The barrierscape of the lizard Witch, Mir, suddenly took on a deathly atmosphere. It wasn't because the Witch had called upon for more Familiars to defend herself, nor was it because of the ugly sea of undead constantly pouring out of Homura's portal.

No, it was the Magi and her dog, standing in the centre of all the carnage. Her wings glowed a brilliant white-green, her eyes shone like a carnivore on the hunt... She looked extremely dangerous.

And she was dangerous.

A shockwave of air blasted in a circle around Shika, splitting the ground beneath her with its sheer force. Bodies were ripped apart by flying shards of stones and earth. Mir howled in fear and scrabbled back to avoid getting hit.

"What are you doing, you stupid Witch?!" screamed Homura, hitting its head ruthlessly with her bow. "Don't run! Fight her!"

But the Witch could not be placated. She reared up on her hind legs and shrieked, further incensed by Homura's command. She took off on an ambling run, frothing at the mouth from naked terror.

Shika could not help grinning. This was the first time a Witch was running away from her, and she somewhat revelled in it. "Yuki, take care of the undead and the Familiars," she urged. "I'll be going for the Demon and the Witch."

The Shiba Inu roared her approval. Without a moment to lose, she pounced at the nearest zombies, squashing them under her fearsome claws. Familiars fell to her fangs like meat in a grinder.

Launching into the air, Shika flew towards her enemies at an alarming speed. Her warhammer grew larger and larger as she neared her objective. Readying her weapon, she smashed into the Witch's scaly side, toppling her off balance. With inhuman strength, she threw the warhammer down upon Mir's flat skull.

Homura would have been destroyed at once had she not rolled off the Witch's head in time. Mir, however, was not so fortunate. The warhammer shattered the skull and caved into her brain, splattering blood everywhere. The Witch clawed at her ruined head, trying to dislodge the hammer. It only succeeded in scrambling her head organs further, causing her to go insane.

Through her clouding reptilian eyes, Mir watched as Shika landed gracefully in front of her, wearing the most fearsome expression.

"Die."

The warhammer crackled with fierce electricity. Ripples of blinding white energy exploded from the core of her weapon and engulfed the Witch in a deadly net of lightning, frying her alive. Mir shrieked and howled, convulsing in all sorts of hideous manners.

Shika wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Tch. Disgusting." Increasing the voltage of her attack, the electricity took on a lethal blue hue. Mir all but blew up from the tension, her flesh and blood showering down on the Elemental Magi. Shika calmly retrieved her weapon from the pile of gore.

Homura witnessed it all with wide eyes. Her whole body was shaking.

What sort of monster was Shika Kiyomizu?

The barrier dissipated along with any remaining familiars, but the zombies were still here. Yuki was a distance away, harassing the undead to prevent them from going over to her mistress. With the Witch gone, Shika turned her wrathful eyes upon the Demon. Homura cringed at the glare.

"You're next," hissed Shika, advancing slowly upon her sworn enemy.

Not waiting to see what the Magi would do to her, Homura forced herself up and flew towards her portal, where she might escape.

A wall of earth as high as a three-storey building shot up from the ground and almost knocked Homura out of the air. Sucking in a sharp breath, Homura backtracked and made to fly in the other direction, but another wall erupted in front of her, blocking her path. Before she could try another route, more earthen walls burst up around her, trapping her.

The only way out left was to go up. She began to fly towards her freedom, but stopped cold all of a sudden. Shika had landed like shadow on top of one of the earthen walls, and was glaring down at the Demon with shining, slitted irises.

"Homura Akemi, what makes you think I'm letting you escape alive after what you've done?" snarled the Elemental Magi, hefting her warhammer menacingly.

Homura backed away until her wingtips brushed against the rough earthen walls. There was no place for her to hide.

"Shika Kiyomizu, what makes you think I'm not escaping alive after what I've done?" hissed the Demon in reply.

"Because I will definitely slay you here and now!" shouted Shika, madness lacing her voice. Spikes of earth darted out from the walls, meaning to impale Homura, but the Demon folded her wings and dropped out of range. However, Shika was not about to be bested. She summoned more spikes, each of them narrowly missing Homura.

The Demon wove in and out between the earthen projections, feeling increasingly winded. There was not much space left for her to manoeuvre inside the earth tower with each new spear. Sooner or later, she would meet a spike that she'd fail to avoid.

Wheezing, she took out her Dark Orb and snatched up another Grief Seed from within. Shika noticed it and cursed. She quickly extended a hand before her, gathering the electrons in the air to her fingertips. A bolt of lightning streaked from her hand, coalescing into the shape of a falcon that headed towards the Demon like a falling star.

Homura saw it coming. With the desperation of a cornered beast, she tossed the Seed aside and drew her bow with great difficultly. The narrow spaced hindered her movements, but it was enough to allow her to loose a shaft at the incoming falcon.

The purple arrow cut through the elemental bird. It dispersed into tiny balls of prickling light. They quickly disappeared with a pop. Her arrow stuck itself into a spike before it could reach Shika.

The Elemental Magi could not allow Homura to hatch another Witch on her. She jumped down into the tower and hacked away at the spikes with a maddened power, eager to get to the Demon. Seeing Shika come at her, Homura dived even lower, frantically trying to locate her dropped Seed in the dim light.

"Kiyomizu! Listen to me first before you attack!" called out Homura as she flew around the spikes expertly. She had to buy herself some time. Broken pieces of earth from Shika's frenzied attack poured down from above. "I told you earlier that I am your enemy, didn't I? It was not on purpose!"

"Explain yourself then!" replied Shika breathlessly, already halfway down the tower. "I'll listen!"

Homura continued to drop. "The reason why I rewinded time was to save Madoka Kaname from her fate of either dying or turning into a Witch and destroying the world. I did it for over a hundred times, all the while failing to save her! You and Tera Aido were collateral damage. I swear I don't know why you two could remember the rewinds when others couldn't!" She noticed the sheen of the Grief Seen a few more metres below her.

"Fair enough! I accept your explanation. But Madoka Kaname is a Goddess, not a Witch! Are you lying to me?" shouted Shika, getting nearer to her quarry.

"She is now a Goddess because I failed to stop her from making a wish in that last timeline!" said Homura with a hint of regret. "She bade me to not repeat time ever again, and that she is happy to take on the burden of all Puella Magi. I respected her wish, and watched as she was taken away from me! I lost her, and she was all alone, alone in taking away and shouldering the grief of millions of Puella Magi."

"What she did was a noble sacrifice," said Shika, easily demolishing another spike. "She did what others could never do. She became salvation itself! I respect her with all my might and I will do anything to help her, even if it means killing you!"

"You don't understand!" cried Homura, tears forming like pearls at the edge of her eyes. "I suffered so much trying to save her, and then she goes on to leave me and become Goddess, only to suffer by herself, alone and forgotten by everyone she once loved! What sort of fate is that?! Why must she be destined to such a horrible end?"

"It's horrible, I admit, but it's a choice she made!" called back Shika, temporarily withdrawing her warhammer to hop down neatly from spike to spike. "If you really do care for her, then you'll set her free and let her do what she chose to do!"

"That's easy for you to say, Angel! You didn't suffer the way I did! After she became Goddess, I was the only one who could remember her. I was in constant pain. I wanted to see her, but the only way to do that would be to die! I had to force myself to preserve the world she left behind. I maintained her legacy. I fought back the Wraiths to protect the world she loved so much! But it was a battle that I couldn't bear with. No one believed in Madoka's existence, no one believed me when I told them about our old enemies, the Witches. They all thought I was mad! So in the end, I did become mad! I seized her powers and dethroned her. I rewrote the laws of the universe and wiped all your memories so that she may lead a more peaceful life. But now, with all you Puella Magi remembering your past lives, it's triggering Madoka and making her recall her inner Goddess, and I don't want that!"

"You're being selfish, Akemi," shouted Shika angrily, increasing her downwards pace. "I know what selfishness feels like because I'm that way too... But right now, you have to stop this madness and restore her! If you don't, I will!"

"She will suffer if I do!" shrieked Homura in agony. Her fingers stretched out to grab at the Grief Seed lying on the ground, but Shika was quicker. She bade the earth to sink even further down, bringing with it the Seed. More spikes protruded around the circular space, impeding Homura's flight. There was no way for the Demon to reach the Grief Seed now. Her violet eyes gleamed with moisture as she glared up at Shika.

"Akemi, call it a moment of truce and listen to what I have to say," said Shika, skipping down the final few spikes to face Homura. The Demon stared at her adversary impassively, hiding away her distress.

"Speak, then."

"As you've said, you are my enemy, and I shan't deny that. I am still hell bent on killing you... But if you are willing to release Madoka Kaname and allow her to return to the Law of Cycles, I will make your death swift and painless."

"You're one to talk nicely," jeered Homura, tossing her hair back. "What happened to all your rage earlier on? What happened to all that anger? Did it miraculously disappear within this short space of time?" Taunting her enemy, Homura changed the topic with sinuous skill.

"You underestimate me, Demon," growled Shika, adjusting the position of her warhammer. "All that anger is still inside, but somehow or other, I am still able to think straight because of Akira. She taught me to never lose myself in a battle, and I won't fail her."

"Akira Oda, eh? She's the biggest nuisance out of the three of you since she has a brain in her head, but it seems she might be dying tonight..." Homura cocked her head coyly. "It's your fault that both your friends are mortally wounded."

Shika gritted her teeth until she thought her gums would bleed. "I won't allow them to die! Once I'm done with you, I'll save them! Let me ask you again before I lose all control once more – will you set Madoka Kaname free, or will you continue this madness? Don't waste my time!"

"Isn't the answer obvious...?" muttered Homura, her bow appearing in her hand. Quick as a lunging snake, she drew the bowstring and shot a glowing purple shaft at the Magi. However, the projectile pinged off harmlessly from Shika's breastplate. The girl didn't even flinch. Homura hissed in astonishment.

Advancing menacingly on the Demon, Shika spoke in a low voice. "I met Madokami in the World Between Worlds. She declared me as her Angel of Battle. She told me to stop you and restore her to the Law of Cycles... If you don't willingly surrender, I have no choice but to kill you."

"She said that to you? To stop me? And you have no choice? Hah! I can't believe it..." chuckled Homura to herself, covering her eyes with a hand. Her body shook with soundless laughter, which abruptly evolved into a full-blown cackle.

"My beloved Madoka told you to stop me? Nonsense! She trusts in no one else but me!" The laugh quickly contorted into a grimace, as if hesitating over her own confidence.

"Think what you want, Demon, but I'm telling you the truth."

Homura was instantly sobered. She gave Shika a sadistic smile.

"See? Even my only friend has turned on me. What else is there for me to lose? As long as I can keep Madoka with me forever, even if she hates me, nothing else really matters anymore..." Her arm twitched as she smiled, bringing the bow up to eye level.

"Let's resume the battle, Angel..."

"You've sealed your fate then, Demon..." snarled Shika, lifting her warhammer clear off the ground. "Your death will be slow and torturous..."

"Only if you manage to catch me first...!" Homura unexpectedly directed her bow upwards and released a single shaft. It flew out of sight.

"What did you do that for?" hissed Shika, immediately on the alert.

"If I were you, I'd stop talking and start praying for a painless end," smirked Homura. A small portal opened behind her, and a Clara Doll popped out, squeezing between the spikes to get at the Grief Seed below. Shika made a move to stop it, but more of the Dolls came out of the portal and crawled all over her, restraining her limbs.

"H-Hey, g-get off me!" she shouted in shock. Her warhammer clattered down and lodged itself between two spikes. She tried to shake them off, buffeting them with her wings, but the Clara Dolls were surprisingly strong.

"Hmm, don't like being held down, little deer?" taunted Homura, smirking as the first Clara Doll deposited the retrieved Grief Seed into her palm. "The tables have turned, Kiyomizu. No one can ever win against me... Now that you're stuck like this, I want to try something out before my arrows come raining down..."

She grabbed Shika's neck and pressed her face close to her foe's. "Your Soul Gem is beneath the armour on your left arm, isn't it?"

Her Soul Gem was supposed to be hidden from sight. Shika tried not to show alarm that Homura knew where it was, but her expression forsook her.

"I knew it..." chuckled Homura. The Magi bared her teeth and wanted to retaliate, but Homura tightened her grasp around her neck, smiling crazily.

"I can't hurt you physically... but what if I transferred this Seed's Grief into your Gem instead of having it purify the Gem?" said Homura, her smile causing Shika to involuntarily shrink away.

"Would you... turn into a Witch?"

***

Tera stirred, uttering a soft moan. Her body felt slimy, broken and heavy, and she couldn't even lift her arms. Due to her rapid healing abilities, she had recovered slightly from the attack, but was still very much incapacitated. She was losing too much blood in just one night.

Gingerly, Tera opened her eyes, afraid to see where she was. Had Mir eaten her, and she was now in the Witch's stomach?

She couldn't see a thing. Panic seized her. Where was she?

Her fear gave her a new source of strength. Sitting up, she reached out with her claws, waiting to touch liquid or something smooth and soft.

A claw hit against a hard object. Cautiously, she allowed her hand to rest upon the object, surprised to find that it was cold and wet.

Curiosity overtook her again. With some amount of effort, she lit a small fire at the tip of her claw-nail. The dancing flames illuminated the area around her, as well as the object.

Tera saw that she was trapped inside an earthen dome, with corpses from the battle scattered around. Whatever this was, it didn't seem too threatening for now. At least she wasn't being digested inside the Witch's stomach. Turning her attention to the cold object next to her, she waved the flame across its shiny surface. It was ice.

Squinting hard, Tera tried to see if anything was special about it. It seemed to be red all over...

"Holy mother of-!" The fire went out with a puff. She leapt back with a horrified curse, ignoring her wounded body's protests. There was someone inside!

Hyperventilating, Tera found her whole body quaking with fear. Although she had a good idea of who was inside the crystal-like mound, she loathed to admit it.

Dragging herself back, she re-lit the flame and directed it above the ice block. She bit down on her lower lip, bracing herself for the worst.

There was no mistaking the long, blood-stained silver hair that streamed across the body like numerous spider threads. Horrific gashes made by human nails and teeth were present all over. The face was completely covered in blood.

Tears sprang to Tera's eyes. Her claws reverted to her hands and she clapped a palm over her mouth to stop herself from throwing up.

There was no way she could accept it.

Huddling into a ball, she rocked back and forth, hot tears slipping down her bruised cheeks.

'Akira-senpai, you can't die...!' she thought to herself, feeling more and more horrified. How could the strong, reliable Akira die and leave her to fight alone?

Paying no heed to her wounds, Tera heaved her upper body on top of the ice block and reactivated her claws, setting them on fire. "I don't believe you're dead yet, senpai... I won't believe it..." she said to herself delusionally, the intense heat from her cestuses melting the ice away. Before it could singe the body inside, she withdrew her claws and reverted them to her hands.

The water had washed off some of the blood, but it only served to make Akira's condition look more serious. New gashes showed up, and more places were seen to be bitten apart. Tera could not tell if Akira was still in her Puella Magi garb, or had reverted to her normal clothes...

...The latter of which would mean that she was dead.

Still crying, Tera hesitantly touched Akira's shoulder and shook it, hoping that Akira was still alive. "Akira-senpai, wake up..." she choked feebly. "Don't leave me alone..."

***

The Clara Dolls tittered as Shika made a wild struggle to break free from their grasp. Seeing her distress, Homura's perverse excitement grew.

"Now, don't resist me, Angel, or this will be very excruciating," crooned Homura, wrenching off the left shoulder guard brutally. Shika yelled in pain from the careless removal of her armour.

"Did I hurt you? Oops," chuckled Homura, bringing the Grief Seed nearer to where the now-exposed Soul Gem was. It was glowing a bright green, but was now streaked with gold strands. Upon seeing it, the Demon hesitated. She recalled that the Gem was completely green before this. Gold was a colour that was often related to Madokami. What could this mean?

"What is it, Demon?" Shika's voice was deadly calm for one being choked. "Scared to see what I'd look like as a Witch?"

Homura scoffed. "A-As if." Her grip on Shika's neck loosened as her fingers somehow lost their strength.

"Then do it." The Magi stared levelly at Homura, as if challenging her to actually corrupt her Gem. The Demon recoiled at Shika's careless regard for her own life.

That hesitation was all she needed. White, searing flames engulfed the Elemental like an explosion. The Clara Dolls screamed and jumped away to avoid being burnt to death. Homura withdrew her hand and toppled over from the blast. Earth crumbled to dust around them.

As quickly as the fire came, it went. Shika shook her head rapidly to get rid of the queasy feeling in her throat. The armour on her shoulder also magically reappeared, re-concealing the green-gold Gem. Homura scrabbled up, coughing on the dust. Her chest and arms were scalded by the heat. Her Clara Dolls were all crumpled to the bottom of the tower.

"Do you surrender now, Demon?" queried Shika, her visage set in stone. "There's no point in lengthening this useless battle."

"Hmph." Homura smirked. "I will never surrender to the likes of you. Already, the tables are, once again, turning to my favour."

Shika gasped. She forgot that Homura had fired off an arrow into the sky earlier on. She craned her neck back and looked at the exit of the tower.

Shining purple shafts appeared like gimlets of light. They rapidly gained speed and size. A few crashed into the tower's side, crumbling the hard earth. Some pierced through the spikes, and some lodged themselves into the walls.

They were all aiming for Shika's Soul Gem.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Shika immediately pulled up a slab of earth to cover herself from the projectiles. The purple shafts buried themselves deep into the hardened soil, cracking the elemental shield. More came raining down like an endless torrent, pin-cushioning the barrier.

Homura laughed at Shika's attempt to block out the arrows. She swiftly flew upwards, where freedom was calling for her. Seeing that Homura was escaping, Shika groaned. She had to stop her.

"Yuki!" The Elemental Magi's shout boomed across the battlefield.

The Shiba Inu heard her mistress' voice. Looking up, with her muzzle dripping with stale blood, Yuki bounded towards the earth tower. Arrows fell around her like exploding land mines. Whining, she tried to get closer to the tower, but the arrows threatened to pierce her hide.

"Stop Homura Akemi from escaping!" ordered Shika, her voice sounding out in Yuki's mind. "I will deal with the arrows so they won't hit you. Destroy the tower, and bury her alive. Don't worry about me, I can protect myself!

The brave canine did as she was told. Rushing headlong at the earthen sculpture, she threw her entire weight against it. The arrows that were coming for Yuki were magically deflected by a gust of wind, keeping her unharmed.

Homura felt the tremors. Urging her Clara Dolls to re-enter the portal so as not to lose any of them, she was about to follow through when a strong hand grabbed at her arm. She glanced back, only to gaze into Shika's maddened eyes.

"I told you that you're not leaving here alive tonight, didn't I?" fumed Shika, her eyes ablaze with madness. Multiple arrows were lodged in her back, piercing the armour slightly and causing the flesh underneath to bleed, but Shika didn't seem to be bothered. Outside, Yuki continued to hurl herself against the tower.

Homura writhed in Shika's grasp, but nothing she did could make the Elemental budge. Even her purple shafts were becoming nothing more than a mere nuisance to the berserk Elemental.

Pieces of the tower were now falling down in huge chunks. Purple glitter dust and earthen bits showered the two girls.

"Kiyomizu, you're going to kill the both of us!" shrieked Homura, her free hand clawing at Shika's in a bid to loosen the grip.

"I'm only killing you, Demon," snarled Shika. "The earth and I are one, and because of that, it would not harm me."

"Why you..." Homura growled, her raven wings flapping once angrily. "You won't get away with th-"

Yuki charged at the tower with a fearsome roar. Her awesome bulk finally destroyed the tower's base. The top came crashing down inwards. At once, Shika released her hold on Homura and encased herself in a thick earthen barrier. The Demon staggered backwards and looked up, swallowing.

Was she about to die?

A pained yelp came from outside the tower. Shika recognised it as Yuki's, and immediately smashed her way out of the tower using her warhammer.

She had enough time to only glance at her dog's assailants. There were two, both of them mimicking each other in terms of height and stature. One of them was wielding a double-edged sword, which she had used to hack at Yuki.

Enraged, Shika forgot about Homura and flew towards the new attackers. However, the two noticed her and quickly jumped into the collapsed tower via an opening in the rubble.

"Shika!" barked Yuki, blood dripping from her side. "Shika, it's dangerous! Don't go after them!"

"I don't care if they're dangerous or not!" thundered Shika, rushing after the two shadows. "They hurt you and they're going to pay-"

The two shadows zipped out from the same opening, almost smashing into Shika. They quickly backtracked and leapt away, and in their arms was Homura Akemi.

Shika saw the Demon in their arms, and became even more enraged. "You're not getting away with her! I'll hunt you down to the ends of the world!"

The Elemental began to make chase, but Yuki's whine quickly brought her back to her senses. Her friends' conditions were unknown, and Yuki was hurt. She couldn't just go away and chase down Homura when their lives were at stake.

Her rage simmered down, and she grimaced. "Tch... I almost killed her, had those two not appeared."

"Killing the Demon is not important now," growled Yuki, nudging Shika's arm. "Akira and Tera are badly hurt, you have to get to them now!"

"Are they still alive?" asked Shika urgently, using her magic to seal the wound on Yuki's side. She expertly swung herself atop her steed when the gap of flesh closed up neatly.

"I shall hope they are. Akira's condition didn't look too good, after all," said the dog, shaking her head.

Holding her breath, Shika silently hoped they were fine. Whoever those two were, she would have to find out later.

Also, it seemed that her grudge with Homura was not about to end any time soon.

***

Tera had gotten over her initial shock. She tried sealing Akira's wounds with her magic, but it didn't seem to work. Terrified for Akira's life, she debated if she should break the earth barrier and get help from Shika. However, she didn't know what was going on outside, and if the battle was still raging on. If it were, going out would only mean death to the both of them.

The tiger's sharp ears caught the sound of something scrabbling at the earthen barrier. Although feeling extremely weak, she stood up and activated her cestuses, making them burn at a low red fire. Whoever it was, it would have to defeat her first before it could get to Akira.

The ceiling of the barrier cracked, sending a small shower of dust floating to the ground. The crack then widened, splitting apart neatly. A figure jumped in, her glowing white-green wings casting incandescent reflections on the walls.

Tera couldn't help backing away. Through her hazy red vision, she saw that the person resembled Shika, yet it wasn't exactly Shika. She was wearing armour, for one, and she had brilliant wings made of energy.

"Akira... Where's Akira?" demanded the person urgently, advancing on Tera. It was then that Tera realised it was indeed Shika.

"W-What happened to you, senpai?" quavered Tera, trying not to show alarm at Shika's appearance.

"Don't mind me now, Tera-san, just tell me where Akira is!" demanded Shika harshly, her voice straining with tension. Mutely, Tera pointed at the blood-coated figure lying on the ground.

Without a words of thanks, Shika hastily went to Akira's side and took her friend's hand. Her face was that of a horrified person.

"What happened to you, Akira...?" whispered Shika, her eyes glazing over with a film of tears. She hurriedly placed two fingers on the carotid arteries of Akira's neck to check for a pulse.

It was present, although very faint.

Quickly, she placed her palms over Akira's torn-up body, channelling her Soul Gem's power into the gashes and bites. Some of them sealed up, but the bigger ones remained open. Shika feverishly channelled even more energy, watching each gap close up eventually. However, there was a fatal wound on her chest that wouldn't close up.

Tera sank to her knees next to Shika and watched her senior desperately try to revive Akira. She wanted to offer some help, but thought the better of it. Her Soul Gem was already quite polluted. Besides, Shika did not look as if she would appreciate help right now.

Tears began dripping down Shika's nose. If Akira died, it would be her fault.

She had rushed into battle without caring about the outcome for herself and her friends. Her wings' brilliance died down and dissipated into the darkness of the small earth chamber. Shika fell forward onto Akira's body and started sobbing.

Seeing Shika cry, Tera could not bear to hold in her anguish any longer either. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, and she released the dam that held them in. She hugged Shika and sobbed with her, feeling lost and afraid.

They heard a cough. Shika snapped her tear-stained face up as Akira's chest jerked once. Slowly, the Ice Magi's eyelids flickered open. A groan issued from her pale, bloodied lips.

"It'd take more...than a few corpses...to do me in," she mumbled, straining for a grin.

"Akira!" The two girls' frowns were instantaneously inverted into relieved smiles. Shika pulled Akira up into a sitting position and promptly hugged her, causing Akira to grimace in pain. However, the older girl did not mind; seeing Shika alive was the best thing that happened yet tonight.

"Akira, you scared me..." whispered Shika, her voice catching in her throat. "When I heard your scream, and saw you encased in ice, I was already expecting the worst... But you're alive..." Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she was smiling.

"You're crying..." said Akira softly, feeling the warm liquid splash on her exposed back.

"I know," replied Shika, smiling. "I'm crying and I don't mind, because you're alive and safe."

"Shika..." Akira tried to return Shika's hug, but her arms were too weak. "I never thought... that I'd be so happy to see you cry."

"If it makes you happy, then I'm happy too..." said Shika, choking with emotion.

Seeing her two seniors together, Tera felt a surge of loneliness. When Rikka was still alive, they were basically inseparable. The tiger girl had someone to care about and someone to look after... But now...

Tera was snapped back to reality by Akira's harsh coughing. The wound on Akira's chest proved to be deadly. It was bleeding uncontrollably, and magic couldn't seal it. Akira began coughing up bloody mucus, each wracking jitter sending more of the viscous liquid pouring out.

"No arguments this time, I'm going to the hospital where they can give me a blood infusion," said Akira weakly. "Call the ambulance... before I pass out..."

"But-"

"Don't 'but' me, Shika, just call the ambulance. Homura Akemi must have put a curse in those zombies' attacks to stop the wounds from healing..." Akira hacked again, making blood ooze from her chest. "Cook up... some story about... a feral dog attack. The wounds resemble claw rends... so it shouldn't be suspicious."

Obeying Akira, Shika called the ambulance. They shifted Akira onto Yuki's back and brought her to the entrance of the park. Shika had made sure to clean up the park's mess by burying all the corpses and smoothing out the terrain. There was no trace that a battle had taken place here.

When the ambulance came and took Akira away, Shika mutely watched everything unfold. She had wanted to follow Akira to the hospital, but Akira had told her to stay. Someone had to take care of Tera, who was still quite wounded. When Tera was told to go to the hospital to heal, she had refused.

On the walk back, the tiger girl was very quiet. She clung onto Shika's arm for reassurance, issuing small sniffles every now and then. Questions were formulating in her mind, but she dare not ask Shika about them.

She knew what Shika's Puella Magi form was supposed to look like, but after seeing those wings and armour, she began to doubt herself. Was it for real, or were her eyes playing tricks on her?

As they reached the gate of the house, Tera finally piqued up and queried, "Shika-senpai... Just now, at the battle, why did you look...different?"

Shika gave Tera a hooded stare. "I really don't know."

"Oh. Okay," mumbled Tera. Shika was hiding something, unwilling to talk. Right now, she was scared for Akira's life, and was obviously battling some internal demon. Tera was not likely to get a word out of Shika until Akira came back, safe and sound.

She would have to wait.

***

Homura was bent over, panting from the escape. Her body was full of scratches and small wounds, a present from Shika's collapsing tower. She was thankful that a spike had stopped a large chunk from falling on her. If it wasn't there, she'd be flattened to death.

The two figures who had saved her were by her side, catching their breath as well. They were standing in a dark alley, where no one would see them.

"Thank goodness we came before she got you, Homura-san," said the first voice, breathless.

"Yeah, thank your lucky stars we came quickly," said the second one.

Straightening her back, Homura flipped her hair indifferently. The wounds on her body closed up with an unsettling sucking sound. "Hmph... Instead of backing me up in battle, you took me away from it like fleeing cowards." There was disdain in the Demon's tone. "If we had teamed up, no doubt the Elementals would all die tonight. Now I would have to deal with them on another day."

"I believe that your own safety is of more importance right now, Homura-san," the first voice replied snappishly. "Besides, Akira Oda has been mortally wounded and would not be able to fight any time soon. She might even die tonight."

"Ahh, whatever," Homura dismissed any further talk of that event with a wave of her hand. "What I'm more interested in is how Shika Kiyomizu underwent a transformation mid-battle... Her powers also increased by at least three-fold..."

"We're not sure how that happened, but you should be more concerned about tomorrow morning's mission," reminded the second voice.

"The Mitakihara Strike Force is planning to ambush you around half-past four, while it's still dark. They will circle the old warehouse and launch a pincer attack," continued the first voice.

"They don't know a single thing about the warehouse modifications, so they won't be aware of any traps laid for them. They're blind to any retaliation that might happen."

"You can probably kill all of them in one fell swoop, if you wanted to."

Homura chuckled. "Tch, you two are really something... How can you so readily sacrifice your friends in return for a simple wish?"

"Don't judge us for what we chose to do," said the first voice, sounding a bit hurt. "We did what we're supposed to do, and we won't regret it."

The Demon smirked. "If that's what you think, then fine. I won't stop you. Thanks for the information. You may both leave." Homura turned on her heels and jumped into the air, flying back towards her apartment.

The two figures stood and watched as she departed.

"Hey... do you think we made the right choice?" one of them said as soon as Homura was gone.

There was some hesitation in the answer. 

"...I have no idea."

*** 

It was nearing three in the morning. Shika woke up as the alarm blared, slamming her palm on the clock to stop it. She was dead tired. After the fight was over, and after Akira was sent to the hospital, she took Tera and Yuki back and told them to get some rest. It wouldn't be long until they had to fight again.

Shika thought about Akira, all alone in the hospital, and wondered if her parents were worrying about their only daughter. Did they even know what had happened to her?

It was not the time to ponder about that. She stretched her arms above her head, feeling her muscles loosen. She was about to nudge Tera to wake her up, when she realised that the young girl was in no condition to fight anymore. A lot of events had taken place in just a few hours, and the tiger was worn out through and through.

Shika was made of sterner stuff. She could still go on. She was not Madoka's Angel for nothing.

Getting up from the floor slowly, she tread across the room towards the door and exited silently. Yuki was outside, lying on the floor and waiting.

"Where's Tera?" asked Yuki through telepathy.

"Not coming," replied Shika. "She's had enough to bear with already. I don't want to drag her into another conflict."

"Then you should leave her a note."

Shika nodded and  took a small sheet of paper, scribbling something on it. 

[I'm going to Mitakihara. Don't follow. Stay at home. If anything happens, call me or text me. If there's news about Akira, call me as well.]

As she wrote down the last digit of her cell phone number, Shika realised that she would be leaving Tera home alone.

"On second thought, Yuki, you should stay back too and look after Tera-san," said Shika, not happy with her own verdict. "You were hurt too, so you need all the rest you can get."

"But who'd fight along you if I'm to stay?" whined Yuki, standing up and padding over to Shika's side. "I know you're capable of fighting alone, but I just can't help worrying!"

"I can summon elemental animals to fight for me. I'll be fine..." Shika averted her eyes from Yuki's dismayed features. "Besides, having you at the warehouse isn't exactly a wise choice, since your size is too large for any skirmish in an enclosed space."

Yuki's ears drooped. "Alright... I'll stay here and take care of Tera. But you make sure you be careful!" The Shiba Inu gave Shika a look of worry and determination. "Come back alive, Shika."

"...I will."

The Earth Shaker went out of her house and stood on the small lawn. Transforming into her Angel forme, she spread her wings apart and launched into the vast skies, flying for Mitakihara.

Whatever those Puella Magi were planning to do at the warehouse, she must stop them. If not, their ambush attempt would turn into a bloody suicide party.

Hello, my dear readers! I hope you're all doing fine ^^ Sorry again for the late update, life has been a drag for me.. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. What are your thoughts on it? I would love to read your comments! :D

~Saithe