Force of Magic
By Ewen "Blackbird" Cluney
Chapter 2
Going back to school after all that had happened seemed
strange, to say the least, and it reminded Haruko of one of the
reasons she'd agreed to become a magical girl. She was still in
elementary school, but it seemed as though she'd be spending the
rest of her life studying. She remembered wondering if there was
actually anything beyond, a better way to live, other than being
subjected to a daily barrage of knowledge, all ultimately in
preparation for the exams that would determine what school was
next, leading to more lessons and more exams. But being a magical
girl wasn't necessarily what she'd had in mind. Not like this.
She looked up from her bento to see her friend Minami sitting
across from her. "What're you thinking about, Haruko?"
Haruko forced a smile. She hadn't even realized she'd been so
lost in thought. At her age she was supposed to be carefree and
happy, but pretending was hard. "I--It's nothing."
Thankfully, she didn't press any further, and simply went
about filling her in on the latest in gossip. It was all idle,
meaningless chatter about what this teacher or that student had
been up to, but it let Haruko drift away from her troubles for a
little while. Until they were interrupted by Teruo stopping by
their table. He was tall for a boy in fifth grade, and had an
uncharacteristic maturity at times, though it had a way of
disappearing all too often. He liked to hang out with them
whenever he got the chance, though Haruko wasn't at all sure why.
"Hi there!" he announced, sitting himself down without
invitation. "Did you hear about the latest incident?"
Haruko felt her pulse quicken. She'd nearly forgotten; he was
a "fan" of magical girls. He collected CDs, posters, calendars,
video games and anything else they'd sell, but most of all
information.
"No." replied Minami, rolling her eyes. "Good thing we have
you around to keep us up to date, right?"
He just smiled. "Yup. Apparently there's a new magical girl
operating in this area; she and Pretty Warrior Magical Rina took
out a youma posing as a fortune teller."
Haruko nearly choked on her rice.
"A new one?" Minami was obviously feigning interest. She did
that to him a lot sometimes.
He nodded. "Yeah. No one knows much of anything about her --
there were only a few eyewitness accounts, and the shop was empty
by the time anything happened." He tapped the notebook he held
and grinned. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on her."
Haruko locked her gaze on the bento in her hands. "I bet
there's new magical girls all the time�"
Teruo sighed. "I wish. Only those damn hunters are becoming
more and more common here in Tokyo."
She trembled. "Hunters?"
Nodding gravely, he replied, "Yeah. I'm sure you've heard to
them -- the guys who use guns and things to go around murdering
magical girls. Most are just criminals and thugs." The contempt
in his voice and the conviction in his gaze cut like a knife.
Minami took a sip of her Calpico Water. "Stop it! You're
scaring me with all this talk about guns. Can't we talk about
something else?"
Haruko felt cold. Nothing terrified her more than guns, not
even the youma. She'd seen them in movies, but they didn't
adequately show just how terrible they could be. The image of hot
lead piercing one's flesh, muscle and skin and tendons torn
apart, bones broken, blood flowing to the ground in an endless
tide�
"See? You're scaring Haruko -- you know she gets scared just
by seeing them in movies!"
"Why?" Haruko managed. "Why do they do those things?"
Teruo shrugged. "They have reasons -- nothing sufficient to
justify what they do, if you ask me. Some want revenge, some want
to prevent the collateral damage that some magical battles cause
-- as though someone else is going to deal with the monsters."
"It makes it seem like the world isn't worth saving," she said
bitterly.
"Possibly. But it's not as though we have any others. We need
to make this one better, however we can. As long as there's still
good people in the world, it's worth saving."
On the way home, Teruo offered to walk with Haruko and Minami.
Not even sure just why she was doing it, Haruko tried to make an
excuse to go home by herself, but he kept pressing, until she
finally relented, but even then she could barely bring herself to
look at him.
Why? He wasn't all that remarkable or anything. He was pretty
ordinary looking, really. Then, why did her pulse go faster when
he was so close? She felt like finding a place to hide for the
rest of her life. She felt sick, and had to hold back the urge to
run away. Teruo and Minami laughed and talked, with only an
occasional concerned glance in her direction.
Suddenly, she saw Piyo poking his head out from behind a bush,
frantically motioning her closer -- at least, that's what she
assumed it was -- with his stubby wings. "I--I just remembered. I
have to go. Sorry." With that, she hurried off. She knew their
eyes were on her back.
Piyo landed in her palm, and looked up at her with a grim
expression. "There's a very powerful youma in the neighborhood."
He explained. "We need Candy Rose."
She nodded, and gripped the locket. For now, at least, she was
going to do this. "Pretty Rose Power Up!" The world exploded with
light and colors, and yet somehow it all seemed hollow. Cold.
When it ended, Candy Rose looked to Piyo for guidance. It was
hard to perceive emotions in that beaked countenance, but she was
sure she saw a trace of concern.
"Let's go." He said firmly.
It was a part of the neighborhood filled with a dozen
mismatched little shops of every description. By the bakery stood
a creature that looked somewhat human, but was clearly a youma.
She had gray skin and resembled the Queen of Hearts from a deck
of playing cards. Further, she commanded a small horde of lesser
playing card youma, about half her size, that wrought havoc
wherever they could.
Piyo looked up at her. "You know what to do."
Candy Rose nodded. "Right."
She strode into the open, and held her magic wand ready. "I am
Magical Girl Candy Rose! In the name of� Justice I will punish
you!"
The Queen of Hearts turned to face her, a wicked grin
splitting her too-smooth gray face. "Cardians! Attack!" At her
command, the card-creatures surged towards Candy Rose.
She steadied herself, and prepared a spell. "Rock Candy
Shower!" The power flowed through her. Out of thin air a rain of
small, jagged crystals appeared, glowing with deadly pink energy.
Where each struck, an explosion rang out; the sound of it was
deafening, and the ground beneath them vibrated with the force of
the miniature shockwaves.
But the Queen still remained. She didn't seem fazed in the
least. She'd been told that youma were simply inhuman monsters,
devoid of compassion, and she'd yet to see anything that showed
otherwise. The youma held her hands outstretched. A mote of
angry, glowing crimson appeared, and exploded into a hear-shaped
beam of energy. The attack was so sudden Rose had no time to
react, and she was struck squarely in the chest.
The next thing she knew, she was lying face down on the
pavement, and hurting a lot. Her body was on fire -- lances of
pain danced across it. But the youma would still be there, ready
to attack again. Candy Rose struggled to get to her feet. She had
to do something before another attack came.
An ice-cold hand grasped her hair, yanking her upwards. Her
own weight tore at the roots of her hair. When she dared to open
her eyes, she saw a man dressed in a crimson jumpsuit, his eyes
blood-red and full of hate, his hair jet-black.
"So, little one," he snarled. "You would interfere in my
plans? That offense is unforgivable." His gaze was full of
venomous contempt. He raised one hand over his head, hateful,
dark energies gathering in his palm. Whatever power he used,
Candy Rose saw only crimson consuming the world, and felt only
pain.
When she recovered, she saw a magical girl, about eleven years
old, standing there defiantly. The new girl had plain black hair
with a ribbon in it, and a typical mahou shoujo sailor suit, only
in plain blue with the addition of a breastplate wrought in pink
and silver. The wand was the only stereotypical part of the
ensemble, with a heart on the end.
A chilling wind whipped over the city. Candy Rose couldn't
bring herself to move from where she lay on the ground. It hurt
too much.
The youma man regarded the new arrival with a wicked grin.
"Ah, if it isn't Magical Knight Mysterious Pink. So good to meet
you at last."
Mysterious Pink -- Rose was sure she'd heard that name before.
On the news, or maybe from Teruo. She looked far too familiar.
The girl's expression was unrelentingly grim, and showed no trace
of fear. "You seem to be as stupid as the last one I took down;
this should be over quickly."
"My name," he announced, "is Bloodblade. Today I shall crush
you utterly, I shall--"
His speech was ended when a bolt of pink energy struck him in
the chest. As he looked in shock at the tendril or smoke that
rose up from his body, he found Mysterious Pink right in front of
him. She delivered a vicious kick to his groin, and he staggered
back, his features contorting with rage.
"Cut the crap!" yelled Mysterious Pink. "I'm sick and tired of
your bad speeches and idiotic schemes! Just shut up and fight!"
Bloodblade was more than willing to oblige. He threw himself
at her, and the two quickly became a blur of hand to hand combat.
Bloodblade was nearly twice her size, and yet somehow she held
her own. Somehow she matched his strength, and then some; every
blow she landed was at least as strong as his, impossibly so for
her tiny frame. Finally, she jumped up, planting her feet in his
face, and pushed off, landing some four or five meters away.
Seething, he wiped the green blood from his face, and drew a
sword; it looked like a western long sword, except that the blade
was an angry crimson color.
Mysterious Pink reacted instantly, smoothly. She held out her
magic wand, and a blade of solid pink energy sprang forth, nearly
as long as she was tall. The two of them charged forward, their
blades clashing again and again, throwing out angry sparks every
time they met. They seemed evenly matched, but in a fraction of a
second Rose watched as Mysterious Pink saw an opening; her eyes
narrowed, and she swung her sword upwards, slicing clean through
his sword hand. She did a quick backflip away from him as he
looked at the stump in horror, and deactivated her energy sword.
"Now this ends." She declared. A faint pink shimmering
appeared around her, a barely visible glow. It darkened, and
grew, becoming a hazy aura of crimson, like a living flame
enshrouding her. The anger, the power of rage flowed so strongly
that Candy Rose could feel it in her bones. The power was so
great that Pink was lifted a few inches off the ground.
When at last Candy Rose could see again there was no sign of
Bloodblade anywhere. Mysterious Pink was helping her to her feet,
which were still a bit shaky. Her breath came in ragged gasps,
and her legs felt as though they might buckle under her weight.
"Thank you�" she managed. A stinging pain shot through her
side, and she grimaced at the sensation.
Pink looked her over and sighed. "Come on."
They were nearing a bus stop, when a metallic sound resounded
behind them. The sound of a gun being readied to fire. Mysterious
Pink stopped dead in her tracks. Candy Rose trembled; the fear
welled up in her, and she found herself unable to move. Even
without her injuries she would've undoubtedly fallen over were it
not for Pink's steadying arm.
Mysterious Pink slowly turned around to face the source of the
ominous noise. A man stood there, casting a long shadow over
them. He was dressed all in black, from his boots to his long
coat to his bulletproof vest. His dark hair was cut short, and
sunglasses hid his eyes. In one gloved hand he held a deadly
machine pistol.
"And you have a friend today, Pink." He said grimly.
Mysterious Pink didn't move a centimeter. She was still as a
rock and her face about as expressive, held neutral with effort.
"Not now, Kanzaki."
He chuckled at that. His gun didn't waver. "Why should I?
There's a bounty on your head, you know."
She nodded. "I know. Were you lying last time we met?"
Candy Rose could barely make out what they were saying. She
couldn't stop looking at the gun, couldn't stop the tears from
rolling down her cheeks.
"Oh, that." He seemed disappointed, and lowered his gun.
"Yeah, I guess I do sort of have ethics."
"In that case," Pink replied flatly, "you'll let me heal her.
She was in a bad fight; I saved her from that Dark One, and I'm
not about to have her bleed to death. Unless you decided you
don't just go after the 'bad ones' after all."
Kanzaki holstered his gun and took a step closer, looking at
Candy Rose with interest. "I don't think I've seen you around.
I'm Dean Kanzaki, your friendly neighborhood magical girl
hunter." His tone of voice was casual; he might has well have
been telling her about his job at a bookstore. "Like she said, I
only take out the bad girls, so try to behave." With that, he
spun on his heel and started walking away.
Pink turned around, and Rose found herself being carried to a
bench by the bus stop. A man was sitting there smoking a
cigarette and reading the newspaper, apparently oblivious to what
had happened.
"Move." Mysterious Pink said simply; her tone was icy,
unwilling to compromise in the least.
He ignored her.
Pink sighed and maneuvered Rose to the bench next to him. "I
said move, and I won't say it again."
He flicked his cigarette butt in her direction.
She shrugged, and grabbed him by the collar and pulled him
into the street seemingly without any real effort. Heedless of
his cursing, she brought Rose to a prone position, and held out
her wand. "You're hurt; you need to be more careful. Be glad I'm
here to heal you."
Rose managed a nod. That girl� she was like Piyo, her eyes
older than her body. The eyes had a way of telling the truth when
everything else lied. And besides, if she could be made to look
older by the magic, there was no reason someone else could not
become younger.
Mysterious Pink closed her eyes and breathed deeply for a long
time. A faint white glow appeared in the wand, and the barest
trace of a smile appeared at the corners of her mouth � Rose had
to wonder how she could possibly smile at a time like this. Motes
of white light began to flow into Rose. With each one she could
feel less and less pain. Time became lost in that soothing white
light.
When at last it ended, Candy Rose felt fine. Wonderful, in
fact. She could almost forget about the hunter. Almost. She sat
up, and then got to her feet. "Thank you again. You saved my
life." Twice over.
Mysterious Pink flipped the wand over in her hand. "I'm not
about to leave you lying there for dead. We magical girls need to
watch out for our own." She paused, looking skyward, and let out
a long sigh. "We need to, but no one does."
Rose thought of Magical Rina, and couldn't imagine her doing
anything to help anyone except Magical Rina.
"I have to get going, and you should too."
She nodded. "I know. But, can I ask you something?"
Pink looked her in the eye with that knowing, tired gaze.
"Make it quick."
"I just wanted to know�" She took a deep breath and gathered
her courage. "How� why do you keep on fighting? Especially with
those hunters running around."
She met her eyes fully, her gaze full of absolute conviction.
"Someone has to. It's as simple as that. Don't talk about that
'Love and Justice' crap -- the enemy is trying to hurt people,
and we stop them. Nothing more, and absolutely nothing less. If
we falter, everything we know and care about ends. Never forget
that."
And with that, she left.
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Ewen "Blackbird" Cluney blackbird@earthdome.com
Blackbird's Domain http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/6127/
Knight Kevlar of the Immortal Frog Silver Knight of Mihoshi
"Be nice to me; I might just develop
psychokinetic powers and destroy Tokyo!"
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