Streaks of gray.
These were the first things his eyes caught as he turned to the mirror, his dully metallic-colored hair reflecting the light from the windows. He ran one thumb through his hair, shifting his bangs to the side of his face away from his eyes. With his vision now un-obscured, he could completely take in the entirety of his face – his quartz-colored eyes, his rather angular chin, and his unusually soft cheeks. Normally he wouldn't be paying all that much attention to these miniscule details, but today was a different day. A rare exception.
Kyosuke Kamijo, violin prodigy aged fourteen, hadn't been to Mitakihara High School in about a month and a half. There are people who go through serious accidents and traumatic events, and Kyosuke was one of the unlucky ones. His entirely body was practically destroyed. But he'd heal… mostly. His arm, on the other hand, would remain paralyzed. His fingers would be unable to move again. Even with the best medicine and treatments money could buy, he was told he'd never be able to use his arm again.
So he was stuck in the hospital, forced to wear a mask of optimism all the while suffering on the inside. And when friends from school visited, no matter how hard he tried not to, he would inevitably be hurt. He'd never be able to do what he loved ever again.
He could have died. Oh, how he wanted to.
But someone must have prayed for him. Miracles and magic must exist, for one day he noticed the numbness in his arm was no more. He could flex his fingers, he could move his arm. He had proven science wrong.
So today was that rare day. He was going to take his time for once. He allowed himself to revel in his own reflection and take it all in. He was going to see his friends again. He was going to see them again. He couldn't deny that his heart skipped a beat at the mere thought of a certain someone, and he chuckled at his own reaction. Here he was, fresh out of the hospital… and already he couldn't wait to see them.
The warning bell rang, stirring him from his thoughts. He adjusted himself onto his crutches and wobbled out of the boy's restroom, his mind not at all on catching back up on his studies.
"Kamijo," a brown-haired boy begins from across the lunch table, his mouth half-full. With a large gulp, he swallows his food and places his chopsticks on the table. "Are you okay? You seem kind of… out of it."
The other boys at the table all turn their attention to Kyosuke and start chuckling at his lack of respond. His thoughts are not in the present, his mind completely blurred. The brown-haired boy rested his pointed chin on his palms, a mischievous smirk on his face. "Still on the meds, eh? I thought your hair looked particularly nice today. Too nice."
Kyosuke snapped out of his daydream to find a pair of brown eyes staring across from his, attempting to penetrate his soul. Thrown off and suddenly confused, Kyosuke turned away and scratched the back of his head with a laugh. "Oh no. Yeah, I'm okay Nakazawa. I'm just… thinking."
"Obviously. It's your first day back though, what could you possibly be thinking about?"
"Lots, obviously." Kyosuke closes his eyes and stretched his arms. It was rather tiring, using crutches
"Ooh, gotcha," Nakazawa exclaimed, snapping his fingers. He had a knowing gleam in his eyes." Got your mind on the ladies, eh? Expecting a few caring fan girls to fawn all over you and carry your books to class?"
"Oh?" He blinked. "Ladies? What ladies?"
The table was suddenly filled with laughter. "Oh, you didn't notice?" Nakazawa snickered and pointed. "Look behind you."
Kyosuke's eyes followed the direction he was pointing to a corner on the far side of the room. Three girls, each with a different color of impossibly bright hair, all were looking at him. Two girls, one pink with pigtails and the other blue and bobbed, were sitting down. The green-haired one, tall and slender, stood next to them, her mouth agape. The blue- and green-haired girls quickly blushed and turned away. The pink one only smiled innocently, a smile which Kyosuke kindly returned.
"Oh! Those are my friends, Nakazawa. They aren't-"
"Then why don't they come over and say hello? It's your first day back. It's not like they visited you in the hospital, right?"
He sniffed. "Sayaka did, nearly every day. Madoka too, when Sayaka dragged her along. Hitomi came by a few times, when she could. She's pretty busy."
"Still doesn't explain why they don't come over here and talk to you."
"It's probably because you guys intimidate them." He knew where his friend was going – they'd had this discussion at the hospital, about how girls might react to their oh-so great school prodigy being injured. "See, they know me. They don't know any of you." Kyosuke winked, which he told himself in the back of his mind wasn't very manly. "They're probably crushing on you, Nakazawa."
"Oh yeah, right. It couldn't be that since you're the one coming back from the hospital, you're who their attention is focused on?"
Kyosuke couldn't help but laugh. The whole conversation had a hint of absurdity underneath it. Or was it irony? He was already lost in its thoughts again, so he really couldn't tell the difference anyway. But right now, he most certainly didn't care.
"I had my chance yesterday at the hospital, Hitomi. I chickened out."
"Yes, but…"
Three girls – distinguishable from afar by their neon hair – grouped together in the far corner of the room. The blue-haired and the green-haired girls were talking amongst each other, almost bickering. The green-haired one, Hitomi, stood to throw the uneaten portions of her lunch away. The blue-bobbed girl looked as though she was about to say something but thought better of it as Hitomi returned. The pinkette smiled politely, amused at her friends' interactions. She ate her lunch in silence – it was almost as if she wasn't there at all.
"Don't be like me, Hitomi-chan! Go for it! You deserve it!" A hint of sadness entered the blue-haired girl's voice as she spoke, the seriousness of the situation causing her heart to ache. Her shoulders were slumped ever so slightly, quite unlike her usual demeanor.
"Aww, Sayaka." Hitomi, the one with green hair, heard the sadness in her friend's voice. However, she was in a good mood, so she decided to tease just a little bit. "You sure you won't get the blues if I confess to him?" She couldn't help but laugh at her own words.
"Ah ha, funny. I have blue hair, I get it." She mocked a groan. "Look, I chickened out. I kinda blew my chance. You… you might as well go for it. A deal's a deal, after all."
"I… well…" Hitomi frowned slightly, raising her hand up to her chin. Her eyes turned to Kyosuke's table, and the others' eyes followed. "I guess you're right. I'll tell him before class."
One of the boys at Kyosuke's table, a brown-haired lad, suddenly pointed at the girls and Kyosuke turned in his seat to see where he was pointing. Sayaka and Hitomi both looked away from him, their faces glowing red. The pinkette, being as blissfully kind as she was, smiled warmly towards him. He kindly returned the smile.
"You know, if it doesn't work out with him," Madoka bubbled up, "you two always have each other." The other two girls jumped, realizing that their entire conversation had an audience.
"Pssh," Sayaka brushing off the comment with the wave of her hand, "I don't know about you, Madoka, but I think Hitomi's too good for me. Besides, she has standards. No 'forbidden' love for her, isn't that right?"
"Y-yeah," Hitomi said, still blushing.
She was saved from having to make any further comments by the sound of ringing bells – a ringing pattern that signified the end of lunch period. Hitomi breathed deeply and smiled to her friends.
One, two. One, two. One, two. Kyosuke found it a lot easier to move around on crutches if he counted out each step. One, two. No heavy book satchel to slow him down on his way back to class! It was as easy as keeping time on violin, or as breathing. One, two. Actually, now that he thought about it, breathing was rather difficult at the moment…
But silence was terrible. And he had something to say, so he might as well say it.
"Hey, thanks for holding my books and things for me," he began as he turned to his right. "It's really nice of you." He stumbled in his thoughts, and suddenly he felt very nervous. Breathless. "Not that you're not usually, but…" Ah, to hell with it. "Actually, I have something to ask—" That's when he opened his eyes and noticed: there was no one there.
Wait, so he was walking alone. How strange... and incredibly inconvenient. He had something important to ask! How long had he been walking alone? Oh God, was he talking to himself this whole time? If that was indeed the case, then where was…
"Kamijo-kun," a fair voice called out. He snapped out of his thoughts as he so often did. "Do you have a minute?"
"Hmm? Oh, Hitomi-chan, hi there," he adjusted himself on his crutches to better to her face. Her face, usually smiling, wore a worried expression. He doubled his to focus on his terrified friend. "What's up?"
"I, uh…" she trailed off before she even got a word out, her eyes locked on her feet. Why was she so nervous? She was usually more confident than this. "There's something I want to tell you, Kamijo."
"Oh, you can call me Kyosuke you know." As she looked up he tried his best to smile warmly. "Is there something wrong?" he inquired.
Hitomi shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, Kyosuke-kun." She breathed in deeply, her eyes meeting Kyosuke's. With a smile, she began. "It's just that… I like you, Kyosuke. I want you to know that. I like you, and I've liked you for a long time."
Kyosuke didn't know how to react. His face was expressionless, and he felt suddenly a thousand times awkward.
"And I would like to know," Hitomi continued, "if you returned these feelings?" As she spoke, a hint of hope entered her voice, a smile on her lips.
"I… I'm flattered, Hitomi," he began, racking his brain for an answer. Kyosuke was, for once, completely clueless. This situation never once occurred to him – what was going on? Was his world being flipped upside down ever since he got back to school? "I really am. However… "
He didn't even get the whole word out when Hitomi's face suddenly turned to despair. She looked impossibly sad, completely unlike what he expected from Hitomi, star student. Nakazawa was right! How could he be so blind? Was his judgment being impaired? Terrible.
"It's just… I'm sorry. I can't return your feelings. I think we're better off as friends."
He didn't look at her reaction –he'd hurt her, he didn't have to look at her to know that. He bowed his head, mumbled a soft apology, and then turned as best he could on his crutches. As the warning bell rang, Hitomi just stood there with her face frozen, watching Kyosuke's efforts to find his book bag and the person in possession of it.
"And then," the green-eyed sniffled, "he just walked away. Like I wasn't even worth paying attention to!"
It was after school and the trio was discussing the events of the day on their walk home. The sun wasn't shining at just the right again so that Hitomi seemed to be under a spotlight. Hitomi, never being one to hide her feelings, was expressing to her friends just how crushed she was. And if for one moment they didn't believe her, the pain in her eyes said it all.
"I'm sorry Hitomi," Sayaka muttered. And she was, though for reasons different than what Hitomi might have expected. Or maybe she did suspect. Who knew? Things change.
The wind suddenly changed direction. The rustling of leaves above them was unusually loud.
"Yeah well… I guess I should have known. Maybe it's karma or something coming back to bite me, you know?" She sighed deeply as she walked with her arms in front of her, bag in hand.
"I… no, I don't know, Hitomi." Sayaka frowned at her friend. "Would you mind explaining?"
As the leaves continued to rustle above them, Madoka simply smiled knowingly. With her eyes close, she seemed lost in her own world. Hitomi shifted her weight and tilted her head towards her friend.
"Don't play dumb, Sayaka." Hitomi's voice was as calm as ever, but there was a hint of something beneath it. "I can admit defeat, but I'm not going to let you rub it in my face."
"Wh-what?" Sayaka stopped in her tracks and looked at her friend. "What are you…? I wouldn't… I'd never…"
"Oh, my, GOD. WOMAN! ARE YOU STUPID?"
The words came from above them, in the trees whose leaves were still rustling despite there being no wind to blow them. All three girls looked up and without warning a red blur dropped from the branches. An irritated "OW!" rang out as the blur hit the gravel beneath, and hit it HARD. There was no time to properly react, save for Hitomi yelping "Oh my Lord!" over the already-deafening thud.
Sayaka swore she saw a bit of a tooth stuck in the ground as the flame-haired girl picked herself off the pavement. An irritated pair of ruby eyes glared up at Sayaka, almost daring her to laugh. She needn't worry – there was not a hint of humor in the blunette's thoughts.
"K-Kyoko?" She gasped, pointed accusingly at her ginger nemesis. "We-were you spying on us?"
"Pah! Spying? Me? No way!" she joked. She turned her gaze quickly to the pinkette gazing in awe standing beside Sayaka. She couldn't help but wink. "Hey Madoka."
Madoka squealed in reply. "Hey, Kyoko-chan!"
"If you weren't spying on us," Hitomi asked with an incredulous look on her face, "What were you doing?"
Kyoko made a humph sound, almost offended. "If you must know, Green-hair, I was scouting for food."
"In the trees?" Hitomi's eyes almost, but not quite, narrowed. Kyoko smirked.
"Yeah. I don't much like charity, you see. And apples are delicious. Who might you be, anyway?"
"Hitomi, Kyoko. Kyoko, Hitomi." Sayaka rushed as she half-heartedly introduced the two to each other. There was no sense of enthusiasm. "If you were scouting for food, as you say you were, why did you scream out that I'm stupid not a moment ago?"
"Just because I wasn't spying doesn't mean I didn't catch a word or two."
Sayaka crossed her arms. "'Wasn't spying' my ass," she harrumphed, turning away.
"Yeah, yeah." The redhead looked at the gathering of girls before her. She breathed in. "Sayaka, Green-hair here is trying to be nice. She failed at winning wussy boy's heart—"
"Hey!" Hitomi and Sayaka both exclaimed. "He's not a wuss—"
"Point is, she's giving you another chance, Sayaka. Worst thing you can do is waste it, ya know?"
Sayaka stuttered a bit, looking for the right words. She shifted her gaze to her green-haired friend, to the redhead who at least wasn't her enemy, and back. When she finally spoke, her shoulders seemed to slump a little bit.
"That may be, but really. If Hitomi here can't get the school prodigy to pay attention to her, what makes you think he'll pay attention to me?"
Kyoko laughed. "I can't be sure. I'm only trying to help. But I really do recommend it. Never know until you try, right?" She leaned against the nearby tree – the one she fell from – and crossed her arms.
Madoka cleared her throat and again the girls turned to her, completely oblivious to their silent audience. She smiled an innocent smile.
"I agree with Kyoko," she said simply. "You wanted a chance at Kyosuke, and you wasted it. Don't waste your second chance – they don't come around that often."
Kyoko had a surprised look on her face for a moment, but when Sayaka and Hitomi looked back she grinned as madly as ever. "See? Even Madoka agrees. So flippin' do it already. After school. I'm going to come by and visit, and if you haven't done it by then…" She cracked her neck threateningly.
"Fine," Sayaka breathed. "But can't I do it tomorrow?" Kyoko nodded half-heartedly. Sayaka smirked and continued, "Okay. I'll do it, but only so I can cut your visit short." She turned and waved goodbye, not noticing the short burst of pain that crossed Kyoko's face.
"Nice to meet you, Kyoko," Hitomi bowed, the words coming out wearily. She then followed her blue-haired friend hurriedly.
Madoka stayed the longest, her gaze held on Kyoko's eyes. Kyoko looked confused and was about to ask what she was doing before Madoka turned and skipped to catch up with her friends. As the three girls walked away, Kyoko decided not to worry about it. She hit the tree she leaned against with her hand and in a second an apple fell. Kyoko caught it mid-fall and tore into it, its juice spraying her hand.
Alright, she thought as she chewed. Plan's in motion.
Sayaka took step after step to the Kamijo home, her heart beating in her chest. It was now or nothing though, and she rapped on the door thrice before putting her hand to her side. The wooden door creaked open.
"Sayaka?" Kyosuke's mother asked, popping her head out. "I'm surprised to see you. How are things?"
"Hi, Mrs. Kamijo!" she laughed nervously. "I-Is Kyosuke home?"
"Of course. Just a moment."
She closed the door behind her, and she heard her call his name even through the walls. Then there was silence. An awkward silence. Finally, it was broken when she heard the sound of crutches hitting the wooden floor. The door opened and a tangle of short grey hair popped out of the opening.
"Sayaka?" he asked concernedly, struggling to get out the door with his crutches. He stepped on to the porch and closed the door quietly. "What's up? Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah," she stammered, fidgeting her hands nervously. "I-I just wanted to talk," she lied.
"Oh?" He smiled mischievously. It'd been a long time since he and Sayaka just… talked. He wondered what she had on her mind. "What is it you'd like to talk about?"
Sayaka frowned, her eyes staring at the floor. This is it, she thought. I have to do it. I have to. She gulped and closed her eyes. Oh God, what am I doing? I should run! I can't do this, I can't!
She looked up at Kyosuke, whose face lit up when she did. She breathed in deeply, remember Kyoko's words. I can do this. I can.
"Kyosuke," she started.
"Yes?"
"I…" she shifted her feet, adjusting her weight. "I like you."
Kyosuke smiled. "I like you too Sayaka."
Sayaka looked up, startled. "What? Really?"
"Yeah! You're one of my closest friends; why wouldn't I?"
Realization hit Sayaka, a cold wave freezing her insides. "So, wait. You like me… only as a friend?"
"Yeah, of course! What's this abo—"Kyosuke stopped mid-sentence, realization hitting him as well. He looked into Sayaka's baby-blues and saw what he was doing to her. How stupid could he get? He could have hit himself. He really was clueless when it came to girls.
"So… what now?" Sayaka asked, hanging her head. Kyosuke frowned.
"I'm sorry Sayaka... I actually have homework." He knew the damage was done, but he still felt increasingly terrible about it. He had to get away. He opened the door and let himself inside, and as he closed the door he peered out briefly, his grey eyes filled with sadness.
Well, um, Sayaka thought to herself, her heart torn in two. This turned out just as well as I'd expected.
Sayaka was still crying, her tears making the sheets of her bed as wet as rain, when her phone rang its familiar ring-tone. The mystical sounding guitar, the eerie celeste didn't sound as enchanting anymore. On the contrary, the melody almost seemed to compliment her mood. She half-heartedly answered it.
"Hello?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper, having worn it out.
"Sayaka-chan?" Hitomi's voice buzzed through the receiver. She sounded worried.
"Hitomi! It… he…" she went back to crying, unable to properly convey her despair otherwise.
"Sayaka…" Hitomi mustered up before falling silent, allowing Sayaka to cry her heart out. The next few minutes were filled with gibberish and hysterics, interrupted ever so often by a display of waterworks.
"Sayaka, hey. Calm down. Listen." Hitomi spoke calmly, trying to soothe her friend's emotions. Slowly, slowly she stopped herself until there was only the occasional sniffle.
"Sayaka… we both were rejected by Kyosuke, right?"
"Uh huh."
"Well, why were we?"
"I… I don't know. Maybe we're not pretty enough?" Sayaka murmured.
"That's ridiculous! We're beautiful, and even if we weren't Kyosuke isn't that shallow of a person." Hitomi said all of this rather hurriedly.
"Well, maybe I'm just a bad girl. A bad person." Sayaka sniffled.
"Don't be silly, you're a great person! And again, he also rejected me, too."
Sayaka's hands started shaking violently. "What do you mean, Hitomi? Do you really think that low of me?"
"What? No, no, no!" Hitomi sounded panicked.
"Kind of tooting your own horn, aren't you? You seaweed-haired bit—"
"Sayaka, listen. SAYAKA, LISTEN!" She commanded as Sayaka barked obscenities over the phone. "The reason I said that is because… I just… I think there's another reason Kyosuke said no to us. Something secret."
Sayaka went quiet as she held the phone close to her ears, hanging on to Hitomi's every word. "You mean like… an ulterior motive or something?"
"Maybe not that extreme, but yes. And I think we ought to know why."
"I don't know, Hitomi…" Sayaka bit her lip. "It might be something personal. And it's not like we're obligated to know why, anyway. We don't have to know. He might have another girlfriend or something and doesn't want anyone to know."
"Well, we're not going to force him to say anything. But I think, as his friends, we should at least get some kind of explanation. Don't you agree?"
"I suppose." Sayaka dried her red eyes, and continued. "So what, just after school, ask him?"
"That works. He's usually sitting on a bench waiting for his friends or his mom, so we can ambush him then."
"'Ambush' him?"
"Ah, I mean… you know what I mean." A voice started talking in the background. "Yes, Papa. Hey Sayaka, I have to go. I'll see you at school."
"Okay," Sayaka answered. "Bye." She hung up her phone and dried her eyes again.
"Hey there beautiful," a voice spoke behind her, startling the bejeezus out of Sayaka. "'Sup?"
"Ky—"she began, turning around, seeing the red-haired girl stand nonchalantly by the now open window. "Kyo—"she tried again, but her eyes started watering up again. The sight of the redhead brought all the negative thoughts she had to the forefront, reminding her of the pain. She ran to the redhead, who was caught unawares. Was Sayaka about to hit her? Was she that upset? She should have known that Kyoko wouldn't be caught dead ringing the doorbell – the window was the only way to make an entrance for a magical girl.
She braced herself for the worst, but there nothing to worry about. Sayaka threw herself into Kyoko's arms and began bawling. Kyoko stood there, half-dead from the shock. Instead of saying anything Kyoko held Sayaka closely, unable to properly emote what she was feeling. Her heart felt like it was melting inside her.
"There there," she whispered. "It'll be alright."
Sayaka sniffled. "I know."
"I'm sorry, Sayaka. I'm sorry," Kyoko breathed.
"It's okay. It's not your fault. But hey," Sayaka hiccupped, "guess what?"
"Hmm?" Kyoko raised her head, looking into Sayaka's eyes. They were red from crying, but there was liveliness to the oceans of blue that still remained there.
"Hitomi and I… we're going to talk to Kyosuke tomorrow."
Kyoko's heart froze. "Why?" was all she mustered.
Sayaka titled her head. Kyoko's cold reaction surprised her. "Well, Hitomi wants to find out," she spoke slowly as she remembered their conversation from moments before, "why Kyosuke rejected our confessions."
"Why? Isn't it enough…" Kyoko thought about her words carefully. "What if there's not a reason? I mean… I don't want you to get hurt again, Sayaka," Kyoko admitted softly, something aching in her heart.
"Pssh, you're worried about me?" Sayaka snickered, drying her eyes. Kyoko's frown deepened. "Don't be. Hitomi'll be there with me."
Kyoko swallowed. "I see. Well, if you need me… you know how to reach me."
Sayaka nodded. "Thank you, Kyoko-chan."
Kyoko turned as Sayaka uttered her kind words, hiding her contorted expression. Unexpected, she thought to herself, but it's only a slight setback. Kyoko leapt out the window into the night. No worries. I still got this under control... right?
Sayaka smiled as Kyoko left, but not even moments later tears began streaming down her face once more. She dragged her feet back to her bed and went back to sobbing on her drenched sheets once more.
After school the next day, Kyosuke sat alone on a school bench, reading his pre-calculus textbook. He'd missed several of his classes during his time in the hospital – keeping up would be a challenge, but it wasn't anything he couldn't do he'd decided. In reality though, he wasn't studying so much as wasting time. He had plans tonight. He wasn't going to let anyone ruin them.
Three shadows appeared over his book, blocking the light. Kyosuke looked up and saw two pairs of eyes staring right at him, one emerald and one sapphire, filled with determination and dried tears. A girl with rose-colored eyes stood in the front, smiling as best she could, despite her obvious unwillingness to be there. Kyosuke coughed uncomfortably.
"Hi there. What are you three doing? I would have thought you'd all be on your way home by now."
"Normally, yes," Madoka began. "However… due to recent… events… both of them wanted to talk with you." She gestured towards the girls behind her. "If you have the time of course," she added hastily, nervously.
"Events?" Kyosuke frowned as the pieces clicked together in his mind. He closed his book and put it away in his book bag, then turned back to the girls. He'd brought this on himself, he thought. Best to get it over with now, before anything could inconveniently ruin his evening plans. "Very well, then." He signaled for them to proceed, putting on his best smile and hoping that it didn't at all seem forced. "Go ahead, ladies."
Sayaka breathed deeply as Madoka moved to the side. "Kyosuke… we're friends, right?" she inquired.
Kyosuke nodded. "Of course."
"And…" Sayaka thought about how to convey her thoughts. "You do find us attractive, right?"
"I do, but—" he started before being interrupted.
"But what?" Sayaka crossed her arms. "We're not attractive enough for you, is that it?"
"That's silly, Sayaka!" Kyosuke so longed to be able to stand up without the aid of crutches, to properly show he was entirely serious. He settled for a quasi-angry glare as his cheeks started to redden. "Who wouldn't want to date the both of you? Two of the school's most gorgeous girls—"
"Is that what this is all about?" Sayaka yelled. She was never angry with the boy in front of her before, but her insides felt like they were burning up. She didn't know how else to express herself without breaking down completely. "You want to date us both… at the same time?"
Kyosuke's face went red at the thought. "No, that's not it. I'm not a player." The look on Sayaka's face was enough for Kyosuke to know she was unconvinced, so he added on desperately, "I'm not!"
"Sayaka-chan." Hitomi placed her hand on her blue-haired friend's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "If he says he's not, he's not. Don't get so bothered; there's still something we need to do." She turned to the grey-haired boy before her. "Do you happen to know what that would be, Kyosuke-kun?"
Kyosuke shifted in his seat. "Err… you're not going to kill me, are you?"
Madoka did a double take and started giggling wildly. Sayaka couldn't help but join in.
"No!" Hitomi gasped. "We just…"
"We think there's something you're hiding from us," Sayaka cut her off. "There's a reason you won't date either of us. Even just seeing you sit here, we can tell."
Kyosuke's eyes widened. "You… you can?"
"Not really," Hitomi admitted, "but we suspect, and we'd both feel better if we just knew what it was."
Kyosuke sighed. "Do you really want to know?" he asked.
"Yes!" both girls exclaimed, eyes intensely focused upon him. He chuckled uncharacteristically.
"Fine… I guess I'll show you." Kyosuke reached for his face slowly, carefully rubbing his skin
There was no warning. Suddenly, Kyosuke was taking his face off. Blank, uncomprehending eyes stared in terror as skin was ripped away.
"Damn… harder to take off than to put on," a girl's voice escaped from Kyosuke's not-mouth.
In a moment, it was done. The rubber replication of Kyosuke's face was on the ground, and where grey eyes should have been was a pair of crimson eyes instead. Hitomi almost fainted. Sayaka could have thrown something.
"Kyoko, I swear to God—!"
Kyoko responded by laughing wildly. She wasn't just dressed in Kyosuke's nice clothes – it was as if she had her body replaced by Kyosuke's. It was an odd sight, but in a weird way it kind of fit. Kyosuke was rather effeminate.
"Kyoko, what the hell are you doing in Kyosuke's body? How in the… how… I…" Sayaka looked for the right words to express her anger and confusion, strangling the air in front of her.
"We're magical girls, Sayaka," Kyoko explained in an annoyed tone. "This is nothing. You should see what I can do with my—"
"Kyoko, shush!" Sayaka exclaimed, shaking Kyoko violently.
"'Magical girls,' you say?" Hitomi asked curiously. Sayaka laughed awkwardly, placing her hand behind her head. She wasn't quite sure what was allowed when it came to sharing information with someone who wasn't one of them.
Kyoko waved her hand dismissively, causing Kyosuke's crutches to disappear. The fake body she had faded away as well, with her regular thin frame taking its place. A light-green hoodie and short shorts replaced the bright white shirt and slacks. Sayaka and Hitomi stared as they watched her transformation.
"So… if you're not Kyosuke, where is he?" Hitomi didn't want to be blunt, but she did have something she had to do. "We have something to tell him."
Kyoko cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, don't worry. I tied up the real Kyosuke. I tossed him."
"WHAT?" The fact that Hitomi screamed this out was what made it all the more shocking. Painful too – Sayaka doubled over, hands pressed against her ears.
"Good God, Hitomi! What the hell?"
"But… but… why? There's something we need to ask him, why would you do something like that to someone you don't even know?"
"She's right, Kyoko." Sayaka's face suddenly twisted with rage. "Why'd you freakin' do that? There's nothing he could have done to deserve whatever you did to him!"
"Pssh!" Kyoko reached into her pocket and pulled out a bag of Doritos. "He hurt my girl here," she gestured towards Sayaka, whose fury outweighed her embarrassment at the comment. "For what it's worth, I say he had it coming. But I didn't hurt him. Just knocked him out, hid him in an alley. He'll be fine. Besides," she reached into the bag and pulled out a single chip, "I know exactly why he rejected you girls." In the blink of an eye, Kyoko had already put the chip in her mouth, crunching loudly. "That's what you wanted to know, right? His little secret or whatever?"
All eyes were on the redhead. There was no need for words.
Kyoko swallowed loudly. "Oh come on. Didn't you know? He's gay."
Silence.
"Really?" Sayaka said, placing her fingers under her chin thoughtfully. "I wouldn't have guessed it."
"Nor would I," Hitomi said, swaying on the spot. She felt overwhelmed by how anti-climactic the entire situation was.
"Yeah, he is. I caught him ogling one of his guy friends, and as I followed him more and more I saw him chase the guy down and ask him out." That's why I was pushing you to confess, Sayaka, she thought to herself. I thought that by doing so, not only would you let it out instead of clinging to it… I thought that maybe I could… be there to comfort you? Maybe get you to like me, like I do you. She placed another chip on her tongue, her red eyes trying to telepathically send the blunette a message.
"So you were spying on him?" Sayaka asked warily after a moment's silence. It seems she didn't get it.
"I guess you could say that," she burst into laughter, quickly gobbling up another chip.
Sayaka sighed. "Well damn." She kicked the ground. "Now what? There's nothing left to do. I feel shitty."
"Yeah," Hitomi nodded in agreement. "I do too."
"Come now, don't be," Kyoko said, finishing her snack and crumpling the bag into a ball. Green and blue eyes looked back at her as she threw her trash into the nearby trash can. She pumped her arm in victory as it went in. She turned her crimson eyes back to them.
"You're feeling bad now. Why? Because wussy boy can't possibly return your feelings? If that's it, then why not come to my place tonight?" She smiled mischievously. "You don't need a wussy boy like him, Sayaka. You need someone who can handle you. And you can't tell me you don't feel anything toward me after all I did for you? C'mon. I can show you a good time." She winked at the blunette, whose embarrassment came all at once as she blushed wildly.
"You're free to join us, Green-hair." Kyoko offered her other hand to Hitomi. "You can see what being a magical girl is like… and why they call us 'magical.'" Hitomi blushed at Kyoko's wink, but she was quick to reach out for the extended hand.
"On one condition," she said confidently. "Call me 'Hitomi.'"
Kyoko smirked and took her hand. "Alright then. Hitomi."
The three silently noticed that Madoka was nowhere to be seen amidst all of this. Kyoko thought she might know where Madoka went off to, but really she didn't care. None of them did. They only cared about the long hot night ahead of them.
I am such a winner! Kyoko thought to herself, grinning wildly.
Meanwhile, in an alley somewhere in downtown Mitakihara, a boy with grey hair and eyes was lying in pain, hands tied behind his back. As he woke up, he struggled to remember what had happened. There was a red-haired girl, viciously taunting him, and suddenly everything had gone dark. Whatever happened, his head was aching because of it and… oh God, footsteps. Those were footsteps, echoing through the alleyway, and coming closer! He just knew it was the red-head girl, vicious as ever, coming to finish what she started!
"Hi Kamijo-kun," a sweet voice echoed. Kyosuke gasped and looked up to see a girl with rose-tinted eyes and pink hair.
"Ma-Madoka?" he stammered, confused.
"I knew I'd find you here," she purred, something that threw Kyosuke off guard. "Don't worry, Kamijo-kun; I'll make you feel all better." She reached towards his belt. "Trust me."
No one heard Kyosuke's screams.
Secretly, unbeknownst to anyone else, a girl walked the hallways of Mitakihara High School. Her blonde hair was tied back in two pigtails; both of them swirled into something almost drill-like. Her bright amber eyes almost seemed to glow in the near dark of the facility's corridors. She had her game face on, as if she was ready to take on the world.
"Kaname-san," she muttered under her breath, holding out a tiny golden light that shone brilliantly in this dark place. "I won't let you take another one. Not today. But where are you?"
Little did Mami Tomoe know that her role in this story was over before it even began.
ORIGINAL ENDING
Kyosuke sighed. "Do you really want to know?" he asked.
"Yes!" both girls exclaimed, eyes intensely focused upon him.
"Well… honestly? I'm gay."
Silence.
"You're…" Hitomi placed her hand up to hide her dropped jaw.
"…gay?" Sayaka took a step back, as if she had never seen Kyosuke before. "You mean… gay gay?" She emphasized it as if the word itself were foreign to her. Kyosuke closed his eyes sadly.
"Yeah. I would have eventually told you two, honestly. I didn't think it was a something to make a big deal out of." His grey eyes shifted back and forth between them, blue and green reflecting from his gaze. "I'm sorry I hurt you both, but I never meant to."
"But… you don't act gay!" Sayaka yelled rather loudly. Kyosuke winced, embarrassed slightly.
"Is there a proper way to act gay?" he asked, his tone irritated.
"Yeah! I mean… I think? I guess." Sayaka started backtracking. "I don't know, actually. Is there?"
"It's not as if I'm going to suddenly start talking with a lisp, or constantly use the word 'fabulous,' or watch magical girl anime." Kyosuke huffed impatiently. "I'm still the same guy I always was. I'm just… I'm just… gay, you know? I mean, come on. Surely you two understand?" The two girls looked at Kyosuke with innocent eyes. Kyosuke sighed. "Hmm. Maybe not," he said simply.
It was a long time before anyone spoke again.
"If we're done here," the boy spoke bitterly, "I do have plans."
"Of course," Hitomi responded with but a whisper. "We're… we're sorry, Kyosuke."
"Yeah. We're—"
"Don't worry about it." Kyosuke smiled as he grabbed his crutches and helped himself up. He was good at forgiving his friends, even when they probably didn't deserve it for a good while. "If you're up for it, I can introduce you both to my date?" Kyosuke's face lit up. "Too late, here he comes."
The girls turned to see another boy their age walking towards them. His light brown hair was unusually slicked back, accentuating his pointed though not quite prominent chin. His eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.
"Girls, I'm sure you know of Nakazawa?" Kyosuke said, introducing everyone. "Nakazawa, meet—"
"Your fan girls?" Nakazawa joked, bowing slightly. "I don't think we've ever actually properly met, but it's nice to meet you both. Sorry to rush, but the movie's going to start soon. We should hurry, Kyosuke."
"Oh, is it that late already?" Kyosuke offered his bag to Nakazawa who readily took it. "I apologize. I'll properly introduce everyone another time then." He shifted his weight from one crutch to the other and did his best bow. "I'll see you girls later."
The girls simply stood there gaping as the pair walked away. It was a strange sight, if only because of the thoughts that went with it. After all, the idea had never occurred to them. Kyosuke Kamijo, the prodigy with a thousand admirers? Surely he must have liked one of them in secret! It couldn't be because he liked another boy! What kind of sick M. Night Shyamalan twist was this?
But there he was, practically skipping with joy. Who could blame him of course, since this was what he had wished for, what kept him going those long days and nights in the hospital? As Nakazawa wrapped one arm around the boy on crutches, was there any doubt now that Kyosuke Kamijo earned this happy ending?
That's the question that crossed both girls' minds, anyway. They were happy for their injured friend, sure, but they felt as though their own happy endings had been taken away from them. Nonetheless, they were determined to salvage what was left of the situation and make it work… somehow.
That's when the wheels stared rotating in Hitomi's head. She cleared her throat, her cheeks reddening.
"Hey, Sayaka?"
Sayaka snapped out of her trance. "Yeah, Hitomi?"
"I feel terrible." She sighed deeply, trying to empty her heart of all its grievances. "Not just because we thoughtlessly hurt Kyosuke, but because I still want to get something out of all this. Am I selfish for wanting that?"
"Not really," the blunette nodded her head. "I know exactly what you mean, actually. It's like… I feel I deserve some happiness, if just to compensate for what just happened. I... we wasted all that time on him. I guess that defeats the purpose of 'deserving' it though, huh?" She laughed humorlessly to herself.
"I don't know, Sayaka." She turned her head to the side, blushing ever so slightly. "Maybe we do. To be honest, Madoka kind of… placed an idea in my head a few days ago. I didn't give it much thought until now, but..."
Sayaka tilted her head curiously. "I'm not following."
"Actually, subconsciously I may have thought about it. But I guess," she blushed even harder, "with Madoka's words, and the way that redhead acted around you… and even Kyosuke kind of subtly asked us…" She stopped mid-sentence, unable to speak properly with her mouth suddenly dry.
"Hitomi?"
Hitomi swallowed. "Maybe… I don't know, maybe we should date? Or try it, anyway. A chance to be happy, you know?"
Sayaka's blood rushed to her head, her blushing face clashing with her hair. "Hitomi… uh, not that I'm agreeing or disagreeing, but I thought you'd be completely against it! I mean, what about 'forbidden love'?"
"Well," Hitomi giggled, taking Sayaka by the hand. "I guess that's what makes it fun."
Time refused to slow or stop, but for all it was worth Hitomi and Sayaka swore it did. In a moment of abnormal courage, Hitomi wrapped her arms around Sayaka's neck and pressed her lips against the blunette's. There was no hesitation, nor was there a struggle – only a passion that was equally, surprisingly, returned. In the spontaneity of things, they didn't even realize Madoka had been with them only moments before, much less that she wasn't now.
As she watched the scene from a short distance away, the flame-headed girl bit into her apple and let the bittersweet taste make its way down her throat. Her plan failed utterly and completely. Sayaka, the girl of her dreams, was in the arms of another girl. She thought she had things planned out from the moment she saw wussy boy make oogly eyes at that other boy! Push Sayaka towards him, he rejects her, and when she's in tears, in swoops Kyoko to comfort the young maiden! That she found out the truth about the boy should have been fine too; it would only drive her further away from him.
She'd never even realized that Green-hair would be such a pain in the ass. What she wouldn't give to hurt her, to cause her unbearable pain, pain equal to what she herself was feeling…
And yet as she watched the pair walk away, Kyoko couldn't help but notice that Sayaka suddenly seemed happier. Loads happier. Those slender shoulders, weighed down with the weight of the world before, looked lighter. She was almost a completely different person. And in the long run, that's what she wanted, right? If Sayaka was happy with someone else, then she'd learn to be happy. No, wait. No, she'd simply learn to deal with it. She'd dealt with much worse tragedy than this, so losing *her* was nothing. She'd deal as she always had…
A soft hand tugged Kyoko's right sleeve. Broken from her sudden train of thought, Kyoko turned from the blue and green blurs walking into the sunset to see a pair of rose-colored eyes beaming up at her with rose-tinted cheeks.
"Madoka, wha—?" Kyoko began, confused at Madoka's sudden appearance and her sickeningly sweet smile.
"You've been looking a little down lately, Kyoko-chan," the pinkette began. "So I've decided something."
"Oh?" Kyoko raised an eyebrow, anxious yet curious.
Madoka peered into crimson eyes and glomped the helpless redhead. "Kyoko! I'm going to make you my waifu!"
Elsewhere in the city, in a blank-white room, a raven-haired girl carefully glanced over various writings and maps. The ticking of the pendulum above was the only noise, and it was barely noticeable over her scribbles. Suddenly, though there was no gust or breeze, she shivered violently.
"What the…?"
Homura looked around the room, confused. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt a great disturbance in the force.
A/N: No one really hooks up like this, by the way. And Madoka in the alternate ending? I'm sorry if that bothers anyone or makes anyone uncomfortable.
This was a fun little idea I had for a Kyosuke-based story, which then evolved into a story where Kyosuke is only somewhat important. Took me FOREVER to write it and I don't have an excuse except that my hard-drive was broken, and even then I still had the story in my possession. Also, thanks to MichaelSaniyan for finding a Sayaka-related Vocaloid song to add to my melancholy playlist. It helped me finish this absolutely non-melancholic story. Putting my alternate ending first? That's my present to you.
Thank you to my beta readers, DannyBarefoot and ShadowKittenMewFan. Also, RPPuzzle. Far better than I deserve, all of you. That I needed three is terrible.