A/N : I wrote this chapter while listening to the song above. It gave me the feels needed for this, lol. It's quite nice (to me, that is), so give it a listen if you want to :)

Rikka woke up to the sight of the infirmary fan spinning idly above her. Woozily, she turned her head to the left, where a light source was, and saw that it was the street lamp outside the school. Insects fluttered around it, banging into the plastic cover that shielded the bulb from them.

Is it night already...? Or is it just dark because of the rain?

Her mind was a fuzzy haze as she tried to focus on her current state. Why was she in the sick bay? Had something happened?

She pressed onto the bed and tried to prop herself up, but regretted it immediately as the blood surged downwards from her head. Her vision burst into a kaleidoscope of stars as vertigo struck her like lightning. She fell back and held a hand to her forehead, swallowing a moan. Above her, the ceiling tilted and melted into a blur. Below her, the mattress was like a bucking beast, fat, soft and violent, as it thrashed away her senses. Nausea rose to her throat as the fan swayed and split into two, wavering and shaking their tips at her like an obscene belly-dancer.

Rikka shut her eyes, hoping for the vertigo to pass as her slender fingers impaled the beast below her, willing it to stop moving. It did nothing to chase away its rowdiness, however, and the dizzy girl was forced to roll over to her side so that she could retch all over the clean, tiled floors. She retched and retched, throwing up air, water, stomach acid and bile until she thought she would die from suffocation.

"Rikka?!" A panicked voice came from her right as the infirmary doors at the far end were shoved open with a bang. There were sounds of a scuffle, and through her gasps, she heard her piano instructor bark out a sharp order, "No, you're not allowed in, Aido-san! Sayuki-san is too dangerous!" to which the reply was, "She sounds like she's dyin' in there, sensei! Let me go in and help her, please!"

A vase shattered and she could make out liquid seeping across the floor. The silhouettes of Tera Aido and Mr. Toriyama were stamped against the strong, white backlight as the teacher struggled to hold back Tera, who was trying in vain to escape from his beefy arms. Abruptly, his student stopped kicking and biting as the sounds of Rikka's vomiting intensified, and fell limp into his arms. The cat-like girl was staring at her blue-haired friend as if she had seen a ghost. Her fierce roar was reduced to a scared mewl.

"R-Rikka...?"

Rikka heaved one final time, expelling the last of her bile. She shakily wiped away a dribble of vomit from her mouth and blinked away her tears, fighting for breath. Her dulled aquamarine eyes met Tera's, who were ablaze with a red fever.

Didn't she kill Tera minutes ago? Why was she still here...? Rikka felt her heart quicken.

Was it all just a delusion?

Light spilled onto her as Mr Toriyama's wide frame moved away from the door, dragging Tera with him. The tiger started to thrash again, hissing and baring her fangs, but the piano teacher's hold on her was too strong. Rikka then noticed that her friend's right arm was wrapped in a bloody bandage. What had happened to her? Yet, Tera did not seem to be bothered by it, and was using the hand to bash her teacher.

"Let go of me, sensei! Let go! I need to help Rikka! Let go already, dammit! Dammit!" Her wail echoed down the hallway, strangled and hoarse; she cried and cursed, punched and kicked, but nothing would make the senior pianist loosen his grip on her.

"She's dangerous, Aido-san! Listen to me! She tried to kill you and your friends!"

"No, you're wrong! She didn't! She was just daydreamin', sensei! She's just tired!"

"Tired or not, she tried to kill you, Aido-san! Kill, not hurt!"

"Ugh, why don't you get it?! She's just tired and she's going through shit in her life, and she needs me now more than ever! Now let me go!"

"No!"

"Just for a second, sensei! Just a while, I promise! Please!"

Rikka sobbed, anguished, as she saw her friend trying desperately to come to her aid. She knew, deep down, that she could never destroy her beloved tiger. Who would get rid of such a valiant, loving friend just because some Demon told her to? Dizzily, she thanked her forsaken God that it was only in her imagination that Tera was stabbed to death.

She reached out to her friend with a weak arm, crying out softly, "Tera... chan... I'm sorry..." Her fingers shook like an earthquake as she tried to hold onto Tera's vanishing form, but it slipped away from her like shadows running from the sun. "I'm sorry... for trying to kill you..."

Tera's flame-red head whipped around to Rikka's whisper, her sharp ears picking up her voice like a radar. Desperately, the tiger wriggled about, clawing at her teacher's arm and earning herself a pained yell. But Mr Toriyama, knowing Tera's wild ways, held her in a swift arm lock and pinioned her, facing the wall. The tiger shrieked and tried to muscle her way out, but the teacher's weight was too much for her to fight against.

"Mr Wakashima! Hurry, shut the door and help me calm Aido-san!" shouted Mr Toriyama at someone down the passage. Tera's cat-eyes narrowed as she saw her violin-judo teacher thundering towards them - another annoying obstacle. But sensing that Mr Toriyama was momentarily distracted, she gave a roar and twisted away, ducking under the surprised pianist's legs and shot towards the infirmary door.

"Rikka, I'm comin'! Hang o-"

Mr Wakashima ran straight at Tera, bowling her over and grabbing at her wrists to stop her from punching anyone. The tiger gave a surprised yowl, but couldn't recover fast enough to slip away. With a swift kick, the judo master sent the infirmary doors crashing back to their lock with a click, shutting out the light. The screams of the tiger became fainter and fainter, as if she were pulled forcefully away, until Rikka could hear nothing any more.

The singer's outstretched arm dropped like a rock, hanging over the bedside like a dead snake. Her fingertips touched the puddle of sick, but she did not withdraw them. Me Toriyama called her dangerous, and he had prevented Tera from coming to her. They had taken her away from her, as if she were a monster.

Oh, Tera-chan, why did you fight them? Why did you get hurt for me...? I had tried to kill you, for God's sake! Why are you so... nice?!

Agonisingly, she raised her arm to eye level and stared at her hand – the hand which had plunged the dagger into Tera's heart, albeit only in her imagination.

All of a sudden, the memory of what had taken place in the practice room came back to her like a vehement river bursting its banks. It shot her like a bullet, and she gasped as if the pain were real.

She stumbled towards Tera and fell, but Tera had caught her before she hit the floor. Her black dagger came unbidden into her hand, and as she was about to strike the girl, Tera had grabbed her wrist and stopped the blade from entering her flesh. It pricked the tiger's skin, and a small island of blood collected around it.

"Rikka! What the hell?!" shouted Tera, pupils constricted into a slit. But she didn't seem to hear Tera and pushed against her grip, trying to drive the dagger in. Tera fought back, yelling for Eruna to call a teacher. Her sister ran off at once, horrified at her sudden violent act, as she was usually a calm, demure person. Kureha leapt onto her back and tried to haul her away, but she was filled with an insane energy. She swiped out with other hand, catching Kureha hard in the stomach and sending the little girl sailing into the drum set. There was a loud clamour of falling barrels and cymbals, and a moan rose from the mess.

Tera shouted in anguish, still grabbing onto her wrist. "Kureha-chan!" Her lead guitarist looked at her in total disbelief, saying, "Rikka, are you possessed? Snap outta it!"

But she didn't have ears for anything that Tera had to say. All she was thinking about was how to kill her. She pushed hard, and the dagger tip went in deeper, extricating a yell from Tera.

"Rikka, wake up! Wake the hell up, damn you! This isn't you at all!" hissed Tera as her other hand went to the dagger and gripped the hilt, twisting it out of her hands. The weapon clattered to the floor and shattered as Tera flung it away. The tiger girl then wrestled Rikka to the ground, holding both her wrists and forcing her to look at her concerned face.

There were tears shining in Tera's eyes.

"Please, Rikka, you've been actin' weird lately. If I'd done anythin' wrong to make you mad enough to try to kill me, then I'm sorry, okay?" cried Tera. "Just tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you. You don't have to do this alone. I'm here for you, Eruna and Kureha-chan's here for you, as well as Shin-san. Just tell us what's wrong, Rikka, please!"

But she did not understand what the tiger was telling her. She sent her knee thudding into Tera's abdomen without so much as a warning, and Tera's grip on her released at once. The girl crumpled to the floor, whining in pain. She rolled up and summoned an axe now, swinging it above her and bringing it down on Tera's head without mercy.

Tera saw the axe coming at her, and activated her cestus-like claws, using them to cover her head to protect it. The blade embedded itself into the flesh of the right arm, and a primal roar erupted from the tiger's throat. She tried to pull it out for the second strike, but it was too deep inside. She cursed, yanking on it repeatedly and causing blood to spray into her face. Tera convulsed while yelling and screaming in agony, the blade in her arm like red-hot iron, but did she care? No.

Through the pain and tears, Tera choked, "I know you're going through something hard right now, and I'm sorry I didn't see it earlier to help you. But killin' me won't solve your problems-"

The feline eyes of Tera Aido widened, as if she had just realised something. "...Or would they?"

She didn't care about what Tera was thinking. Maybe the tiger was rambling nonsense out of shock.

She gave a mighty tug on the axe handle, and it came out of the claw with a sickening squelch. Tera screamed again, the wound spilling out hot blood. But the orange-haired girl was not done speaking yet, gritting out the syllables through her teeth. "I have killed you countless times with these claws of mine... Killed you over and over again... You don't know about it though... or do you? And now, I guess it's time for your revenge, huh...?" Tera grimaced, trying a grin. "I really don't wanna leave the planes of this earth without making sure you're alright first... But..."

The claws reverted to her normal hands as she slowly raised them in surrender. She smiled through her tears. "... if my death would free you from whatever is ailing you right now, I am more than willing to die for you..."

She hesitated, axe already poised and ready to cleave. Something was forming itself in her blurry mind. Something that told her to not kill Tera Aido...

That moment of hesitation costed her her consciousness. Two adult figures burst into the room as she whipped around to the intrusion. A hard object crashed into the side of her head, and she blacked out immediately.

Rikka came back to reality, stunned and shaken. Tera, sweet, strong Tera, had guessed that her death would free her from her anguish, and volunteered to die for her. And she, being stuck in a delusion, was about to do just that had the teachers not come in to stop her. She clasped her hand to her chest, shutting her eyes tight. What had she become?

"Oh God... I'm a monster..."

"Yes, Rikka Sayuki, you are indeed a monster." A shadowy figure landed on the windowsill, black-and-white wings stretched on both sides like harbingers of doom. The window had opened itself without her noticing, allowing the Demon to enter the room. Rikka sucked in a sharp breath as Homura Akemi loomed in front of her like a cobra, sniggering.

Her sleek axe fell into her fingers instinctively; she did not trust the Demon for even one second.

"It seems like you haven't been able to carry out my wish. I am disappointed." She sat on the edge of the bed, twirling her hair casually. Then, she saw the weapon in Rikka's hand and scowled. "Surely, you don't think you can kill me with that toy, now do you? Besides, you're in no condition to move."

"I shall make myself move even if it kills me, if it means shutting you up for good," snarled the bluenette, getting up on her elbows. The shift in position called up a new surge of nausea, and she promptly doubled over and threw up. A stream of bright red blood splattered onto the floor from her gaping mouth; she couldn't breathe. Collapsing onto her back, the axe slipped from her grasp. It thudded to the floor, amidst the blood and bile, then disappeared in a weak shimmer.

"Oh my, you shouldn't push yourself, Sayuki-san," mocked Homura, pretending to be worried. She reached forward and rubbed away the blood on Rikka's face with the edge of her dress, none too gently. Rikka recoiled at her touch and wanted to move away, but the rubbing had caused her to be attacked by another wave of dizziness. She had no choice but to endure the mockery, coughing terribly.

Homura smeared her blood-stained dress on the bed sheets, licking her lips sadistically. She grabbed Rikka's hand and forced it over so that she could see the blue inset gem on her runic ring, ignoring the Puella Magi's pained yell. Glancing at it distastefully, she said, "Your Soul Gem is already three quarters tainted, and I see you have't purified it. It's causing you to be sick. I don't want you turning into a Witch before you have carried out my order, so here's my piece of advice."

She grabbed Rikka by the shoulder and roughly spun her round to face her, making the singer gag up more blood. "Really, save yourself the pain and just kill Tera Aido already. If not, I will personally see to it that your boyfriend - what's his name? – ah, yes, Shin Kobayashi, and your sister will not live to see beyond three sunsets."

"Don't you dare touch them!" Rikka snarled hoarsely. Immediately, she coughed up more blood, and had to clap her hand over her mouth to stop the red liquid flying from everywhere. She hacked so hard, the bed was shaking.

"Please stop getting all worked up, Sayuki-san. It pains me to see you like this," jeered the Demon pitilessly. Her grip on Rikka's shoulder tightened to drive the next point home, causing the girl to yelp in pain. "I'll leave you now, but remember my threat - kill Tera Aido fast or your loved ones will die. It's them or her, Sayuki-san. Would you rather deny two people of their happiness, or only one? Choose."

With one awesome flap of her raven wings, Homura dived out through the window, cackling like a mad Witch. Rikka took her hand, all aquiver, from her mouth - it was stained with a copious amount of blood.

It's them or her, Sayuki-san.

Should she kill Tera to save Shin and Eruna? Tera was her best friend, Shin was her long-time lover and Eruna was her sister. Who would one give priority to in such an insane situation? Her fingers bore into the mattress, creating bloody holes in it.

Choose.

She loved them all. Going through life without any of them would be equivalent to a living nightmare. They were her support when she had almost despaired after her parent's death; they taught her that self-blame was never healthy for the mind.

But now, in this situation, she had no one else to blame but herself for caving in to Homura's order, and for getting herself dragged even deeper into the grasp of the greedy, depression-loving pit. She spat out the blood in her mouth, her tastebuds exploding with the rusty, metallic tang. Her breath was rattling, like the keening wind battering at loose window shutters.

"... I- I can't... I can't choose... I really cannot choose...!"

It was all too much for her to bear. Slowly, she curled up into herself as the tears started to pour hot and fast down her cheeks. They left shiny streaks all across, mingling with the blood, like rain upon a dusted window. Each sob racked her whole being, and she cried like she had never cried before. Her bloody hands were pressed hard into her face as she fought to control the urge to shriek and tear at her own flesh. Leaning back, her hands shifted to her the sides of her head as she raked through her hair, her teeth pressing against each other until they were fit to crack. She cried with the force of someone drowning, someone dying, someone calling for Death.

Impassioned with craze, Rikka dug her nails into her scalp and screamed harshly, "God, I hate you! I hate you for pretending to be with me! I hate you for cursing me to this! I hate you for everything! Kill me now! Just kill me already! Kill me, please!"

Anyone seeing her now would agree : to let the girl die was a much kinder choice.

***

Tera hurried towards the practice room where her other bandmates were, getting more restless by the minute. The school was empty save them and the two teachers - it was the summer break after all. Thank goodness her instructors were there though. If Eruna hadn't managed to get them, she would most probably be cut into a hundred pieces by now. Although she had been ready to die, the idea of it still made her shudder. Besides, Shika and Akira would not be happy to know that she had been slaughtered by her friend even before their fight against Homura had started.

The axe wound on her arm was already closing up nicely, and it wasn't hurting her at all - her magic was working at its best to heal it. The two teachers didn't even notice the cut, as Tera had hid it behind her back when they knocked Rikka away. She quickly took a roll of bandage from her bag (she always kept one handy) and tied it up to stop the blood flow, but her actions did not escape the eyes of her sharp judo instructor.

"Are you hurt, Aido-san? I have to call for an ambula-"

"No, no, I'm totally fine, sensei!" blurted out the girl. From the corner, Kureha moaned again and sat up, and Eruna hurried over to help her. The blonde saw her teachers giving her worried looks, so she grinned and said ditzily, "I'm okay!"

The violin teacher stared at her a skeptically, but did not press the matter. Their priority was on Rikka now. He picked up the unconscious girl in his arms and motioned for Mr Toriyama to follow to the sick bay. Tera trotted along, uninvited, but the teachers let her accompany them.

However, because she had gone berserk after witnessing Rikka's 'seizure', her teachers had to drag her all the way to the office before she could calm down. They had told her that they will assess Rikka before allowing her to see her friend, and call the ambulance as well, if the situation was bad. They knew that the girl was not faring too well, and may need professional help.

Tera thought back on the conversation, feeling uneasy despite knowing that her two teachers were capable people.

"For now, you just be a good girl and stay here. We'll take care of Sayuki-san, don't worry," reassured Mr Wakashima. "She's our student, and it is our responsibility to look after her. Also, you've got a hurt arm. Try not to move too much, okay?"

"Okay..." mumbled Tera, obviously not trusting the two teachers to handle Rikka properly. Her friend was covered in blood and had thrown up like she was about to die. "...Why won't you let me see her, sensei?"

"...She had wanted to kill you, Aido-san. She cut your arm! It's best we keep you out of her sight for now, if we were to avoid any more conflict," said Mr Toriyama, trying to keep his patience with the tiger. "Once we assess her and find out the cause of her actions, and if we deem her to be... safe, we will call you over."

"You better, sensei."

"We will, don't you worry, Aido-san." Mr Wakashima patted his top judo student's head comfortingly, then added, "And if you want to, you may return to the practice room where Chiaki-chan and Eruna-san are. They would be very worried about you."

The teachers left, glancing at their watches for the time. Tera followed suit, looking at the clock on the office wall. It was only four, but the sky outside made it seem like it was already nine - dark and foreboding. They had been practising their music for around five hours since the meeting with Oriko.

No wonder Rikka was tired... But then again, they were usually able to go at it for longer than five hours, sometimes practising for the whole day when they were in full swing.

Tera felt herself starting to freak out as she neared the room. When Rikka had attacked her, she was convinced that the singer had tried to kill her because she had guessed about the events that took place in the repetitive One Month. It would then make sense that Rikka would get mad and proceed to kill her in revenge... wouldn't it?

She stopped short a few paces from the practice room, looking back at the deserted corridor. Her stomach boiled up with a really nasty feeling - somehow, she knew that Rikka wouldn't know about the One Month. She had never told the pretty girl that, and no one else had remembered time repeating itself anyway. As far as she could tell, she was the only one who had experienced the time warp.

Something, or someone was causing Rikka to act like this, to become a completely different person.

Someone that was capable of manipulating the mind... Someone who could appear anywhere at any time, and possibly launch an ambush on her like she had done the other night...

A hand landed on her shoulder. Cold fear clutched at her wildly beating heart, like a predator hugging its prey in a death embrace; she stood stock still, not daring to move even a single muscle.

"Aido-san. I've been looking for you."

Hey, my dear readers ^^
Sorry, I had said I'd try for weekly updates, but something cropped up, so I wasn't able to write much until now. Hopefully, I'll be able to after this.
Also, a short-ish chapter for a change. I've been writing chapters with around 4000 ~ 8000 words lately ^^"" Do you guys like short chapters or longer chapters better, by the way?
I hope this clears up the previous cliffhanger, but unfortunately, I am giving you another cliffhanger XD

~SaitheVivana