Sweet and Sour
A rain fell upon Mitikahara Town, bitter despite the creeping warmth of spring. The rain fell upon a girl wearing a hooded sweatshirt as proof against the wet and the cold, amongst its' other purposes. This girl was standing upon a street corner in one of the less reputable parts of the Town proper. Her slim, athletic figure and thick spill of wine-red hair combined with the lithe, quick motions she made as she stood there waiting gave an impression of youth. To look Kyōko Sakura in the face, however, would be to see a being who was young only in terms of how many years had passed since her birth, and that number had little bearing on the truth of her existence.
A passerby who managed to catch the expression on Kyōko's face might mistake her for a girl of negotiable affection, and in this matter they would not be wholly wrong. Anything for a hot meal, right? was the most consideration she had given the matter. On the other hand, a casual observer who noticed this girlish figure on the side of road in a disreputable place might have worried for Kyōko's safety, to which she would have laughed, despite the excessive number of murders, suicides, and general despair which plagued Mitikahara. Kyōko well knew her place within the urban wilderness of the town, and the role she filled was one reserved in other environments for sharks, tigers, and other apex predators.
However, Kyōko's ecological niche was starting to get crowded. First there was that black-haired girl, the infuriatingly calm one who insisted on interfering, and her damnable flash-step move. One of these days, I'm gonna sharpen the butt-end of my spear, then we'll see how much you like jumping behind me! But worse than her was the blue one. Sayaka reminded Kyōko entirely too much of another naive, idealistic girl she had known once, a girl who had died a death most horrible. The smell of roasting meat assaulted Kyōko's nostrils just then, the cracking and popping as the flesh cooked and broke open, the fat melting and running clear in drips and drops . . . It was enough to make the redhead shudder. There were some foods even Kyōko couldn't handle anymore. She popped a Pocky stick into her mouth as a temporary distraction.
"What's the going rate?" came a soft voice, and Kyōko almost jumped out of her skin. In her distraction, someone had managed to approach her. Ever the showman, Kyōko pirouetted around with a flourish and a toothy smile, but then her face fell when she saw who had approached her. Speak of the Devil, and so shall she appear! Sayaka Miki was standing there, in the flesh, looking even further out of place in her fancy private school uniform than Kyōko in her street dress. There was a look to Sayaka's eyes though, one with which Kyōko was quite familiar. It was a look that promised death and destruction for anyone foolish enough to provoke her wrath, and it was the same look which Kyōko beheld on those rare instances she could face herself in a mirror. "Well? Cat got your tongue?"
Kyōko rolled her eyes. The hell does she think she is? was the first thought in the redhead's mind, although in some dim corner of her mind Kyōko was a bit surprised Sayaka even knew enough about the way the world worked to make a proposition. Let's freak her out a bit! "Well, I guess that depends, on what exactly you're looking for?" was Kyōko's reply, delivered over a fang-filled grin.
"All night, unless you have someplace else you really think you need to be." This drew a disbelieving snort from Kyōko. Oh great, Justice Girl is tryin' to make me a charity case or somethin'! A smirk graced Kyōko's face as she spat out a number in reply. It was well over twice what a girl like Kyōko should have tried asking, an amount which, if this had been a legitimate transaction, would have purchased one of the kind of girl who had her own place, who gave out business cards, and who could make it sound like she meant it when she said "I love you, you're the best,". Kyōko was not terribly surprised though when Sayaka opened her purse and showed the redhead a fan of crisp Y10.000 bills. One of the gleaming notes curled into the blunette's hand which was extended in Kyōko's direction and then emptied in a flash. "You'll get the rest afterward." Kyōko just snickered as she fell in behind Sayaka.
Unsurprisingly the blunette was leading Kyōko not to a love hotel or even a reputable establishment but back to her own house. Kyōko of course knew where the Miki residence was located- seeing as she didn't have to worry about after-school clubs, or school at all for that matter, Kyōko had lots of time on her hands for things like locating a potential rival / victim's home. As a matter of fact, Kyōko had been standing outside Sayaka's house the day previous, mulling over the potential value of spilling some of the beans to this irritating blue menace. In the end, Kyōko had decided against it, as she hadn't expected an encounter with Sayaka going anywhere but bloody without that black-hair around to interfere. Maybe I should've taken the initiative? Ah well, it's all the same in the end. Kyōko fingered the cash in her pocket. I'm such a winner!
Thinking of her last encounter with Sayaka reminded Kyōko of what Kyubey had disclosed to them at the end of the fight. It was . . . annoying to say the least. Kyōko had suspected for some time that the Soul Gem was the more significant part of the operation, but to have it blatantly stated that their bodies were disposable puppets being driven by the magic jewel . . . A wicked grin spread on Kyōko's face as a thought came to her.
"So, did'ja get a chain yet?" asked Kyōko as the girls got off the bus.
"Huh?"
"You know, one of those wallet chains, attached it to your Soul Gem so the dumbass can't toss it-" Kyōko stopped suddenly, as there was a blade at her throat. The ring which stored Sayaka's Soul Gem was glowing bright blue as it manifested the sword in her left hand. A surprisingly intense expression creased Sayaka's face, and even though Kyōko knew for certain that the worst that would come from having her throat cut open was having her last swallow of Pocky dribble down her shirt than make it to her stomach where it belonged, she still stopped and put her hands up in conciliation.
"Shut up or I'll kill you." Sayaka held Kyōko's eye for a moment longer before dispelling the weapon.
"Jeez, sorry, it was a joke!"
Kyōko was unable to totally suppress her awe as she entered Sayaka's house. Two stories, lots of glass, it looked like a palace to the redhead. And then, just past the entryway, Sayaka turned suddenly and yanked Kyōko's sweatshirt off. A thrill of fear ran up Kyōko's spine as swift hands undid the button on her shorts and peeled them off her. Whoa, did I misread her? What's going on here?! The raggedy cutoffs landed where Sayaka tossed them with a clang, which jarred a memory loose for Kyōko. An explanation was starting to surface in the redhead's mind when her tank top joined the shorts and sweatshirt . . . wait, did I just help her pull my top off? Kyōko shook her head to try and clear it and belatedly she decided it might be a good idea to cover up, but Sayaka had her back turned. There were some beeps and boops as the blunette poked at the device in the corner, then the washing machine grumbled to life.
"Bath is around the corner, on the left." Oh, right, thought Kyōko, and she headed in the direction indicated. As Sayaka started up some project which involved a lot of clanging and banging somewhere else, Kyōko reflexively patted herself down before stepping into the shower. Damn, she even got my bow when I wasn't looking! though the redhead as she ran a hand over her head. The water hissed to life automatically as she entered the shower, stranding Kyōko alone with her own thoughts.
Just what the hell is going on here? Kyōko pondered the situation while working shampoo into her heavy fall of hair. Despite being completely off-balance from the laundry situation, Kyōko had been on the streets too long to turn down an opportunity to do what needed doing. Yeah, I know, I should cut it short, would be so much easier to manage. But this is the way I like it! If I can't be me, what the hell am I doing then? And why did I think she was trying to, er . . . a surge of embarrassment colored Kyōko's cheeks as she contemplated what she thought had been happening, and realized that not all of her was against the idea. Of all the stupid times to think of something, why this, and why her? Ugh, even that black-haired bitch would be better. Just do what needs to be done, nobody owes anybody anything. Stupid girl like Sayaka, she probably still believes in romance, love-at-first-sight, the red string of fate, all that bullshit. Kyōko's train of thought started to double back on itself, so instead she concentrated on getting clean and nothing else.
Stepping out of the shower, Kyōko found a pile of thick, fluffy towels and a dressing gown waiting for her, which caused another surge of crimson on her face. I didn't even notice her drop this off! She coulda been checking me out, and I didn't even notice. Hell, if she wanted to, she coulda knifed me! Bad girl! Don't let your guard down, that'll kill ya!
Upon exiting the bathroom, the first thing Kyōko noticed was an absolutely heavenly smell which set her stomach rumbling- and then a loud rhythmic clank! clank! clank! filled the hallway, which prompted a squawk of panic from Sayaka. The girls met at the washing machine, which was the source of the extremely disagreeable noise.
"Ahh! What happened? What do I do? I- I didn't break it, I swear!" Sayaka was in a bit of a panic, but Kyōko had already yanked open the door.
"Hey, next time you take somebody else's clothes off them, check the pockets first." Kyōko held up her reserve Grief Seed, which had been riding in an inside pocket of her hoodie. When the dryer cycle had started, the little blackened iron ball was free to bang against the dryer wall with no water to cushion it. A snap of Kyōko's fingers set the Seed to spinning upon the tip of her middle finger, which she held out for Sayaka to inspect.
"Oh. . . hey!" Sayaka huffed at the rude gesture. "That's enough outta you!"
"Whatever," was Kyōko's dismissive reply. She then tossed the Grief Seed so it landed in her boot. A minute later, though, Kyōko was changing her tune entirely.
"I-is this what I think it is?" Kyōko was staring at Sayaka's dining room table as though it were a mirage. Upon the crisp white linen tablecloth was a family-sized steamer emitting the aroma of jasmine rice along with a wok heaped full of curry. Fortunately, Kyōko noticed the two place settings in time to keep from getting whacked with a fry pan- which Sayaka had been planning to do if Kyōko simply reached her hands into the wok and started shoveling food into her mouth- which in turn Kyōko had been planning to do. Instead Kyōko seated herself at the head of the table and then an ancient, timeworn and shabby fragment of the social graces surfaced.
"Uhh, I hate to ask, but are we waiting on anyone else?" Kyōko emphasized her question by looking over the table, which could comfortably seat six.
"Yeah, I wish!" Sayaka snapped for a reply. "Mom and Dad are home about often enough to keep from having to fill out change-of-address forms. Hell, if I died it'd probably take 'em a week to notice!"
". . . sorry," replied Kyōko, downcast.
"Don't worry 'bout it! Dig in, before I change my mind!" Now that was a command Kyōko Sakura could get behind. In fact, Sayaka's eyes bugged out as she saw how much food Kyōko loaded on her plate, and then the blunette's eyes tried to push further out of her skull when she witnessed the speed at which the food disappeared. Kami-sama preserve me! Her chopsticks are just a blur! Is she even taking time to chew?
The meal continued in something the girls could pretend was a companionable silence for several minutes, and then it happened; Sayaka got lost in thought just enough that she tried to insert a glob of curry into her mouth by shoving it through her cheek. Sayaka recoiled from the slight pain, and the morsel fell on to her skirt. Kyōko was out of her chair in a flash, pinning Sayaka to her seat with a hand upon the blunette's shoulder while Kyōko's other hand shot up Sayaka's skirt. A furious blush colored Sayaka's face and anything she might have said about the situation disappeared in the shock. What is she doing?! Has she completely lost her mind?! But Kyōko only held on to the skirt long enough to scrape the bit of food off the material and pop it into her mouth.
"Don't waste food!" said Kyōko by way of explanation, but then she realized where her hand was and quickly withdrew the offending appendage, and Kyōko's face flushed red as well. The girls shared a moment of embarrassed eye-contact, then Kyōko's eyes began to roam Sayaka's face. When the gaze settled upon her, Sayaka reached up and felt curry sauce on her cheek. With lightning speed the blunette snatched up her napkin.
"So help me, y-you lick my face and I'll rip your tongue out!" was Sayaka's comment on the matter. Internally, however, another line of thinking prevailed. Are you angry because of what you thought she was doing, or because it didn't actually happen? Sayaka blanched, although Kyōko was too shame-faced and focused on the last crumbs on her plate to notice. Ooh, there's something else that makes me want to punch Hitomi right in the mouth! If she hadn't run around chanting "girls can't love girls!" like it was a scandal the other day I wouldn't even be thinking this way right now. And even if that was it, I certainly wouldn't go for this girl! She's a filthy delinquent, mean, rude, has no sense of justice . . . hits like a truck . . . too blunt (hah! said a tiny voice in the back of Sayaka's mind. Like you're the soul of discretion!) . . . and her eyes are like deep red pools, always on you, staring deep into you . . .
A hand passed in front of Sayaka's face which startled her free of her reverie, and then she found herself looking into those deep red pools that were Kyōko's eyes, trying to discover what was going on behind them that could make the redhead always seem to be smirking and yet always seeming sad as well.
"Uh, you okay?" asked Kyōko, and the unexpected voice was enough to draw a squeak of fright from Sayaka.
"Uh, uh yeah. L-let me go get dessert." Sayaka darted away from the table, all too happy to have a distraction for a moment. It took an exceptionally long time for the blunette to return, considering all she was carrying was two plates, two forks, and a cherry cheesecake. Here Sayaka realized she had made another mistake- no knife. After a short, awkward pat-down to see if maybe she had outsmarted herself and put the tool in a pocket, the blunette sighed and slumped a bit. Going back to the kitchen again would just make things more uncomfortable, and the gleam in Kyōko's eyes made it questionable whether the cheesecake would still be there when Sayaka got back. Therefore, Sayaka went for the expedient option and drew upon her Soul Gem to summon another saber. Two quick chops later and there were two generous slices of cheesecake ready to be served. Kyōko was sitting back, eyes wide, as Sayaka went about her work.
"Yes? Is there something you'd care to add?" asked Sayaka, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
"Uhh, no, no, nothing at all!" replied Kyōko, a bit too quickly for comfort. "Er, well, have you thought about specializing your swords? You know, a fighting saber, a parrying saber, turkey carver, fish spear, pie lifter . . ." Kyōko trailed off as Sayaka's glare threatened to burn a hole in her skull. Instead, Kyōko decided to dig in to her cheesecake, which was a much safer option. It's sure not Mami's peach pie, but then what is?
"What did you say?!" Kyōko was startled when Sayaka snapped at her, unaware that she had actually given voice to her comment about the quality of the dessert.
"Sorry! Sorry! It's good, see? Mmm!" Kyōko scrambled to cover for her error, feeling unusually sensitive to the moods of her fellow Puella Magi.
"No, no, not that, you mentioned 'Mami', as in Mami Tomoe?"
"Y-yeah. Mami-sempai taught me the ropes after I first contracted." Kyōko looked down again. It had been more than a year since Kyōko had seen her old teacher, and she felt suddenly guilty that her only thought upon hearing of Mami's death was to see if she could take over the blonde girl's old territory.
"That must be a lie! How could a student of Mami's become so heartless and mean as you?" Sayaka banged her hand on the table for emphasis, making the cheesecake jump and jiggle for a moment.
"Gee, I dunno, Dad snapping my neck and leaving me to burn alive when he destroyed the rest of the family might have something to do with it!" The clatter of a fork bouncing from nerveless fingers on to the table punctuated the silence which reigned after the outburst. Kyōko flinched at the noise, then hung her head.
"That's horrible! What happened?" Kyōko raised baleful eyes to the blunettte. I really don't wanna talk about, especially not to you. "Hiring" me for a night and cooking me dinner doesn't make us friends, it just makes you an idiot. However, Kyōko noticed that Sayaka Miki, Ordinary 2nd Year had left the building, and sitting where she had been was the Crusader of Justice! in all her pomp and arrogance.
"You really want to know? Hah, I suppose I probably better tell you. Sure as shit Mami and Kyubey wouldn't let you in on what's really going on." Kyōko let her head loll back, a sarcastic smirk pasted on her face. "Nobody would make a contract if they knew what they were really in for.
"It goes like this: Dad was actually a pretty good guy. He ran a church in Kasimono, and he had a terrible bad habit for a preacher- he would actually tell the truth and try to get people to use common sense and help each other, rather than the usual 'be afraid and do what we tell you' bullshit. He wasn't exactly in the running for employee of the year after that."
"I bet not. That sounds rough." was Sayaka's reply, and for just a moment Kyōko's hands spasmed as she tried not to clench them into fists, or sling her dessert plate into the blunette's face, jump on top of her and beat her bloody, or any of the other things that rushed through her head at the moment.
"Rough? Yeah, you could say it was rough! There were some weeks where we had less food than you made tonight. Me, Mom, Dad, and Momo, and we had to divide this," Kyōko waved a hand at the food on the table. "Four ways times seven days." A light went on in Sayaka's head and it made Kyōko scowl to see it. "Yeah, I see you figured it out, Newbie. Wasting food isn't just a crime, it's a sin! Even though I suppose technically I don't even need to eat, now. I could just turn off hunger and let my Soul Gem do the work, but that would mean burning up my magic faster, and since I already have clueless bitches like you nagging me over how I do things . . . Hey, don't even think of getting up on your soapbox right now! You wanna hear how this went, sit down and shut the hell up!" Sayaka in fact had been halfway out of her seat, but she sat back down as asked. The blunette did not let up her scowl of disapproval any, but Kyōko didn't seem to care.
"So then, along comes Kyubey, spinning his sugar-coated lies, and I was stupid enough to buy it. I made my wish . . . " Kyōko's voice had turned brittle as she tried to tell her story.
"You wished to help out your father, didn't you?" asked Sayaka, and as she asked the question, she flexed her left hand in an unconscious gesture, thinking of her own "selfless" wish.
"Yeah, I did. And for a while, it even worked. Attendance was packed every week, and while Dad delivered his message of common sense and hope, I was driving out the Witches who were the other half of the problem. And then, Dad found out what I had done." By now, Kyōko was just spitting the words out, flat and dead. "Mom and Momo didn't suffer at least. He was kind enough to kill them quickly and gently. Me, it was a different story. You see, nothing Kyubey does ever turns out like you want it to. When I wished that people could understand Dad's message, what it did instead was magically force everyone to listen and obey!
"He grabbed me by the throat, asked me why I had made a deal with the Devil, and why I had tainted him too. I said I thought I was doing the right thing. And then-" A slight hitch, what could have been a sob interrupted Kyōko for just a moment. "Then he snapped my neck and left me there while he set fire to the church, took his own life. I had to watch him die, and then I got to burn for my sins. I didn't know if I use the Soul Gem to move my body and escape. I didn't know if I wanted to escape, if I deserved to.
"So no, after all that, I didn't have much use for Mami's 'heroes of love and justice' routine. I'm gonna go check on my clothes." Kyōko got up without waiting for a reply and went down the hall. Now why in hell did I tell her all that? I don't want her pity! That look, it's like she wants to give me a hug or something. If she does, I might have to really kill her. Having relived that awful day twice in one evening, Kyōko felt as black and dead inside as if she had actually been burned alive, and her thoughts turned to one goal only. Am I a bad person? Probably. But really, I'm doing this for her sake, hers and Mami's, even if she won't see that. Kyōko shook her head ruefully. As she expected, her clothes were still damp, but this wouldn't be nearly the first time she had ended an evening uncomfortably soggy. With practiced speed, Kyōko slipped out of the robe she had been given and pulled on her customary clothes. Sayaka, you're too damn nice for your own good. Nice, and pretty, and entirely too soft to bear this curse. So if you end up hating me, good! As long as it makes you hard enough to survive, I don't care even if you kill me. Ow! Kyōko's last thought came out as a hissed grunt of pain- she had forgotten about the Grief Seed tossed in her boot, which was now embedded in the soft flesh of her foot.
"Where do you think you're going?" In the time it had taken for Kyōko to deal with the surprise in her boot, Sayaka had figured out what was going on and rushed to the door. "I'm not done with you yet!"
"Yeah, so?" Kyōko fished the yen note out of her shorts and flung the crumpled, wet bill back at Sayaka. "It's funny, you make me feel more like a whore than actually being on the streets! I don't need your charity or your pity!"
"So you want to keep on living alone, living by your law of the jungle until you finally get killed? Is that really what you want from life?" Sayaka crossed her arms, the picture of righteous anger.
"Does it matter what I want?" Kyōko rolled her eyes as she pulled on one boot. "I mean really, wish in one hand and shit in the other Newbie, and see which one fills up first." The redhead bent down for her other boot, paused, and looked back up. "Thank you for the meal" was what Kyōko had been planning to say, a token gesture drawn from the tiny fragment of social grace which lived on within her, but anything she might have said became immaterial as Sayaka drew out her Soul Gem.
"Then how about what I want? Because of this," Sayaka glanced at the Soul Gem in her hand and Kyōko's gaze was drawn towards the jewel as well, and the horrible interplay of royal blue and tarry black within. "I have lost my friends. I have lost my love. I have lost my very soul. All I have left is my promise, to fight for justice." Oooh, this is bad, thought Kyōko. She's startin' to lose it. "It would dishonor Mami-san's memory to let you keep suffering as you have, and it would be a dereliction of my duty to let keep preying upon the people of this city-"
Sayaka's monologue was cut off suddenly by the hot crush of a pair of lips against her own. The warm contact startled the blunette out of her fugue, and for a moment Sayaka didn't even know where she was. My precious first kiss! She stole it! ran through Sayaka's mind, and panic at the thought shut out everything else, so that the blunette didn't even notice as strong fingers pried loose her grip and removed something far more precious from her hand.
Kyōko whipped out the Grief Seed from her pocket and started to bring it to contact with Sayaka's Soul Gem, to cleanse the corruption within, but a wild slap knocked both objects from Kyōko's hands. "What the hell- hey!" cried Kyōko as Sayaka tackled her when she bent down to pick up the Soul Gem. "You know you need to cleanse it, right?" spat Kyōko through gritted teeth, as Sayaka was doing her level best to grind the redhead's face into the floor.
"I refuse!" shouted Sayaka as she straddled Kyōko, trying to pin the other girl to the floor with just her legs so she could grab her Soul Gem. "I won't use those things, not if it means letting innocents get killed!"
"And just what the hell do you think is gonna happen when it goes dark, huh?" Kyōko twisted and turned, but she couldn't break free. "You die, that's what! No resets, no continues, you just die! How many innocents can you save then, huh?" The speech had the desired effect, Sayaka released a little pressure as she mulled over what Kyōko had said. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Kyōko to make a lunge for the Grief Seed, which in turn caused Sayaka to lunge herself, and from her position the blunette was able to reach further and grab hold of the object first . . . which had been Kyōko's plan from the beginning. As soon as she felt the blunette throw herself towards the Grief Seed Kyōko had rolled and gone after her real goal. Sayaka could only gape in disbelief as she watched Kyōko toss her head back and a large egg-shaped lump worked its' way down her throat.
"Uwah?! You ate it? I can't believe this! You stole my first kiss and my Soul Gem! You monster!" Sayaka clenched her fists in impotent rage.
"Sorry. I needed some way of getting your attention-"
"Don't talk to me just now," Sayaka replied with a huff, but then Kyōko clapped her hands onto the blunette's shoulders and shook her.
"We are not playing that game, Blueberry!" snapped Kyōko, her voice rough as gravel. "I . . . like you. God alone knows why. But I don't want to see you fall. I've seen what happens when a Puella Magi burns out. At the end they just . . . break down, and go back on everything they used to be. And worse, it seems like when one of us dies, it draws in the Witches. There's always some new ones who pop up afterward. Oh, and can I get some tea? Didn't realize the damn thing was going to scratch so much on the way down!"
A little hitch shook Sayaka, a sound like a hiccup. Kyōko looked at the blunette with concern as the small sounds continued, but then Sayaka just flopped over, rendered helpless by great gales of laughter which shook her whole body. "I should make you drink salt, you monster!" Sayaka delivered the harsh words from grinning lips, however.
"Hey this was your idea," replied Kyōko, joyful at the change in spirits. "Caveat emptor, and all that!"
"Um, actually that's not entirely true." Sayaka set the kettle on the stove which, being a top-of-the-line model like the rest of the furnishings in the house, recognized its' burden and applied the exact amount of heat to bring the water to boiling as quickly as possible. "There was a Witch out earlier, and Homura showed up again."
"That would be the black-haired pain in the ass?" asked Kyōko. Well, that's one mystery solved, I guess, thought the redhead when Sayaka nodded in confirmation.
"That's her. Homura Akemi. Bitch. She shot down the Witch, tried to force the Grief Seed on me. When I refused, Madoka and I got in a bit of a fight. I, uh, actually was going to use the money to try and buy information on where she lived. Then I saw you there, and I just couldn't stand the thought of you being defiled by someone else-"
"So you thought you'd do the job yourself?" Kyōko butted in. Sayaka's face went as red as her tormetor's hair, and Kyōko expected the blunette was either going to scream, cry, or maybe throw something at her head, but instead Sayaka just got very quiet, her eyes downcast.
"Y-you're the one who stole my first kiss . . . "
"Er, sorry. I didn't mean it, I just needed to distract you-" Kyōko was cut off when Sayaka slammed her hand down on the table.
"Wh-a-a-a-t?! You 'didn't mean it'? How dare you!" The tea kettle whistled just then, possibly saving Kyōko from being ripped limb-from-limb. Sayaka smacked two cups down on the table and filled them before sinking into her seat. The blunette stared off into space, head resting on her fist. I'm not sure I want to know what she's thinking right now, mused Kyōko as she observed Sayaka out of one eye.
"Do it again." Kyōko managed to retain her tea only through a heroic effort, but swallowing the gulp of liquid which caught in her throat was almost as unpleasant as the Soul Gem had been earlier.
"Uh, what?"
"Kiss me again. If it has to be you who took it from me, at least make it worthwhile!"
"Um, and what happens if I don't?"
"Well let's see here, I already have to get my Soul Gem back, and there's a very sharp carving knife in the kitchen. You do the math." Sayaka stood up, and for a moment Kyōko thought she might actually go for the knife. I wish I could still see what condition her Soul Gem was in, was the first conscious thought that entered Kyōko's mind, much to her own surprise.
"I, uh, was never good at math," was the first thing Kyōko actually said, however, the quip slipping out while her mind was blanked with fright. The remark was rewarded with a shriek of anger from Sayaka who stood there shaking, too angry to actually do anything. I should've known this wasn't going to go well. Puella Magi can't get along! It's just not possible, and Mami-sempai was a fool for trying!
"But I guess I'm a fool too," whispered Kyōko as she stood. Sayaka gave the redhead a questioning look, and she found herself unable to resist when Kyōko grabbed her by the collar and dragged her into another kiss. Sayaka seemed to melt into Kyōko's arms as the sensation of the embrace tingled through her.
"T-that's more like it," said Sayaka when they finally broke apart.
"So, did I earn my money then?"
"Er, yeah." Sayaka was embarrassed by the reminder, and she turned away just a fraction, but Kyōko took Sayaka's chin in her hand and turned her so they were face to face again.
"Well, better to be thorough," said Kyōko as their lips met once more.