I opened my eyes slowly in the gloom. I could hear the birds singing cheerily outside, as well as assorted other small movements my mind was quick to classify as the movement of small animals. My room was dark, even in the sun.

Hoshiko was staring right into my eyes.

With a yell (most definitely not a scream) I leaped backward, knocking the furry little bastard from the perch he'd found, mere inches from my face. I put a hand to my chest to contain my heart, then realized sourly it was in no danger of leaving my chest; there was simply too much chest to go through.

“Don't DO that!”

“Do what?” The little vermin asked, wriggling his nose as he righted himself.

“Get up in my face like that, sneaking around; don't act like you don't know how rude that is.” I shot to my feet, only overbalancing a little and righting myself quickly, and grabbing some clothes.

“...Is it because of the potential for attack?”

Halfway to the shower I stopped and turned. “Of course it is! Or at least, that's how it started. You mean you really don't know?”

Sneaking around someone who was sleeping made them wonder what else you were doing, and watching them sleep from inches away was all but a threat. Not to mention surprising people who were sleeping like that could make them lash out. Was it not like that in Japan? Hoshiko seemed pretty oblivious.

Hoshiko held his paws out and shook his head, then hung it. “I apologize. I was not aware such actions would make you uncomfortable. I was merely watching you sleep.”

That's what I was afraid of, thanks. “Why? Don't you sleep?”

“I do,” Hoshiko replied. “but I do not need as much sleep as a human. I was simply trying to ascertain your sleeping needs.”

Hadn't he ever met a human before? “What did you do before you were a magical... err... critter? Humans generally require eight hours of sleep for best results and wakefulness. I think I'm a bit under that, for the moment.”

“I worked in procurement before this job. I am aware of the general sleep patterns of humans, I was trying to determine if yours were different.”

Procurement? “Procurement of what?”

Hoshiko wrinkled his nose. “Procurement of candidates for magical animals.”

Huh; interesting. I slammed the shower door in his face, then yelled through the door. “They are. Give me fifteen minutes.”

I showered quickly; my new hair took most of the time allotment. Dressed in new jeans and a loose shirt, I rejoined the little rat-thing to get some breakfast. Hoshiko hopped along dutifully as I headed to the kitchen.

On a whim, I asked: “You want anything special for breakfast?”

“Pancakes?” Was his hopeful response.

I could live with that, we had the mix and we had strawberries. “Sure, I can do that.”

I grabbed the stuff needed and got started. Hoshiko watched me work.

“Now pay attention, I expect you to do this for me sometime.” It was half a joke, and half not.

“Have you ever wondered how the first person among your kind ever created the recipe for pancakes?”

Well, that was surprising. “Yes, I have before. I've even wondered how the first person to cook came up with the idea. But with no way to go back in time, there is no way to know, so it's just a useless question. Idle curiosity that can't be sated.”

Hoshiko cocked his head. “Do you often wonder such things?”

I shrugged, stirring batter. “I think everyone does, eventually. At least once. Some do it as kids, some wait until later, and some don't care, but I think questions like that cross everyone's mind eventually. Why? Is that not true for magical animals?”

Hoshiko looked away, staring at the strawberries. I was ready for him, but he didn't make his move. “It is; we wonder many such things - but we have no reference for them. We are young, with no shared history to draw experience from.”

Yeah, I could see how that would suck, and I told him so. “Sucks to be you.”

“I would argue having a shared experience to draw from is only superior if the data is accurate.”

Why that insufferable little... “Are you trying to say human knowledge of physics, biology, and the like is inaccurate?”

“Purely scientific subjects are not inaccurate, merely incomplete. However, your history is replete with illogical and highly suspect modes of thinking and historical inaccuracies passed as truths. These color all other interactions with your reality, some in... less than positive ways.”

Okay, that made sense, and I couldn't call him out as wrong on it, but his wording choice was bad.

“You're pretty condescending at times, you know that?”

His response was to slather strawberries on the first pancake and eat it in silence; at least he knew better than to try and lie about it.

I filled out the skillet, and Hoshi looked at the amount of batter left. “You will need more than that.”

I looked again. There was enough for three pancakes left in the bowl, and 3 currently cooking. I certainly didn't intend to eat more than four. “Plan on being a pig?”

Hoshi cocked his head, considering the reference almost as if he didn't understand it (maybe he didn't) before replying simply: “Yes.”

Not much I could do to argue with that. With a shrug, I made another batch, in another bowl, because mixing an old and new batch just wouldn't work. It was fine, Hoshi knew how to do dishes, and since he was making me cook, dish duty was his job. Even if I had to persuade him – with lots of ice.

“You're doing the dishes.”

Hoshi cocked his head again. “Agreed... so long as you either practice using your new abilities or exercise your new body while I am occupied. I would recommend a stress on 'cardio', as you humans call it. Something like running or jogging.

Yeah, fat chance I could do much of either with these water balloons on my chest. “You think I'll need to run a lot? Are the monsters I'm supposed to fight that dangerous?”

Hoshi scratched his nose a paw, smearing strawberry juice on it. “Unknown. They can be very dangerous, but their powers vary and I cannot be certain. But more endurance can only help you, in a variety of situations.”

I flipped a napkin at him. When he looked at it curiously, I tapped my nose. He got the idea, cleaning his own off by smearing the juice into his fur further; whoops, I should probably have wet it first. He looked back to me with a pink nose; served him right.

I tried to hide my smirk when I gave him the thumbs up. I don't think he was fooled, but he didn't call me on it.

I took my four, slathered them in strawberries, and filled myself in between cooking the rest, watching as Hoshi methodically chewed through his own.

“Hope you've been paying attention; you may need to do this yourself one day.”

“Why?” was Hoshi's puzzled response.

“If I'm not around, or wounded or something? I'm not going to be able to cook for you.”

Hoshi shrugged. “That is what fruit and pastries are for.”

Oh really? I finished up on both counts. “You like donuts?”

Hoshi scrunched his nose and sneezed, with his red colored paws well away from his fur. “I do.”

I grinned. “You're going to be a little blimp if you eat like that all the time.”

“Your concern is both touching, and noted.” He made shooing motions. “Now please, go to work. Try to remain out exercising until I finish cleaning the dishes, if you would.”

Exercise I did. Out of curiosity, I tried the running thing, and even with a sports bra I was courting a concussion. Okay, not really, but there was enough rolling around to make me believe I could court concussion, and having that happen for long hurt.

I made it three laps around the property before I collapsed, gasping. Not too terrible really, for me. A quick glance in the kitchen window showed Hoshi wasn't even half done with the dishes, so after a short rest, it was on to another lap. Ten minutes later and more gasping, and Hoshi had just washed and was carefully stacking his third dish.

The little bastard was doing it on purpose.

I did 20 sit ups and 20 push ups, muscles straining. This was suspiciously easy. In fact, this body was toned well enough, but despite appearances it had very little stamina. It was suspicious. Another check revealed Hoshi on the fourth dish. I embraced my power and made an igloo, the better to wait out his stonewalling....

Nah, to hell with it. I marched back inside, controlled myself very carefully as I picked him up and put him aside back on the counter, knocked the stool he'd been on out of the way, and finished the dishes.

“You absolutely suck at washing dishes.”

Hoshi grabbed a towel and dried his hands. “I was being careful... and thorough.”

“You were being slow, and anal.” I countered, not amused. “That wasn't our deal.”

Hoshi's huge ears perked up suddenly, and he scanned them around. “It's time.”

Alright, I'd bite. “Time for what?”

“Your first magical girl sortie! I am detecting a demon in the city. You must do your duty and find and defeat it.”

Wait. Wait wait wait. “Demon? Didn't you say they were aliens?” I distinctly remember Hoshiko telling me aliens were attacking.

Hoshiko scratched his nose, pausing before meeting my eyes. “Demons are aliens, Isolde. But if you are wondering, we call them the Diflys.”

“Why? Does that mean something?”

Hoshiko jumped up. “No, we call them that because we can. They have never attempted to communicate with us... only kill species they consider inferior. Now come on, we must go.”

He started to push me. I humored him, starting out the door. “Go how? How am I supposed to find this alien demon?”

Hoshiko bounded ahead. “I can detect it from great range, but not precisely. When we get close enough you will be able to detect it yourself, and hopefully with greater precision. We've no data to confirm this, however, as you are the first magical girl we've created among your kind.”

Go me.

“Any idea how I'm supposed to get into the city quickly? It took all day to walk out here last time.” I was supposedly 16, so I could still drive, but I didn't have a car.

“That should not be a problem,” Hoshiko stated. “I will take you; I am your magical girl mascot, after all. Please follow me.”

And he turned around and hopped off toward the courtyard. With a shrug I followed; at worst I was a few minutes behind an epic marathon sprint I'd undoubtedly drop dead on.

No sooner had I reached the courtyard – again – then I was enveloped in a crystal blue light. A circle of weird geometric designs opened up under me, and I fell into blackness.

I had time to feel both cold and hot, and wonder if my eyes had somehow fallen out of my head before I felt wind streaming under me. I landed on a sidewalk and rolled my ankle. I also had to fight my gorge down; you need extra pancakes, Hoshi had said.

“Damn it!” I rubbed the offending leg as Hoshi turned and shushed me.

“A magical girl does not curse. Now please be as quiet as possible, we are close.” I thought, very seriously, about yakking on him, but let it go.

We were in a park. A nice, pleasant park, with sculpted trees and freshly mown grass, and flower lined walks. It was well cared for... which was insane; it did not scream 'big city'. Big city was all about decay and disinterest, not... whatever this was. It was almost disgustingly cheerful. There were no birds, though, or squirrels, or any small furry animal. No people either.

Hoshi also had a point; this close I could feel it too, as if something oily was impinging on my brain or senses; a foul corruption that raised my hackles and had me clenching my fists and reaching for my power.

A dark shadow eclipsed the bright sun, even though there were no clouds in the sky. I looked up but there was nothing – just a gray sun for a moment, and then everything was back to it's normal self.

There. Whatever it was, it was to the right of me. I got up and started walking, working the kink out of my ankle. Hoshi was gone, I just caught a glimpse of his furry butt as it vanished behind a tree away from the demon-alien or whatever it was, the little fink.

My steps frosted the grass as I headed towards my destiny; I hoped it wouldn't die, that would be awkward to explain. There was probably a 'stay off the grass' sign somewhere, and couldn't footprints be used to ID people? Screams caused me to pick up the pace, and soon I was darting among the trees and small bits of tinkling ice.

I came upon a nice clearing before a duck pond; the water was calm and a brilliant blue, but the ducks were absent and the park benches were empty. They were empty because the people that normally filled them to feed the ducks were running for their lives.

It was tall, perhaps seven feet, and inky black. It was shaped like a man, if a man were made of a black hole; it looked like a mobile, man-shaped hole stretching and contorting jerkily to move.

For all it's cartoony appearance, it was leaving great gouges in the earth as it lunged forward, and two people were down and bleeding already.

I made with the ice, cutting it off from the latest target of choice (an old woman that looked to be homeless, still carrying a ratty paper sack filled with bread). It slammed into the wall, so it had substance.

The wall cracked where it impacted, so it had both mass and momentum.

What should I do? I could completely encase it... but then I wouldn't be able to see it. No, it was best I attack it directly, but from a distance.

The ice spikes came from the direction of the pond, slamming through the thing and pinning it to my wall. That didn't seem to inconvenience it very much – it just turned it's now very sharp fingers and hands onto the wall, shredding it with terrifying ease.

I doubled down, trapping the limbs, but that didn't stop it either; it simply shrank them and sucked them back into itself, even as I kept the pressure on. It turned to look at me and then I was on the ground with my head pillowed on a tree.

Right. So it had some sort of distance attack too; staying still was a bad idea.

Luckily I hadn't lost consciousness; the thing was rapidly pulling or moving itself free. Something was wrong in how it moved and it was hard to tell. I summoned ice in front of me as I pulled myself up, a large block between us, and was rewarded with seeing it shatter in a line to me.

I dodged, throwing myself out of the way as whatever the attack was nailed the tree; hardened air?

Another block, this time anvil sized, conjured above its head. I let it go and it squashed the thing a good foot into the ground. Spikes of ice as it started to flow around the block served to keep it from escaping.

It's movement grew more frenzied, more desperate as the seconds passed. I was required to keep stabbing it down. I sincerely hoped it didn't feel pain. It was silent through the entire process.

Finally, it stopped trying to move, and there was an audible pop; much like a bubble blown out of chewing gum finally collapsing. That was when I knew.

“Quickly, make an igloo around it, and hold onto it.” Hoshiko said from beside me.

I didn't have time to chew him out; I was already doing it, as the pull from what could only be a very small black hole tested it's new bonds immediately. It had already snagged some matter from the ground, and any more might cause it to go critical mass on us all. I doubted the Earth was in immediate danger from it, but the city certainly was.

The sun dimmed again, and area around my ice started to blacken.

That was how it was using force; it had simply been letting the energy escape from itself in a specific direction. It had actually been a mobile, contained black hole. Luckily enough, my control of ice could defy physics; I grit my teeth and held on, refusing to let any more air or dirt come in contact, keeping as many layers of ice as I could between the hole and everything else. The pressure exerted was enormous, and I wasn't sure if the spots in my eyes were from the hole or my head injury or the stress.

A minute or an eternity later, the pressure eased, so quickly my ice almost flew away; stopping it was a near thing. The hole, something that had never been very big in the first place, had burned itself out for lack of fuel.

I collapsed back into the grass with a groan. Hoshiko sat himself against my shoulder. “Well done, Isolde.”

“Why didn't you tell me these things were black holes? That was dangerous!”

“Because they aren't.” he replied. “They... differ. The next one might be more dangerous, or it might be less. Either way, it will be different. But you did very well, and in so doing completely justified my choice.”

Jerk of an animal. “Well, goodie for you.”

“I think we should leave. Based on my study of your culture, your planet's authorities will be en-route to deal with the threat posed by someone attacking the park. It would be best if they not find us here.”

“Couldn't agree more, but I really don't think I can move a step.”

The circle appeared under me, and I sank into it with a yelp.