Magical Girl of Hearts

The Magician Arc

The armored Magical Girl, Rook, fell to her knees as she watched the retreating form of… nothing. Nothing at all.

The Magician leaned back with a satisfied smirk, grinning to herself.

Fooling them had been too easy. Illusions were powerful magic, and it was powerful magic that you could never truly trust the reactions to. That’s why it was best that you stayed far out of sight of those under its effects.

Sure, the inevitable loss of Hermit had been sad, but that was worth it for her own survival. Maniacal Girls may have friends, but they had no heart to share with them. That would only weaken you.

She’d let out a quiet laugh of victory. Maybe they’d fall into despair at their failure, quit being Magical Girls, or never be able to achieve transformation again. The Magician gets up from her perch on the roof behind them, and turns around…

…And sees an angel.

♥ Magical Girl Rinrin ♥

My name is Magical Girl Rinrin.

And I am a hero of Justice.

That much is clear. That much should always have been clear. Magical Girls smile when things are at their worst, they keep it together under pressure.

And they never let their friends down.

Nyamu had been with me all this time, protecting me while I couldn’t transform. I felt guilty, but he said it was his duty. But watching this, seeing the howling of pain, I stepped back away from the room, and held my compact close to my chest.

“Magical Girl of Hearts… Beat.” I whisper, quietly, and feel my body flood with energy. A Magical Outfit that binds over me in pink and white. I’m not afraid to be a Magical Girl anymore. Or rather, I’m more afraid of failing.

One of those three had been a fake, and it had thrown them into chaos. I felt such a great weight of sorrow for them that I turned my eyes away.

And then I heard it.

Softly, above us, on the roof. A small chuckle.

Stepping into the pool area, I look up through the hole in the ceiling, and jump.

Outside, in the night air, everything is clearer. And I can see the Magician, sitting proudly on the roof, smirking at the misery of the rest. She gets up, dusts off her hands, and turns around to face me.

The laugh stops. The smile on her face freezes, and the rest of her body very much looks like it wants to be as far away from it as possible.

“You killed good people today.” I say, quietly. The Magician stumbles backwards, falling onto her butt.
“Now, now, I don’t really…” She begins. I grab her around the jaw and throw her into the pool below. She lands with a shattering crack as the bones in her back turn into something more fitting. I jump down, landing next to her.

“That was evil. That was malicious.” I whisper, quietly. The Magician begins crawling backwards, struggling on broken bones.
“Don’t kill me!” She whimpers. I shake my head slowly, and take a threatening step forward. Behind me, I hear the others run out to see what the commotion is.

The Magician grabs her hat and tries to lock eyes with me, whispering frantically.

“Resonance; Hypnos-”
“PURIFY!” I yell out, lunging forwards and grabbing the glowing black card embedded in her chest. My fist breaks through her rib cage, grabbing it and wrenching it free. Brilliant white energy surrounds it, and the Magician on the floor screams in agony as her body begins to dissolve into thick black oil-like goo.

Same as the Youkai.

Same as the Spectres.

*            *            *

The light dims. I’m aware I’m holding another Tarot card in my hand, and I know what it is without looking. Instead, I stare at the girl on the floor. She’s maybe my age, maybe a couple of years older. Her eyes are tight shut, and she’s frowning, like she’s having a nightmare.

I look over at the girl in Constellation’s arms. Waiting. Hoping. Constellation gently kneels down, laying Starplus on the ground, head in her lap.

…She’s not moving.

I move over and look at the face of Starplus. She’s not breathing. I crouch next to her, grab her hand and squeeze it. Constellation brushes Starplus’ hair out of her face.

Nothing. No pulse.

“Why… why isn’t it working? Why won’t she wake up?” I want to scream. After this. After everything. I wanted so badly for it to work. Rook places a hand on my shoulder.
“Rinrin...” She says. I look at her, tears in my eyes that won’t leave. That I won’t let leave.
“Just a little longer. Give her a minute, okay? She’ll wake up. That’s how it worked before.” I try to say, staring at the girl. The first time I met Starplus, she saved my life. She was corny about it, but she clearly loved Magical Girls. She was full of energy, and so vibrant. My eyes are burning.

"Remember what Bishop said... about timing Purification..." Rook says, quietly, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shake my head, not wanting to hear more.
“...The Magician… she used her power again. After killing Starplus. She used her Resonance to deceive us, Make us think she escaped.” Rook says, voice barely above a whisper. Even if they'd been enemies, they fought side by side at the end. We all did.
“But… it was such a small use… that doesn’t count. It doesn’t count.” I whisper, looking at the body in Constellation’s lap.

*            *            *

We placed Starplus next to Sleepy Angel, with as much dignity as we could for both of them, and one by one said our goodbyes. We stood, watching, for a long time. The battle had been won, but the price was steep. Constellation said nothing. We said nothing. There was nothing to say.

Rook was first to leave. She’d grabbed The Magician- or the girl who had once been the Magician- and headed off to the entry to the Magical Realm in quiet solitude. It was clear she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Constellation sat with the pair on the ground as Anya lightly squeezed my hand. I squeezed back, and looked at Constellation. Tears had stopped pouring down her cheeks, but I doubted it was because the sadness had ended.

“The clean up team will be here soon. They… they’ll take the bodies home to their families. Come up with a cover story.” I say, getting through the mundane elements. Constellation nods. It’s a very slight gesture, like she’s afraid that too much motion would spill her overflowing emotions. Maybe it would.

“Do… Do you want us to leave you alone for a while?” I ask. Another very slight nod. I nod quietly, too, and take Anya’s hand to walk away.

It’s a summer morning. Cicadas are chirping.

I don’t know what to say. We didn’t know her very well, but she’d been honest about her emotions. She’d saved my life. She was a Magical Girl through to the end.

She didn’t deserve to go out like that.