[Corruption, Magical Girl Themes]

"It hurts... It hurts..."

Crow's jealous voice was leaking from her lips. All while she held her hands over her heart. Struggling to deal with the feelings inside her. Sadness and Jealousy, mixing together and forming something new...

Something that was causing pain to bounce through her. Pain. She wasn't familiar with this feeling. But it hurt. It hurt a lot. She needed to do something about the culprit behind this...

"And what might you be doing, my Lovely Crow?"

Lady Ravenheart's voice poured through Crow's ears. And the young girl quickly stood up to face her expressionless Lady, letting her head hang as she clenched her hands...

"Lady Ravenheart... These emotions... They make me hurt..." She admitted, as she quietly pulled her hands away. All to show her own heart...

That outline that was her heart. It was currently being circled by the hearts that embodied Sadness and Jealousy. They hadn't fully merged with her heart yet, and yet the way they were connected to her... It brought nothinig but pain...

Her Lady simply chuckled. "That is meant to happen, my Lovely Crow." She said, as she used one finger to gradually lift the girl's chin. All so that the two could be closer to one another. "This pain means that your heart is beginning to understand the emotions that have been added to it. Jealousy and Sadness mix together, and make you long for what you don't have. Just as those emotions will merge with the others that you'll be harvesting."

It was explained in such a succint manner. And yet, Crow couldn't help but feel like it wasn't quite enough. If her heart really did need to understand the emotions going through her, why did it have to be so painful..?

Yet at the same time, she wasn't going to go against her Lady's wishes. Her words had to be true. Because they were coming form her. that's just how it was meant to be. To that end, she simply nodded as her Lady finished her explaination...

"I'm glad that you understand, my Lovely Crow." Lady Ravenheart said, as she carefully lifted up her other hand. Revealing yet another one of those purple hearts that were bursting with one of the emotions she needed. "Because you understand, I want you to try and accept this emotion. Desire. It should mix with your Sadness and your Jealousy, and prevent them both from hurting you more than they already have."

The heart fell onto Crow's hands, as her own heart sank back into her chest. She gazed upon the heart. Carefully watching it spin, as the developing emotion within wanted to sink into a proper host...

"Thank you, Lady Ravenheart." Crow said, as she slowly started to sink into the darkness. Perhaps more vigorously than usual. A token of appreciation towards her Lady for trying to null the pain that she was feeling? Or perhaps her Jealousy flaring up again...

Knowing that whatever Monster would allow her emotion to gestate within it would be the one to bring her to Lovely Dove once again...

---

"How did it feel for you, Sumiko?"

Lunch time had rolled around, and Sumiko was currently poking away at the beans that she was debating if she wanted to eat. All while Aika took a seat across from her, trying to force a smile...

She was still hurting after what she had done when she was serving as that heart's host. How her inner Jealousy had turned her into an identity-stealing Nebula of Jealousy. Thankfully, Sumiko had awakened to those powers before things went even further out of hand. Imagine what would've happened if that Monster had put on one of those faces, and used what it gave her...

But Aika was trying. Especially since she had bothered to put the necklace that Sumiko had given her in the past. She almost always wore it, even when school forced her and Sumiko to wear something dull. Honestly, she wasn't a fan of the seifuku look at all. Way too white, way too blue. She liked the pink hues way more.

Sumiko didn't really mind wearing the school uniform. It meant that people knew what school she was from. Which meant that more people knew how to get ahold of her, and thus get her help. It all made sense to her.

"You mean... With the heart?" Sumiko replied, with her friend rapidly nodding. "I guess... It's like the feeling just kinda welled up within and took over everything I thought."

Aika nodded a bit more as she started twirling one of the breadsticks that she got as a bonus for all the sweet talk she had done to the lunch ladies. Great gals, and just being that bit nice to them had earned her one of her favorite snacks. "Sounds like what I went through. It's like... As soon as that heart sank into me, I just couldn't stop thinking about you. And how much you do for everyone. Especially for me. I just kinda lost it after that, because I didn't feel like I could ever really match up to you."

"It doesn't matter if you match up to me, Aika." Sumiko said, before smiling as she tipped the beans she ultimately didn't care for onto her friend's tray. Since she knew she liked the smaller stuff way more than she did. "As long as you do what you can. And as long as you're my friend. That's all I want you to be."

The pink-braided girl stuttered before simply blushing and crossing her arms slightly. "It's not fair that you know how to hit me that hard with that sweetness of yours, Sumiko..." She whined, her blush growing deeper...

All while Sumiko chuckled a little. With her eyes gradually returning towards her tray, she quietly ignored all of the food that was still on it. All because of a single thought that dwelled in her head.

That girl's face. That sad girl's face. And when she noticed that she could still see her, it was like those eyes of hers, filled with barely any emotion, actually started to react...

She didn't want to let her stay like that. Even if she had caused Aika to turn into a monster. But... What was she supposed to do? She couldn't just become a hero and find her that way, it didn't seem like that'd bring her out. Besides, those powers of hers... Where did they come from? Was she just turning into a Monster again, but a good one? So many questions, so many answers that were hard to find...

It was then that she felt her pocket vibrating... Ah, right... The appointment...

---

"Sorry about the wait, Sumiko. You're not the only one that needs a bit of guidance."

"I understand, Miss Arashi."

Sumiko had taken a seat on the couch that was set up within the councilor's office, feeling more than a little tense. Naturally so. She wasn't sure if she could tell the councilor everything. But since she had told her that she'd be by, she had to be honest about it...

"Please. Just Touko will do."

The school's councilor, a woman that looked like she was stretching into her forties while attempting to mask it under a layer of makeup. Not that Sumiko would point it out. Not just because it was rude, but because what people did wasn't her business.

She was pretty, however. Her dark green hair was tied into a bun, and her thin-rimmed glasses emphasized her gazing eyes. But those were the most professional things about her. She wore a white dress shirt that somewhat clashed with her sweatervest, while also wearing a skirt that was so long that it almost looked like she had been part of a sukeban gang when she was younger. Still, the elements melded together to make her look pretty and homely at the same time.

"Then... Touko." Saying it felt slightly wrong. But that's what she wanted her to call her. And she'd respect that. "I met a girl. She looked around my age, but there was something about the way she looked at me. It's like... It's like she just couldn't emote. And every time I looked at her eyes, I felt my heart trying to tear itself apart from how sad she looked..."

Touko nodded as she picked up the coffee from the table between her and Sumiko. "And you want to help her, I take it?" She shot straight to the matter at the heart of Sumiko's feelings, having seen girls like her before. Many that needed just that little push.

"M-Mmhm. I want to see her smile. It's not... It's not right that she's the only one that doesn't get to smile... Is that so bad? What do you think I should do, Touko..?" It was one thing to tell Aika about this. Something that she still hadn't done, because she wasn't sure if Aika would react a bit too harshly about this. Considering what the girl had done to her.

Touko quietly sipped from her cup, before gently and knowingly smiling. "Have you thought about what these feelings might mean, Sumiko? I know you've been here a few times, since you've been a great help to a lot of your fellow students. But have you ever stopped to think?"

"...I..." This stumped Sumiko for a few minutes as she started leaning into the couch. Putting her hands over her heart, as she carefully listened to the feelings inside her. Feelings that... Feelings that were...

A deep blush carefully dotted its way across her cheeks ,as she quietly started to put the pieces together. "W-Wait... T-Touko, are you... A-Are you saying that I'm in love?" She had to hear it from her lips. She wasn't sure of what to think. But if she was, then..!

"I never said that. You did. Congratulations." Touko giggled as she put the cup back down onto the table. Even gently clapping her hands to congratulate the girl. "But if you're not sure about those feelings, then why don't you tell her when you meet? What you think of her? Maybe she'll tell you what she feels when she sees you."

Sumiko's face was the only part of her that had gone red at this point. No, the rest of her body had turned a cute shade of red. "R-Right. Right! Y-You're right, Touko! You're right, you're right!" Her eyes were spiraling from the emotions in her heart being shook around by this revelation. Prompting her to sway as she walked over towards the door. "T-Thank you, Touko. I-I'll be back later when I've had a talk with her..!"

Just like that, the door to the councilor's office closed. And Touko was left all alone. Prompting her to quietly sigh as she gazed into her coffee. Into the reflection of her aged self...

"The freedom to pursue your troubled feelings. I wish I had done that when I was young." She said, quietly reaching for the coffee...

Only to notice something on the surface of the coffee. Something... Purple? She wasn't sure of what it was, but... She couldn't pull her eyes away...

"Drink it. And spread your wings."

A girl's voice echoed through her ears. A commanding tone. One filled with jealousy. She had trouble really focusing on anything else besides the voice, so she slowly brought the cup up to her lips...

And she began to drink. Downing the coffee in one big gulp, as she felt the warmth swirling around inside her. Powerful warmth. Roaring warmth. Wild warmth that was... That was..!

Touko's coffee cup hit the floor. Shattering, as a wild laughter started to roar out through this cramped office...

All while the girl behind the heart sat on the other couch. Watching Desire twist the councilor into a new form. A new form that would ensure that those two girls were forced apart.

So that she could understand the pain that beat inside the outline of her heart...

---

"Aika..? Aika! Where are you?"

Sumiko was catching her breath after she had started running to try and catch up with her friend. There was still a little bit of time before the bell rung, so they could get a quick word or two in. But... Where had she gone?

Where had most people gone for that matter? She was sure that she had ran past a couple on the way,  but...

*RIIIII-*

The bell started ringing. Started being the important word, because it was destroyed not long after it started. All while Sumiko could feel the hairs on her body standing up in the advent of danger...

"Ahhhhh. Don't have to listen to that anymore. No more constraints. No more work! Just the freedom to be young! Ha! Haha! Haaaahahahahaha!"

Sumiko whipped around, and was greeted by quite the sight. It was another Monster, she could tell that with a single glance. But this one was a lot more violent than the last one, and even more so than she was...

She looked like she was her age, which would explain why she had some difficulty dragging along a sharp-toothed club-sword mix. Her outfit consisted of a thorny top that barely covered her chest and left the rest of her torso mostly bare, with a tight leather vest reaching across her shoulders to give her a bit more coverage. Going down below, she wore a pair of shorts that were just barely visible through her long and tattered skirt. You could also see her thorn-wrapped legs if you were to look through the tattered skirt, giving her an even more dangerous look...

Thorns were poking out of her head, forming a crown thanks to the way they were patterned. And on her chest was the same kind of foul purple heart, this one kept bound within her chest by those thorns that dotted the rest of her youthful body...

"C'mon..! C'mon c'mon c'mon! DangerDesire's here to tear this place apart, so you can all give in and be free!" The Monster cried out as she threw her toothed blade onto her shoulder, before using herself as leverage to slam it straight into the ground...

The entire school shook, as several thorns started to emerge from the ground. Thorns that rushed into every classroom that was nearby. Even those that were further away, because DangerDesire wasn't going to let them escape the freedom that she was forcing upon them!

Sumiko could feel her worries rising faster and faster as the Monster's thorns also spread out towards her, prompting her to roll out of the way. And when the thorns followed her, she had to do something. And fast. Because if she didn't, then everything would just run amock!

"SPREAD MY WINGS!"

She shouted, and the transformation that had turned her into Lovely Dove took place once more. Her own light wrapping around her and blossoming into several wings that characterized her heroic self, blowing away the thorns that had tried to grab her and transform her...

All while DangerDesire laughed in turn. This didn't deter her in the slightest. If anything, seeing an adversary like Lovely Dove just excited her that much more, grinding the sharp teeth of her blade against the floor...

"That's it! That's it! Let your desire run free and fight me! Fight me and all of my buddies!" DangerDesire cried out, laughing as the doors to the various classrooms were thrown open...

And one by one, girls started to emerge. Girls that were dressed in tattered uniforms, with thorns wrapped around their bodies. Their eyes bloodshot as the thorns dug into their necks... Drawing out droplets of blood that poured across their neck, and up towards their faces. Forming black thorn makeup around their eyes, thorns that only grew thicker and more imposing with every drop of blood that fueled them...

And among them? Aika. While she was mostly identical to all of the others, she had two thorns on each side of her neck. And even then, she was still moving slower than most. She was trying to resist, even as her dangerous eyes fell upon her friend...

"Aika..." Lovely Dove muttered before clenching her fists. Right. She needed to deal with this. And she knew exactly how. She had done it once before, this 'desire' could mix with the happiness she could fill them with. She knew it would. The issue was just...

She had to charge the move. The energy was gathered in the heart on her choker. It had to get enough happiness to clear out the entire school. Especially since she still didn't know if disabling them was a priority before the main Monster.

DangerDesire watched the energy gathering in the girl's hands, grinning wildly in response. Heh. Heheh! She was actually trying to fight back. Good. Good! That's what she had been hopin' for..!

"HEADS UP, BIRDIE!"

Lovely Dove's eyes widened as the toothed blade came flying towards her, causing her to break her concentration and dispel the energy in her hands as she threw herself out of the way...

Only to throw herself straight into DangerDesire's palm. Her eyes only barely got to register what just happened before the hand firmly grasped her head, and she was thrown to the wild horde that had gathered behind the Monster.

The thorned Desires gazed down towards the hero that had just hit the ground, before they started to kick and stomp away at her. With their thorned boots and thorned heels. All trying to hur the girl because she was trying to get in their way...

More and more crazed laughter was starting to echo out as they kept on doing this. The more damage they did to her, the more the thorns that were controlling them were driving them wild. And the more wild they became, the more the thorns spread towards their heart...

Naturally, Lovely Dove tried to fight back and resist what she was being put through. But every hit inflicted upon her was making it harder and harder to keep up the will to fight. At least, the will to fight to save them...

Their wild desire was infecting them. Thorns starting to wrap around her throat, as she felt her heart pounding more and more. Yeah... Yeah, she should just.. Just..!

"I knew you were pathetic."

The sound of gunshots rushing through the air echoed out, before the small horde of Desires that had been kicking Lovely Dove to the curb were dealt with. Allowing her space to recover, the thorns that were wrapping around her gradually vanishing, and prompting DangerDesire to turn around and face their new assailant.

"Y...You..?" Lovely Dove muttered, the voice sounding awfully familiar... Where had she heard something like it before? Where...

The voice that had called her pathetic belonged to a redheaded girl with a star clip in her hair. She wore a bomber jacket and a matching tee with a star on it as well. Slightly tattered jeans, ending in a pair of leather boots with a pair of spurs. Spurs that were currently grinding against the ground as the redhead approached the battlefield...

"Me?" The redhead said, before laughing as she realized what had happened. "Ahh... No wonder you were able to transform. You're a Monster too. Well, that makes my job easier." She cracked a grin.

Several of the Desires that DangerDesire had made rushed towards the starry girl, only to be blown back by a light formed from the star on her chest, one that only grew stronger as she covered her eyes with the opposite side's hands, pulling them away as the stars in her eyes were emphasized.

"Shine, my wings!"

The light from her chest burst forth, forming a trail of stars that shot back at her, each slamming into her as more and more of her outfit changed as a result.

Her bomber jacket grew thinner as to reveal her star-studded latex arms, with the jacket itself turning into a vest with several star-like feathers sticking out from the inner side. Her tee stretched out and joined with the latex, making it look more like a full on bodysuit. Her jeans tore apart fully and took her boots with them, as several spurs started to stick out slightly from the back of her legs. Ready to extend further and start spinnin' when she went on the offensive. And to complete her wild look, the soft click of her heels echoed out as a starry visor formed across her face, one with a pair of wings sticking out of both ends. That starry visor even shining for a moment, as Red, White and Blue colors consumed the rest of her star-studded outfit...

"My wings shine for me and my Joy alone! Shiny Eagle!" The new heroine cried out, selfcentered beyond belief given the way that she talked about herself and the way her body looked like it could cut somebody if they got too close.

DangerDesire grinned as she let go of Lovely Dove, by tossing her to the ground of course, before grabbing her sharp-toothed blade. "Let's go then, and see how far that Joy takes you!" She shouted, as she started rushing towards the enemy that had just appeared...

A horde of Desires. A horde of weaklings. With their equally weak boss in the back. Shiny Eagle couldn't help but grin as she pushed her visor up slightly...

Before the sound of her wings beating echoed out, and a pair of stars took shape in her hands. Stars that she spun, causing two gunbarrels to spin freely around her stars until they locked into place as proper barrels. Barrels that were nearly as long as her arms, yet didn't seem to cause these stars to wobble or sway at all.

No, they struck straight and true. Firing through the hearts of the enemies that were trying to run towards her. Star after star being fired from those barrels, all while Shiny Eagle kept that confident grin on her face...

And as some of them came a little too close, she flicked her wrists. Shifting the position of the barrels as they shot out and grew sharper, until they were right below her hands and nearly scraped against the floor.

Three of these desires tried to jump at her. She cut them down. Cutting out the thorns that had infested them, and bringing her ever closer to the Monster at the center of it all.

It didn't matter that blood was being shed through the way she was fighting. It didn't matter that she wasn't taking care of all of them. All that mattered was the bitch at the center..!

DangerDesire watched the girls she had freed with her desire. Each one that fell caused her heart to ache more and more. Which just made her push that much harder. Straight towards the girl that was trying to kill her desire. Laughing all the while. "LET'S SEE IF THAT JOY CAN STOP MY DESIRE!"

Just as Shiny Eagle cut through another two Desires, with Aika falling to the ground after being slashed free from her minionized form, the sharptoothed blade came crashing down towards her. There was no way that she could block it...

Which was why she clashed against it instead, one blade slamming straight in between the teeth as she laughed back. Her eyes, hidden behind the visor, flared brightly as the sparks from their clash flew all around.

Sparks that didn't stop her from flicking her wrist, causing her other star's barrel to be pointed straight into that sickly heart that was all-too-vulnerable. The Monster didn't see it coming, nor did she have a chance to do anything about it.

The sound of a gunshot rung out, and Touko hit the deck. Her transformation was violently undone, leaving her in shredded clothes with her hair undone and her glasses partly cracked. And as a result of the direct hit to that emotion, the remaining Desires went through a similar treatment...

Leaving Shiny Eagle in the midst of a pile of bodies. They were still breathing, but they were out for the count. And once again, a Monster had been dealt with. Leaving her to simply chuckle as she tossed the stars from her hands, the shine of her wings dimming as she released her transformation.

"You see now, 'Lovely Dove'? You're pathe-"

The redheaded girl tried to throw another pointed insult towards the other heroine, only to blink as she realized that the girl had disappeared.

"A coward too, eh?" She sighed, all while taking her leave. "No wonder you were a Monster. I was right to throw away that ‘Lovely’ name when I found out about you." She concluded, before the shine of her wings flashed once more, letting her disappear with it...

The star that had come to steal the show vanished just as quickly as she had arrived...

---

The sickly purple heart filled with Desire was flying away. Flying towards the one it was meant to return to. The girl who was taking a lone seat in the Councilor's office, waiting for it to come back...

Yet as the door opened to the office, it wasn't just the heart that entered. Something that caused the girl to momentarily flinch at the sight...

"You... Why... Why are you taking it too..? Why do you insist on hurting me..?"

Lovely Dove panted as she kept a hand firmly wrapped around that sickly heart, all while staring towards the frustrated girl. She was... She was angry..? No, it seemed like it, but it wasn't quite. No matter, what she felt towards her wasn't important..!

"I don't want to see you with that sad expression anymore..!" Sumiko said, the light of her heart causing her wings to recede and reveal her normal self once more. "I want to help you. And if this is just like the heart that went into me and Aika, then... Then you're just going to end up turning into a Monster if you keep taking them and making them..!"

The girl balled up her fists as she got up from the couch. Walking over to the girl that had become Sadness once before. "Give me my Emotion... I need it for my heart..!" She almost raised her tone. Almost.

"Your heart..?" The pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. She... She needed these emotions, these strong emotions that consumed people, because she didn't have a heart that was strong enough? No, that was a terrible idea. "I can't let you do that. You're going to end up even worse than me and Aika..."

Her desire to try and help the girl was resonating. So strongly that the heart in her hand started to glow. Not with a sickly purple like before, but with a platinum hue. Just like her hair...

Right before it slammed into her chest, and she staggered backward. Panting and gasping as... As..? Huh..?

Her desires weren't... Her desires weren't running out of control. Even as she gazed upon the saddened girl, she could only feel a little tug inside her heart. A small tug towards that adorable girl who needed her help... And if she were to catch a glimpse of her own face, she'd now be sporting heart-shaped eyeshadow around both her eyes...

The girl gazed at her. Frowning, as that emotion was meant for her. And yet, at the same time... The jealousy that had caused her pain was starting to calm down. Why? Why did she not feel pain from her emotion being taken from her?

"...I'll be back for my Emotion." She muttered. Unsure of what to believe as she sank into the darkness from whence she came...

Leaving Sumiko to quietly put her hand over her heart. Feeling the Desire within her start to pound in tune with her normal heartbeat. All while she slowly panted...

The girl was lacking emotions. But she seemed to be affected by the ones she didn't have. She seemed to subconsciously understand what it meant to have somebody else worry about you...

Well, if she was starting to understand... Then she'd do her best to make sure she got through to her. So that the adorable girl could smile...

Smile with her...