Fragmented Afterthoughts Chapter 15:
In The Most Unexpected Places

Chapter Fifteen:
In The Most Unexpected Places

A definitely female hand shook her shoulder.

"You look horrible... here." She was lifted onto somebody's back, and she saw the
glimpses of dark, mahogany-brown hair, streaked here and there with a neon blue, putting any
electrical sign in Vegas to shame.

"Who're..." Magick started, and stopped. Better not to ask. Just think. If someone were
willing to help and not kill her immediately, then the someone must have a reason for keeping
her alive, or would be trying to help.

Soon after she was propped up in a place she recognized to be near the HQ. Feeling
rather numb, she lifted a hand to rub her arms, but she paused when she saw her rescuer. A lean,
beautiful girl of no more age than herself, Magick saw deep-set green eyes in a dark face, the
same hair as before, and a sweat-shirted woman looking down. She looked back up, eyes wide
with recognition of being seen, and then relaxed into a smile.

"Hi," she grinned, showing perfectly white teeth. Hygiene was evidently something she
was good at. "I guess you're okay, after all; a few bruises here and there, but no major cuts."
Exhaling with relief, she turned to see something, then shifted back. "Do you think you'll be all
right to get home?"

Magick managed to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth long enough to
answer. "H-hallo, um, yes, I'll be fine, thanks, and home, how do you know? Who are you? Why
did-- how did you find-"

She stopped as the girl pressed her lips together firmly to keep from laughing. "Last
question first; I found you because I know Zaerenz... or Nerezza, as I think you call him, and
when I saw him take down the big guy over there, something looked wrong. You looked sort of...
dead in his arms, so I thought maybe he'd have killed you, but you were alive, I thought. So I
followed you. He usually leaves corpses unattended."

The girl looked down again, rocking onto the balls of her feet and crouching. "I know
you're from Team Rocket; it's almost obvious by the manner in which you spend your days. You
people don't come out, save supply-receiving and going out on buisness."

She stood, and helped the speechless mew to her feet. "And to answer the final question,
hi, my name's Colli."

Magick nodded, somewhat awestruck. The girl had sufficiently done research on her; it
seemed she was well adapted and very smart. "H-hi," she repeated, looking like a fool. "My
name's Magick."

"I know," Coli grinned. "But it's a pretty name. I like it."

"So's Colli," Magick retorted lamely, blushing slightly and managing to walk a few paces
with the girl before staggering.

"Oh! Are you all right?"

"... f-fine..."

"Heh, I suppose the Super Potion didn't do much?"

"The what?"

Colli chuckled as she helped the girl aloung, the HQ coming into sight. "Super Potion.
Your friend sprayed it on, I guess, to help you out."

Magick quirked a brow. Friend. Well, this was certainly turning into a strange string of
events. Nerezza gone with a sudden, sharp turn into secrecy and odd explinations, and finding
Colli, who seemed chipper, cheerful and friendly. Which explained in no way why or how she
knew Nerezza.

Colli and Magick were close to the HQ. It was disturbing how the two girls were getting
aloung fine, though there seemed to be a singing air about Colli that ruffled aura's with evil. It
felt somehow fine, however, and Magick slumped as soon as the other girl let go of her shoulder.
Peering at the other girl suspiciously, Colli giggled and put a hand at her mouth in quiet
amusement.

"This is where I go. Um, if you ever need me, I'll probably be here. Ciao!"

How... quick. Arching a slender brow as the other girl took a step backwards, she
watched scrutinizingly at the other being as she held a hand at her head and seemed to lose
solidity. Now there was a neat trick. How did that happen? Magick searched the area with her
eyes for a moment before she gave up, sighing. Another unsolved mystery. Simply wonderful.

***

"What happened to YOU?"

Magick frowned under the eyes of the other members of Team Rocket Forty-Seven,
slouching as she curled up onto a couch nearby in the lounge, and glared, reverting to her mew
form. "Mew mew mew. Myew maue."

Joey raised a brow. "Is that so." She turned in her chair to look at the assembled lot,
enjoying a day of freedom through seriousness; Jads, Crash, Dreana, Ira, Kaxic, and Feathers.
"An attack. Is this why the letter?"

Magick nodded, closing both eyes and resting her head on her crossed forepaws. Let
them work at it. Pardon the fact that she had just gone through a harrowing experience. How was
that for fun? They had done nothing but stay in this boring meeting all day, and under their own
free will. Not her fault in the least if they shriveled due to bored-

"So I think it's about that time, don't you?" Dreana queried from within Magick's head,
and she opened her eyes to see many of the other nodding in agreement.

An inquiring look recieved very little of an answer. "What we're thinking is that you
should go back to Urth for the moment, some of you. It's not safe here, and who knows. You
might be able to receive some sort of help from Urth in any case. What do you say?"

Several mumbled assent, fervently bobbing their heads, as if in time with a deranged
music. Magick jumped up, gleaning a cry from her tired muscles. "MYE?!?"

Ira looked severely at her. "Did you bother to read what was on the letter? They need
help in there."

In fact, she had NOT bothered to read the letter. It held very little, if any, appeal. She
stared at Dreana, who cleared her throat and read it, it seemed, for a repeated time.

" 'Esteemed members of Team Rocket Forty-Seven; the late Segai *Fushigi* Hakken has
requested that we come back into touch with your headquarters. It seems you are our last hope
and chance for freedom. We only ask that you come to our aid and assist us in leaving the castle
of one Evil Bad-Guy--' "

Magick winced. Suri had mostly likely written that part. What a moron.

" --' and that we be able to take leave of the castle premise to reside with you. We may
become fair allies, should you trust us. In any case, we have little time left before our final
destruction at the hands of one such evil. Our fate lies promptly in your hands. Do not leave us to
be dashed. Sincerely, Grimoire Hakken and co.'. " Dreana finished reading, and Jads looked
thoughtfully at her before speaking.

"I would suggest that someone go with us to help us out around Urth. With all due
respect, I've never been there before, and as much as I've learned from Urthian text, I can't say
I'm familiar with it. How large is it again?"

"TOO large," Kaxic growled gutterally. "However, I must agree. There should be a select
few who go, and I have as little experience as anyone else here."

Feathers snickered. "I don't see why you shouldn't go. The more help we have there is the
less here, and the less there is the more here. In either case, it seems we're left defenseless at one
end or another."

"That's true." Crash twirled a strand of orange hair on her finger idly, and relaxed in her
chair, one leg over the arm rest. "I've been there, once, and that was in Ryuggenzowa. That's
Japan, and as much as it looked small in Urth textbooks, it's not. The place must have been
larger than Kanto, Johto, anything we have here."

Joey scoffed, a finger tapping her glasses in the front and sliding them up. "Yeah, well.
You and me both, Crash. Once. And that can't account for how long anyone else has been there. I
think Magick has us pretty much all beat on time there; four years, and that's not shabby." The
purple-haired woman turned to look at Magick, and grinned somewhat evilly. "I'd say she goes
as a guide to whatsitsname, Lost Angels."

"Myee!"

"Pardon," Joey corrected, "Los Angeles."

"Myeh, MYE myau mew..."

"I don't care if you don't want to go," Joey countered, snickering. "You're the most
experienced, essentially. What are we EVER going to do without a guide?" She put on a
simpering tone, only to gain a glare from Magick.

Great. A trip to Urth. Was the first time not enough? She sighed, and rocked up onto her
behind, avoiding squashing her tail. Focusing blandly and trying to make herself human once
more, she succeeded in looking for the most part human. The only exception was her skin
remaining black and fuzzy. She grumbled, and spoke.

"Lokk, tis ign't ferr... gu cagn guth mekk me gou... *Translation: Look, this isn't fair... you
can't just make me go...* "

Jads sighed. "Please? It's probably best you should."

"Ngo!"

Dreana looked at Magick, who was concentrating on forming her mouth to be human
once more, and frowned, her pale features creasing in aggravation. "Magick, as one of the
commanding officers of Team Rocket Forty-Seven, I am now issuing a command. You're going.
End of discussion." She got up, took one look around, and sharply said, "The rest of you can
figure out who else goes. By the time I get back, you should be gone. Good luck." With that, she
strode out, heels clacking on the tiles of the room outside the lounge.

Silence followed her. At last, it was broken by Crash, who nervously stood up. "I guess I
can go, if you want," she declared, tail twining nervously about her, much as a cat's would.

"I guess that means I'm going, too," Joey confirmed, standing up.

"And me," Jads affirmed, making a position on the floor known to all.

Feathers, Kaxic and Ira looked at each other. "What, no men?" Ira questioned, and
snickered as Jads shot him a glare.

"Eh! Men get in the way," Joey said slyly, and Feathers looked hurt, though he coughed
and lowered his head. Ira shrugged, followed by Kaxic.

"Fine then. You're on your way, huh?" Kaxic jeered, standing up and stretching, long
fingers twiddling in the air as he bent backwards.

Magick simply stared as all the decisions were made around her. "Yup, we are," Crash
said, then hugged each one of the men in turn. "Tell Luke goodbye when you see him. For me,
all right?"

Ira nodded, holding onto Jads. "Will do. Have a safe journey, and don't be gone too long,
all right? We don't want to have to send any Jenny's after you."

The four girls nodded, Magick somewhat dumbfoundedly as she stared. They were
leaving? This quicly? Oh. This was unexpected. She stood, blinking somewhat dazedly. She
would have to do it for them. Play guide?

The boys stepped back, watching the girls as they clustered around Magick, who held out
the necklace at arm's length as hands clamped onto her shoulders and arms. "Does the falcon fly?
Now is the time... to strike."

A whirling vortex of black surrounded the four girls as their hair blew back. The scene of
the three men in the lounge gave way to pitch black and the confused howl and bite of the wind
around them. It seemed awfully rash to make a decision so quickly... but whatever it took, she
would obviously have to do. Serving as a guide would mean leading the way and possibly
putting herself in danger, but that would have to be it. She would have to set aside her thoughts
about Colli, Nerezza, Kaxic, the base, Thanos, Suri, and everything else for the time being. This
was too important to have a distraction.

Besides, they were on their way.

No looking back.

END FIRST STAGE

January 03, 2002

Name Pronunciation, followed by note. Names go in order of chapter.

Madoki: Muh-DOH-key.
Hiyoki: Hee-yoh-key.
Mazaki: Muh-ZAH-key.
Kiri: Keer-ey.
Nahiri: Nuh-here-i.
Polsara: Pul-sar-uh.
Garag: Garr-agh.
Zaerenz: Zay-rens.
Sensucht: Zane-zok-ut.
Kikiri: Kuh-keer-i.
Ryuzoku: Ree-you-zoh-kew.
Kanashimi: Kah-nuh-shee-me.
Nerezza: Nuh-rez-zuh.
Grimoire: Grim-war.
Suri: Sir-ee.
Colli: Call-ee.


Commentary: Thank you, guys, for staying true and reading through to this point. I know it's been particularly slow in
places, gory in others, but I promise thing'sll start to pick up rather abruptly. In any case, they're now off to Earth. I'd
like to apologize for making mistakes in previous chapters, and for some of the gore that showed up without name or
reason. I'd also like to apologize for some of the names I've used without permission (please, e-mail me if there's any
problems with this. I've gotten nasty mail sofar from those complaining "Are those REAL people? How DARE you
use them like that!") and mistakes I may have made with discrepencies. Um, I think that's pretty much it. Bored with
me yet? We'll hope not. Second stage should be out soon. Talk to me sometime. I don't get feedback often, all right?
Oh, and also. There seems to be a lack of response on one particular section; read chapter six, then read chapter nine.
See if you make the connection. Most of you haven't, but I hope that in due time, you will understand and have a little
lightbulb pop up over your head. For now, safe reading. Ja mata ne, minna-san!

Email Magick
Back to Fanfics