Guardian Angel

I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica or any of the associated characters.

"Well … this is it I guess."

Kyouko winced as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position. There was none.

"Had a good run. At least … at least I get to rest soon."

A massive wound in her left side leaked blood, her left arm hung limp, the forearm bent in the middle, part of the bone sticking out through the flesh. She could feel blood oozing from her nostrils and from the right side of her mouth. Her right hand clenched her spear tightly, preparing herself to make one last, desperate stab.

"Fuck this hurts."

She didn't know if Mami and Homura were alive or not. They got separated by the demons. And these demons were clever shits. They had herded Kyouko away, down a blind alley, and while she had managed to destroy half a dozen of them … she could hardly call this a victory. Especially not since she knew there were three, maybe four, more of them headed in her direction.

She looked around bitterly at the remnants. If she survived, she wouldn't have to worry about her soul gem giving out.

"Come on fuckers! What're you waiting for? Afraid of one wounded magical girl?"

She groaned in pain immediately afterward. She felt something wet and ropey slide down her left side, and she decided it'd be better if she didn't look. There was far more damage than she thought. She might not need the demons to finish her off after all.

But they came soon enough. Six of them. Tall, featureless, translucent … their relentless and emotionless drifting motion toward her was far more terrifying than Kyouko thought possible. She scowled, and tried to look menacing … effort wasted on the demons, but at least it made her feel as though she wasn't just giving up.

And then at that moment, they halted. Kyouko was confused. Surely her expression wouldn't have done that ….

And then a single white feather drifted down out of the sky, brushing Kyouko's forehead, before tickling it's way down her face.

She looked up, and standing on the roof of the building she was leaning against was a shape. The silhouette of a person … a girl. Tall and stately she seemed, a short skirt and half-cape billowing in the wind. One single feathered wing stretched out from her back. In her right hand, she held a saber, that reflected the bluish moonlight.

Kyouko gasped, speechless. She blinked, and the image vanished. Just some strange death-vision.

Or so she thought, until she felt a gust of wind, and heard someone hit the pavement in front of her. The girl. She was in front of Kyouko, between her and the demons. She was down on one knee, her saber held out pointing at the spectral monsters.

With a flash of white cape and wing, the figure sprang forward, cutting down two demons in one lightning- swift slash of her sword. She hit the ground behind the other four, converting her momentum into a tumble that resulted in her facing her opponents. And Kyouko.

The girl's blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight. She wore white knee-length stockings with blue trim, somehow undirtied despite her maneuvers. The sword, glowing now in a faint blue light, was held by a white-gloved hand, again trimmed with blue. Kyouko couldn't see the rest of her outfit in the darkness … but her mind filled in the remaining details. Blue skirt with white hem, blue and white frilly top leaving her shoulders bare. Her cape would be held in place by a white choker with gold trim. A blue C shaped gem would be embedded into her belly, around her navel. And a messy tangle of short, blue hair would hang down around her face.

Kyouko's strength failed her, and her spear fell to the ground with a clang. She forced her eyes to stay open, to watch. Watch as the blue-and-white clothed girl dodged effortlessly to her left, avoiding a deadly white beam of light. The girl leapt into the air, coming down blade first onto the head of a demon, her body-weight driving the blade clean through the monster. Without a pause, she did a deft commando roll to one side to free her blade. An upper-cut swing sliced open two more demons.

The remaining monster halted, backing away from the girl.

"You aren't getting away from me," the girl taunted, the voice sending a shiver down Kyouko's spine.

Around the blue girl, half a dozen swords appeared. She gestured toward the demon, and they flashed toward it, each one slicing through and causing the monster to fall into multiple pieces, each of which dissolved into a dozen remnant cubes.

"Sa … ya … ka."

The figure dropped her sword, and walked over to Kyouko. She kneeled down beside her. And Kyouko smiled.

"Hey … what're you doing here … moron?"

Sayaka grinned, and her one white, angelic wing folded neatly behind her.

"Saving your dumb butt, Kyouko."

Kyouko chuckled bitterly.

"Kinda too late for that. Should've been here … five minutes sooner. Even … as an angel you … are a dumbass."

Sayaka grinned, and stroked Kyouko's cheek. The touch was light, not unlike the feather that had brushed against her earlier. But this touch had warmth, and caused her skin to tingle softly.

"So … you gonna … take me up to … heaven or something?"

Sayaka shook her head.

"Only good girls get to go to heaven," she said teasingly.

"Fuck," Kyouko said with a grin. "So how the hell'd you get to be a damn angel then?"

"You'll understand, one day. It just isn't your time yet, Kyouko."

Kyouko blinked, her expression turning serious. Her vision was starting to become blurry.

"Sure feels like it though."

Sayaka leaned down closer to the redhead. Her hands rested against Kyouko's cheeks. Kyouko gasped, eyes getting wide.

"So … finally get it now?"

"Madoka … she let me see. Just a little bit, because I can't really see everything. But enough to know how you really felt about me."

"Shit," Kyouko muttered, uncertain.

Sayaka continued to lean in close, until Kyouko could feel her soft, warm breath against her face. Why did she need to breathe, Kyouko wondered to herself.

"I know it's good. Well, most of it anyway. Don't worry. We'll have an eternity to work it out."

Soft, moist lips grazed Kyouko's. She could feel them. Taste them. She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, but she pressed back against the kiss. Eager to deepen it.

When her eyes opened, seemingly the next instant, she was staring into a pair of intense, violet eyes. A pair of soft hands rested against her broken forearm, and a cool, soothing sensation radiated from that touch through her skin.

"You are lucky we found you when we did," Homura stated in her usual cold tone.

"Yeah … thanks Homura. Mami."

"That was quite a bit of damage you soaked up. Even after I heal you, you'll need to rest for a few weeks. How did you defeat all those demons alone?"

Kyouko turned, stared into Mami's amber eyes, and smiled.

"Alone? I ... I never was alone."