Yoishi heard rustling.  She turned her head, looking down the alley drenched in golden afternoon light.  She waited, tense, not certain what would emerge.  There was a shift in the heap of cardboard boxes that had made the noise, then another, the something rustling beneath coming closer to emerging.  As it did, her tension faded – it seemed too small and too weak to be a monster, and if it was trying to lull her into a false sense of security, which was doubtful, she was far enough away to react when it emerged.

What crawled out of the boxes was an old dog.  That, at least, was how anyone else would have seen it; Yoishi knew at once that it was dying.  She faced the poor thing, her shadow stretching across the space between them then slowly, deliberately walked forward.  When she came close she first took a knee, then sat down, back against the grafitti-marred wall.

“I know what you're feeling” she said, “You're hurt, and you're scared, and you know what's coming.”

The dog walked closer.  It looked up at her, half-blind eyes sorrowful, and Yoishi waited until it lay its head in her lap.  Gently, she patted its head, and tried to brush back a little of its matted fur.

“Not long left, huh?  I'm sorry it has to be this way, that nobody else came and sooner... but I'll stay with you until the end, alright?”

As far as Yoishi knew, the dog couldn't understand her, but somehow it seemed able to understand what she offered... just a little peace and friendship in those important moments.

“There's nothing to fear.” she whispered, “We're all going that way sooner or later.”

Gently, she ran her hand back across the dog's head.  It closed its eyes, and its breathing slowed very slightly.

“See?  Nothing to fear.”

There really wasn't long, maybe fifteen minutes or so, before Yoishi felt that breath stop entirely.  She always knew, ever since.

A new long shadow fell across Yoishi and the dead dog.  She turned her head – the silhouette could be mistaken for a cat,or maybe a squirrel, but Yoishi had gotten rather used to the Puuchu.

“If you're quite through,” it said, “I have a lead for you, chuu.”

“Were you waiting?” Yoishi asked, “I didn't know you were so considerate.”

“Not long.  If that one had taken much more time I would have just told you anyway.”

The Puuchu were... or at least the one Yoishi worked with was cagey, but it wasn't inclined to outright lie.  Nor to spare her feelings, so even waiting a minute or so was a gift it would be sure to remind her of.  Yoishi gently moved the dog, and tried to lay it carefully somewhere... there was really nowhere good but the real thing had gone, she told herself, and wouldn't mind.  She stood up, and looked over to the Puuchu.

“Alright,” she said, “What's the story?”

***

Kirara Smith was enjoying herself.  A third-generation Japanese-American she had never been to her family's home country before, much less to Tokyo, and had held some expectations, both good and bad, about what it was going to be like before a school trip took her there for real.

It was dusk, the sky faded to a dull purple of not-quite-night on the outskirts of Akihabara, and Kirara and her friends James, Susie, and Liz were heading back to the hotel after a long afternoon taking in the sights and the shopping.  As they left the land of cafes and electronics, the streets were quiet and gloomy compared to the incandescent backdrop fading behind them.  That's when they heard the scream.

It was short, sharp, and high, whether a yelp of pain or a yell.  At first, Kirara tensed to run, but then Liz spoke.

“That sounded like a student.”

She was right.  Kirara wasn't exactly a connoisseur of screams but she'd heard enough of the other girls in her class to say that it might have been.

“Maggie's group was in Akihabara too, right?” Susie asked.

Kirara gritted her teeth.  “Okay,  Susie, Liz, run back to the hotel.  Ger Mr. Barnard or at least one of the teachers, they've got everyone's numbers.”

“What about us?” James asked.

Kirara's eyes focused on the alley the scream had echoed most loudly from “We're going to see what that really was.”

“Excuse me?”

“We're not supposed to split up.”

“We don't have time!” Kirara shouted, “Get to it!”

And with that, she dashed down the alley.  Somewhere inside, she knew she was making a mistake.  She was breaking at the rules, and heading towards danger.  Did she have any idea what she'd do if she found it?  She wanted to help...

Her thoughts weren't collected enough to follow that line to its conclusion.  She hopped over cardboard boxes and puddles of runoff.  As she ran, eyes focused on her path, she listened.  She heard a set of footfalls behind her, and sounds, stranger sounds, clanging and crashing ahead.

There was no plan, but even of there had been she wouldn't have been prepared for what she saw as she rounded the corner to face some tiny back alley square.

She stopped short, standing up and watching as a girl in cosplay did battle with a hulking, shadowy monster.

“Is this some sort of...”

Advertisement?  In Akihabara, maybe, a little show to draw in the otaku.  Was there a storefront all the way back here?  What a lousy location... but it seemed too real.

Kirara looked again.  There was no zipper on that monster, no seam of a lousy costume only given any credence by shoddy lighting and decent acting.  It was big, too, almost too big and too twisted for someone to fight inside it.  Was it too big for someone to be walking around in that thing.  There was a gash in the girl's thigh, just below the hem of her miniskirt, as well, and either a little back-alley promotional had special effects to rival Hollywood's best, or it was gushing actual blood to stain the girl's overknee sock bright red.

“It can't be...” James muttered, beside Kirara, having come to the same realization, and hitting the same numb, trembling denial

The girl turned her head to face them, and Kirara met her eyes for a sharp second before the beast slashed at her again.  She moved, almost too fast to follow, dodging and parrying with her sword, leaping across the square as though physics didn't apply.  She bounded off a claw and a shoulder, and cut at its back as she sailed past, landing on the other side beyond its flicking tail.  The beast cried out, a screech that Kirara could only liken to a passing train.

Then the beast looked up, and it saw the humans now in front of it.  The girl, over its shoulder, saw too.  Her eyes widened in horrir as rather than turning on her, the beast reared back.

“Look out!” the girl shouted – in Japanese.  It was a second language to Kirara, and she dropped flat.  James didn't know a word.  A split-second later Kirara felt the wind whip above her, then after that she heard two wet impacts beside her, and a dark oval, mercifully backlit but still unmistakable, rolled across her vision.

The other girl was screaming – bloody fury, Kirara didn't catch the exact words.  She jumped on the monster and began hacking it it.  No more nimble dancing, she was tearing into the monster as though she were one herself.  The screeching train sound echoed through the alley and became all Kirara could hear, and the beast thrashed and threw her into a nearby wall.  Slowly, she began to rise, but the beast's tail slammed into her, battering her against the facade.  Then, it faced Kirara.

Some people say that when you face death, your life flashes before your eyes.  But life wasn't what Kirara faced – just death, and she stared up in horrified, paralyzed silence.  The beast reared back, and its claw began to descend in a black blur towards Kirara.

A flash of light cleared Kirara's vision, and something sticky and hot rained down on her face.  Blood – its stink was everywhere, and she saw the beast's claws having run the girl through,  The girl shrieked, raising her sword with both hands even as the thing lifted her off the ground by its impaling claws.  Green fire bloomed around the girl, as she cried out in anger and pain.  Then, she slashed.  The blazing, emerald light fell on the monster, and it dropped, crumbling into ash and smoke.  The girl fell too, down into a pool of her own blood.  Kirara crawled forward, and reached out, turning her over.

The girl looked up, her face contorted with pain fading as she met Kirara's gaze.

“I... saved at least one person.” she whispered, “I'm so glad.”

Then the light faded from her eyes, and Kirara was left alone with death.

But not for long.

“What a shame, chuu.”

Kirara looked up to the source of the voice, and found herself staring at an exceptionally large and soft looking squirrel, almost like a living stuffed animal.

“Midori was very promising, chuu,” it said, “But in her place you'll have to do.”

“M-me?”

“Yes, you, puu,” it said, hopping down and standing in front of Kirara as she picked herself up to her knees.  “You were right her when her spark faded, so I'm afraid we don't have the time to do this pleasantly.”

“What, do what?!” Kirara shouted, finally finding her voice.

The creature sat up on its haunches.  “You will become a Magical Girl!”

Kirara wouldn't have thought that she could be shocked any more, but somehow the words didn't even process.

“Magical Girls fight monsters, puu, as you've seen.  And since Midori died protecting you, you kind of owe it to the world to take her place, don't you think?”

“I...”

The creature extended a paw.  “It's not all bad news.  Here.”

In a daze, Kirara took its paw and shook.  The world pulsed around her, and she started to feel her body convulsing.  The little creature withdrew its paw, and Kirara found a mass of ancient coins in her hand.  The coils began to glow, and she could feel them sinking into her.

“It might be difficult,” she offered, “But try to focus on something you'd like to be, like 'I want to be strong'.  Girls like you adjust better to their new lives if they have at least a little choice in the matter.

Minutes that felt like eternities later, Kirara stood up.  She felt different.  Stronger, like the world weighed nothing.  Maybe taller or slimmer.  Her t-shirt and jeans were gone, replaced with a formal black school uniform.  Long, black hair – far longer than hers had been, fanned around her.

“That's very interesting.” the critter said, “Oh, you're a strange one.  Which might be a good thing.”

All around her, Kirara saw death.  The dissipating remains of the monster, the corpse of Midori, the head and body of James... the insects trampled underfoot, the last echoes of lost life in wooden construction.  The only things that didn't radiate death in some way were herself, clean stone, and the little creature before her.

“I... I need to get back.” she said.

“I'm afraid you can't do that.” the creature said

“What?!”

“You were dead to your friends and your own family the moment the light faded from Midori's eyes,” it explained, “As far as the world is concerned, Kirara Smith is gone.”

Kirara held her head.  This couldn't be happening and yet... when she looked at herself, when she saw or failed to see what she could now see...

“It will be easier if you think of yourself as being someone else now.  Perhaps you'd like a new name.  Midori did.”

It hopped up to a railing to face her at eye level.

“How does Yoishi sound to you?  I think it suits you.”

***

Yoishi stared down the creature.  Such a beast couldn't be allowed to run amok on the human world any longer.

“Monster-san.” she declared in a clear voice.  “I believe the time has come to end this.”

Yoishi focused, and the world around them pulsed.  The alley was mostly the same, but they were now in the overcity, far away, on average, from anyone who could repeat her mistakes.

“If you would,” she said, giving her opponent a small bow, “It is high time we began.”

The beast needed no more invitation to rush forward.  It was some ogre-like thing; the exact category wasn't one Yoishi worried about.  It rushed at her, and she stepped to the side, gripped its wrist, delivered a quick blow to its gut, and followed through to pitch it over her head, slamming the creature into the ground.  As it rose, Yoishi was upon it.  She struck carefully, but with a force she'd learned could casually dent steel.  Each blow in the machine-gun series of jabs drove into the monster as though it were a punching bag.  It doubled over, and as it reeled Yoishi lifted her leg and brought an axe kick down upon the crown of its head, cracking the pavement where the beast's skull impacted into it.

Yoishi narrowed her stance, but also stepped back.  As she though, her foe wasn't done yet.  Energy surged out from it as it leapt back to its feet.

“You stink of death.” Yoishi said, “And I should know.  I cannot allow it to continue, however.”

The monster roared, ember wind blowing from it across Yoishi.  It appeared that it lit itself on fire.  Yoishi shook her head at its fury.

“Such anger... How much more could the world possibly need?”

The beast ran forward and Yoishi rushed into its attack, ducking its clumsy swing and driving a palm strike into its chest.  The monster skidded back, its flames flickering, and Yoishi saw the color of death gathering on it.

For a second, she closed her eyes.

“So be it,” she said.

The beast charged again, and Yoishi focused.  She breathed deep, and prepared.  As it came, she held her ground, and as it leaped upon her, she struck.

“Be at peace.”

The blow shattered bones and tore flesh, but there was far more than that.  In Yoishi's view, it was as though an afterimage of the monster recoiled back, tearing away from its body and dissolving from view as the corporeal form fell limp and lifeless to the ground.

Yoishi knelt beside the creature and closed its eyes even as it began to crumble under even the faint breeze of the Overcity.

“May what follows after be kinder to you than you were to our world.”

A moment later, the Puuchu appeared.

“A good start, chuu,” it said, “But I doubt that's the end of it.”

“For a moment only,” Yoishi said, “I understand.  Death waits for no man.”

***

Yoishi (Birth name: Kirara Smith)
Apparent Age: 14
Build: Average
Magical Specialization: Death.  Yoishi is not particularly magically inclined.  She seems able to see death, sensing what is or was mortal and its proximity to that boundary.
Weapon: Yoishi fights entirely with martial arts.
Outfit: Yoishi wears a Japanese-style school uniform.  The primary color is black, with accents of white and pale green (all colors associated with death in various cultures)
Killing Blow: Yoishi's ultimate attack is a blow that, beyond physical damage, attempts to literally knock the victim's soul out of its body.  If successful, it's instantly fatal.
Enhanced Sustenance: Yoishi does not have a normal human's needs for food, rest, or even air
Awareness: Beyond her death-sense, Yoishi is very perceptive, to the point of supernatural power.
Get out of Jail: Yoishi is difficult to impossible to restrain, able to teleport out of bonds and prisons, though not in a controllable fashion
Eternal Style: Yoishi always seems pristine and stylish
Overcity Shift: Yoishi can move fairly freely between Earth and the Overcity, and even drag others (including enemies) with her.

Patron: Puuchu.  Yoishi is on... decent terms with her Puuchu handler.  She represses any lingering resentment about her status.

Personality: Yoishi is courageous and merciful.  Soft spoken and respectful, she can sometimes seem haughty because of how she maintains her cool attitude in combat.  However, that's probably the least true impression of her avaliable: Yoishi's greatest weakness is her lack of self-respect.  She lives for others first, herself an extremely distant second.  Especially now that she doesn't have most of her earthly needs, she will often neglect to take care of herself.  Yoishi's greatest strength (aside from her actual strength) is her kindness.  Despite life as a Magical Girl, Yoishi hasn't lost her basic empathy.  If anything, it's stronger than ever, and in addition to slaying foes she sees it as her duty to comfort the dying when she can.  Yoishi is fairly brave, not hesitating to run towards danger, but in additional to a natural consequence of potentially putting her in situations she'll have trouble handling, Yoishi isn't the brightest bulb in some ways.  That is, her academic knowledge and intellect aren't lacking, but she can make some fairly bone-headed decisions.

Str 16 (+2 Fist, +1 Killing Blow, +1 Bronze, +4 Gold, +4 Silver)
Agi 7 (+1 Body, +2 Bronze)
Vit 8 (+1 Death, +1 Uniform, +1 Enhanced Sustenance,  +1 Bronze)
Mag 4
Lck 10 (+2 Death +4 Silver)