Shattered Skies: The Morning Lights

CHAPTER 57: At Last, We See Each Other Plain

Chapter 57: At Last, We See Each Other Plain

Author's Note: My music suggestions for this chapter are "Ranbu Escalation" by Gaku Sano and Yutaka Kobayashi and/or "Toki no Hana / Flower of Time" by Kamen Rider Girls, both from Kamen Rider Gaim. "Numquam Vincar" from the Madoka soundtrack is another great choice. "The Confrontation" from Les Mis is in there too, naturally.

-VERTEX ONE: 15.556984-

Underground

Azabu-Juuban, Minato Ward, Tokyo

The last time she saw Sayaka Miki face to face, Homura Akemi was in the process of being thrown from her position as absolute ruler of her universe, forcibly being taught that she wasn't nearly as invincible as she thought she was. Being stabbed by Sayaka in the classroom, she realized, was the tipping point which sent things spiraling out of control. The next few months were a long, slow fall from grace, culminating in the removal of her Devil powers, the baring of her sins to the multiverse, and the destruction of Madoka's trust in her, all in succession. A headfirst plunge into absolute despair... an abyss she still struggled to climb out of. As she fought and clawed for every tiny step upward, she found that Sayaka faded from her mind almost entirely. What was far more important was to rebuild herself from all the countless broken pieces, then after that to rebuild her relationship with Madoka.

She discovered some unexpected things in herself during the process of reassembly: humility. Knowledge that she was not the sole recipient of all the suffering in the multiverse. The possibility of an existence apart from Madoka, something she once thought unthinkable. A sincere desire to better herself, not for Madoka's sake but for her own. And a few other things, as well. There was still a long, long road ahead, of course. As one of Hotaru Tomoe's many Western poetry books said: And miles to go before I sleep...

But now Sayaka was here, right in front of her, more determined than ever to make some foolhardy stand for her beliefs. More determined than ever to get herself killed. At the sight of her, all of Homura's new goals for self-improvement receded to the back of her brain, replaced by a familiar exasperation that was the hallmark of most of their meetings. Sayaka was in her way, again, and there was no time, no time to entertain her and her infantile tantrums. Homura clicked her tongue in disgust and moved her hand toward the edge of her shield.

Only a few millimeters into that motion, a charge went off from the arch above. The din of its detonation was magnified by the indigo crystal walls of the offshoot tunnel. Not anything comparable to one of her own bombs, but—

Her shield arm shuddered, struck by an impact. Something slammed into the clockwork buckler and stuck there. A cutlass blade, and only the blade, for the smoking hilt and pommel remained in Sayaka's hand. Its point was wedged into the clockwork, preventing the gears from turning. Sayaka moved, a blue streak of motion... she swooped down before Homura, grasped the blade with both hands, and heaved. A ringing snap sounded through the offshoot. The blade came away, bloodied from her palms, but the very tip of its point remained stuck. It was nothing she couldn't fix given a few minutes to focus, but for now, that small shard of steel was enough to disable her greatest advantage...

"Sorry," said Sayaka. The heel of her boot drove into Homura's stomach like a kick from a horse, barely softened at all by her shields. "I won't let you run away this time. If you try to take out that shard, I'll cut your hand off."

Homura sank to her knees, wheezing and trying not to throw up. There was a twisted poetry to it, she supposed; she remembered doing the same thing to escape from Sayaka during her imprisonment inside her own Witch's Labyrinth. Doubtless Sayaka remembered too, though she never thought her much for poetry. As she heaved, she glared daggers at her foe in silence. Sayaka didn't deserve the dignity of a response.