Alright, Akame could admit that she wasn't expecting that. Sure she had predicted that her quarry would try some underhanded tactic to escape...but this was just pathetic. Almost hilarious. No, in fact it was hilarious. Akame stood there unfazed by the "janitor's" remarks about her clothing or weapon. However, a light smirk did appear on her visage and she crossed her arms to show her amusement.
"You know it's not LARPing if it's only one person, right?" she asked the other girl as "Momo" walked past her. "You can drop the act now. If you really weren't an enemy, you'd at least try a better method of lowering my guard then that," she said, bringing a hand to her mouth to conceal a snicker. "Well then. To what pleasure do I have in meeting yet another new Magical Girl into my city?"
"You cant LARP alone?." Amara said, acting puzzled and ignoring the rest of what Akame said. "That is news to me. Hmm..." She lowered her head so the hat shadowed her face and put her hand to the brim. "All right...in that case, consider me a Boss!" She whipped the cap of her head and threw it into Akames face. Amara took off running through the intentionally open door and down the hall, changing into her Magical Girl form midstride. "Try to keep up!" She yelled over. She zigzagged through the hallways, following a predetermined route at top speed, cutting corners by plunging her scythes into the wall and letting her momentum swing her around.
Akame tossed the hat away from her with quick reaction and little effort, sheathing her sword and rocketing off in pursuit of the other girl. Yes, she was convinced now that this new girl wasn't an enemy though she had strange tactics in getting her alone to talk. And if she was wrong, she would simply burn the girl and give her to Rose. No doubt the water Magical Girl would be more than thrilled to interrogate her for suspected murder.
"You know, it's sort of difficult to boast that to someone that's older and more experienced than you," Akame said casually, dashing up to race side by side to Amara. "Especially to someone who knows this city better than you," she added with a smirk.
Indeed, Akame was keeping up, perhaps even outmatching Amara. She didn't need to use her weapon to propel herself like the other girl, instead merely leaping and moving forward with occasional bursts of flame. She glanced at Amara in silence, waiting for what else the other girl had in mind.
Amara just shrugged and didn’t respond to the other girls words. Why would she need to? Actions spoke louder than words. Clumsy, showing off her power like that. But she is keeping up. Perfect. Amara thought. Now to truly test her. Amara noticed and grabbed a useful object off the wall as she was running. At that exact movement, they came to an intersection that had a hall leading to a large window. Amara turned unexpectedly, dashed forward, crossed her arms and crashed out the window. She took the several story drop easily. Once she hit the ground, she rolled and jumped to her feet. She sped up even more, running fast enough that even Akame would have to work to keep up. I remember seeing the perfect spot not far from here... She thought.
At that point Mizuki caught up to her and floated beside her, keeping pace. I guess being insubstantial really helps when you are trying to get somewhere Amara thought idly. "What are you doing? This isn’t going to help our case you know. Why didnt you just tell the other girl what your purpose was? She probably would’ve let you help." Mizuki demanded. "Yes, I know you are probably right, but before I work with them, I want to test these Magical Girls to see what they are made of. This one is an expert, although clumsy. As for the others, I can judge them by how they react and how quickly they react. Besides, I am bored and they should provide some intertainment." Mizuki stared at Amara for a long second. "You...are insane." She said simply. Amara gave her a wide smile, baring her teeth, "Of course." After a pause she said, "That girl is faster than I thought. I guess we will have to go all out." I was wondering when you planned to do it." Mizuki muttered.
Akame was unaware of the bouts the other girl was having with her ghostly companion. Perhaps she was a bit clumsy in her approach, though it wasn't that much of a hindrance to her. Considering the vast difference in power alone, Akame was fairly sure she could spare to reveal a few tricks or two. An eye did raise however as the girl crashed through the window and seemed to lead her out into the open. Following suit, Akame had to stifle a groan as she predicted what was about to happen. She'll admit, it was a little trite at this point but then again they were Magical Girls after all. This was always the way of doing things.
"Please don't tell me you want to fight me. Frankly, I've had more than my share of putting rookies in their place," she called out, gaining closer and closer with more streams of fire. "And don't say you want to test my skills either. Surely you can sense the difference between us? Honestly, what's with you newcomers and always wanting to challenge everyone you see," she added with slight annoyance, mind immediately thinking of Elise and her brash way of thinking.
Rookie? Hehe that’s funny. I dont doubt her skills, I want to test her personality. Amara thought. To her companion she said, "Hey Mizuki, lets show her how much of a rookie we are." "You are so looking for a ass kicking" Was her reply. Without fanfare or more words, Mizuki s ghostly form merged with Amara. With a burst of speed, Amara sped up even further, running faster than the cars driving on the road. She effortlessly dodged and weaved between pedestrians and cars as she ran like a runaway rocket across the city. Almost there, just a little further. She thought.
Soon, she came to the spot she had been running to. The massive graveyard in the midst of the city. Still at her unbelievable speed, she hurtled the low wall and charged deeper. She arrived at a particular grave near the middle. It was a classic gravestone shape, although a lot bigger than normal. Amara regarded the grave quietly, almost reverently. She turned and sat on the grave, waiting for her pursuer to catch up. She summoned her scythe and put it across her lap. She grinned in anticipation. This is going to be fun. She checked her equipment, and made sure it was all ready.
Akame finally frowned as the other girl weaved her way among the oncoming traffic and night life of the city. As much as this girl wanted to test her, she was putting people in danger from her reckless actions. This had better be worth the effort in chasing this one down or Akame wouldn't hesitate to bring this one to Rose kicking and screaming. And only she knew how methodical her friend could be, especially with this Magical Girl hunter on the loose.
She finally made it to the graveyard, slowing down her pace until she was walking casually into the bleak area. She glanced around at the stones and stifled a wince; it was a reminder that they needed to deal with Emiri's corpse once this was all done.
"So you're not even going to give me a name?"
The smirking Akame was gone, replaced now with her usual stoic self. She set a hard gaze on the girl sitting on the grave and crossed her arms. The scythe was an indicator that this newcomer did want to fight but she wouldn't strike yet. First the explanations needed to come out and maybe this girl didn't want to battle and waste magic. Maybe she just had a sick sense of humor.
"Read for yourself." She said, gesturing at the grave she was on. It was inscribed with the words, "Amara Raith" and below that was inscribed a small poem: "Gone but not forgotten, although we are apart, your spirit lives within me, forever in my heart." "Its a sombering place for me to visit. I mean, we are all going to die. We know that on an intellectual level. We figure it out sometimes when we are still fairly young, and it scares us so badly that we convince ourselves we are immortal for more than a decade afterward. Death isnt a pretty thing. Its scary, its frightening. There is a single hard, cold fact that everyone on earth faces: One day, it is going to be over. One day, the sun will rise, the world will turn, people will go about their daily routines--only you wont be in it. You will be cold. And still.
Death.
You cant escape it.
You.
Will.
Die."
Amara paused at look at Akame. "That is a bitter, hideously concrete fact that I have learned. This gravestone is part of my wish. My life, for my families. But, that is not why we are here. Akame Natsuko, I have brought you here to find out what you are made of. The explanations can wait until after we are done." Amara got to her feet and held her scythe like a sword, diagonal to the ground and to the side. She held her hand up and out stretched, palm outward and toward Akame. She closed her eyes and twisted her neck to one side, then the other. She leveled her eyes at her opponent, every part of her stance proclaiming I-will-kill-you. Her face twisted into a creepy grin. [color=989898] "Now, come at me!" She shouted.
Akame listened to the story and frowned. It would seem that she too had suffered a fate crueler than any real death before her wish. Just like her...Akame was glad that the grave didn't say a certain other name. Was it fate or perhaps coincidence that both Amara and the other girl were buried here? Who could say for sure.
With one hand outstretched, she summoned her blade and pointed it directly at Amara. Immediately the area began to increase in temperature, melting the snow around them and setting it ablaze. The air itself became unbearable, the very oxygen burning lungs from the inside out except for Akame though it was questionable if that would even work on the Magical Girl who was supposed to be dead. She was not rampaging like Elise would but rather focused all of her emotion into the motions of her body. The look she gave Amara was enough to torch the Contractor a million times over.
"So this is all just to test me, right? You brought me all the way here just to see what I'm capable of?"
Amara nodded, then she released her power she had been holding back. Immediately a similar effect happened, but hers was a empty cold, a void that consumed all flames of life. Amara judged Akame to be stronger, but her own power was close. With a steady breath, she went on the attack. She crossed the space between them in a blur of motion and struck in a large over-hand swing of her scythe, wielded in one hand, still. In a reaction matching Amara's speed, Akame blocked the forceful strike with her own blade, using one hand as well. It would seem their powers were evenly matched, to the point where Akame really was wondering if fate brought them together like this. Two opposites and yet they had something akin to similarity radiating off of their beings. Akame moved her feet forward, slashing about now at rapid speed. Amara spun her scythe, catching Akame s blade and hooking it to the side. Amara followed with a fast kick of her right foot to the ribs. Akame narrowed her eyes, unleashing a miniature wall of flame as a makeshift shield to her ribs. Whether Amara would still let the attack connect or back off would be evident in the next few moments. The flaming Magical Girl twirled around and leapt back, spinning her blade in hand. Close-range combat was going to prove meaningless in this fight so she needed a different tactic. Amara let the attack connect, bouncing the impact so that her foot was not badly burned. Her skeletal foot barely singed. She knew she had an advantage in close ranged combat, so she pushed Akame as she tried to gain some distance. She took a few steps forward and thrust her scythe at Akame.
Akame stifled a sigh of annoyance on Amara's part. It wasn't that close-ranged combat was going to be a problem, for both of them wielded weapons that were easily suited for such a situation. No, it was the fact that it would only cause a deadlock and the battle would go nowhere. This much was proven as Akame was forced to meet her attacker's scythe head on once again, slashing and blocking. The speeds at which they were going would make the two combatants seem like a blur to an outsider's perspective.
"This is pointless. We're only wasting magic," she pointed out calmly. "That being said, I'm really quite impressed by your moves so far. Even as someone younger than myself, your potential is quite staggering. Your wish must have been a tragic one indeed," she added softly.
Amara locked blades and responded, "You are wasting magic, I am having fun!" She said this with a manic grin on her face. "Tragic? I guess so." She said just as softly, but still with a mad grin. She broke the lock, planted her scythe, head down, and vaulted with both feet into a kick forward.
"I guess you are," Akame said with unwavering calmness. It was just her luck to be fighting yet another battle crazed maniac and once again she couldn't help but draw the comparisons with her earlier fight with Elise. However, something told her that this girl had more control over her raging spirit than the red-headed teleporter. Musing on these thoughts, Akame met the kick with a fist full of flames, punching forward to counter her opponent's new approach. Contrary to her appearance, Amara s mind was working quickly. She simply used the punch as a springboard, she pushed up off of it, up and backwards, in the same movement, she brought her scythe up in a massive crescent arc, that could cut her opponent in half. If it landed. Meanwhile, she mused, She not surprised by my crazy. Interesting, lets try a different approach then. Amara backed off, and in a sudden change, she pulled in all her emotions and, just ignored them. She went from mad-crazy to utterly calm, emotionless, and focused, in a bit to throw her opponent off balance. Her fighting style changed too, from unorthodox to efficient. She brought her massive scythe up to a two handed defensive stance.
Akame matched Amara's new tactics with her own as well. Gripping her blade's handle with two hands now, she batted the arcing strike with a flaming counter, her sword now brimming with scorching fire. She couldn't help but smile on the inside, approving of the sudden mix in her opponent's fighting style. However, Akame was three years this girl's senior and she had faced much more cunning Primordials. A simple change in fighting stances would not be enough to dispel her flames and she pressed on into the offensive now that Amara was defending.
"Honestly, must you girls always make such a huge waste of my gifts?"
The flaming Magical Girl faltered in her step just barely, dashing back to disengage. A quick scan confirmed that the Contractor was sitting on Amara's grave with interest watching them. How long it had been there was hard to say but it was probably for some time.
"Amara Raith, don't you know that your Soul Gem darkens the more you burn power like that? Shouldn't you be focusing on hunting down Primordials instead of using your time on silly tests? Or does the value of other human lives mean nothing to you?" Amara mirrored Akame’s disengagement, but she struck the ground with her foot pushing her backwards into a shallow arc. She added a rather impressive flip when she stepped off her gravestone, her foot right in the spot the Contractor was, forcing it to move or be stepped on. She landed behind her grave and stepped sideways out from it, one hand behind her back in a fencer stance with her scythe. "I am doing this because I will not take orders from someone who I don’t respect or trust. Yes, I know that you are the leader of the Magical Girls here. But I want to find out if you are worthy of that, myself. Now enough talk!" Of course that was not all, just an excuse, they didn’t need to know the other reason. Amara launched into a rapid pattern of, slashes spins kicks and thrusts in a maelstrom of attacks. I have one more card to play. She thought.
The Contractor leaped away from where Amara's foot would surely crush it. Landing on the side, it titled its head in silence as she belted out the reasoning to her logic. And frankly, it was reasoning that Akame had to agree with the Contractor with. Really, this was a waste of time and they needed to put their efforts into more constructive matters.
"Really, that's what this is all about? Either you're good at making things up on the spot, or you've been watching too much anime like Rea," Akame said with no trace of panic in her voice. Likewise, she casually blocked the strikes Amara was unleashing upon her. At this point, she didn't even bother to attack back, merely watching the other girl closely while avoiding the strikes.
"But that's not quite it, right? You wouldn't do all this just to test me. So let's be honest Raith-san, why is it that you want to fight me so suddenly?"
It was impressive on Akame's part to treat the whole matter like an ordinary conversation, even with the knowledge that one slip up could result in being her downfall. Still, she was willing to listen to the other girl's words even more and it wasn't like she was actively engaging in this fight anyway. Of course, she was also willing to put up with Amara's annoying battle tactics as well. Amara didnt respond, she just redoubled her efforts. She managed to knock the other girls sword out of the way, and sent her off balance. Amara moved in for the kill.
Akame's eyes noted her sword being flung away before the sensation of her body soon meeting with the ground was felt. She caught herself on the palms of her hands and spun around quickly, directing a flaming kick in Amara's direction. To which Amara replied by pulling her hand from behind her back, in whitch she had the fire extinguisher she had swiped from the apartment, and hidden behind her grave. She doused Akame and swung her scythe down in a murderous arc.
The flaming Magical Girl grunted as a sudden wall of white filled her vision. It only took a second for her to realize that this wasn't some new form of magic being unleashed. Instead it was a....fire extinguisher? While she had to commend her opponent for being creative, she shouldn't have stolen things from Emiri's apartment like that. And then Akame sensed the coming blow of the scythe. Well then. She might as well reveal a little bit more of her power to the one that had come this far in their struggle.
Amara's scythe would connect with something as hard as metal. Closer inspection would show that Akame's sword was still embedded in the snowy ground several feet away from them. What she was wielding now was a blade of pure fire, its exterior as tough as diamond. Akame took that brief second of surprise emitted by Amara to strike. With a flaming fist, she lunged up and uppercutted the girl's chin with all the force she could muster. Which in hindsight, was quite alot. No doubt it would leave some burn marks but it was nothing their magic couldn't heal.
The Contractor watched, expression never changing.
Amara felt the impact and her vision went red. She was sent flying through the air. She was stunned for a moment, but she had the presence of mind to flip herself over and slam her scythe into the ground, plowing through the snow and dirt, and preventing her from being launched too far. She landed badly falling on her face and struggling to get up. She finally managed to get to her feet, and lean on her scythe like a staff. "Enough!" She shouted or tried to, it came out more as a wheeze. "This fight has fulfilled its intended purpose. She changed out of her Magical Girl form "I understand now. I am sorry I lead you through this." She said to Akame "You were right it was kind of a waste, but I wanted to know how powerful you were." And other reasons. Amara sighed and said "Alright, I will answer your questions now. But you might not like the answers. After that, I can help you find Asuka Emiri s murderer."
"Of course you did," Akame said with a shake of her head. Given the falling snow overhead, she considered keeping her Magical Girl attire on. But one glance at her Soul Gem told her that she couldn't waste more magic. As she transformed back into her Miso High School Uniform, she frowned at how dark her Soul Gem had gotten. Well then, it was a good thing that they recovered over time. The Contractor watched her intently without her notice.
"First off, who are you really Raith-san? I know you're not Emiri's killer but you can start off with answering that. Or are you just here because of the irregular appearances of Primordials in this town?"
Amara made a face, "Drop the -san and just call me Amara. Who am I? That is a long story. Although, yes I am here because of the irregular Primordials, and I am chasing a killer. I believe it is the same one who murdered Emiri, but I will have to ask." She said that last part as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Try me," Akame said, crossing her arms as she caught the Contractor leaving in the corner of her eye. "We have the whole night Amara so you might as well tell me more about yourself than just that. You obviously knew my name and I'd like to know why that was so."
"Truthfully?" Amara asked with a strait face. She hooked a thumb at the spot where Mizuki had been sitting. "The ghost of my dead friend told me. Before we talk more, lets go somewhere and get a bite to eat. I will foot the bill.
Akame blinked in surprise at the statement, eyes trailing over to where Amara was pointing. A Magical Girl...ghost? Honestly, she wasn't too surprised considering that type of situations a Magical Girl had to face on a daily basis. She did wonder if the Contractor knew of such a phenomenon.
"Well next time tell your friend not snoop into people's personal lives," Akame said levely, shaking her head as she led the way to someplace warmer than a graveyard. The two would eventually find themselves across from each other in a coffee shop nearby. Akame sat with a polite posture, waiting for Amara to speak up.
Amara let the silence stretch. "Where to begin..." She finally said. I really am not good at this. My life story is probably very similar to the other M.G.s. Nice life then, Bam!, bad things happen and a creepy feline shows up offering a wish that I take to my eventual regret. Am I close?"
"Sounds about right," said Akame. "Though that still doesn't answer everything but I'll accept it for now. A Magical Girl' wish is supposed to be private after all. Is that the only reason you came to Miso City then? To hunt down this Magical Girl serial killer?"
That and to investigate the Primordials. I never thought it would lead me here of all places and meet you of all people. Fate has a strange sense of humor. This is the city where my life changed and I lost and gained everything. After that, Amara stopped, slightly embarrassed and trying to stay away from unpleasant memories. I don’t like telling about my past. Some things are better left forgotten.
"You speak as if you knew me from before," Akame pressed on with a raised eye. "Apologies if I'm being too forward, but have we met before?"
"No, we have never met before. But, for now, tell me a little about yourself I have done all the telling so far. Just anything you want, anything you are comfortable telling.
Akame frowned. She didn't want to point out that Amara had only told her the bare minimum and she hadn't learned much of anything at all. It would be rude to vocalize that to the other girl but the fact remained that Amara was still holding back. In that case, so would Akame.
"I became a Magical Girl four years ago," she said at last, voice level. "The wish isn't important but as you can imagine, it granted me my control over fire and heat."
Amara finished the last of her coffee in one gulp. "I understand. Let’s head back to the apartment and get to work on finding that killer." She got up and laid out the money plus a tip. Akame nodded once, following the other girl in silence. Hopefully Rose had gotten better luck than she had in pursuing their mystery killer. All she was another person to look after. Still, it was nice to know there were more allies on their side. With this in mind for them both, the two girls walked out into the snow night.