Gotta love it when I get random ideas for stories that i then write within two hours of coming up with the idea. Anyway, enjoy!
It was mid-afternoon. Madoka was in the B-Pit as usual, straightening the shelves from the usual morning onslaught of young bladers.
"Well, at least there aren't quite so many this time, with Neo Battle Bladers going on." The brunette sighed, placing a few launchers back on the shelves. Suddenly, a pink envelope caught her eye, the corner of it sticking out from beneath a few of the launchers.
"Huh?" She blinked as she picked it up, only to find that it had her name written on it. Slowly, she opened the envelope, only to find a note written inside.
"My dearest Madoka. By the time you have read those words you will undoubtedly be wondering who in the world could have left this under the pile of launchers in your shop. Well, it was one of the bladers who left it, obviously, but it is not this same blader who writes to you now. There's only one way for you to find out who I am. The next directions will be waiting for you at Neo Battle Bladers. They will be underneath the farthest chair to the left in the private box you share with Benkei Hanawa and Tsubasa Otori. Good luck.
-Your Secret Admirer."
By the time she had finished the letter, Madoka's mind was filled with intense curiosity, although she was also slightly creeped out. She seriously hoped that this 'secret admirer' was not just some creepy stalker, or worse, someone who wanted her for… Let's just say… certain reasons that were less than honorable. However, so far, the directions were taking her to places she knew she would be safe in. Madoka sighed and put the letter in a drawer, which she then locked. A glance at her watch told her that she had merely a half hour before the semifinals of Neo Battle Bladers began. The brunette released a sigh and began locking up her shop, before grabbing her keys and walking out the back door, which she locked before getting on a bus and riding to the stadium.
"Heeeey, Madoka-chan!" A chorus of voices greeted the brunette as she stepped off the bus.
"Shinobu! Maru! Ren! How are you guys?" Madoka asked, smiling at the three.
"We're all pumped up for the battle, of course!" Maru giggled.
Madoka smiled at her protege. "Where's Zero?"
"He's inside brooding over how he's going to beat Sakyo." Ren said, flicking her hand backwards towards the doors.
"Well, I'm sure he'll do fine." Madoka chuckled. "You three had better get inside if you want seats where you can actually see the battle."
"The Director reserved us front-row seats, actually." Maru said. "So we'll be fine!"
"I see." Madoka chuckled. "Still, Shinobu should get inside, because he has to be in place in ten minutes for his battle with Kira."
"True." Ren scratched her cheek.
"Come on. Let's all go in together." Madoka said, chuckling and adjusting her purse on her shoulder as she walked into the building.
"Madoka, look-" Maru tried to warn Madoka, but was too late. Madoka yelped as she tripped over the mop of a janitor who was working on cleaning up a mess on the floor. The brunette was sent sprawling on the ground, and ended up landing partially in the janitor's bucket of water, which tipped over and soaked her to the bone.
"Oh! I am so sorry, miss! Are you alright?!" The janitor exclaimed, dropping his mop and rushing to help her up.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Madoka said, shivering slightly.
"Hang on just a second miss, I'll get you some towels." the janitor said, picking up Madoka's purse and handing it to her before jogging off towards a nearby closet.
Madoka sighed, looking down at her soaked clothing and wrapping her jacket tightly around herself. Soon enough, the janitor had returned with a towel, which he handed to the shivering brunette.
"I am very, very sorry miss. If only I had been more careful-"
"No, it's alright." Madoka interrupted him. "I should have been watching where I was going anyway. Thanks for the towel."
"You're welcome miss…" The janitor shuffled his feet, staring at the ground as if embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it too much." Madoka said, righting the bucket she had knocked over. "I'll let you get back to work. Perhaps I should help?"
"No, no, no. That's quite alright miss, I'll get it myself." The janitor said. "You go enjoy the tournament now, please."
"Alright." Madoka sighed. "Have a good day then."
"You too miss." the janitor said as Madoka and the others walked off.
"Seeya after the tournament, Madoka!" Ren called as they went their separate ways, the younger group to their seats, and Madoka to the private box where Benkei and Tsubasa were undoubtedly waiting.
"Madoka? You're soaked!" Benkei yelped as the brunette entered the room.
"I, uh… Had a bit of a run-in with a janitor's mop bucket." Madoka said sheepishly.
"I see." Tsubasa chuckled as Madoka sat down, glancing under her chair and frowning in thought as she spotted yet another pink envelope peeking out from beneath it. The lights in the stadium dimmed as Guider came out and began announcing the battle. Madoka slowly reached under her chair and pulled out the envelope, opening it and setting it in her lap to read it.
"My Dearest Madoka, if you're reading this then clearly you have decided to continue following the trail I am leaving. Do not worry, I am not an enemy. Perhaps that makes you think I might be, but you merely have to trust me. I promise that you can. Your next clue, well, you already possess it. Remember the janitor in the entrance of the stadium? He slipped it into your purse. You merely have to look there to find it. Sincerely,
Your Secret Admirer."
"Weirder and weirder." Madoka muttered, opening her purse and looking inside. Just as the previous note had said, another pink envelope was inside. Madoka opened it.
"My Dearest Madoka, your next clue will be in Bull Burger. Undoubtedly you will be heading there after the battles end here. Enjoy the tournament. Sincerely,
Your Secret Admirer."
Madoka sighed and tucked the two letters back into her purse, her mind focused on how creepy this entire thing was. By the time she had managed to focus on the battle in front of her, Shinobu had been defeated by Kira.
"A win for Zero, a devastating loss for Shinobu." Tsubasa sighed. "This isn't looking the best for our side."
"No kidding." Benkei sighed. "I suppose Shinobu will have to go to the hospital. I hope he'll be alright."
"Me too." Madoka whispered. "Hey, Benkei… Will you be opening up Bull Burger?"
"I do have to, why?" Benkei sighed.
"I, uh… Need to go there." Madoka said.
"Okay…?" Benkei said. "Wanna just ride with me then?"
Madoka nodded. "Sure."
"Are you alright?" Benkei asked as they exited the building and headed for the bus stop.
"I'm fine." Madoka sighed. "Just… Well, following a trail that some secret admirer left and apparently the next clue to find this guy is at Bull Burger, so…"
"I see." Benkei frowned slightly. "Be careful."
"You know I will, Benkei… I just wanna know who this guy is, that's all."
"I understand that, but what if it's a trap set by DNA?" Benkei asked.
"Would they go that far?" Madoka frowned.
"I wouldn't put it past them." Benkei sighed.
The two rode the rest of the way to Bull Burger in silence, Madoka wondering just who she would find at the end of this trail, and Benkei wondering if it were a clever trap to lure Madoka in. Once the two arrived, they found a fourth pink envelope laying just inside the door of Bull Burger. Benkei picked it up, glanced over it, and handed it to Madoka, who slowly took it and opened it.
"Madoka: I'm stopping with the sappiness because it's making me blush, to be honest. This is the last letter. Sunset, the grassy area by the river, right next to the small bridge that you fished off of with several friends a month after the Nemesis Crisis. I'm waiting. Sincerely,
Your Secret Admirer."
"Well, I'm glad he stopped with the 'My Dearest Madoka' stuff, because it was starting to get on my nerves." Madoka muttered.
"Down by the river, huh…?" Benkei frowned. "That seems like an ideal place for a kidnapping if you ask me."
"I'll be fine, Benkei. I have to unravel this mystery somehow." Madoka said.
"Still… Should I maybe hang around nearby, just in case?" Benkei asked.
Madoka frowned slightly. "I… Don't think that'll be necessary… I'll be fine. Tell you what, I'll call you on the phone and talk to you while I'm going there, okay?"
Benkei sighed. "Okay... "
"You should probably open up and stuff. I'll see you later." Madoka said, shoving the letter into her purse and walking off.
"I suppose…" Benkei muttered, turning around and flicking on the neon sign in his window to indicate that he was open for business.
A few hours later, as the sun was setting, Madoka stepped out of the B-Pit, wearing jeans and her usual boots, as well as a light pink t-shirt.
"If this guy has ulterior motives, I'll at least be ready for it." Madoka muttered under her breath, gripping a small can of pepper spray in her hand as she strode down to the indicated place, multiple questions flowing through her mind. She sighed, hoping that whatever happened wouldn't ruin the location for her.
Madoka thought with a smile about the fun times, the memories that had been made there. For example, the fishing off the bridge mentioned in the letter, when Gingka had leaned over too far and had fallen into the river, getting a cold that had lasted nearly a week. A light giggle escaped the brunette's lips at this, as she remembered the passionate anti-doctor protest that her redheaded friend had given.
Realizing that she hadn't thought of him in a while, Madoka allowed her thoughts to drift nostalgically towards the redhead. Soon enough, she found herself tearing up as she remembered the last day she had seen him, five years ago, when he had left on a train to return to Koma Village. The sight of him leaving had nearly broken her heart at the time.
"I miss you… Gingka…" Madoka whispered as she reached the place that her fourth letter had named. The brunette leaned against the railing, looking out over the river.
"This is where we first met… Why couldn't he come back?" She muttered under her breath.
The next instant, Madoka tensed incredibly as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind.
"I did come back." a familiar voice whispered into her ear.
"Gingka…" Madoka breathed in shock, turning to look over her shoulder as tears sprung to her eyes. Gingka's grip loosened on her, allowing her to turn around and throw her arms around his neck as she buried her face in his scarf. Soon enough, the white fabric was soaked with her tears.
"Missed me?" Gingka said, reaching up and gently stroking her hair with one hand.
"So much…" Madoka whispered. "Sorry for soaking your scarf…" She looked embarrassed.
Gingka shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'll consider it as payback for earlier."
"Earlier…?" Madoka looked confused.
Gingka grinned mischievously. "I'm pretty good at being a janitor, don't you think?"
Madoka's mouth dropped open in shock as she looked up at her old friend. "You…?!"
Gingka laughed, his eyes sparkling. "Well, I couldn't let too many people see me. Only the blader who delivered the first letter knew anything, and I had to beybattle him to keep him from telling anyone."
"... Give me one good reason right now why I shouldn't slap you for sending me on a wild goose chase instead of just coming to see me." Madoka said, narrowing her eyes.
Gingka's eyes widened, a look of genuine fear flashing across his face. "Uhh… Well… You always talked about wanting something romantic, so..."
Madoka laughed. "As if I'd slap you, ya big idiot."
Gingka pouted childishly. "Not nice!" He whined.
"Oi, oi, you're too big for that now, ya follow?" Madoka said, poking his nose and giggling. "And you're way too unromantic to write four sappy letters in however long it took you.
Gingka turned red. "Hence why I only wrote three, and barely managed even that."
"I'm impressed you managed even one." Madoka snorted. "Mr. Secret Admirer."
Gingka smirked and suddenly pulled Madoka close to him again. "My Dearest Madoka." He said, planting a solid kiss on her lips for several seconds before pulling away and once more becoming the goofy child he had always been.
"Oh, so that's how it is, huh?" Madoka frowned. "You waltz back in after five years and suddenly you expect me to just take a random kiss like that? Did you not consider that something might have happened while you were gone?"
"Well I'm not back for long because it's not quite time yet and, u-umm… Wait, did something happen?!" Gingka looked panicked.
Madoka smirked, standing on her toes and getting right in his face. "You're such an idiot, Gingka." She said before pulling his headband over his eyes and planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Hey!" Gingka yelped, quickly fixing his headband.
Madoka laughed. "I'm kidding. You really think I'd go for another guy? Sheesh!"
Gingka looked confused. "Huh?"
"Oh, when are you-" Madoka rolled her eyes and tugged at his scarf, pulling him down to her level. "You've always been the only one I ever liked that way, Gingka. I'm not sure there could be anyone else."
"Oh…" Gingka looked sheepish. "Does that mean I get my girl then?"
"Yes, yes, you get your girl, silly." Madoka laughed.
"Good." Gingka chuckled sheepishly. "Because this would have been a real awkward situation if I didn't."
"Ya think?" Madoka chuckled, wrapping her arms around him tightly with a contented sigh. "Training did you some good. I can feel it."
"Well, Pegasus and I do have more power, so… Why are you looking at me like that?" Gingka said confusedly.
"Gingka, you are a complete idiot, you know that?" Madoka laughed, shaking her head.
"... What did you mean…?" Gingka asked slowly.
Madoka grabbed his arm and bent it at the elbow, then squeezed his bicep. "Muscle, you idiot. You're not this big flabby baby anymore."
"Hey! I was never a big flabby baby!" Gingka protested, pouting.
"Were too." Madoka snorted.
Gingka crossed his arms, pouting harder.
"But it was the big flabby baby I fell in love with." Madoka said smugly.
"...Care to do some stargazing?" Gingka suddenly changed the subject.
"Sure, I'll do some stargazing with my big muscular baby." Madoka laughed.
"Hey!" Gingka exclaimed, gaining a tick mark. "Quit calling me a baby!"
Madoka merely laughed harder, climbing over the railing and sitting down on the grass below before looking back at Gingka, her turquoise eyes sparkling in the light from the streetlamps above. "You coming, baby?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Gingka grumbled, leaping over the rail in his usual fashion and sliding down next to her, crossing his arms behind his head and laying down.
"Good." Madoka muttered, laying down as well and snuggling up against Gingka's side with a contented sigh.
"Thanks for coming back, Gingka. Even if it's not permanent." Madoka sighed.
"Not permanent yet." Gingka muttered, smiling and putting one arm around her shoulders, watching her eyes as they sparkled with the light of all the stars above them.
Yay for sappy romantic things! I love it when I can fangirl over my own writing, heh. Aaaaaanyway, until next time, Galaxy out!