Starlight Dream

Chapter 16

Takako gasped in horror at the seemingly impossible sight facing her. The once invincible Seina gripped a stump that oozed crimson tightly, face contorting in pain.

That idiot. Why for Ume? She isn't worth it in the least!

"Serves you right!" Emiyo's eyes brightened in amusement, taking delight in the other girl's agony.

"Just you wait until it grows back!" Seina paused, sparing a glance towards Takako. "Um, it can grow back, right?"

"Uh, maybe." While magical girls possessed extraordinary healing power, Takako wasn't confident that feat was possible.

"I'll restore it later," Takako said, making a promise she wasn't sure she could keep. She'd figure out something.

"You talk as if you'll live past this fight," Emiyo said, only to scream in pain and surprise as Seina whipped blood into her eyes.

Moments before the blood touched their enemy, Takako got a wonderful, terrible idea, swirling her ribbon around the blood. She smirked in delight as it hardened across Emiyo's eyes. The evil magical girl tried pulling it away, but the blood substance refused to budge.

"Damn you!" Emiyo hurled other curses, still failing to remove the substance blocking her vision.

"That one talks too much," Takako said, joining Seina beside the fallen Ume.

"Can you save her?" Seina asked, a pensive expression on her face. As usual, the girl cared more about someone else than missing an entire limb! A former enemy that had only ruined everything after getting involved. Still, for Seina's sake, Takako complied and whirled her ribbon around Ume's barely breathing body.

"Healing touch!"

"What just happened?" Ume coughed and blinked, regaining her senses. She touched her chest, finding it clean and undamaged. The sight of the flailing Emiyo jumpstarted her memory, hurrying to her feet.

But before Ume could attack the distracted Emiyo, Seina got into her face, expression grim.

"Let me make one thing clear. Don't hurt any of my friends again." Seina said. "I only saved you because we need help to fight against Emiyo. It wasn't out of the goodness of my heart!" Though that last statement rang hollow in Takako's ears, considering Seina's personality.

"I understand. I know my duty." Ume's expression was peevish but determined.

"Duty, sure. Never mind. We can talk about this once we've dealt with Emiyo." Takako said.

"Without killing her," Seina added. "We might help her?"

"After everything? Are you crazy? Such naïve foibles with only get you killed on the battlefield!" Ume said, getting further into the other magical girl's face.

While Takako understood Seina's hesitance to kill, she understood Ume's point. Emiyo had given her soul to the Devil Princess cause. How does one return from that? She refused to agree with Ume's kill all evil sentiment, however. That level of extremism was insane.

Frustrated by the lack of progress on the substance blocking her vision, Emiyo turned her sickle against herself. Blood trickled down her face as she slashed away the obstacle. It oozed down her nose, creating a demonic appearance, directing her ire towards her hated enemies. Much to Takako's dread, the wound inflicted by Emiyo's blade didn't appear to be healing.

Takako's apprehension increased when she caught Emiyo's expression. The fight had ceased being fun. The lieutenant's eyes now ringed with weeping flesh blazed with fury, promising vengeance for the humiliation inflicted against her.