Puella Magi Hunger Games

Chapter 24

"Oriko?" Kirika blinked. Oriko lay there, unmoving, her pale blue eyes staring tiredly at Kirika.
"Oriko, what happened to you?" Kirika cried in shock, seeing her only friend lying so exhausted and tired, levitating above the floor, on the fog. Fog that was slowly dissipating from beneath Oriko.
With a crash, Oriko fell to the floor, her face twisted in pain.
"Kirika..." Oriko mumbled, "Where is she going?" Kirika knelt next to Oriko.
"What are you talking about?" Kirika asked in confusion, "I'm right here." Oriko shook her head, her eyes slowly closing.
"No, Madoka." Kirika turned around, to see Madoka wandering away from the door. Part of her wanted to just let Madoka go and walk into a witch, but another part of her told her that if Oriko was worried about her, it would probably be a good idea to stop Madoka.
Straightening, and then running over to Madoka, who was staring straight ahead, walking rigidly, her arms by her sides, further into the fog.
"Hold on a second," Kirika grabbed Madoka by the arm, "You're not going anywhere." Madoka looked at Kirika desperately, like a maddened animal.
"You don't understand. She's crying, I have to help her, I have to save her." Kirika was getting pretty tired of this.
"I don't care." She retorted, dragging Madoka back to the door.
Coming back to Oriko, Kirika crouched down, classing one of Oriko's hands tightly.
"What happened to you there?" She asked, "What was that fog doing to you." Oriko looked up, and her brow creased in pain.
"I fought Albertine and - the fog started draining my magic from me. I-" Oriko reached up to her soul gem on her chest with her free hand. Kirika looked down as well. Her hand tightened in its grip around Oriko's hand.
Oriko's brilliant blue soul gem was fading. The darkness and grief was rising slowly, up towards the roof of the soul gem. It was rising slowly though, probably because Oriko hadn't reached her magic extent, more that she had lost too much magic.
"Oriko, are you-" Oriko nodded, rising up weakly.
"I'm just a bit weak, that's all. I had a vision." Kirika moved to help Oriko rise.
"What was the vision?" Oriko glanced over at Kirika.
"Homura is about to be killed by Ophelia. You should go and help her."
Kirika looked at Oriko in surprise.
"Why? Can't we just let her die?" Oriko shook her head.
"No, we still need her help to get out of the arena. We can kill her afterwards. Madoka as well."
Kirika nodded, looping Oriko's arm around her shoulders.
"We should get going then." Walking off, Oriko leaning on her heavily, she asked.
"Do you remember where they were fighting?" Oriko shook her head.
"The fog makes it hard to pinpoint an exact location, but I think it was near the barrier." Kirika simply nodded in response, heading further into the fog.

Yuuki marched forward, not feeling anything, her vision hazy with magic. She didn't even notice, as she stepped into a witch's barrier, the barrier of Nova's labryinth. Rising figures came up around her, while Yuuki walked on, unaware.

"Kyubey," Juubey called, "I've set up another witch merge. There's only one problem." Kyubey looked up.
"What is it?" Juubey looked back at the plans in front of him.
"Yuuki has already walked into it." Kyubey blinked.
"So? It's a witch merge isn't it? She'll probably be killed." Juubeu shook his head.
"Yuuki's ability is to numb pain, but it turns her berserk. Her ability is strangely similar to one of the other magical girls in the arena. Anyway, seeing as she's going berserk, it is possible that she could kill the witch merge alone, but there is a chance that she will fail." Kyubey tilted his head.
"So, what are you going to do about that?" Juubey glanced at the big screen, showing the scene of Homura trying to fight Ophelia.
"If I could move the witch merge to merge with Opheline, well, it would certainly make the Hunger Games, especially if all the magical girls were killed except one." Kyubey nodded. Jyuubey's red eyes gleamed.
"I can't guarantee that one will survive though." Kyubey shook his head.
"Madoka is quite likely to survive. Homura will risk anything to protect her, and so, the witch cannot kill Madoka without defeating Homura first. Once Homura and all the other magical girls are dead, we can contract with Madoka."

The screams of an angered witch rose to fill Kirika's ears as she made her way through the fog. Oriko leant against her, one arm over her shoulder. Madoka tailed behind them, still lost and confused, murmuring about crying.
"Can you hear that?" Oriko's voice was weak, "I think you've found them." Kirika nodded briefly.
"Do you want me to fight Ophelia?" Kirika asked. Oriki nodded wearily. Kirika hesitated.
"What about you? I can't leave you alone." Oriko shook her head.
"I'll be fine here. I still have some magic which I can use to defend myself. Maybe Madoka." Neither of them mentioned the fact that if Oriko used any magic, she was most likely to become a witch. Oriko broke the silence.
"Just go, I'll be fine." Kirika nodded reluctantly. Setting Oriko down as gently as she could, she left the pale magical girl sitting in the fog, as she beckoned Madoka over, to sit next to Oriko.
Running off into the fog, she found Ophelia, on her steely mount. On her far right, she could see a motionless figure lying crumpled on the ground. Was she too late?