Yui arrived alone, right as the sun began to set. As promised, Diana was waiting in the middle of Yui’s empty lot. The stone foundation left to her by her grandfather. Diana was wearing a long, faded red trench coat, hands stuffed into her pockets. Yui approached the foundation calmly, hands in her own pockets. She was not yet transformed.

Yui: At least tell me you didn’t kill anyone on the way out.

Diana: No. That game ended, I told you that. <I thought we agreed to stop the stupid questions…> (She pulls out the silver lighter and a cigarette case, taking one out and lighting it, bringing it to her lips)

Yui: … <Where the hell did you get that lighter?>

Diana: <Found it in some wreckage during the Balancing. Why, you know it?>

Yui: I lost it around the time Moonlover attacked the gym. I always wondered what happened to it…

Without a word, Diana tosses the lighter back to Yui, who awkwardly catches it.

Yui: Really? Just like that?

Diana: <It’s a fucking lighter. I’m not gonna make you fight me over a lighter, Yui.>

Yui: Well… that was painless. Welcome back, Draggy. (She pockets the lighter)

Diana: …Forget my friends. If we both survive, I’m asking you about your weird naming bullshit.

Yui: You’re tipping your hand again, Divider. I can tell, you know. I can read it in your soul. You’re bluffing. About completing Kyubey’s Balancing.

Diana: <…I am.> (She pulls out a quarter and flips it) <And I’m not.> (She catches it) You can have fun figuring that out after we fight. So… you came alone, then?

Yui: <I did. Or I didn’t.> (She steps closer) I needed a bit more out of you before this goes underway.

Diana: <At this point, I don’t really care if you know the rules as written anymore. Only Fiora played these games as well. She would have run circles around you though.>

Yui: …Is that why you’re trying to finish Kyubey’s work? Because of Fiora? And your other friend?

Diana: <They were Balancers, just like I was. They didn’t see eye to eye.> You might think I got caught in the middle, but the truth is a bit more complicated than that. You’re also overreaching. We haven’t fought yet, and you haven’t earned the full truth. <Your only redeeming quality right now is how endearing you are. And maddening.>

Yui: I’ll take that as a compliment, heh. 

Diana: <In any case, you’re out of time.>

Yui: …You dodged my question, though. Why are you doing this? I don’t mean the Balancing, or just the mass murders, but… all of this? It’s not just to stave off Puella Vacua, is it?

Diana: (She takes a long drag from her cigarette, then drops it on the ground, putting it out with her foot) All of us, Yui… every single person who lives and dies carries an amount of discontent with them. I’m trying to cast it off, that’s all.

Yui: That doesn’t make sense.

Diana: … <It’s not supposed to. If it did, we probably wouldn’t be fighting right now.> So… Can you do it? Can you beat me when it matters most? Even if you don’t know what my power really is?

Yui: (She closes her eyes with a little smile) I can… (In a flash, she transforms) …Or we can’t.

From several places around the lot, several other Puellae Magi appear, approaching and surrounding Diana. One in a green dress, another in a black hooded kimono, and a third in a red hood.

Shinju: (She speaks telepathically to the others) {Remember everyone, if you get hurt or can’t keep going, Sango can carry you out. Don’t push yourself too hard.}

Diana’s head tilts in Shinju’s direction, though with enough of a beat that it doesn’t seem like she noticed the telepathy.

Diana: <You.> You walk The Path, don’t you?

Shinju: (testy) Huh? You mean Magia? 

Diana: Yes.

Shinju: Of course we’re going to, after what happened with the Balancers! If they wanted us not to, should’a just left well enough alone. 

Diana: Heh. Not a bad answer.

Hanako: (She stays quiet, focused, until Diana’s gaze turns toward her) …!

Diana: <You.> You’re not on The Path, are you?

Hanako: …I walk my own path.

Diana: (Her eyes briefly widen) <…I wasted so much time. Played the wrong game.> I think I can take a guess. 

Diana’s eyes now fall on Kiwako, whose eyes are as wide as possible, pupils completely narrowed. She’s trembling, as if a wounded, cornered animal.

Diana: …Been awhile, Kiwa-chan.

Kiwako lunges with a roar at hearing her nickname coming out of Diana’s mouth. A crystal battleaxe falls from the sky, landing exactly where Kiwako needs it. She grabs it without breaking stride, jumping with a primal yell, bringing the axe downward, seemingly against nothing. As if there were a force field between Kiwako and Diana.

Diana: …I deserve that. But the rest of you? 

For the first time since letting anyone in Mitakihara see her, she transforms. Instead of the faded, raggedy coat, she now stands in a vibrant blue coat, lined with golden buttons. The coat runs down as long as every other she wears. Under the open coat, a white vest, lined with gold trim and embroidery. Her legs clad in bright blue with gold buttons as well, a fair bit brighter than her coat. On her shoulders, bright, golden epaulettes. On her hip, a brass saber, which she draws. On her other hip, a brass pistol-looking weapon. And on her head, a tricorne hat, which she nonchalantly tosses to the side.

Diana: <No regrets now, okay?>

Bang.

A pinprick hole straight through Kiwako’s neck, her body crumpling back against the stone foundation. Hanako is immediately at Kiwako’s side, feeling for her Soul Gem, one hand trying to stop the bleeding. Diana stares at both Yui and Shinju, sword held loose in her right hand, the gun still on her hip. She is waiting to see their next move. As she does, she pulls and tosses a quarter into the air.

Heads:

Shinju: You two, get her out of here! 

Yui: Got it!

As Yui ducks back to help Hanako aid Kiwako, Shinju swings her water cutter at full strength, no kindness for her opponent to hold her back. Diana simply steps back, ducking and hopping over the streams of water as they come. 

Materializing seemingly from the water vapor in the air, Sango appears in the sky overhead, his crystalline water flowing down to form a suit of armor for Shinju. She rushes forward without him, umbrella at the ready. The water forms a huge club in her hand, which she brings down with force enough to crack the pavement. Even still, Diana’s blade doesn’t leave her hand.

Flip.

Tails:

Yui: Oi! Y’all get Kiwa somewhere safe!

Shinju: Right!

As Shinju ducks back to help Hanako aid Kiwako, Yui swings her staff at full strength, no kindness for her opponent to hold her back. Diana simply steps back, ducking and hopping over the violet sparks as they come. 

Materializing seemingly from the electricity in the atmosphere, a line of staves forming a golden dragon-like shape appears in the sky overhead, its “body” flying down to form a suit of armor for Yui. She rushes forward without it, two staves at the ready. They form a huge claymore-like weapon in her hand, which she brings down with force enough to crack the pavement. Even still, Diana’s blade doesn’t leave her hand, until, at the last second, Yui’s intentions shift, and she is forced to raise the blade to protect herself. 

The coin falls onto the pavement and spins, not landing on either side right away. 

One of the staves dissipates into nothing, and Yui’s “dragon” vanishes, but her staff finds its mark in Diana’s side, just as a jet of Shinju’s water, seemingly coming from nowhere, slashes up along Diana’s shoulder. From Shinju’s perspective, however, Yui seems to have materialized from nothing, with Hanako taking Kiwako a distance away to heal on her own.

Yui: Aha! I thought so!

Shinju: (She gives Yui a look of confusion, but doesn’t question it in the middle of a fight) Ready, Yui? 

Yui: Right! Now that I know her power—

Her words are cut off by a swift, upwards slash through Yui’s chest, up to her shoulder. She falls back, blood coating the pavement as rain begins to fall.

Diana: You don’t know shit! (She swings back down toward Shinju)

Shinju: (Shinju takes the hit with her umbrella, just barely, the impact knocking her back. Sango quickly swoops in, carrying her farther away) 

Diana: Tch. (She briefly glances at Yui, then lunges in Shinju’s direction)

Shinju: (Behind her, Sango opens his mouth, letting a waterfall escape. The water spreads out at Diana’s hips, and Shinju dissolves into it, reappearing behind Diana with a swing of her water cutter)

Diana: (Wincing from the swing, her coat seems to absorb most of the impact, though Diana allows the momentum to carry her. Jumping to the side, she swings her sword towards the ground, parting enough of the flow to roll to her feet on dry ground. For a moment, her left hand hovers near her pistol, but she clenches it into a fist instead, rising with eyes locked on Shinju, awaiting her next move)

Shinju: (Apparently wary of gunfire, Shinju surrounds herself in a large sphere of water to protect herself. Sango flies overhead to Diana’s other side, preparing to pincer her) 

Diana: (Noticing this, she simply closes her eyes, letting Shinju and Sango surround her, even lowering her sword) 

Shinju: (After a moment’s hesitation, the two of them rush forward. Expecting some trickery, Sango goes first, whirling around when he gets close enough to swing his fluke at Diana) 

Diana: (Instead of a trick, Diana simply leaps into the air, far higher than what should be possible without winding up for it, flipping back over Sango and landing a ways away, letting the fluke follow its course towards Shinju)

Shinju: (She dives straight into Sango’s body without any resistance, emerging on top in a flash. Light starts to swell in Sango’s gut, Shinju throwing large spheres of water from atop his back) 

Diana: (She breaks into an unnatural sprint, swerving and narrowly dodging each, then sharply turns, running in the direction of the fallen Yui, Kiwako and attending Hanako)

Shinju: (Realizing she can’t fire towards the others, Sango instead fires the blast of water he was building upwards. The water falls down in Diana’s path in huge masses) 

Diana: (Slashing upward again, she carves out another clean division in the falling water, not changing course until she’s right in front of the others)

Shinju: (She leaps from Sango’s back, rushing forward to get in Diana’s way, umbrella at the ready) 

Diana: (Diana’s next slash is down, caught only barely by Shinju’s umbrella, but with more force than before)

Shinju: (The force sends Shinju flying back again, Sango not catching her as quickly this time. He throws himself into the way to stop her from hitting a wall at the back of the lot) 

Diana steps towards Shinju, ignoring the pile of fallen enemies in front of her, and the person attending them. Picking up her quarter, she tosses it again into the air, her eyes not leaving Shinju’s form for a moment. Right as she ducks to break into a sprint, however, she turns, just in time to catch and brace herself, her blade held out horizontally in front of her.

Tails:

Kiwako’s axe falls upon the blade, its owner attached to the handle, screaming and roaring ferociously despite the hole in her throat. Diana is gradually pushed back by the force, looking into the eyes of her adversary and observing the swirling, iridescent darkness within them.

Flip.

Heads:

An unnatural gust of wind billows in Diana’s direction, its source a few meters back, the wind screaming and roaring ferociously despite the clear lack of anything for it to catch upon. Diana is gradually pushed back by the force, looking into the eyes of her adversary and observing the swirling, iridescent darkness within them.

The coin lands and spins once more, not landing on either side.

Diana: (With a sigh) <This is why I always hated group fights, man…> 

The wind continues, neither attacker seeming to notice or care that the other materialized from seemingly nowhere, and Kiwako’s crystalline battleaxe continues to bear down. But without any warning, Diana lowers her blade, Kiwako’s axe sinking into her chest, the force sending her quite a ways away, her body rolling a little with a trail of blood leading up to it.

Shinju runs up to join Hanako and Kiwako, standing at their side ready to continue the fight together. Yui slowly rises to her feet as well, her slash only mostly mended, and using her staff to stand. After a moment, she holds it out, and the four of them seem ready to take her on together.

Diana, meanwhile, slowly rises herself, only healing her wound once she’s on her feet. She hesitates, again, but this time, draws the pistol from her left hip.

Diana: <Should’ve known better. This place survived Erasure. It was always gonna survive me while I’m half-assing it like this.>

But instead of firing her pistol, she holds it against the hilt of her saber, and in a small burst of light, it attaches, forming something resembling a brass gunblade. She holds it upward, vertically across her face, eyes closed. As she opens them, she points the blade behind her, pulling the trigger, and launching herself with even more speed. 

She crashes into Kiwako first, her shoulder driving into the girl’s chest, knocking her back in an instant. Hanako tries to swing her rapier downward, but in a blur, Diana meets the attack, parrying with expert precision, despite the difference in weapons. Outclassed, Hanako’s rapier is thrown from her hand, and the slash that follows sends her back. Yui throws a combination of fists, kicks and staff swings, but Diana is no longer playing around, and deflects Yui’s onslaught with ease, a slash across the other side of her chest sending her to the ground. As Shinju lunges, Diana raises the gunblade, firing a barrage of tiny bullets in her direction, aimed around her heart. The layer of water around Shinju’s chest blows apart, and Shinju staggers back and falls down. 

Diana lowers her conjoined weapon, panting a bit. She picks up her coin, staring at both sides, one after another.

Tails.

Heads. 

1889.

Flip.

The coin lands on the pavement, then shatters.

Diana: <…You’re fucking kidding me… that is too much fate?!>

Fifty three murders. Murders that Mitakihara discovered. Five conversations that Yui was aware of. One she wasn’t. An encounter with Firestarter. A game set in advance with the Sparrow of Clan Fujiwara. Running. Always running. Too much fate accumulated in five months’ time, and in one city. Far too much.

Diana: (She looks down at her empty left hand as light slowly gathers around it. She shakes her hand, as if trying to shake it off.) <God damn it… not now…>

Smoke? Haze? Mist billows from the broken quarter on the ground, only surrounding Diana at first.

Diana: <Not now, not now… come on, not now!>

The mist spreads, slowly enveloping the area around Diana as her opponents rise to their feet, one after another. 

Diana: <Five more fucking minutes, just… just let me keep running, god damn it!>

The mist expands. Diana can no longer see their faces. And she can. Three figures emerging in the pure, white-grey void. 

A fairy-looking creature, hovering in midair, its visage impossible to discern.

A dark-skinned woman with somewhat long, black hair kept neat, wearing a loose, almost casual suit, yet still retaining a dignified, professional facade. White gloves on her hands, an indigo tie resting on her chest, jet black shoes.

A pale woman with short, golden blonde hair, just long enough to tie into a ponytail. Her white shirt is stained with various hues of oil-based paint, beige shorts resting on thin legs, and worn, brown shoes.

Diana: <You…> (She lunges, yelling with uncharacteristic fury) <You have no right to JUDGE ME!> 

Her gunblade slashes through the mist, the figure of the woman dissipating. She turns to the fairy.

Diana: <Your light was A LIE!>

Launching herself with a bang, she brings her weapon through the visage of the creature, and it, too, dissipates.

Diana turns to face the last figment of her memory, the dark-skinned woman in the suit.

Freeze.

She raises her weapon.

Freeze.

Diana: <I…>

Freeze.

Her hand trembles.

Diana: <I walk… I walk my own path!>

She brings her weapon down, slashing through the mist, and the final figure dissipates. 

Freeze.

Her hand trembles. She drops her weapon. The mist clears. Diana’s enemies would have heard all of that, but her eyes don’t meet them at all.

Diana: <…I’m the only one left, after all.>

Light begins to gather around Diana, enveloping her entire body. As if, after so many years, Diana was allowing it to gather. She doesn’t see the reaction from any of the five of them gathered around her.

Five?

She looks up, seeing the woman approaching her. Dark skin, navy suit, indigo tie, long black hair.

Diana: <N… No way… Y-You’re not real… you’re not real!>

She takes a step back. Then another.

???: (She stops in front of Diana, hand on her hip.) That’s an interesting accusation for me. I’m not an illusion, I can tell you that. So this is where you’ve been hiding out. 

Diana: <Th… This is impossible… there’s no fucking way in hell you found me now, Melati!>

Melati: I wasn’t even here looking for you, but kicking up this much of a ruckus would raise the dead. 

She blinks. Then again. Another step back. Melati is still there. Diana isn’t imagining her this time. Before she can get closer, however, Diana turns and flees with blinding speed.

Melati: Wait! Before you go…! (However, Diana has already left. With a growl of frustration, Melati takes off after her, disappearing over a rooftop) 

Silence. Only the wind remains, and it’s calm now.

Hanako: What… was all that?

Kiwako: …High Priestess Caelum talked in her sleep. Her “old friend” Melati… I didn’t think she was still alive. Or even real to begin with.

Yui: Evidently, she’s real enough, at least. There’s a soul in there, anyway. …The other one of Diana’s old Balancer friends. The one she didn’t talk to me about. She said it was gonna be my prize, when we all survived this fight. …Hey, just so I know I’m not going crazy, but like… while she was goin’ nuts, attacking that mist, none of you saw anyone else in there… right? Not ‘til that Melati chick showed up?

Shinju: (She unsteadily gets to her feet, hunched over) … No. Are all Balancers crazy like that?

Hanako: So far, it certainly seems that way…

Yui: …Let’s get out of here. Riko already relayed all of this back to Rio and Cecilia. But they’ll all feel better to see us all alive in person. …Fuck me, this just all got way too complicated.