A Magical Revolution [Azecreth & Wingshadow]

Mami tomoe spun, repeated blasts from her muskets deflecting projectiles and aimed blows alike as she deftly jumped and spun, giving ground constantly as she fought off her would-be executioners. One already lay motionless on the grass, while two others had been wounded sufficiently to render them a non-threat in the immediate future. Her focus had been singular, merely to survive, to live, to continue to fight until she found her way back, back to those she cared about. Then, a sharp pang struck her. The pain did not take physical form, but rather charged itself with emotion as a familiar aura reached into her awareness. Miyako's presence was nearby, and on that note Etsuko likely would not be far away either. Had she wandered close to their house without even realizing it? She cursed her thoughtlessness, as a fight like this would only place them in danger.

Paniced eyes scanned her surroundings, looking both left then right for any sign of the dagger-wielding magical girl, "No... No, no, no!" One of her assailants dashed in, forcing her to cut her search off short and avoid the blow, the gauntlet-wielding magical girl missing by mere centimeters and crashing fist-first into the ground with such force it sent out shockwaves across the entire vicinity. The magical girl clicked her tongue with disappointment then swung an uppercut toward Mami, but the blonde magical girl merely sidestepped then fired two shots directly at her. She cried out in pain as the round shot penetrated her body, the force of the attack sendign her backward as well as she tumbled to the ground.

"Miyako-san, stay back!" Mami shouted, "I don't want to see you get hurt because of me!" She jumped upward and spun, summoning more muskets with a wave of her hand as she fired a rapid barrage into an array of three magical girls who rushed in to intercept her. They scattered and dodged to the side, whereupon Mami threw out a length of ribbon which tied itself around a nearby lightpole and she pulled herself down and away as her pursuers continued to close in on her. A sword-wielding magical girl dashed up to her, which she knocked away by striking her with the butt of a musket, which she then flipped around and fired at near point-blank range. She then sidestepped and fired two more shots at the second girl who slashed at her with twin swords, their sharpened tips grazing her skin as she narrowly countered the attack. Mami then performend a backflip and rained down bullets down at the third, who had failed to close the gap quickly enough and was pelted under the incessant barrage.
 
While Mami might have initially seen her, once Miyako knew where Mami was she would activate her powers, her signature vanishing from sight and providing no further draw on the girls that were attacking her. They might have known that something was up or that she would be getting reinforcements, but the fact that Miyako was invisible now would make it all the more difficult for them. Indeed, it was Etsuko approaching which would prompt any sort of response, and she was merely here chasing her sister, while in a huff at the same time.

'Don't worry, I'm here to help,' came the telepathic message, Miyako seemingly willing to risk the dangers of the situation. She wasn't about to sit back when Mami needed help, regardless of how much of a threat there was to herself. Yet the longer it took for her to arrive the easier it would be, as Mami took down one opponent after another. In spite of how rough her night had been, it seemed that she was still very much combat capable.

Skirting the battle scene, Miyako would do her best to keep out of the line of fire. She wasn't ready to kill another magical girl, nor seriously injure them like Mami seemed to be doing. Instead she would decide on a different route of attack and act on it. As she broke into a run, still cloaked and invisible, and she launched into action with little hesitation. Knives would appear from nowhere, daggers thrown with unerring position to pin girls in place or disarm them, giving Mami a better chance at victory. All the while she would keep on the run, so they couldn't narrow down her location. She wouldn't let Mami do this alone, no way.
 
Mami continued to scan for Miyako, but her ability masked her presence so entirely that even she found it quite impossible to pin down her exact location. she could feel her somewhere in the vicinity, but direction or heading was all but impossible to determine. Her words of reassurance did little to calm her panic. The blonde magical girl had taken too little rest the night before for such simple words to reach her. Instead, she cursed her own powerlessness, her own weakness in being unable to stop her from stepping between her opponents and herself. If only she had saved a bit more strength, paced herself a bit better, such weak opponents would not require raw shows of force.

Much to Mami's surprise, however, Miyako showed herself more than capable. Again and again Miyako disarmed or disabled Mami's opponents, the few remaining combatants quickly rendered harmless one by one. As the disoriented magical girls stood in shock and awe, or in some cases stared blankly as they had been swiftly rendered immobile, Mami stood resolutely in the center of the clearing, her own weapons held at the ready as she calmly gunned down any magical girl foolish enough to continue the assult regardless. The magical girls could feel the oppressive aura the senior magical girl exhuded, and in the face of a swift and unseen opponent which aided their target, the survivors wisely withdrew without further incident. Their current, severely depleated, numbers were insufficient to take them on in a frontal assult.

Mami gripped her muskets firmly, without daring to move another inch until the hostile magical girls had left her field of perception. They would doubtless return once they had regrouped, and in that time she needed to put as much distance as she could between herself and her two friends. Mami let out a deep breath that she had not even realized she had been holding, tossing aside the muskets as she turned her head over her shoulder and called out calmly, "Miyako-san... You can come out now."
 
Miyako smiled to herself as she worked, her and Mami quickly reducing the number of magical girls still in the fight down to a manageable number, until there were a few left who fled rather than choosing to be shot by Mami. They might be back later, but for now there was relative peace as the fight concluded. She was fine, and she was glad to see that Mami seemed relatively unharmed as well.

At the request she uncloaked, revealing herself some distance away before she approached Mami then, still wearing a light smile on her face. 'Mami-san, I'm glad to see that you're alright," she said with an evident sigh of relief, her hands clasped in front of her. "We heard gunshots and I recognized it as you. Do you know what's going on?" It might have been a bit improper to ask given the situation, but she felt like she had to. It was all very relevant after all.

But before she could go on Etsuko appeared, scowling as she dropped down next to her sister. "Miyako, don't run off like that," she snapped. "What do you think I'd do if something happened to you?" Miyako wilted under the criticism, even if she knew that it was a fair one. She hadn't been thinking of that, merely of helping a friend. It had worked out, but it very well might not have, And that was something she didn't want to think about, while Etsuko was all too aware of it.

"Sorry Onee-sama," she apologied, incapable of saying anything else at the moment.
 
Mami briefly considered scolding Miyako for her rash behavior, as the move she had pulled would most likely have triggered a swift death against a skilled and well-rested magical girl, but in light of her joyful and simple sincerity, she could not find it in herself to become truly upset at her friend. Furthermore, Etsuko beat her to the punch, repromanding her in Mami's place. "Now, the important thing is that we are all still fine," Mami nodded to Etsuko, speaking in a soothing tone, "However, we should probably head somewhere safer before chatting, wouldn't you agree?"

"An uprising broke out in the city last night, and I became separated from the others," Mami answered Miyako's earlier question as she walked, trusting the two of them to join her as she did so, "I assume they managed to escape to one of Akemi-san's safehouses, but unfortunately I have no knowledge of where many of her safehouses reside. For the past few hours I have been trying to rest and recover some of my strength, but it is difficult to relax given the circumstances." She then smiled at her two friends, "That being said, I'm glad to see that you are both well. I would have preferred a meeting under more peaceful conditions, but it is good to see you again all the same."

"Still, I think it would be best for us to part ways for the time being," Mami continued, "After all, the perpetrators are after Kyoko-san, Akemi-san, and myself, but will not hessitate to destroy anyone who stands in their way of eliminating us. As long as you lay low and stay out of sight, I doubt anyone would bother either of you, regardless of the outcome." Her smile faded, "I realize it is a lot to ask of you... But please understand that I am simply trying to look out for your own safety."
 
"Agreed," Etsuko replied with a curt nod, glancing around to make sure that no one else was present before following Mami some distance away from where the battle had taken place, Miyako in tow. She didn't want to get attacked so soon, and having a bit of security as this all was explained would be a good idea. The less risk the better, as far as she was concerned.

Once they wre in safety though she turned to face Miami, Miyako moving close as well so she could better hear what had happened. A look of surprise flashed across her features at the news of the uprising, but while Etsuko let it slide away soon enough, it persisted on Miyako's features. "That's terrible," she said aloud. "I hope they're alright." They might be the leaders of the city, but against so many magical girls could even they hold out?

Etsuko folded her arms harrumphing as she eyed the blond leader with a cautious look, the trust she had had fading. "How could you let something like this happen," she asked pointedly, not exactly amused by the situation at hand. "Now every magical girl in the city is in danger, if not from the girls attacking then from people like the Shadow Compact who will take advantage of it. It would be best if we split up." The danger would be a lot less if Mami wasn't around, so she was in full agreement with the other girl.

Miyako held back a gasp, though she did glare at her sister. "Etsuko, be nice," she chided with a pout. "Besides, with how you look right now it would only be right of us to help you until you can meet with the other leaders. I won't abandon a friend simply because it was dangerous." She was confident as Etsuko rankled. But when it came down to it she was sure she could drag her sister away if need be. Family was most important, and nothing would trump that
 
"I do take the recient turn of events upon myself as my own responsibility to resolve, but I do not believe now is the proper time to assign blame," Mami replied calmly, "I know that Kyoko-san and Akemi-san feel the same way that I do. The most important task before me is regrouping with the others and forming a plan to regain control of the city and put an end to the damage upon both life and property." She stopped for a moment and reached her hand out toward Etsuko, the younger magical girls words of kindness touching her even as she hessitated to touch Etsuko in return, "I do appreciate the sentiment. I would love nothing more than to fight by your side, but I could not ask so much of you, both of you."

"You are my precious friends and fellow magical girls," Mami smiled, "That being said, it is even moreso my obligation to take upon myself the heavier burden." Her tone softened, "I do not doubt your strength, I doubt my own. I doubt I could bear to see my dear friends part from me should my power prove insufficent. I suppose it is a selfish request in the end, a requet unbefitting a senior magical girl." She nodded once, "In that case, let us make a compromise. You will accompany me to the boundary of the next district, and there we will part ways. Until then, I will hear no further debate on the subject, understood?"

Without waiting for them to reply, Mami then turned and continued on her way.
 
Etusko grumbled to herself as Mami accepted the blame without complaint, her attempted rant falling flat at that moment. Not a surprise really given her character, but there was some lingering resentment. This was the fault of the people in charge, the ones who had attracted such ire and dragged her and her sister into the middle of it. Sure, her goodwill was still present to some extent, but in the face of this situation she couldn't help but be angry at their current circumstances.

Miyako was saddened at first, Mami seemingly intent to go it alone, but she brightened up at the suggested compromise. 'Sure," she agreed with a smile, quickly moving to follow her as the blond headed for the next district. That earned another grumble for Etsuko, but she knew she couldn't convince her sister to not be so stupid. All she could do was go along and make sure nothing happened, which she did as they went on their way.
 
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