The summer song of the birds wafted through the window, heralding a new day. All around, life forms were awakening, stretching and crying out their joy to the world. Rikka stared out the window, her gaze blank and far-away, the beauty of dawn and God's creation lost upon her. Her morning prayer was lost on her lips as she thought about Homura Akemi's intrusion last night.

"You're a really nice person, right, Rikka Sayuki?" said Homura, getting closer to Rikka.

The girl stood her ground boldly. "What has that got to do with that insane proposition of yours?"

"It's really simple, actually." A smirk tickled the edges of her lips. "By killing Tera Aido, you would make me so happy, no words can describe it. After all, that was what you wished for - to make others happy."

A small gasp escaped Rikka. How did Homura know about her wish? She shook her head in disbelief, stammering, "N-no, you can't use my wish against me... I can never kill Tera-chan just to make you happy..."

Homura pouted. "But surely, the goodness within you can't defy my request. I would be so, very sad if you didn't do as I said."

Rikka's breathing became shallow. "Stop. Don't say anything anymore..." Homura Akemi was trapping her with her words, using her wish against her, taking advantage of her self-sacrificing nature.

The Demon's eyes gleamed. She was succeeding. Rikka could not disobey her due to the lock and chains of her wish. Just with a careful play of words, Homura could make Rikka do whatever she desired. "Please? You don't want me to cry and beg you, do you now? You're making me very unhappy..."

Rikka dropped her axe, and it shimmered into fine dust in mid-air, gone. She backed away until her shoulder blades touched the wall, and she stood there, hand clenched at her chest. Her eyes were large and wild. "S-stop it... Stop it..."

Homura gave a sniff, and tears filled her eyes as she looked imploringly at Rikka. "You're making me cry. You're so mean. And here, I thought you were supposed to spread happiness..."

Rikka's hand went to her mouth as she shut her eyes tight, trying not to sob. Her whole body was quaking with the effort to not reply Homura. The Demon let loose the final weapon, tears pouring down her cheeks. "You mean person... All I wanted was some help, and you're refusing me. I'm so sad now..." She started to cry in the most painful way possible, luring Rikka even deeper into the trap.

Finally, Rikka could take it no longer. In an outburst of passion and pure torment, she said, "Okay, okay! I will do as you say! Just, please, don't be sad. I cannot forgive myself if I ever made someone sad..." Her deep blue eyes glistened with moisture, her lips were trembling.

Homura grinned from ear to ear, all signs of distress gone from her face. "You will kill Tera Aido for me and make me happy. Very very happy indeed. I expect no failure on your part." Rikka had no chance to reply as the demonic girl had fell backward into a swirling portal and disappeared, laughing.

She felt like choking on her own conscience. How could she agree to such madness? Tera was her best friend! With the realisation of what she had just done hitting her like a five tonne truck, Rikka broke down into quiet sobs.

She was tasked with making everyone else happy, and through that, she would be happy as well. But there was a flaw in her wish.

It would not allow her to defy another's wish to be happy, even at the expense of her own happiness.

Rikka felt the arms of her sister encircle her shoulders. "Onee-chan, are you feeling alright?" came Eruna's sweet, slow voice. Rikka placed a palm on her sister's hand, attempting a smile. She nodded, saying nothing.

The two sisters stood quietly together for a minute, then Eruna whispered the words, "May God give you strength to go through this, onee-chan. He will always be with you, and so will I. In Jesus's name I pray, Amen."

"Amen..." echoed Rikka automatically.

At that moment, Rikka's cell phone rang. Eruna removed her arms around her sister and stood aside, watching mutely.

"Hello? Tera-chan?" said Rikka haltingly, and Eruna couldn't help but notice her sister flinch when she heard Tera's voice.

Rikka nodded several times, giving short responses like 'mmhmm', 'yeah', 'okay'. She looked worried.

"Calm down, Tera-chan. I'll come over as soon as possible, around half past nine. Red Garden, house number 44? Okay. I'll see you there... Love you too..."

Rikka sighed heavily, burying her palm in her face as she hung up. Eruna edged closer, putting a cautious hand on her sister's arm. "Onee-chan... are you sure you're all right?"

"I'll be okay. Don't worry about me," reassured Rikka, smiling in what Eruna thought was a poor attempt to mask her true emotions. "We'll just get on with our chores, and when we're done, we'll get Kureha-chan and go over to meet Tera-chan."

Eruna nodded. "Okay." Her sky blue eyes flashed with doubt, but she didn't press her sister for any more details. Rikka, when she wanted to, could stay mum about her thoughts for weeks on end before finally telling Eruna about them. For example, it took Rikka one month to tell her that she was actually agonising over what birthday present she should get for her boyfriend, thus her moodiness. ("I'm just overthinking about the sort of gift for him, it's nothing serious" Rikka had said, to which Eruna replied, "What? I thought you were suffering from some sort of terminal stage cancer! Onee-chan!")

That was just the way Rikka was ever since their parents had died, and Eruna had come to accept it.

***

Tera slipped her phone into her pocket and looked around her, like a cat surveying its new territory. Ever since last night, she couldn't stop fidgeting. Her fingers were drumming the tabletop in quick staccato, reflecting her discorded mood. Her mind was being blown apart by information overload, and very soon, Shika was going to tell her about it again just to reaffirm it and set it in stone.

"What time will they be coming around? They're Puella Magi as well, I take it?" enquired Shika, who was busy rummaging through her fridge. She frowned when she realised there was virtually nothing in it besides the leftovers from yesterday's dinner.

Tera's feet tapped the floor unconsciously as she replied, "Half-past nine. That's an hour from now. And yeah, they're all Puella Magi except Eruna-chan, the one with sky-blue hair."

"Right. We should have enough time to eat and talk about this unpleasant matter, seeing as they're coming in an hour," said Shika, taking out some leftover rice and steamed eggs. "Tera-san, can you heat these up in the microwave for me?"

"Sure." Tera slipped off the chair and took the bowls from Shika, popping the rice first into the tiny microwave. She set it at one minute, placing a dish of water on top so that the rice wouldn't dry up. "Where's Akira-senpai, by the way? I thought she woke up with us."

Shika looked away from Tera, replying in a curt voice, "Nah, she's still knocked out. I decided to let her sleep more because she looked so... tired."

"I see," muttered Tera. She resisted the urge to giggle and blurt out 'Are you sure it's not because Akira-senpai looked too precious to wake up?' but decided that it wasn't the best of things to say right now.

"Are you okay, Tera-san?" ventured Shika as she put the miso soup on the stove to boil. "Your face looks... contorted with pain."

"Oh, I'm okay!" Tera said, a little bit too cheerily. "Totally fine, yeah. Nothin' wrong with meh. Just daydreamin'. No worries, ehe."

Shika gave her a weird stare, then went back to her soup. Yuki padded into the kitchen then and gave a cavernous yawn. She went up to Tera, sniffed her hand, then proceeded to lick her fingers in greeting. Tera ruffled Yuki's head, crooning, "Good mornin', gal. Had a nice shuteye?" Yuki whined appreciatively, wagging her tail hard.

"Said she never slept better," smiled Shika, stirring the soup. She tasted it, screwed up her face and promptly put something powdery into it. "Can you feed her for me? Her kibbles are there in the corner."

"Aye aye, sir." She left the rice to heat up and poured out some of the dog biscuits for Yuki. The Shiba Inu set to wolfing them down immediately. Having her own dog once upon a time, she couldn't help but notice that it was the cheapest brand of dog food available at the market. Poor old Yuki probably hated it, but bravely said nothing about it.

The way Shika lived... One would think she was utterly broke. No food, small house, scant furniture, cold shower water... Tera felt really bad for her then. Had she been living like this all her life?

The microwave gave a lame croak, and Tera stared at it incredulously. "Did the microwave just...croak?"

"Yeah, it lost its 'ding' five years ago. I'm used to having it croak at me all the time."

"Okaaaay..." Tera replaced the rice with the eggs, and set the steaming bowl on the table. "Say, Shika-senpai, random question, but how old is Yuki?"

"She's thirteen this year. Already a senior citizen for a Shiba Inu," said Shika, scooping the soup into three bowls.

"Ever thought about getting a new dog?"

"Certainly. But Yuki got jealous when I told her that," laughed Shika. The old dog gave a low growl and looked up from her kibbles indignantly.

"Haha, don't worry, girl, you'll always be my favourite," beamed Shika, and Yuki, placated, went back to her food. "Thankfully, Yuki's healthy, so she doesn't need much veterinarian care. I don't have the money for that..."

She placed the soup on the table and arranged the spoons and chopsticks, continuing, "There's a male Akita Inu puppy at the shelter that I would really love to adopt. He's just so sweet, and I'm sure Yuki will love him as well. Only thing is, I can barely take care of myself and Yuki, let alone another puppy... I wish Yuki would live a long life though. I can't imagine a day without her..."

Shika went into a brooding silence, and Tera regretted asking her about dogs. Having your dog grow old and die before you was a very sad affair. Tera decided to change the topic.

"So... Where's the rest of your family?"

The girl's face darkened, and the whole room took on an instant, dreadful atmosphere. "They're dead."

"O-oh..." stammered Tera. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know." No wonder she lived as if she were broke...because she was.

"Don't worry about it. I'm over it already."

The microwave croaked again, and Shika got the eggs out. She settled at the table, motioning for Tera to do the same. "Sorry I can't give you more. Please, make yourself at home."

"I-it's fine! Really!" said Tera, smiling nervously. The last thing she wanted to do now was to act like an ungrateful snob. Man, Shika-senpai can be real scary despite her timid look, she thought to herself as she took a sip of miso. A bit more sourish than it should be, but nothing that couldn't be eaten. She debated internally on whether she should ask Shika more questions, or even talk to her, now that she had breached a very sensitive topic.

"If you're thinking about whether you've hurt my feelings, I can assure you that you didn't," said Shika kindly, as if reading Tera's mind.

"Okay, senpai," mewled Tera, like a scared kitten. She quickly thought of another subject to bring up, then asked, "So, how do you support yourself then? I mean, I'm not sayin' you're poor or anythin'! Just... you know, curious to find out...?"

"Curiosity kills the cat," said Shika matter-of-factly, taking a bite of egg. Tera wasn't sure if Shika meant that, and shrunk a little more into her seat. Shika was getting more intimidating by the minute. "Well, I work at the local pet shelter on weekdays and at the zoo's clinical centre on weekends. The work time varies. I mainly take care of sick animals, or take them out for walks, bathe them, feed them and keep them company. The money I earn is just enough to pay off the monthly bills and give us food."

"Didn't anyone ever wanted to adopt you...?"

Shika twiddled her chopsticks and twisted them in her rice. "No. They all thought I was weird and creepy. The social worker eventually gave up on me and left me to fend for myself."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Tera lowered her head. Why was she asking all sorts of awkward questions? This was definitely not a way to get to know someone new. She tried to save the situation. "B-but you're not weird to me at all! You're really nice, and completely normal! Err, well, except from the fact that you own a monster dog-"

"Wrooaaf!" (Hey, what do you mean by that!?)

"-sorry Yuki, and the fact that you're an Elemental Puella Magi and you have crazy scary eyes sometimes, you're totally sane. Yup."

"... Crazy, scary eyes?" Shika said, her voice unsure. "Wow, didn't know I had them. Maybe that's why people always run away from me."

Goddammit, what the hell am I sayin'? screamed Tera inwardly. She stuffed some rice in her mouth and chewed furiously, almost choked, then said impulsively, "Hey, Shika-senpai, do you read manga?"

Shika looked surprised at the change of topic. "Um, yeah, I do if I get extra money at the end of the month. Why?"

"What sort?"

The senior picked at the rice grains, seemingly embarassed. "Dark fantasy. Sad plot-lines. Unrequited love. Twisted reality. Anything that has humans dying in it."

Tera gulped. "Why do you read those god-forsaken things?"

"I really don't know," frowned Shika.

"You know, I'm gonna make you read something happier one day. You're so damn gloomy, woman."

The older girl sighed. "I know."

They stared at the food for a few seconds, then Tera decided that her inner cheekiness was the only solution to stop talking about depressing things. And cheekiness was one thing she excelled at. "Ever heard of yuri, senpai?" she piped up.

"Uh... Yes...?"

"Good. Cuz I'm a sucker for yuri," grinned Tera. "Hey, hey, did you know, this morning, Akira-senpai was nuzzled against you? God, you both looked so damn cute together." She bared her fangs in a rapturous smile, cocking an eyebrow at Shika.

Shika blinked hard several times, apparently not getting the hint. Then, her green eyes widened and she put down her chopsticks, blushing. "I-It was unnaturally cold, and there were not enough blankets, s-so Akira just came closer for warmth..."

"Are you sure?" mewed Tera deliciously. "Because I was convinced that I was watching a yuri manga come to life. The way you gently lifted her arms off of you so that you wouldn't wake her up... And the way she reached out sleepily for you, and you pushed her arms softly back down... Jesus, senpai, that was priceless!"

"You're thinking too much, Tera-san," said Shika, flustered and back to her deer-like ways. "It's not what you think, I really didn't want to wake her up, that's really, really just it."

"Oh yeah? It looked more than that to me," Tera wiggled her eyebrows aggravatingly. Shika could only shut up and look imploringly at Yuki to save her, except that Yuki was too engrossed with her food to notice it.

"Morning..."

Shika whipped around to the voice. It was Akira, still in her nightgown. She stood at the bedroom door, stretching and yawning, then took out her blue ribbon and threaded it loosely around the hair at the base of her neck. Although she had just woken up, she still managed to look fabulous. She shuffled over to the table, plopped down next to Shika, looked at her sleepily and said, "Why didn't you wake me up, darling?"

Tera burst into laughter. Shika bolted up like a shocked deer, muttered "Excuse me," and ran off to the bathroom, locking herself in.

Akira looked bewildered. "What just happened? Was it something I said?"

As a reply, Tera snorted in delirium. "Oh my god, you two are frickin' epic! Hahaha!"

The silver-flecked eye of Akira Oda narrowed in grave confusion as she said slowly, "Do you mind telling me what happened just now, Aido-san, or are you going to sit there laughing like a barbarian?"

"I actually prefer the second choice, senpai," hooted Tera.

"Ugh, kids these days," huffed Akira as she reached for a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. She gave the spread a glance, and said, "I should have secretly stocked her fridge with fresh food. This girl eats all the wrong things for breakfast."

"You sound awfully like my dad when he sees that my mom isn't cookin' proper food," grinned Tera.

"What are you trying to imply?"

"That you two sound like an old couple."

"Mhmm. Of course. Why else not?" replied Akira sarcastically. She downed the soup in one gulp, made a face (here, Tera choked down a laugh because Shika had done the exact same thing), then called out, "Shika darling, what are you doing in the bathroom?"

Something crashed to the floor, followed by a frightened squeal. "Uh, just... w-w-wiping the mirror! Yeah! Nothing's wrong, keep eating, please."

Akira shot an accusatory glare at Tera. "What did you do to her, Aido?"

"Nothin'. I was just chattin' with her when you decided to waltz in with your stunnin' nightgown and announce your presence to the whole world."

"You're impossible."

"Thanks for the compliment. I get that a lot."

"I give up. Now be a good, silent kitty and eat your breakfast."

"Nyaaaaaw," moaned Tera, sounding just like a disappointed kitten. Akira had to be impressed. "One last question, shenpai. Pwease?"

Akira rolled her eye. "Fine."

"I was wondering... why do you cover your left eye with your hair? Doesn't it bother your eyesight, especially when you're fighting Witches or Wraiths? Or is it a new fashion statement?" smirked Tera.

"It's none of your business," Akira snapped. "Please do not press the matter further."

"Oh, okay. Sorry I asked," said Tera, immediately chastened by the forbidding tone in her senior's reply.

Yuki finished her food and gave a contented whine, then padded out to the small garden for an after-meal nap. The duo ate in silence until they heard the bathroom door click open once more. Shika came out looking completely normal, and both Akira and Tera gazed at her, waiting for some sort of reaction. There was none.

"Now that everyone's here, let's talk about the Demon and the prophecy as we eat," said Shika, resuming her meal. She noticed the two staring at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to throw the rice bowl into the air and start singing new year songs. "Why are you guys looking at me like that...?"

"Oh, no reason," said Akira hastily.

"There is a reason," cut in Tera, grinning in mischief, "Akira-senpai thought your face was too cute to be true, so she had to stare at you."

"W-what?!" shouted Akira, almost toppling over backwards. "There is no such thing as that Aido oh my god you crazy tiger I'm gonna strangle you if so much as utter another word I'll throw you to the dogs myself or stick an icicle in you mouth and freeze your lips and never let you into my sight ever again if my name isn't Akira Oda!" She said it in one go, face red and heaving indignantly. Shika covered her mouth, apparently trying not to giggle.

Tera exploded into laugher, slapping her thighs in mirth. "You two are really, goddamn epic! Ahahaha!"

Coughing politely and patting Akira on the shoulder to console her, Shika said, "Okay, enough of this. Let's get to the topic at hand."

"Finally..." groused Akira, shooting daggers at Tera, who simply shot back a stunning grin.

"Homura Akemi, as we all now know, is the Demon Puella Magi. Last night, I have told you that her motives are unknown to us as of yet, but even so, we have been tasked by the Incubators to slay her. I'm sure we'll learn of the reason soon enough. It's kill or be killed, truth to be told. From her assault, we can already see that she will do anything within her power to destroy us, and this is tied to the prophecy of the Trio. Also, there is an interesting thing that I noticed yesterday when Tera was grappling with Homura."

"Oh, oh, you mean that she can't physically hurt us, right?" chirped Tera excitedly, accidentally splashing her spoon into the soup and sending droplets into Akira's face. Akira glowered at her, and she looked no different from a panther whose tail just got pulled as a prank. "Oops. Sorry, senpai-of-senpai."

"Apology not accepted," growled Akira as she got up to the sink to wash it off.

Shika ignored their argumentative antics and replied, "Yes, Tera-san. She can't hurt us physically, but we can. This gives us an edge when it comes to fighting her. That was why she unleashed the Witches upon us, hoping that they will finish us off for her."

"Hah, Witches ain't a match for me!" exclaimed Tera proudly. "They're gone before you can say 'tigers are awesome'."

Akira leaned against the kitchen counter, wiping at her wet face, then said, "I can safely say that it's true for all of us, that Witches are the least of our problems. We are all seasoned fighters. But I don't think Akemi is the type who won't see through that. She probably had spies to observe our movements that night after she left, and those very same spies could have already told her that the Witches yesterday failed in their mission to dispose of us. She would have started devising a new plan by now, one that would involve exploiting our weaknesses. At least, that is the hunch that I get from her. We musn't let her discover our weak points, if we are to continue having an advantage over her."

"Damn, son. You're always right, Akira-senpai," marveled Tera, swiveling around on her seat to look at Akira in admiration.

"Of course I am," snorted Akira, again with the hidden sarcasm that Tera once again failed to notice.

Shika had to stiffle a laugh. Even though it had only been twenty minutes into their first real conversation, those two were most certainly going to develop a strong friendship, albeit one that would be fraught with sarcastic arguments and much snorting and growling.

"So, if you're saying that Homura has spies, shouldn't we be more cautious about speaking openly like this?" queried Shika. "They could be listening in to all of this and report it to Homura, where she could then launch an attack at any moment."

"I believe her spies would only be deployed at her command - they are not free ranging," said Akira, sobering up immediately. "I come to this conclusion based on the fact that we have never been attacked up until now. If her spies were indeed free ranging, they would have garnered information about us, and probably also the other Puella Magi, over the months or years - our fighting styles, our lifestyles, our locations and so on, and that would have made us easy targets. Knowing your enemy always gives you an advantage over them."

"When you said that Akemi couldn't attack us physically, I doubt that she knew of the invisible barrier right until she tried to attack one of us and found that she couldn't. She must have been surprised. Thus, she couldn't have known of us at all before the attack, and therefore, even if deployed, her spies would not know where to find us as well. It seems to me that her spies are limited in movement, else she would have commanded them to scour the city regularly for new threats. Akemi seems pretty outdated when it comes to us, the Elementals, almost as if we are a new breed of beings."

"We are, as of yet, still safely tucked away here in Shika's house as long as we don't bring the Demon here ourselves. If she were to know of our location, it would mean huge trouble for us. In conclusion, her spies are tethered and limited in function, they don't know of our location just yet, Akemi would be cooking up a new plot to kill us, and so, we musn't allow her to find us here."

"Damn, son. I wish I had your brain, Akira-senpai," remarked Tera in awe. "It would save me in my maths exams."

"Of course it would," snorted Akira, sarcasm oozing out from every syllable.

"But aren't you from the Music and Art School? Why are you doing maths there?" questioned Shika, confused.

"I wish I knew why, ya know. Stupid maths is living nightmare for me."

"If you studied and paid attention in class, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem at all, Aido-san," Akira said cynically. "Only thing is, you don't look like you pay attention at all to what the teacher is saying."

"Right on spot!" cheered Tera, unfazed, her eyes shining. "I don't pay attention at all. How did you know that, senpai? Le gasp!"

"I give up. Nothing reaches that small brain of yours."

"O-kaay, people, back to the topic," said Shika awkwardly. "Let's not talk about maths, shall we?"

"Yes, back to the topic. Tell dodo brain there about the prophecy of the Trio," gestured Akira lazily towards Tera.

"Hey! Dodo brain's not a very nice way to refer to me, Akira-senpai!" yelped Tera. "At least call me tiger brain. That would be much better."

"Alright then, tiger brain," drawled Akira.

"Thank you!" beamed Tera.

"A-anyways, yes, the Trio," said Shika hastily, trying to stop the two from lengthening their banter. "Ancient prophecies of the Incubators have told of the rise of the Demon along with the Trio, or Trinity in an era of disguised peace, who were meant to oppose her. The Trio is composed of the Elementals, who are a unique race of Puella Magi. They are able to manipulate the elements, hold a lot of karmic destinies, and are the catalysts of change in their era. It seems that we are the Trio spoken of in the prophecy, the only Puella Magi capable of killing the Demon. I am still trying to come to grips with it myself... In short, it is up to us to kill Homura Akemi to prevent some sort of apocalypse from happening. And that's really all there is to it."

Tera sat still, thinking about what Shika had told her yesterday night after slaying the nine Witches. Only we can kill the Demon, and, more of a selfish thing than a noble one, we must kill her first before she kills us. You have no choice but to fulfill this destiny that has been laid out for you, like it or not. Her voice was like hammer upon metal, her words harsh and unkindly, very unlike the demure, socially-awkward Shika now sitting opposite from her.

"I'm sorry if this overwhelming for you, Tera-san," said Shika apologetically, "But we had to let you know the whole truth as soon as possible in order for us to react to it in the best way possible."

"It's okay, senpai. I'm fine with this whole prophecy. I mean, kicking Demon ass is epic," grinned Tera briefly. "I do know the risks involved, such as us dying in the process, but we never know until we try. We can pull through this, I'm sure. There's one thing though..."

"What is it?"

"Your personality..." Tera cocked her head to one side, folding her arms. "It's unsettling."

A cold atmosphere enveloped the trio. Akira shifted her gaze to the window uneasily, her grip on the counter edge tightening noticeably. Shika hesitated a bit, then said, "What is it about my personality that unsettles you?"

"Well..." Tera shifted about, knotting her fingers nervously. "Its just that you're really creepy at times for some reason... Did something happen to you recently, senpai?"

"No, nothing happened," said Shika all too quickly in a steely voice. "I just had a restless night, that's all."

"Are you sure...?"

"Yes."

Akira went back to the table and dragged her chair next to Shika, sitting down and taking her junior's hands in hers. She looked at Shika with her intense, stormy eye, and said, "Shika dear, you know you can tell me what happened eight months ago. I won't judge, nor say anything. It's affecting your mind visibly, and you always look as if you're ready to burst into tears at any moment. Please... tell me what's wrong. I want to help you."

Shika could not meet Akira's gaze. How could she explain something so complicated and twisted, something that changed her life forever, without making Akira think she had a mental problem?

Tera stood up and put her empty dishes into the sink, saying, "If you need privacy, I can always skedaddle. This is obviously something I'm not meant to hear right now." She promptly disappeared outside (trying not grin because obviously, more yuri manga thoughts were going into her brain). Yuki's joyful bark followed shortly after.

"Okay, Shika darling, we're alone now," said Akira comfortingly. "You can talk about it, and I'll understand that not everything will make sense to me. Scream, yell, kick the chairs, punch me, anything. I just want you to let it all out."

Shika swallowed painfully, her hands trembling. Should she tell Akira now? Should she put all her trust into her best friend and show her the horrors of the One Month of Hell? What if Akira didn't believe her? What if Akira hated her after this for telling her the truth? What if-?

Maybe she should stop thinking of the consequences. Maybe she should tell Akira and get it over with. She took a deep breath, and raised her eyes to meet Akira's.

She would tell her now.

The defunct doorbell buzzed like a dying cat. Yuki started barking in greeting, then they could hear Tera's voice happily hailing someone. "Rikka-senpai, Eruna-chan, Kureha-chan! Hi!"

Akira frowned. Just when it looked like Shika was ready to tell her, the guests had to arrive earlier than expected. Shika's resolution to tell Akira about her experience melted away like snow in the sun. She mumbled a 'sorry' to Akira, then got up to greet the visitors, leaving her friend at the table. The white-haired girl absent-mindedly touched the left side of her face and sighed, then cleared the dishes and went back to the bedroom to change out of her nightgown. An increasing anxiety for Shika was building up in her with each passing day.

***

The wall clock was ticking away merrily, ignorant of the small cluster of people sighing and frowning below it. It chimed a little melody, indicating that it was eight in the morning. Mami glanced at it distractedly, trying to bring her consciousness back to what Oriko was telling them. Lately, her mind had been sluggish and heavy, almost like it were wading through mud in a heavy storm.

"And that concludes our plan for today," finished Oriko. "Any thoughts?"

Mami snapped out of her misty reverie and looked up from her cup of tea. She had missed the whole speech. Oriko saw her dazed look and said, "Is anything wrong, Tomoe-san? Do you have any objections about our next plan?"

"I say I have one," snarled Kyoko across the table, drawing Oriko's attention away from Mami. She slammed a fist onto the glass top, making Yuma flinch. "You think we're all ready to go rushing into trouble like that, then you're mistaken. I'm not about to become a Witch like Sayaka did, so there!"

"Would you calm down? Just because Miki-san died, it doesn't mean that anyone else would. With this new knowledge that our ultimate fate is becoming a Witch through full corruption, we just have to be extra cautious. Besides, we've still got our stock of Grief Seeds and Cubes," said Oriko impatiently.

"Well, I ain't going for this mission," said Kyoko obstinately, her red eyes moist. "It's literally suicide. I didn't kill Oktavia just to die the very next day. What would Sayaka say if she knew about the nonsense we were doing?"

Mami folded her hands across her lap neatly and closed her eyes, exhaling. Never was there a day where the meeting could progress without some sort of tension. "Can someone please repeat the plan to me so that I can make my judgement on it?" she asked innocently.

Oriko shot her an annoyed look, then replied, "I was planning to have us head for the old warehouse downtown, where the twins reported to me that they saw the Demon setting up her quarters there. If we could somehow ambush her and kill her, all our problems would be solved. At the rate at which we're going, our Soul Gems won't be purified quickly enough with the Grief Seeds and Cubes we are getting. We have to end this fast, and get rid of Homura Akemi's curse."

Mami thought for a while, then said, "First, where did the twins get that piece of information? Second, how sure are you that we are capable of killing her if she really were there? And third, through her death, would the curse on you even be lifted?"

The twins glanced at each other surreptitiously, but said nothing about it. However, Kirika wouldn't take Mami's objections to her precious Oriko's suggestion without a lashback.

"Bah, you're just sayin' that cause your Soul Gems aren't cursed like ours," spat Kirika. "Lucky you didn't have to meet her face-to-face, not even in school since the curse started right before the summer holidays. Quit bein' selfish and think of others!"

"You're calling Mami selfish? Hah! Rubbish!" hissed Kyoko. "Mami's the most selfless person there is in the world, you dumbasses!"

"Stop, please!" interjected Mami, reaching out a hand to quell the bickering. "Every single time we meet, a fight breaks out. I don't like this at all, and if this continues, then I'm afraid you would have to go somewhere else to have your meetings. Sakura-san, Chitose-chan, Nagisa-chan and I will gladly withdraw from this Strike Force if it means the end of arguments."

An electrical tension crackled in the air as everyone fell silent. Oriko, though, looked unabashed, her stern posture as rigid as ever. She spoke in a low tone, "I agree with Tomoe-san. If any more arguments erupt, nothing can be achieved. It seems my plan is truly unacceptable as of now, and Tomoe-san here has pointed out its uncertainties. We will leave the raid until we are surer of its truth. Does anyone have any other suggestions?"

Kyoko gave a sideways glance at the twins and saw them shifting about nervously at Oriko's announcement. Although she had never hated them as Sayaka had, she had a gut feeling that those two were not who they seemed to be. They were jumpy all the time lately, and never responded to questions. Perhaps that was just the way cocky transfer students who went by the surname 'Queen' were, she thought to herself, curling her upper lip in disgust.

"I have news, actually," said Mami tentatively. "Yesterday, as we left Kazamino, my ring picked up pulsations from three Puella Magi as they passed us by. I didn't want to mention it then, because of - I'm sorry, Sakura-san - Miki-san's death, but I think it's necessary to say it now. I propose we go back to Kazamino to find these girls and warn them. This time, there won't be festivals to disrupt the magical wavelengths, and we'll stick together for better defense from surprise attacks."

No protests were raised. Kirika and the twins looked subdued and tamed, while Kyoko was just staring out the window, no doubt thinking about Sayaka. Yuma and Nagisa were sitting quietly, too scared to interrupt anything.

"It's settled, then," declared Oriko, her authoritative nature taking over. "We go to Kazamino now."

***

Tera bear hugged all her friends, obviously overjoyed to have them over. After Shika had invited them inside, she remembered that she was supposed to entertain the guests' needs, like a hospitable host. Not that she had anything to give them, that is. This was the first time she had guests other than Akira in her house. The dark-blue haired girl with bottomless eyes, Rikka Sayuki, whom she assumed was the oldest out of the four, assured her that they didn't expect her to serve them anything. "Having us over at your house is enough of your kind hospitality," she had said, smiling pleasantly.

The foursome from the Kazamino School of Music and Arts were an interesting handful. All were bubbly and friendly, save Eruna Sayuki, Rikka's younger sister. The girl was as quiet as a leopard, but the light in her eyes indicated a crouching lioness, one that would spring upon enemies without hesitation to save her loved ones.

Tera introduced her friends to Shika, and she shook hands with them graciously, automatically forming an impression on each one as she did so.

Rikka Sayuki, sixteen, a serene girl with fathomless aquamarine eyes. Composed, yet friendly, lilting accent that is pleasing to the ears, but has that cold edge to her voice if one listens closely. Has the air of a fairy playing the harp in a fog-shrouded forest...

Kureha Chiaki, thirteen, bouncy and loud, probably likes yo be the centre of attention. Started humming a song the moment she stepped into the house and greeted me in a melodic, bird-like voice. A musically-inclined genius, most likely.

Eruna Sayuki, fourteen, definitely a stoic, few-words-to-say type. Can't see much into her personality, but she certainly reminds me of a lioness at rest. Not exactly shy nor timid like me, just really quiet.

"Hey senpai, can I tell them about Homura Akemi and the prophecy?" whispered Tera into Shika's ear as her gang was settling down. "It's fine if you don't want me to."

"I don't see any problem with you telling them, so go ahead," replied Shika. The more allies we have, the better. She immediately inwardly berated herself for having yet another selfish thought. Why was she like this?

Shika retreated into her bedroom after making sure that Tera could handle them alone, and saw Akira standing before the full-body mirror in the corner, seemingly absorbed in her thoughts. When she heard the door creak open, she whipped around, her brows knitted together in consternation, but relaxed when she realised it was her friend.

"Shika darling, you almost gave me a heart attack," remarked Akira, quickly combing her fingers through her long hair. She looked unusually downhearted and weary.

"Were you thinking about... your childhood days again?" asked Shika warily, closing the door behind her.

"You read my mind as if you're reading a book... Yes, I was."

"...Did your scars trigger the memory?"

Akira's fingers brushed the long fringe that covered her left eye. "Somewhat... But you do know that I'm used to them already. It was mainly because Aido-san had asked me why I cover my eye with my hair."

She swept aside the bangs, revealing her eye and gazed into the mirror once more. A terrible scar ten centimetres long ran from her forehead, across her eye, down to her jaw, and the supposed-to-be grey iris was clouded with patches of white and flecks of blood.

Every time Shika saw the full view of the scar, she was unpleasantly reminded that her best friend was half-blind in one eye. No magic could heal it; they've tried countless times and eventually stopped as too much magic was used, but at least the other eye's vision could be kept sharp using her Soul Gem's power.

"The scar on my chest has started throbbing as well," stated Akira dryly, her fingers tugging at the collar of her shirt. Shika could just glimpse the start of the dark red line beneath her right clavicle. "All my scars... They're troubling me all of a sudden."

Shika wasn't the only one with scars from the past. Akira had had it bad as well. Being the only child of the last Oda clan, she was pressured to become its heir and marry into another clan to keep the blood line alive. Discipline and strict regimes were part of her everyday life when she was young. Countless times, she had been told that she can never fail, or the clan would be forever ashamed of her. Afraid of falling short of her prodigious expectations, she fell into a rebel state and tried to run away from home. But her father had brought her back, and...

Her father. The man who had scarred her for life. Beaten her into submission so that she wouldn't disobey him again, slapped her if she so much as made a simple mistake, caned her for holding the katana wrongly, slashed at her face with a dagger meant for training... Her mother had tried to stop him, but she was just pushed away and told that for a child to grow into an all-rounder, physical punishment was needed. As a result, she sustained cuts and bruises over the years - on her left eye, across her chest, between her shoulders, down her abdomen and over her upper right thigh... And because her father was such an influential and powerful man, no one reported her abuse for fear of becoming the next victim to his rage.

But the scars that remained deeply within her, ingrained into her very soul, were the emotional ones given to her by her father.

She had become a Puella Magi at ten years old, wishing to become a great, respectful leader so that her father wouldn't be angry at her anymore. And so far, the wish had worked. She was the Head Girl of her school, best in class at academics, ace in all types of sports, able to play five musical instruments professionally, competent with the blade, and had impeccable manner and poise when needed. But still, her father was never satisfied with her. Always, he would look for the flaws in her and scold her for them, nit-picking over every single little detail. Her mother never helped improve matters - she was only there to back up her husband's ideas.

What must she do in order to finally show her father that she had already done her best to be the best she could? And what could let him know that she had no attraction towards Takahiro Ishida whatsoever, that she wanted to find her own man that she would truly love? Her heart was gaping with holes, bleeding and torn.

Tears filled Akira's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, refusing to break down while there were guests outside. Shika then took Akira gently by the hands, and sat her down on the chair, saying, "As you always tell me, it's okay to cry."

It was all she needed to hear. Akira hugged her arms and hung her head, shaking in silent sobs. Her tears dripped onto the wooden floor, soaking into them. Shika felt really bad. All this time, she had been selfish and only thought about her own troubles, never once thinking about Akira's problems. She knew about Akira's abusive father, about how he had wanted a son, but got a daughter instead, about how he blamed his wife for not being able to conceive another child for him...

"Shika...?" Akira uttered between her sobs.

"I'm right here." Shika enveloped her senior in a tight embrace, feeling sadder and more useless by the minute. Why have I not seen that Akira was hurt all this time? The senior girl must have kept in those tears, like Shika did, in order to put up a brave front for her junior... Akira... Strong, brave, amazing Akira... I'm not worthy to be your friend... she sighed internally, mouth twisted into a grimace.

"Thank you, Shika," whispered Akira, "You have always been there for me through all my battles, helping me conquer them even if you didn't realise it. Thank you for being the greatest friend I could ever have."

Shika faltered. She couldn't bring herself to tell Akira the truth, that she felt unworthy of being her friend, that she was really a selfish person at heart. Finally, she replied softly, a hint of sadness in her calm voice, "Thank you as well, Akira. If it hadn't been for you, I would have been long dead... If there is anything I can ever do in return for you, just tell me so."

Akira nodded, sniffed a few times and recollected herself like a true samurai queen. She straightened her back, righted her fringe and gave Shika a quick hug. "Go on out and mingle with the guests, Shika dear. I'll join you soon." She gave her junior a small smile, indicating that she was feeling better already.

"Okay." Shika returned the smile, but as she left the room, the smile was wiped off completely. Who was she kidding? Akira could never be happy with a friend like her. She was the epitome of gloom, the very embodiment of despair. She was better off dead than trying to masquerade as this fake, shy person that Akira knew so well. But fate had weird ways of bringing people who needed each other together. Akira had needed Shika as an emotional support as much as Shika had needed Akira for her understanding ways. True friends were indeed the rarest treasure of them all.

The door bell buzzed like a dying cat. Yuki, who was being petted quietly by Eruna, started barking, but this time, she sounded hostile. Tera and her friends stopped chatting, senses on the alert.

"Who's at the door?" squeaked little Kureha, hiding behind Eruna at once. Eruna's pupils dilated, her irises glinting sky blue. Her animal instincts could sense trouble brewing. Meanwhile, Rikka's fingers tingled with the energy that would summon her axes. "If the person is dangerous, we can take them in a rush attack," she said, the coldness in her voice showing itself prominently.

"I'll see who it is first. Stay back unless you see trouble." Taking it into her responsibility to see who was the newcomer, Shika stepped past them and opened the door guardedly.

A tall stranger with ash-blonde hair and piercing green eyes looked down at her with a dispassionate air. Seven other girls stood behind her, peering into the house. Her voice was flat and emotionless.

"So... we finally meet, Puella Magi of Kazamino."

Hello, my dear readers ^^
Hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it ^^ It was a tough one to write though, since its emotional, serious yet stupid funny (because of a certain tiger) at the same time. Also, it lacked any action, unlike previous chapters. I don't know if I managed to pull it off successfully, so please do tell me if I didnt ^^"
Tera's conversations with Akira and Shika are a joy to write, since she is never fazed by anything sharp-tongued Akira has to say XD I have to admit though, that Akira's backstory was sad to write out though :'( (Everyone seems to be crying in this chapter. Being a Puella Magi is tough.)
And finally, Mitakihara meets Kazamino... What will it turn out to be like?

~SaitheVivana