kadytheredpanda

Title: Drowning in the Storm Surge
Author: Kady the Red Panda
Fandom(s): Spirou et Fantasio, Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Pairing(s): gen
Rating: K
Warning(s): character death
Summary: Prompt: performance anxiety. Drabblish. Only one soldier remains.
Word Count: 454
Disclaimer: I'm not involved with Dupuis Publishing.
Other tidbits: This occurs in the first timeline. Takes place very shortly after the events in "Killing Time as the Eye Passes."

0000

He did not intend to run. He never intended to run during any battle, let alone this one. But run Fantasio did.

Scarlet fire balls aimed at him but miraculously missed. Shatters of concrete and other rubbish showered him as they pursued him for a good distance. The magical boy continued this until he found Kyubey perched atop the rubble pile that currently doubled as Seccotine's grave. Hoarse, he swallowed before screeching the creature's name. 

"Look behind you Fantasio," Kyubey only responded.

For once Kyubey gave out good advice. Fantasio screamed and jumped back before another ball gave him the same fate Spirou received.

Time stopped. A familiar shade of azure bathed the entire area, including the great red and black witch in the distance. In between running he hopped up and grabbed Kyubey by the tail. Now dirty, shaken, he cradled the alien like a baby as he sniffled.

"Kyubey, can I have another wish?"

"I'm only allowed to give humans one wish and one wish only."

Fantasio threw his head back and whined. "I asked to go back and fix everything. This! This is not fixing it! I've only made things worse!"

"You can make everything better by defeating Samhain."

"Are you crazy?" Still cradling Kyubey he rubbed a stinging eye. "The count died. Seccotine, who has much more experience than me with cleaning up this sort of mix, is dead. Spirou--" he broke into a sob "--just burned to the point there's no ash or anything else I can bury. I don't even have reconciling with Zantafio to look forward to if I did make this out alive! How can I make things better?"

Kyubey stared at the weeping man. It was certainly an odd display of emotion, one he saw many times before. His tail flicked.

The blond attempted to regain some composure. "I can freeze time, right?"

If the incubator had any doubt of that ability he just had to turn around.

"Maybe, perhaps..." His eyes slowly opened more. "I... can... go back..." Now a forming smile: "And... fix it... to make sure it doesn't happen again? Yes?"

Time started again. Arms loosened and alien landed on all fours.

"What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Fantasio laughed. "I'm gonna do it." The hands on his shield ticked backwards in increasing pace until they were mere blurs. "I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna fix everything, Kyubey! Believe it! Wish me good luck!"

In a blue flash the magical boy vanished. Turning around he sighted Samhain in the distance, lighting up downtown Brussels with waves of deep red fire. Fantasio's words repeated in his mind.

"I don't believe it," he said. "I don't believe in you, Fantasio."