Farther along the river’s edge, another lone shack. Another place where Divider had gone to hide. Empty. Another dead end. 

Kiwako lowers her battleaxe to the ground and sighs. She expected this. She knew this was the most likely outcome. But somehow, she let herself hope again. This spot seemed more lively, at least. This must have been where Diana had taken Niko and taken the Soul Lantern. 

This isn’t Kiwako’s game, nor her problem. 

This shack, unlike the others, is also not as empty as it appeared when Kiwako arrived. A familiar pair of red, beady eyes meets Kiwako from the darkness.

Kiwako: …Fuzzball.

Kyubey: It’s been a long time, Kiwako! 

Kiwako: Kiwa-chan. (Several crystal handaxes fall from the sky and through the roof, though all seem to pointedly miss the Incubator. What does happen, however, is moonlight illuminates the creature) On second thought, don’t call me that. We’re not friends.

Kyubey: Well, that should be no surprise! Incubators don’t form such attachments. You’ve been around long enough to learn that, surely. 

Kiwako: Mhm. Ever since you Balanced me and made me into a Witch, I’ve had a lot of time to think about stuff.

Kyubey: (With a shake of his head) And yet you’ve gone and showed up here… humans still make poor decisions even with all that time to think. 

Kiwako: And my poor decision this time is…?

Kyubey: Going after Diana again! By now you must have figured out just rushing after her isn’t going to work. 

Kiwako: You don’t know that. I haven’t found her yet.

Kyubey: Indeed you haven’t. I think that ought to tell you something! Besides, what’s the point in getting rid of her now?

Kiwako: You’re a silly cat thing that doesn’t get emotions. I need revenge for her betraying me! Though, that was only ‘cause of you~

Kyubey: It seems like there would be better things you could do with your time than trying to get revenge… don’t even humans have plenty of fiction about why that’s a bad idea?

Kiwako: Maybe you shouldn’t have stunted my growth at eleven years old, if you wanted someone with emotional maturity~ Then again, that would make it hard for you to do your Incubator job, right?

Kyubey: For now, it’s not my job. (With a flick of his tail) And I think you all should be careful of whose job it is now! 

Kiwako: ‘Cause you got in trouble~? (Her voice lowers) You’re not even s’posed to be talking to me, since you Balanced me, right~?

Kyubey: My advice has come a little too late, huh? 

Kiwako: Maaaaybe you’re more worried about your own safety after everything you did didn’t go according to plan~? There’s probably a million or billion of us that want our revenge against you, not to mention all the rules you apparently broke~ (She hoists her battleaxe over her shoulder and smiles a dark little smile)

Kyubey: (He shakes his head) You must know by now doing anything to this body won’t make a difference. It’s a slight inconvenience at best! 

Kiwako: I can’t hurt you for real, no. …But maaaaybe I know someone who can. Y’know, besides the fairy~

Kyubey: Don’t be silly… 

Kiwako: It’s not my problem either way. My fight is with Diana. The fairy can do whatever she wants. This is for her. (She giggles) You really got bad at this, Kyubey~ You need to learn when someone’s just stalling for time~

Kyubey: … I see. Don’t you think this is a bit childish, Aisha…? (He says to himself, as the other Incubator is not there) 

Kiwako: Between the two of you, one of you tried to kill me. But while I look for the weapon you used, you can have fun with her. ‘When whispers tell of ruination, when history’s bloody fingerprints try to wash clean in the rain, when the soul cries out for vengeance against cosmic injustice… she appears~’ <Bye bye, Kyubey~>

Kiwako walks off into the night with a little wave, only to be replaced on the horizon by another, taller figure. It takes a minute for the moonlight to reveal her, even if Kiwako already made clear who it is approaching, but once she is, Yui gives a little grin of her own. 

Yui: Yo.

Kyubey: This again? I just got done telling Kiwako that there’s no point in “killing” this body. 

Yui: Hell of a gamble to take with me. Is it really just some remote control thing? No, there’s something there. Else it wouldn’t bleed when I rip it apart.

Kyubey: If you tore apart your computer, I’m sure you would find some things inside there as well. 

Yui: Wires and metal, sure, but not blood and bones. And sure as hell not part of a soul. I can’t imagine tech got that good off world that you can pilot these things without at least a little bit of your soul in there.

Kyubey: Is Aisha really talking to humans about our technology? (He idly washes his paw with his tongue, unblinking) I guess there’s no way you could imitate it, but she really should stay on task.  

Yui: You gave me my powers, Genie Cat. You know what I can do. And you’re afraid of it. So much so that you tried to kill me in an Erasure style Balancing at all costs. Me, and the people here I care about. All because of a bet with yourself that you lost. Twice. You really think I wouldn’t someday get a beat on you? It’s faint, but it’s there. Not too hard, once you know what to look for, really.

Kyubey: Haven’t you learned anything from every other time you’ve tried this? It’s not going to kill me. Death is hardly even a concern for an Incubator! 

Yui: I know I can’t kill you. I’m trying to hurt you. 

Kyubey: And why should I stick around for such a thing? 

Yui: Because you just love the sound of your own voice. (In a flash, Yui transforms, several staves falling in a circle around Kyubey) And telling us how much we all suck all the time.

As he always does when attacked, he silently takes off running. But not fast enough. A crash, a bolt of lightning strikes the Incubator directly, its body a charred husk no more than ten feet away from this old shack. Yui takes a step closer, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Yui: Lemme know when you finish eating that thing, so we can continue our little chat, Genie Cat.

Sure enough, Kyubey emerges, walking out of the house like an annoyed housecat, seemingly unbothered by Yui’s display.

Kyubey: How pointless! What is it about you, Yui Arashi, that leads you into such pointless displays of aggression? 

Yui: You tell me. You made my contract, after all. You knew what I was about. Where I came from. You placed your chips on the spots that would either have me go Witch right off, or become a Malefica and get hunted down. Half right, I guess, so points for trying. 

Another bolt of lightning hits the second Kyubey-body, with the same results, and equally same aftermath of another coming to replace it.

Kyubey: But you tried to run from your past! You tried to defy it! What has led you to embracing that violent origin all of a sudden?

Two more bolts this time, even though the first was enough.

Yui: Because I fuckin’ hate you, Kyubey. You… (A bolt for the emerging, fleeing Kyubey body) …your fuckin’ Balancers… (Another) …every (Another) last (Another) one of you Incubator fucks. (Three more for the three that emerge, though one manages to dodge just in time.)

Kyubey: This is still a pointless waste of energy, Yui! You should direct that energy toward the Witches! …Or perhaps, the two Balancers that still freely roam Mitakihara City.

A pause, this time without a bolt of lightning to cut Kyubey off.

Kyubey: Or is it that you can’t beat them as you are now, and you’re taking your shortcomings out on me—

Four more bolts, this time hitting their mark.

Yui: One of ‘em is yours, last I checked. Divider? That’s definitely a title you’d give out.

Three more Kyubey bodies emerge from the now-rubble of Diana’s former hiding spot. Three more bolts, one body falls.

Kyubey: She wasn’t always one of my Balancers. She isn’t really loyal to anyone or anything, you know! Not except herself, and even I am not confident in that assessment!

Two bolts, one body falls.

Yui: Kiwa’s got Diana under control for now. She can’t beat her one on one, but as long as Diana’s content to run from her, she’s not a problem. A running beast is still easy to herd. Still working out how to beat Melati’s ass down the line, though. If I can find myself again—

Kyubey: (A bit louder than likely intended) You don’t need that heresy to defeat your enemies, Yui Arashi! Your power is more than enough on its own! 

Yui: Heh. I got your sorry ass this time. 

But the bolt misses its mark, as does the next, and every one afterwards. Kyubey dips, dodges and moves with precision not known to the Incubator before this point. It doesn’t attack, but neither is it trying to flee anymore. It finds a bit of metal and shelters nearby, doing enough to draw the lightning from its body.

Yui: Oh? Not runnin’ anymore? Maybe because that little flash of suppressed emotion proved me right? You have a soul, Kyubey, an’ even if I can’t track it like a normal, living being, I still got your fuckin’ number.

Kyubey: (Kyubey’s tails swish idly, beady eyes locked onto Yui, expression ever static, yet with an aura of annoyance) You seem content to waste both our time and your energy on this display. No matter what you do to me now, you will not find your way back to Magia. (Though Kyubey’s remote body doesn’t need to breathe, the motion is still made, as if Kyubey is calming down, voice reflecting this) …And you cannot keep those you love safe forever, no matter how hard you fight.

Yui: If you know where Aoi is, spill it, an’ this’ll all hurt a lot less.

Kyubey: Unlike you lot, I don’t make a habit of working with Aisha. You don’t know what you’re dealing with, Yui Arashi. None of you do. So content you were, giving information to her Balancer, playing host to that which you claim to detest more than anything, except for me.

Yui: (Two more bolts strike, but are drawn to the metal around Kyubey) Working with her? I dunno if you saw the fairy at the last “Let’s Fuck Over Humanity For Funsies Convention” but I fucked her up pretty bad, if Melati’s emotions were anything to go by anyway. It’s why I’m confident I can take you on now, and make you hurt for real. Or did you not see the scar on her cute little face? (Two more bolts, again drawn to the makeshift lightning rod) No, I’m not fucking working with Aisha. 

Kyubey: You still readily gave Melati information about my Balancing. And look where that got you? Where is Aoi, you ask? Why, that’s a question I would ask you, Yui Arashi! Where is she? I would not know! Melati, the Balancer with whom you cooperated is the one who took her!

Yui, having had enough of the circular logic leading her nowhere, walks up to Kyubey, who again, for some reason, does not flee. Even when Yui grabs the Incubator by the neck, Kyubey doesn’t even so much as struggle. Kyubey’s voice, despite the position Yui is holding the creature, comes through crystal clear.

Kyubey: What can you do, Yui Arashi? As much power as you have tasted, as far as you’ve come, you are still powerless. When next I assemble a team of Balancers, you can do nothing to stop me. Judging by your failures since my last attempt, at least. 

Yui: (Her voice is eerily calm) I did my research. After you tried and failed to bury Mitakihara, I realized it’d take you decades to get another squad like that together again. ‘Specially after all the work I’ve done in scouting both you and them. Melati didn’t want to kill me, even if she came close. Diana didn’t kill me, even if circumstances caused her to bail. Your little suicide squad failed miserably, an’ I’m onto your game by now. So what can you even do to me anymore?

Kyubey: This is meaningless. What do you hope to accomplish? Even should you wound me or harm me, it won’t bring Aoi back.

Yui: (She squeezes Kyubey’s neck, but not enough to kill this body) …You’re doing that thing again. That thing where you leave a single breadcrumb for me to puzzle out and follow into one of your fucking traps. 

Kyubey: (Kyubey’s body is eerily still, eyes still locked onto Yui’s) Aisha is my enemy, Yui Arashi, in a conflict you could not hope to even fathom. I am merely weighing my options. On one hand, you lot retrieving Aoi Hikarizaka is a great hindrance to my plans. On the other hand, you retrieving Aoi Hikarizaka is a hindrance to hers. 

Yui: …The fuck are you getting at?

Kyubey: There is nothing stopping me from Balancing you all later. You humans are a known quantity, one I can handle with confidence.

Yui is silent for a while, her sour expression unchanging. Equally unchanging, however, is her grip on Kyubey’s neck. Kyubey takes the silence as an invitation.

Kyubey: You have tools at your disposal that you have not made full use of, Yui Arashi. Tools you claim to cherish, even when you have broken them. Tools you called upon to survive against my ideals before. Or are your ideals no longer enough—

Snap. Yui drops Kyubey’s lifeless body. No more emerge. Yui does not expect any more to emerge. Kyubey said what it wanted to say. If it intended on simply running from Yui, it wouldn’t have sent so many copies after Kiwako’s ruse was exposed. It might not have wasted the effort of appearing before Kiwako in the first place.

But this isn’t something Yui cares about right now. As much as she hates to admit it, Kyubey had a point. But Yui refuses to ever see her companions as tools. Even if the Oracle volunteered.

No, there has to be another way.