Chapter Text
To say that Utena was walking on clouds would be an understatement.
Her desire for another one-on-one with Azul had only been growing each day since she first witnessed her magnificent form on that beach. Ever since she’d achieved her own La Verita, it felt like she could no longer contain it.
Until that moment, the balance of power had weighed heavily in her favor. Even more so after adding Loco Musica and Leberblume to her team. However, in that moment, as she watched Azul’s body shimmer with mana-filled stars –felt the raw power wash over her senses– she knew the scale was beginning to tip.
Their conflict had reached the next level.
The real dance could begin in earnest.
A thrum of excitement radiated through Utena and she couldn’t help the goofy grin it brought her.
‘Oh, Azul! So marvelous! So wonderful! Oh gosh, I can’t even contain myself~! Fu fu fu fu… a Celestial maiden, indeed!’
Those were the words that had slipped from Utena’s lips, unbidden, as she gazed upon her rival in her full La Verita glory.
She fondly recalled the scene from just earlier. One of her favorite magical girls, high in the sky, backlit against the sun as it glowed around her majestic form like a halo. The water droplets formed from the ice she’d created refracted the sun’s rays in stunning rainbows, bathing the whole scene in a glorious display of colors.
It had been brief, but the sight would forever be burned into her eyes.
‘If only I’d been able to take a picture…’ She lamented.
It was unfortunate that Azul had so quickly turned the tides of battle against her. Utena’s hasty retreat had left her still feeling pent up. With the exhilaration of the battle still rushing through her veins, the defeat had left her unsatisfied, almost… frustrated.
Her core was still buzzing with energy, and even now – long after the fight – her magic was still churning inside her, begging to be used, leaving her body feeling flushed and restless. It wasn’t just her defeat that left her feeling pent up, however – it was the sheer beauty of Azul’s transformation, the power that had surged between them, the unspoken dance that had taken place as they pushed each other.
It left her wanting more.
Coupled with the sweltering summer heat, it was almost unbearable.
“Hah. This summer is really something, though…” Utena wiped at her forehead with the back of her wrist, feeling it glide smoothly against her sweat slicked skin. She wanted to be alone – to revel in the high of the fight, to let the memories replay in her mind. Her bedroom was the perfect solace, the noise of the air conditioning unit already humming in her mind, beckoning to her.
Making her way home, she passed by a neighborhood park. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the vending machine just within.
The thought of an ice-cold beverage was too great of a temptation to pass up.
Quickly, she made a detour, walking over to it to grab a drink. With choice in hand, Utena retreated to a nearby bench, sipping at her can of Magenta Splash and savoring its berry sweetness. Under the filtered shade of a tree she attempted to still her racing heart.
It was hard to calm the restless energy thrumming through her core, hard to shake the memory of Azul’s shining form high above her, glowing with power. It was so beautiful, so magnificent.
The heat felt even more oppressive now, her body still too warm from the residual magic coursing through her veins.
So much had happened today. From her unexpected run in with Michiko at the convenience store to hanging out with her friends. The summer break had freed up her schedule and she’d never filled it up as much as she had since becoming a villain. Still… despite the tired ache running through her body, she wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Her fight with Azul had been the perfect conclusion to this day.
Finishing off her drink, Utena rose to leave.
As she straightened up, a wave of dizziness hit her. It started small, but quickly built into a full-body sensation as she felt the world tilting beneath her. Before her knees gave out, she stumbled back and caught herself on the arm of the bench.
“What the…? Guh-” she grunted, stomach churning violently.
That liquid magic in her core suddenly felt like a cauldron. It bubbled and lurched, waves battering at the seams of her container. Her vision spun and she was overcome with the unbearable feeling of motion sickness.
Acting on instinct, she rushed over to the nearest trashcan and leaned over the rim. The nausea reached a crescendo, but she was unable to do anything but dry heave into the bin.
‘Wh-what the hell… ugg… why do I feel so awful…?’ She’d felt totally fine not too long ago.
A burning heat started to rise from her stomach as it finally wretched what was left of her earlier sandwich up and out. She coughed and struggled to catch her breath for a few moments.
The world felt like it was spinning. Utena looked up for a brief moment only to snap her eyes back down into the mess she’d made.
‘Shit… I feel awful.’
Despite emptying her stomach, the burning wasn’t going away. Focusing on her body, she tried to feel out for the source of her sudden discomfort and came to the conclusion it wasn’t from anything she’d eaten. The overwhelming heat and itch of her mana was clue enough what the issue was. Knowing that much still didn’t provide her with any answers as to why . Still, the magic inside her kept building. More and more, it grew into a sweltering furnace until it couldn’t be contained any longer.
Utena felt as if she was teetering over the edge of some precipice. With a final lurch, she plunged over.
It felt like something popped around her and then, just as quickly as it had come on, everything began to subside.
The oppressive heat stabilized. The roiling in her guts calmed, but never faded.
She took a moment, taking short, deliberate breaths. With each one, the burning in her chest began to ease.
In… and out.
In….. and out.
Feeling more herself, Utena let out a heavy sigh, relief palpable.
It was only then, looking down at herself, that she noticed she’d transformed back into Baiser.
‘It happened again… though, it’s been a while since I transformed without meaning to.’
She could feel it as the rampaging dark mana evaporated off her body in thick wisps. The energy release brought her some small relief, but her body still ached, the dizziness still lingering.
Baiser took a moment to catch her breath, getting her bearings straight before looking around.
By some stroke of luck, she’d been alone. Her accidental public transformation had thankfully had no witnesses. That alone was balm enough to begin settling her nerves.
Before she could fully calm herself though, something else started to tickle in the back of her head. It wasn’t like her magical sixth sense that alerted her to the nearby presence of magical girls. No, this was something else – it was older, more primal. Something was off.
She straightened up, glancing around.
It took her a moment of taking in her surroundings before she focused in on what had set her off.
The vending machine was gone.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
The vending machine had moved .
At some point between getting her drink, sitting down, and her stumbling to her current position next to the bin, the vending machine had moved a whole 10 meters to the other side of the park… next to the public restrooms.
Which had not been there either.
The vending machine and toilets both had been at the West entrance to the park. Now they were both in the North-East corner. Baiser’s eyes shifted around taking in any other landmarks. She’d been here many times before and could tell nothing else had changed besides that. Looking out even further, beyond the walls surrounding the park, she noted the buildings that sat at the edges of the park. Those had not changed either.
“What the hell…”
Just as she was about to investigate, a tingling sensation crept down her spine, warning her of a familiar presence. She groaned.
If ever there was a time she was not in the mood for a confrontation…
Not with the throbbing in her temple and uneasy churning low in her belly. Taking a moment to school her features, she let the magical girls pull up somewhere behind her, not yet turning to face them.
A cheerful voice rang out behind her, breaking the stillness.
“Halt, Enormeta! We won’t let you get away with whatever you’re planning today!”
Baiser froze, a smile almost quirking her lips. Magenta's voice was always so sunny and full of energy, even when issuing threats. It was almost endearing. But there was something about it this time – something that felt… off .
Just like the vending machine. Just like the inexplicable relocation of the bathrooms.
The disquiet in her gut deepened.
With a careful breath, Baiser turned to face them, expecting the usual, but as her eyes landed on Magenta and Sulfur floating above her, a sense of unease bloomed in her chest.
Sure, Azul wasn’t present, but that wasn’t terribly surprising. What was unusual, though, was the way they were looking at her. Their wands were raised, ready for battle, their expressions sharp and cautious. They were hovering at a distance – far too wary for girls who’d fought her many times before. It was as if…
As if they didn’t know what to expect from her.
She blinked.
‘Huh…? That’s strange…’
It wasn’t like them to keep this much distance.
Glancing down at herself, she blinked in realization. ‘Ah, shit.’ The dark mana was still leaking from her, thick and hazy, swirling visibly in the air like a dark miasma. It was setting them on edge. No wonder they looked so defensive.
Guilt lodged itself in her throat as she cursed internally. Reminding them of that night was the last thing she wanted to do.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm the magic, pulling it back inside herself. The effort made her stomach churn, but little by little, she reined it in.
There. Better.
When she finally looked back up, she could tell it was working by how the two girls untensed ever so slightly.
“My apologies, my dear magical girls. I didn’t mean to alarm you,” she said smoothly, slipping into her usual coy, playful tone despite the circumstances. She lifted a hand to her forehead in a mock swoon. “Unfortunately, I’m feeling a bit under the weather today. Perhaps my earlier bout with Azul took more out of me than I expected. I hope you understand.”
The two girls shared a glance.
“You… you fought Azul?” Magenta asked slowly, like she wasn’t sure she’d heard her right.
Baiser quirked an eyebrow, surprised by their hesitation. “Hmm? Why, of course~” She gave a dramatic wave of her hand, smirking. “I made quite the spectacle of it! My challenge was broadcast all over the city – don’t tell me you missed it?”
She looked between them, waiting for the playful banter to follow. But instead of the usual retorts and Sulfur’s colorful language, both girls just stared at her.
“…What broadcast?” Sulfur finally asked, narrowing her eyes.
Baiser blinked. “…What?”
Her smirk slipped, the confusion now creeping into her own expression. “The… the broadcast for Azul? I called out to her, fought her not long ago at Panda Park – the whole city saw my declaration in the sky! Did you really not see it?”
Although Baiser hadn’t seen them personally, she’d left her invitation open to the other two if they wished to join the fight. There were enough rubberneckers at the outskirts of the park that she was nearly certain Magenta and Sulfur had been watching the whole thing.
“That… there wasn’t anything like that… perhaps you’re mistaken?” Magenta offered civilly, her expression softening.
Sulfur elbowed her lightly, patience waning. “She’s just tryin’ ta trip you up. Don’t pay her any mind.” She turned back to face Baiser. “Quit it with the mind games. I don’t know what your angle is but we know Azul ain’t been in any fights all day. She woulda told us if she had – ‘specially against someone lookin’ like you . I know Enormeta has a certain style goin’ for them, but yours is a new low. The hell are you supposed to be, some kinda slutty vampire?”
Insults aside, Baiser couldn’t help but gawk at the blatant lack of recognition Sulfur was showing her.
“How can you–” Baiser cut herself off, staring between the two magical girls as a part of her grew irritated. “How cold, Sulfur! After everything we’ve been through, and you–!”
Sulfur raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “The hell? This is the first time we’ve seen ya, let alone fought. I think I’d remember if we had.” She crossed her arms, tapping her wand against her shoulder. “So, how ‘bout you stop stalling and just tell us what yer up to? That way I can rest easy after poundin’ ya into the pavement.”
The words stung more than they should have. Baiser had fought these girls too many times to count. What was going on?
Something was seriously wrong here.
Before she could respond, Magenta piped up again, her tone lighter but still cautious. “That’s right, we’ve already got you outnumbered! The others will be here any minute, so why don’t you just give up?”
With a flash, her wand transformed into the familiar shape of her pink spear. Somehow, the promise of the violence to come from the move only deepened the unease swirling in her gut. Why were they talking like this?
Baiser took a moment to process what Magenta had said. The others? Her mind immediately jumped to a conclusion.
“If the Shio-chans show up…” Baiser muttered, running through the logistics in her head. “I really don’t want to deal with them right now. Although, Michiko is probably still at work…”
Still, she couldn’t rely on the woman not taking an impromptu bathroom break to come give her an ass kicking.
Magenta blinked in confusion. “What was that?”
“No matter.” Baiser waved a hand dismissively. “Two on one or five on one, it makes no difference.”
“Five? Who are you includin’ in that?” Sulfur scowled, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. Her gaze darted around the park, then up to the sky, trying to spot any hidden threats. “Kinda cocky, ain’t ya? Don’t tell me you’ve got some backup lurkin’ around here. Like that chick with the bombs. I don’t like surprises.”
Baiser’s confidence faltered as she heard the genuine confusion in Sulfur’s voice. Sulfur, she… she was talking about Leo. But the way she’d referred to her was all wrong. This whole encounter was making less sense by the second. Her head was spinning, her mind whirling with ‘why’s and ‘how’s and questions she was desperate to find the answers to and–
“There they are!” a voice called out from behind her. “We’re here to help!”
She turned sharply toward the sound of the familiar voice, her pulse racing – from anticipation or dread, she didn’t know.
Before she had a chance to open her mouth, she froze.
It wasn’t just Azul who had arrived. Another magical girl hovered just behind her, one Baiser didn’t recognize – at least, not as a magical girl.
The girl beside Azul was dressed much like the rest of Tres Magia, albeit her dress was a light purple. But that wasn’t what caught her attention.
No.
What froze her in place was the girl’s face.
Short dark hair. Golden eyes, wide with shock.
Her own eyes. Her own face.
Staring back at her.
It was like looking into a mirror.
The unfamiliar familiar magical girl froze, eyes wide in shock, body tensing as if she’d been struck.
The world around Baiser seemed to grind to a halt as she locked eyes with this girl who looked like her double.
For a moment, all was silent.
Or at least, it felt like it. If the others were saying anything, she could hear nothing through the static in her head.
It was like the air had been sucked out of the park, leaving them frozen, staring at each other in disbelief.
‘That’s… me,’ Baiser thought, her mind reeling. The magic that protected their identities was supposed to keep them from recognizing each other. Apparently, she realized, it didn’t stop you from recognizing your own face.
Her counterpart – the other her – was equally shaken. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Her eyes were wide, flicking between Baiser and the magical girls in front of her, like she was trying to process the impossible.
Her stomach churned, nausea resurging. This wasn’t right. None of this was right.
“What the hell is going on…?” she muttered under her breath as her heart pounded in her chest.
Sensing the distraction, Sulfur clenched her fists and cast her gaze around her. She’d clearly had enough of the back-and-forth.
With a growl of impatience, she launched herself forward. Her armored gauntlet appeared with a flash of yellow light.
“No, wait–!” the other her shouted, her voice panicked, but it was too late.
Abruptly torn from her shock, it took everything within Baiser to rip herself out of the path of Sulfur’s powered up fist. She felt the woosh of air whip up her hair as it narrowly flew past her nose.
Sulfur didn’t let up, even as shouts began to rise up around her. Who they were directed at was beyond what Baiser cared to understand at the moment.
Sluggish and ill, she barely managed to dodge the next strike. Her body screamed in protest, her legs almost buckling under her. She stumbled back, barely avoiding the third punch as Sulfur pressed her attack.
Another punch.
She ducked.
A right hook.
She dodged left.
Unfortunately, the move left her upper body vulnerable, and she ended up taking a left punch straight to the gut. Her current state was catching up to her. She was just too ill and out of it to properly engage in a brawl with the hot headed magical girl.
It launched her back a good few meters. She landed half in a crumpled heap, on hands and knees as she reeled from the blow, desperately trying to take breaths that wouldn’t come while willing down the bile she felt rising up from her stomach.
‘I- I can’t stay here. Damn it. I need to… escape.’
Her vision blurred. She needed to get out.
Quickly.
Not wanting to give Sulfur another opportunity to close the distance, she furrowed her brow in concentration. With a flick of her wrist, Baiser summoned her magic with some effort, struggling to summon a portal. She barely managed to dodge one more of Sulfur’s punches as she felt it start to form behind her.
She chanced one final glance at her double – still wide-eyed and frozen, her hand stretched out towards her – before she dove through the portal, disappearing into the darkness.
.
.
.
Baiser tumbled through the portal, landing unceremoniously on her hands and knees. Her mind reeled, thoughts scattered in all directions as she gulped in the cool air.
Adrenaline subsiding, her raw panic and the bruising gut-punch from Sulfur finally did her in.
Curling in on herself, Baiser retched. Stomach already empty, her throat burned from the sour berry taste of bile and her drink from earlier.
She stayed like that, curled up and trembling, while her body spasmed with the remains of nausea. It took a moment for the static buzzing in the back of her head to subside, before her senses began to return.
The rough gravel beneath her hands dug into the skin of her palms, sharp points of pressure breaking through the thin fabric of her pants and irritating her knees.
In her core, the heat from her magic churned inside her, volatile and unstable, desperate for release. The feeling gnawed at her.
She shivered as the cool air bit at her sweat-dampened skin. It was far colder than it had been just moments before. The heat of summer had vanished, replaced by a stagnant cool air.
Taking a final calming breath, Baiser lifted her head to take a look at her surroundings.
In her haste to escape, she hadn’t given much thought about where she was opening a portal to. The only thing going through her mind was ‘ somewhere they can't find me. ’ Now in front of her loomed the familiar jagged silhouette of Nacht Base, its confusing geometry backdrop against the eerie moonlit sky.
The vague destination had placed her just outside the main building, on the rough rocky path that led to the main entrance.
A pulse of recognition flickered inside her, but it wasn’t a comforting one.
Just like earlier, some part of her surroundings gave her a deep seated sense of wrong .
Her thoughts went back to earlier, back to that moment – when she saw herself . Her. That unfamiliar magical girl... with her face. “I… I shouldn’t be here… should I…”
‘What’s going on…? If that was… me , and… this place – this world? – isn’t… isn’t where I’m supposed to be… then this Nacht Base is…’
The dread gnawed deeper into her gut. She took in a shaky breath.
Right. Without her here – Without Magia Baiser –
She looked up.
This empty, hollow building.
This wasn’t her Nacht Base, the place she and her fellow villains – her friends – had turned into their own.
This Nacht Base was the domain of Lord Enorme.
The unease grew. Her stomach churned.
Despite having transformed, the magic inside her was still unstable. It ebbed and bubbled up in waves, trying to find some form of release. She wanted nothing more than to do so; the relief it would bring her to just… let go.
But she couldn’t.
In this version of Nacht Base…
She wasn’t safe.
Shouldering the discomfort, she kept it down. The consequences of leaking her presence into the area were unknown, and filled her with a sense of paranoia.
She didn’t know who was here, or what they would do if they found her.
With great effort, she pushed herself up onto legs that shook like a newborn fawn. Baiser grimaced, but she had to move.
Delicately, taking extra care not to make any noise, she approached the building looming in front of her. The massive double doors of Nacht Base, shut tight, dwarfed her as she stood before them. She hesitated. She hadn’t felt this intimidated and out of place since Venalita had first brought her here to meet Leopard – to meet Kiwi .
“...”
The thought of her friend brought a sudden frown to her face.
No. She couldn’t think about that right now. She shook her head.
Before she could devolve into thoughts of what if, Baiser stepped away from the doors, moving instead to the left side of the building. Looking up revealed the many rooms of Nacht Base set at odd angles, jettisoning out from its facade.
One in particular caught her eye – halfway up, a small room with an open window.
Baiser took a breath and willed a bit of magic through her limbs. Slowly, she floated up and up until the top of her eyes came up to the bottom sill of the room’s window.
Tentatively, she peeked into the room.
Silence.
No movement.
A far cry from what she was used to.
Feeling more confident – and on the cusp of fainting – she lifted herself over the sill ledge. Her shoes tapped as she landed on the bare concrete. Her body stiffened as the sound bounced lightly off the walls around her.
She glanced behind her, taking in the familiar view of the admittedly bleak vista of Nacht Base before returning to survey the room.
The room was empty – just like when they had first found it, save the familiar cold stone table and high-backed chairs. From the ceiling, black wires crisscrossed in no particular pattern – the Edison bulbs dangling from their ends likewise just as chaotic, hanging in a multitude of lengths. A soft glow emanated from them, but it couldn’t be considered a sufficient source of light. Luckily, like the rest of Nacht Base, the stones themselves seemed to glow with their own inner luminance.
It still did little to brighten the bleak, gray atmosphere of the room.
Baiser tried not to let it get to her, but found her eyes scanning the room for anything recognizable.
Gone were the personal touches they had added over the months.
The TV and gaming console where Nemo and Korisu would pull up cushions to sit on as they played, gone.
The phone chargers that lay scattered about the room, gone.
Next to the table, she remembers Matama having recently given Korisu a mini makeover. Their activity had filled the room with the smell of nail polish and rubbing alcohol. In this room, not a single trace could be found.
The corner where they’d piled their empty take-out containers was barren, nothing but dust covering the undisturbed ground.
Overall, there wasn’t a single part of the room that would give any hint that it was actively being used. This was Nacht Base as it stood while Lord Enorme was still in charge.
Stepping into it felt like she’d gone back in time.
Her chest ached.
“This really isn’t home…” she muttered, her voice sounding too small in the vast emptiness.
Still, she couldn’t linger.
With no reason to stay, Baiser softly tiptoed towards the door.
Just outside, a long corridor stretched deeper into the base. Lined here and there were various door frames – most lacking the doors to fill them. She didn’t know what was in them, but the thought of being unable to close herself away from prying eyes left little will for her to find out.
What she needed right now, in her ill and vulnerable state, was safety. Comfort would have to come second.
For a moment she wracked her muddled mind, trying to remember anywhere in the cold confines of the building that fit that description. Then it hit her – Nemo and Matama.
She recalled a conversation they’d had many weeks ago. In the heights of Lord’s conquest, she had forced the two of them into working long and odd hours, leaving them exhausted and in a state they wouldn’t want to return home in. During that time, they had outfitted one of the rooms here to rest in.
They’d never specified where it was, but given the layout she was familiar with, she could hazard a guess.
With a goal in mind, Baiser found the energy to move.
As she crept down the corridors, she couldn’t help but cringe from each step she took as her heels clicked against smooth stone, scattering her presence around the halls.
Each step only heightened her paranoia.
Stopping for a moment, she removed her shoes before continuing, bare feet padding quietly.
Now the only thing she could hear was the thrumbing of her heart pounding behind her ears.
She probably would have found the room much faster, but her nerves wouldn’t let her relax. She peered around each corner she came across cautiously, listening for activity before continuing.
Finally, she found it – a door too modern and normal to fit the euclidean nature of the rest of Nacht Base.
Quietly, she twisted the handle and slowly pushed it open to peer inside. It was a room with a bed after all, so the odds of it being unoccupied were not zero. She decided to proceed with caution.
She squinted into the darkness.
Unoccupied.
Relief flooded through her as she pushed the door open and slipped into the room.
In one corner, a bed, simple and clean, was pushed against the wall.
Never before had a bed looked so inviting.
As much as Baiser just wanted to throw herself into its comfort, she ignored the temptation for now. There was something else much more important to her in her current state.
She stumbled over to the lone shelf in the room, dropping her shoes along the way. The only item on it was the first aid kit Nemo had mentioned.
Cracking it open, she rummaged through the contents – mostly bandages, packets of gauze, and a bottle of antiseptic – until her fingers found a bottle of pills. She sighed in relief. Confirming its contents, she popped open the lid and shook two capsules out into her open palm before throwing them back, swallowing them dry. She could feel them stick a bit to her parched throat, but ignored the mild discomfort. It was the least of her concerns at the moment.
Exhaling, she returned the first aid kit and its contents to the shelf.
Task complete, she looked back over to the bed.
The sweet promise of rest called to her.
But first… she padded back over to the door, closing it gently. To her disappointment, there was no lock. She’d have to take her chances.
The room’s residents showing up was highly unlikely, but she was willing to risk it. What she desperately needed right now was rest – possible threats be damned.
That and a moment to just… turn off her brain so she wouldn’t have to think about her current situation.
That would have to be a problem for future hopefully-feeling-better Utena.
Baiser shuffled over to the bed and pulled back the plain sheet and blanket, before finally crawling under it. It was a mild comfort, the thin blanket providing little warmth. But right now, even that bit of comfort was enough.
Finally alone, still, and relatively safe, her mind buzzed with too many thoughts – about the magical girls, about the girl who looked like her, about the empty base, about Kiwi, Nemo, and the others. She felt herself starting to become overwhelmed with emotion.
She recalled the way Magenta and Sulfur had looked at her coldly, cautiously – a lack of any recognition in their eyes. What if… what if her friends looked at her the same way?
Her chest tightened, and the ache grew unbearable. Her whole body ached. The pounding in her head made it impossible to think clearly.
The emptiness, the wrongness, it all crashed down on her at once.
It was all just… too much.
“I want to go home…” She rolled onto her side, facing the wall, and drew her knees towards her chest. Her body shook as a single sob broke the silence of the room.
She didn’t know how long she lay there, trembling and crying softly into the pillow. But soon enough, her exhaustion won out, pulling her into a restless, dreamless sleep.
.
.
.