling now, Hanako?”

Thinking for a moment, Hanako took a few deep, purposeful breaths. “…Calmer. Significantly calmer, actually. From the moment… that you cleansed my Soul Gem. I guess I… have been neglecting this aspect of my duty. I… I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it’s nothing, really. I just got all this down a few hours ago, myself. ‘Haku spent most of the night training me after I made my wish. But uh, are you sure you’re okay? I’ve never seen you act like that before. You’re always so quiet and stuff. I didn’t even know you made a wish too! I guess it makes sense, though.”

“I… I didn’t wish my condition away, you know.” Finally finding the strength to speak normally again, Hanako looked away from her friend. “I just… wished for the strength to fight it. …I… I guess that… that wish manifested my powers more… literally. I can’t… feel my wind so well now.”

“Huh. Y’know, ‘Haku told me that a girl’s wish shapes what kinda powers she’s gonna get. Maybe that wind of yours gets stronger when your emotions run wild?” Hanako nodded, and Shinju continued. “Well, maybe the more you use that power of yours, and the longer you go without cleansing your Gem, the stronger it gets, too? But maybe that’s why your emotions went all…” Shinju just twirled her finger in small circles in the air.

“…I… I don’t have a conscious desire to… to do -that- to Rui Tomatsu. But… I felt so scared. And there she was… completely helpless. In that moment… I wasn’t thinking consciously, but there was just… haze.”

Sure enough, Hanako felt herself in an internal fog, just like she always did when her mind decided to stop playing fair. She couldn’t deny it. She just tried to resolve her conflict with Rui Tomatsu using lethal force, and she was barely even aware of it. Even now, she could barely remember. But there was no other way around it.

Yet even with this revelation came the confirmation of her other theory. Hanako’s powers increased with that emotional state. She would have to dip into that level of cloudiness in her Soul Gem in order to stand even against Rui, should the two fight again. It was a terrible balancing act, and Hanako was stumbling in every step.

Suddenly, however, Hanako saw a bright blue light piercing that internal fog. “…Shinju, you’re a Magical Girl?! When did this happen, exactly?!”

Shinju couldn’t help but laugh, dropping her own transformation. “Haha! Just last night, actually! Remember how I kept saying I wanted to talk with ‘Haku, but could never get any time with her? Well, turns out that’s why! She’s one too. Once I told her what was going on, she agreed to hook me up with a meeting with Kyubey!”

Hanako was silent for what felt like an eternity, though perhaps a minute passed at most. “What… what did you wish for, anyway?”

“Ah, well… you know.” She turned away, waving her hand dismissively. “That’s not really important. What -is- important is that I can stand at your side now, and fight these bullies with you!”

Hanako merely nodded, looking down. “…We… need to talk with Koharu.”

“Whoa, wait, why? Don’t tell me she’s one too!”

“N-No, of course not. But… she knows. She helped me make my wish, so… you know, in the interest of… being on the same page, and all.”

Sighing in relief, Shinju raised her hood over her head, the barrier finally fading into nothingness. The pair stood on a sidewalk along a main road leading away from the school and towards the residential district. “Good. Yeah, that’s a good idea. Let’s talk with Koharu.”

Rui’s eyes snapped open as she jolted up into a sitting position, on the verge of hyperventilation. She only calmed herself when Yasu placed a hand on her shoulder. “Easy now. You were out of it for awhile there.” Both girls had lost their transformation at some point, and Rui looked around. Right behind school grounds, where not even the staff bothered to look anymore.

“…So you pulled me out of that, then?” Rui’s voice was beginning to calm, and her breathing soon followed suit.

Yasu answered with a sigh. “I’m not gonna say you owe me. We both know that I owe you way more than just saving your life now and again.”

Rui’s eyes closed as she leaned back against the tree she awoke under. “Gimme the story then, Yasu.”

“The green girl was about to pull the trigger, so to speak. Blue girl had backed off. They might not be on the same page. Hell, I don’t know if they even know each other, or what their deal was.”

“Hanako Sasaki and Shinju Hayama of Newspaper Club.” Rui’s voice and tone were calm, a matter-of-fact echo, as if the logic were calming for her. “Trying to clear my name.”

Yasu gave a disapproving glare Rui’s way. “Wait, so why are you fighting her so hard then? They’re already doing what you want.”

“It’s not about their actions, or about their goals, or even about their intentions. They still see me as some sort of monster. A bully. An enemy. I can’t have that, Yasu. They’re with me, or they’re against me. There is no middle ground, you know that.”

Yasu pinched the bridge of her nose, as if trying to choose her words carefully. As if choosing poorly could mean life or death. “Putting the usual argument aside, I don’t think we can keep taking potshots like this. They’re pretty strong on their own, and when they’re together, I don’t think we can just muscle ‘em into doing what you want.”

Rui’s eyes opened again, a deep, bitter fire starting to burn within them. “No. Not with just the two of us, no.”

“Oh? You wanna try this by force again?” Yasu scoffed. “You and what army, Rui?”

A sinister grin began to creep across Rui’s face.