Amy woke up, only to find herself in bed.  This in of
itself would not be unusual, except for the fact Evil Amy
had her back to the wall, and promptly pushed Good Amy out
of bed.  Not to be outdone, Good Amy dragged most of the
sheets with her.

	"Alright bitch!  You want to play that game?" Evil
Amy stood on the bed, looking down upon her equal.  Good
Amy dragged herself to her feet, and looked up.

	"Yes.  Time to feel the pain you evil...  evil...
Ah, let's just fight."  The Good Amy decided to cut the
pleasantries.  "Forces of light! I beseech thee! Grant me
the power of love! I am Liberated Lady Warrior Angeleye!"

	"Forces of darkness! I beseech thee! Grant me the
power of major ass-kicking! I am Feminist Bitch-Queen
Angeleye!"

	The two fully transformed Magical Girls stared at
each other, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

	A polite, but heavy knock on the door prevented that
sort of thing from happening.  "Amy.  Are you decent?"

	Both girls turned to the door.  "Yes Dad.  We are."

	The patriarch of the Angeleye house opened the door,
and snuck a quick peek.  "Listen, your mother got called
for some important business, so I'm going to be taking you
to your doctor's appointment today.  Your absence today has
already been arranged, and Ms. Murakami will be by after
school to drop off the homework."

	"Her name is Yuri *Mikagami*, Dad."  L.L.W. Angeleye
corrected her dad before her counterpart could.

	"Besides, don't you have to work today?"  F.B.Q
Angeleye stepped off the bed, glaring at the other Amy.
This wasn't finished.  The message was clear in her eyes.

	"Nope.  We got done the Zeroes Academy job early.
Now we're just waiting for the schools to close up for the
summer next week so we can start the renovations on them.
Now, get dressed you two.  We have a couple of stops to
make before we get to your appointment."

	"Yes Dad." The two Amys replied together.  Their
father closed the door.

	"Next time."  It didn't really matter which one said
that line.

*********************************************************
			       Dark Heart High

		 Netherworld Educational Institution for
		    The Universal Propagation of Evil
			     crafted by Mads


*********************************************************
Part Fifty-Eight: Multiplications!
by JonB
*********************************************************

	Hikaru Hikari pulled himself into his chair at the
breakfast table.  Somehow his mother was all perky this
morning, like all the mornings before and after.  This
beautiful Thursday morning could only go downhill from
here.

	"How was your date last night dear?"

	Hikari didn't look up from his toast.  "Bad.  The
coolant system didn't work the way we thought, and the
whole rig nearly exploded."

	The Principal of Sakura Arts looked at her son.
Normally she would object to his association with the Dark
Heart student, but her sources indicated that the student
in question was slowly shifting away from evil.  Slowly.
She was cutting back on her crooked deals.  He was having a
good influence on her.  "That's good to hear honey.
Listen, I know you are going to see Liza at lunch today.
Could you please give her a message from me to give to her
principal?"  She passed a sealed envelope across to her
son.

	"Sure.  But if it's the School's business, can't it
wait till the meeting next week?"

	"No and No.  Thanks for your help honey."  She gave
him a light kiss.  "Now, you had better get ready.  I'm
leaving in fifteen minutes."

	*	*	*

	Yuri moped into the kitchen.  Her grandmother was
there, alternating between disgusted looks and worry as she
scanned what her daughter had purchased in the latest
shopping trip.  "How many times do I have to tell Hoshiko?
I can't drink bats blood!"  She moved the offending bottle
out of the way to reveal a more palatable drink.  "Ah.
Proper milk.  She did get some!"

	"Hi Grandma!"  Yuri announced her presence in as
cheerful a manner as possible.  The net effect of this was
to make her father cringe.

	"You have five minutes to get to school young lady."
Mrs. Ibuki reminded her granddaughter.

	"She knows."  Troi stated flatly from his seat.
"Yuri, I'm sorry about the way I acted last night.
Your mother set me straight last night, and you have my
complete support.  Come on, gimme a hug!"  Troi extended
himself, and engulfed his unresisting daughter.  A moment
later, he released her.

	Yuri wiped a tear from her eye.  "Thanks Dad.
There's only a week and a half left.  I suppose the rumor
will die down over the summer.  I can live with it."

	"That's good to hear.  Now..."

	"Four minutes, dear.  Your mother already left for a
business meeting early today, and I don't want you late."
Mrs. Ibuki handed Yuri some toast and a bagged lunch.

	"Thanks!"  With that, Yuri was off, moving at a blur
to make it to school at her usual time.

	*	*	*

	Leilei had taken the cat charm to a jeweler, and now
it was as good as new.  "There."  She fixed it to Bala's
ear, not trusting him to not damage it again.  "Thanks for
pulling strings with your family to keep me here.  I know
you didn't want me to leave just yet, and I'm thankful for
that.  Say 'Hi!' to Yuri for me will you?  Please?"

	"..." Bala looked at his personal assistant.  She no
longer needed to attend classes with him, but there were
still some things that needed doing, like shopping and
upkeep of the apartment they used while he was in this
world.

	"Good.  Now, get going."

	Bala grabbed his school bag, and left in the fastest
manner possible.  Leilei sighed, and reached for the phone
to order a new window.

	*	*	*

	"Angeleye...  Excused."  Yuri twisted hard to look at
the empty seat behind her.  Did this have something to do
with the splitting in two thing?  Well, she had agreed
yesterday to bring the homework for her over to her house
after school, so she could ask then.

	"Balabalalde."

	"..." The young man turned his head to look the
teacher in the eye.  A soft tingling accompanied the
motion, and Yuri twisted again to look at the cause of the
sound.  Her eyes opened wide in shock.  It was the charm...
He had it again.  She tried to fathom the reasons for this
change of attire.  After the...  proposal, he had gotten
rid of it.  Now he was wearing it again.  What did this
mean?

	"Maimsworth."

	"Here."

	"Mikagami"  No response.  "MIKAGAMI!"

	That got a response.  Yuri jumped in her desk.  "Hai!
Present Sensei!"

	The rest of roll call went by without incident.  As
did the first class.  And the second one.

	Lunch arrived, and Yuri found herself under the usual
tree.  She opened her lunch, and quickly devoured the meal
set out for her.  It was relatively quiet in this corner of
the yard.  So far no one had mentioned anything about the
rumors to her, but that was going to change soon.  She knew
it.  At the very least, Yasuko was going to say something
sooner or later.

	On a hunch, she looked up, and saw Bala standing in
the tree above her.  She tried to take a breath, but could
not.  Her chest fluttered as she looked straight at him.
"Bala..." she whispered.

	Summoned, he landed softly at her side.  The cat
charm glinted in the sunlight.  For a perfect moment,
neither of them moved.

	"Leilei.  Says.  Hi."  The words left Balas mouth,
and then he was gone as well.

	From the distance, Ki looked on.  His hand tightened
on the hilt of his sword.  He nursed a feeling in his alien
heart. One that he recognized, and gave him power for it.
It was called Rage.  It would take some doing, but
Balabalalde was not going to graduate from this school.
Yuri would be his.

	That was The Plan.

	*	*	*

	Craig made sure no one saw him as he entered the
room.  The other occupant noted his arrival and set down
the paperwork in his hands.

	"Craig Maimsworth."

	Craig bowed.  "Counselor Ikari."

	"Please, sit."  Ikari cleared off a large portion of
his desk, and waited for young man to sit down.
"What brings you here?"  He inquired softly.

	"I don't know.  Can you be trusted?  With what I have
to say, I mean?"

	Ikari leaned back.  "Not even Amakusa himself could
get at the contents of whatever we may discuss here.  I
take my job very seriously.  And maintaining the
confidentiality of those who come in my door is one of
them.  Yes.  We can, and are talking in private."

	Craig leaned lack in the chair.  "I don't know where
to begin, really."

	"The beginning."

	"What?"

	"Start where everything starts.  The beginning."

	A sigh.  "O.K.  But that's hard to describe.  My
family, has, no.  Had.  Had certain standards set out for
the members of the family.  Since my grandfathers time
in fact.  Now, my father wasn't the best of people.  He led
a mediocre career, and finally got killed by Melvin
Mikagami.  That left my elder brother and myself as the
only real men in the family.  Mordred was the jewel of the
family tree.  He was smart, evil, everything a
Maimsworth should be.  But he lost it.  First his respect
for family, then his mind, then his life.

	"I was content to let my brother run the family.  I
just didn't really care about that sort of thing.  I admit
that I became something of a clown.  I could never be as
good as my brother at anything really, so why even try?

	"Then this year changed everything.

	"I tried to sacrifice Yuri on the first day, to get
'revenge' against the principal.  I failed at that, and at
least a half dozen other attempts to simply kill her.
Nothing really went my way, and I was happy with that.  In
a depressed, 'I don't have to care' sort of way.

	"But then there was the final exams.  I had asked
Mordred to keep the other DHU students away from my team.
And why shouldn't he?  I was family.  We Maimsworths were
supposed to protect each other, right?  He kept the other
DHU students away alright, as he agreed.  But he came for
us himself.  He thought that I had grown weak with my
clowning around.  I killed him.

	"Now, I am the eldest male Maimsworth.  In two years,
when I reach my 18th birthday, I'm going to graduate, and
become Lord Craig Maimsworth.

	"But I don't think I can.  Not really.  I've spent to
much of my life being a joke.  I just don't know what to
do.  Dragonturds!  I even asked Ryuji to be the family
accountant!"

	The rant was over.  Ikari looked at the blond boy as
he slumped in his chair.  "You're here, aren't you?"

	"Huh?"

	"You have survived a year here at Dark Heart.  While
others have died, you have managed to survive."

	"So?"

	"So, that means you have been doing something
correct."

	"No it doesn't.  Isn't there a rule somewhere that
says the comedic relief always survives?"

	"Not at Dark Heart.  If they aren't killed, they get
transferred to Evil Tech.  I believe your teacher gave you
that warning."

	Craig sighed and bowed his head.  He could do that
now that he had redesigned his armour.  It weighed a bare
sixth of what the previous design did.  "But to go from
laughing stock to credible Evil Warlord?  In two years?
How?"

	Ikari knew the answer to this question.  In all his
120 years as the Dark Heart Counselor, such questions
became common place.  "For starters, you will have to work
harder at catching up to the rest of your classmates.  Yuri
Mikagami has gone from knowing nothing to one of the best
students in the class in the course of a year.  I am sure
you can do better.

	"I know you feel that such an act is impossible, and
I do not blame you for those thoughts.  Your grandfather
had much the same problems, trying to drag a no-name clan
into the powerhouse it stood as.  You have in your hands
the potential to return the Maimsworth name to greatness.
Something I know you can do.  Your grandfather did it, and
in many ways, you are his better."

	"I suppose so."  Craig stood up.  Ikari knew he would
be seeing the young man soon enough, and added a private
note that a little more in-depth research into the
Maimsworth family was in order.

	"Here."  Ikari stood up, and walked over to the wall
beside the door.  He selected a small pamphlet from the
dozen or so different ones available and handed it to
Craig.  "Consider taking summer classes here.  Don't worry,
doing so will not negatively affect your standing here at
Dark Heart."

	"Tokyo Mechanical Engineering College and High
School?"

	Ikari nodded.  "It should suit you, and they have
more appropriate classes for your new skills in
electronics."

	Craig brightened at that.  "Thank you Sensei!  I will
take your advice."  He snatched the pamphlet from the
unresisting hand, and he left to do whatever it was he had
to do between now and the afternoon classes.

	*	*	*

	Ryuji cast a glance around the yard.  She wasn't
there.  So he stepped out of the shadows, secure in his
safety.  He had a few minutes to spare before he went to
see Unbidden-San.

	Lily jumped him.

	"There you are!  Listen, you were late for your
'Ryuji-gets-Yasuko' meeting last night!  Did you get lost?"

	Ryuji wished that he had not rescued this magical
girl for not the first or last time.  He somehow managed to
pry the thin succubus from around his waist.  "Lily, you
know you are not supposed to be on the campus during
classes."  'Please Go' was the added thought.

	"But it's lunch time, and I'm HUNGRY!"  A pleading
succubus would have given any mere mortal a nosebleed, but
Ryuji was not a mere mortal.  Still, he felt sorry for the
girl.  And he had been taught to turn such detriments into
advantages.  But how was he supposed to do that with this?

	"You're a succubus now.  No amount of ice cream will
sate that hunger.  Didn't Yasuko at least try to explain
the basics to you?"  Time.  He was running out of it.

	"But what she said was naughty!  I would never do
such a thing!"  Lily glanced at the clock tower.  She still
had some time, and Ryuji was the only one to spend it with.

	Ryuji was at a loss.  She was more than he had
expected.  He took a step back, and for the first time in
weeks, took a good long look at the young girl.

	He may be evil, but there are some things that even
he will not tolerate.  In all his years here in this world,
and in the education system, he had learned a few things
about the bodies of the mortals that inhabited this plane.
And he knew how to accurately judge the condition of the
bodies.

	Lily was a wreck.  Thin, she showed obvious signs of
starvation.  He clothes were tattered and hung loose over
what was left of the body.  The wings were tattered, and
looked ready to fall off at any moment.  Maybe she really
didn't want to follow Yasukos advice because she found the
thought of actually taking the souls of mortals repulsive.
She was, at heart, a Magical Girl.

	But she needed help, and he was the only one in a
position to help her.  But he wasn't a good demon.  He was
a Markla demon for evil's sake!

	At the beginning of the year, there had been an
assignment.  How can good be used for evil purposes, Ryuji
recalled.  Maybe he would get some practical use out of
that here.  A quick glance at the time.

	"Listen Lily, I have to meet someone.  I have an idea
to help you.  But you will need to meet me after school.
Wait for me at the front gate."  He said these words, and
turned to run to catch up to his meeting with the Unbidden.

	*	*	*

	Yasuko was in far better condition than her
accidental clone.  She, for one, had no morals.  Now she
was stalking her prey.  For the entire day she did not have
the chance to do what she wanted to do.

	Now that the day was done, she had the opportunity.
She stepped out from behind the tree and confronted her
prey.

	"Oh, hello Yasuko!  I didn't expect to see you here."
Yuri looked at the succubus without breaking stride.

	"I want to know how you did it."

	"Did what?  Oh, you mean the rumor.  Listen, I didn't
do it!  Honest!  I have no idea how it started, or even by
who!"  Yuri launched into the defense she had been
preparing all day.

	"I know."

	"I have nor had any intentions...  Wha?  You believe
me?  How?  Why?"  Yuri came to stop instantly.

	"I'm a succubus.  The rumor says you slept with
various guys around the school.  I know that is false just
by looking at you.  You are still pure."  Yasuko spat out
the last word with venom.

	Yuri breathed a sigh of relief, and started walking
again.  "That's good to hear Yasuko.  At least someone
believes me."  She shifted the homework to the other arm.
"But I still want to know who started it, and why."

	"You mean you didn't?  Of course not.  Even if you
did, no one would ever find out.  You're to good for that."

	Yuri sighed.  Somehow she had acquired a reputation
for being a master manipulator.  But she couldn't figure
out how she had managed to do so.  "I don't know what else
to say to you, Yasuko.  I was preparing my self to defend
from your usual attacks on what you think is me attacking
your 'territory'.  But you know that this rumor is just
that.  A rumor.  Nothing more, nothing less."

	But Yasuko was gone.

	*	*	*

	"I wonder if it's safe to go see if Yuri-Chan has
come to her senses yet, Reika-kun."

	*SLAP* "Do you really want to run the chance of
meeting one of her new 'friends' Atsuko-kun?"

	"It couldn't hurt to try."

	*SLAP*

	"Oh, fine.  Phone call then?  That's safe."

	*SLAP*  "Maybe."

	*	*	*

	Lily looked down from her perch on the tomb where
Ryuji was packing.  "I'm sorry, could you repeat that last
part?"

	"Maimsworth asked me to look after the finances for
his family.  After discussing it with the Unbidden, I have
decided to accept."

	"Why did you need this 'Unbidden' to give you
permission?"

	Because It deserved to be appraised of my choice.
And It 'suggested' that the FAC could use the Maimsworth
funds to further Its plan to destroy the Fencing Team, and
get Yuri Mikagami back.  "Because It's a friend.  And had
some advice."

	"But why am I here?"

	"What is Six times Nine?"  Ryuji tossed off the
question casually.  Actually, that should occupy her for a
few minutes.  Time enough to come up with a believable lie.
But he had asked, and didn't have a reason?  What was he
doing?

	"Forty Two."  The answer was just as quick and
casual.

	Ryuji sighed.  She couldn't even get simple
calculations right.

	"Fifty Four."  He absently corrected her.  He grabbed
the clone gun, checking the safety.  He put it into the
carrying case that Angeleye had got for him a couple months
back.  That he toted out to the waiting vehicle provided by
his new employer.  Besides, the only way six multiplied by
nine equaled 42 was if she had done some extremely high
order math.

	Then there were the rumors about her death.  And her
life.  How her mother teased with Lovecraftian forces.  How
she didn't really mind the presence of the ancient extra
dimensional creatures.  (Which would explain why she kept
hanging on to him.)

	"Wait.  How does six by nine equal forty two?"

	And she told him.

	It took ten minutes, but to say that Ryuji was
impressed was an understatement.  Before he had a chance to
realize the full implication of his words, he said them.
"Say, do you want to work with me this summer?"

	*	*	*

	"It's like she doesn't exist."

	Violet Ringoshima looked at her protégé, Sakura.  "I
don't believe that."

	"The Hammer of Justice was a bust.  It knew it had to
destroy Mikagami, but couldn't.  It was because of her
goodness.  But it had no knowledge of *WHY*.  Six months of
looking.  No prophecies, no cults, no nothing.  I don't get
it."

	"There has to be something.  Her mere existence is in
defiance of all reason and nature.  The bitch child of
Hellstorm and Lavender Heart Skittle.  Impossible."

	Sakura paused for a moment.  "Just out of curiosity,
how many people know that Lavender is still alive?"

	Violet thought for a moment.  "You, Me, Andrea
Angeleye, Principal Hikari, Lavenders mother, and a couple
others.  Less than a dozen in total.  Why?"

	"Well, we have been looking at marriages between good
and evil.  But if there are so few who know that Lavender
is still alive, perhaps we are looking in the wrong place?
Perhaps we should be looking at the information that
pertains to Neutral and Evil, or even Evil and Evil
marriages."

	Violet looked at the young woman.  "That's a thought.
We start tomorrow."

**********
I wrote this part with the goal to touch upon all currently
open plot threads, and either advance them slightly, or
close them.  More of the former, and less of the later.
And I wound up writing a recap episode.

>From the top;
Amy and her Evil Magical Girl status.  In development for a
long time, but come to the fore in Parts 55 and 56.

Liza and Hikaru.  A 'couple' since part 44.  He shared the
same last name as the principal of Sakura Arts, so I made
the connection.

Yuri and the Rumor.  Part 57.

Leilei helped Bala recover the cat charm in part 56.  I
also added a reason why she was still employed by Bala, but
no longer helping him at DH.

Ki.  Mr. Angst Incarnate.  I have taken the step of giving
him a serious focus.  Yuri.  (Not that that was much of a
surprise to anyone.)  But Yuri is now The Plan.

Mr. Ikari makes his latest appearance.  At first, I wanted
Ki in the room, but it just didn't work.  So I put Craig in
there, and it fell into place.  I hope people catch the pun
near the end of the section.  (Please!)

Ryuji and Lily.  Arrgh.  That part went past a half dozen
incarnations before it began to feel right.  I don't know
how long a succubus can last between proper meals, but she
must be pushing it.

Yasuko and Yuri.  I know it was stated earlier that Andrea
Angeleye had warned Yuri to stay away, but that warning has
fallen on deaf ears.  And Yasuko was the only one in the
cast (aside from Amy) who could tell instantly that the
rumor was false.

Reika and Atsuko.  Yes, they are still alive.

The first Lily and Ryuji was to define Lily.  This time, it
was still Lily oriented, and after all the bad things that
have happened to her, I gave her a break.  It can be safely
assumed that both Lily and Ryuji will be staying at the
Maimsworth manor for the summer.

Violet and Sakura come back.  The Hammer is either
destroyed or disposed of.  Future authors can decide.  This
section was just a reminder of their continued work in
trying to decipher the mystery that us Yuri.  And their
lack of progress.

And the little section below was just my attempt to create
a plot.

Wow.  30 characters mentioned.  Almost all have speaking
parts.  Has anyone else noticed the remarkable lack of
parents?  Only Yasuko and Yuri (And in this part, Amy) have
both their parents mentioned.  Everyone else is either in a
single parent family, or the parents are not mentioned at
all.  Just a note.

Finally, thanks to my proofreaders.  Segev Stormlord for
pointing out that it is Lily, not Lisa that is glomping
Ryuji.  Jeremy F for his grammar and spelling corrections.
And also to Dr. Kultra for trying.

--
JonB
My best work is done between midnight and three AM.

**********
It was the end of the day.  It could be said that nothing
of importance had happened.  But those in the know knew
otherwise.  Amakusa held in his hand the note from
Principal Hikari.  Despite the oddness of its arrival, it
was the usual reminder.

"Yes, I remember."  He said this to the darkness outside
the window.  "I do so remember our anniversary."