WITCH!

Save my father…

What else should I call you?

I wish…

I will never regret this wish!

Let me protect…

I was such a fool!

Please…

Please, come back to us!

My life's really sucked lately…

One thing I regret is leaving you alone.

Just for once, give me a happy dream…

Now, nothing can keep us apart…

I had a scary dream…

A dream that you had gone away…


A sharp gasp filled the silence, followed by the rustling of the bunny-print blanket as a slender female rose up from the mattress in shock and confusion. Wide scarlet eyes reduced to pinpricks stared vacantly into space, her chest rising and falling in an irregular pattern, sweat beading down her face and hands. "What…what was…" Her high-octave voice weak and shaky, the female nonetheless quickly glanced over in alarm to ensure that her sleeping roommate hadn't been disturbed from her slumber.

A quick glance over and she could see that her blue-haired companion was still deep in slumber. The girl breathed a sigh of relief, straightening up in bed and fixing up the blanket she'd unceremoniously tossed to the side in her small fit. Scarlet locks rained over her shoulders, her long thick hair free from its usual black ribbon. "What was that," she muttered quietly to herself as she carefully made her way off the mattress. She couldn't really sleep anymore, and it was better to get up and get something to eat instead of sitting there and potentially disturbing her roommate.

The redhead directed herself towards the kitchen, stepping lightly so as not to make any noise, maneuvering through the dark by memory since she didn't want to chance waking her friend and making her any grouchier than she already was. Well, it wasn't as if she was too keen on waking up this early either, she thought with a grimace as she glanced sidelong at the clock on the stove which read 6:30. She would never have woken up this early if it weren't for that terrible, yet strangely convoluted dream she had. Such a fright, yet…it made no sense!

She reached gingerly for an apple from the fruit bowl, taking it into her calloused palms and bringing it to her quivering lips. Come to think of it, were her hands always so calloused? Lost in thought, she instinctively took a bite into the fruit, chewing absent-mindedly, as if it were a practice she did in her sleep.

Again.

Again, no taste.

She shuddered, taking a look at the fruit in her hand. Why didn't it have a taste? She was sure, once upon a time, that she remembered apples to have a crunchy, sweet yet tangy taste to it. She'd always loved the taste of apples. After all, that fruit had always gotten her by during…

During what?

Just then, a loud, consistent "BEEP" resounded through the residence, startling the redhead and nearly causing her to drop the fruit. Yet once again, instinct caused her to grip even tighter to the apple as if it was her lifeline. "EEP!" She squeaked at the sound, but quickly put a free hand to her mouth to stifle any further noise.

Too late, she could already hear her companion shuffling in the other room. "Kyouko, turn off the alarm~!" Her companion cried, clearly sounding quite grouchy, as she'd expected. The redhead just stood in place, staring in the direction of the bedroom as if she were watching a movie. She knew she was supposed to head over to the bedroom, at least to tease her companion until she got up and started chasing her around. Then they would respectively prepare themselves for school – her companion of course fixing the redhead's uniform herself, her companion getting breakfast prepared – or was she in charge of breakfast that day? Her head was still reeling from the dream she'd had; not really one she always had, she didn't think. Yet despite their usual routine, the girl remained in her spot, staring blankly towards the bedroom as she saw her companion's shadow nearing the doorway of the bedroom. In the back of her mind, she faintly registered the alarm clock had been shut off.

"Sheesh, Kyouko! Where'd you go?! I thought I told you to-" The blue-haired girl stepped in view of the kitchen to see her friend standing there, apple in hand yet only one bite had been taken. "What, you were up already? Why didn't you wake me up earlier, then?" The blue-haired girl released a sigh, sauntering into the kitchen toward the redhead, looking at her with a puzzled expression before she flicked her nose. "Hey, stop spacing out! We gotta get ready for school!"

"Huh? Ah, yeah…" The redhead blinked a few times, kick-starting her awareness before she attempted any more conversation. "Why should we have to rush? It's still early now!" The redhead grinned, her eyes shining with their usual glint of mischievousness as she pointed haughtily to the kitchen clock. "See? It's only 6:40 right now! Geez, it's always full-steam ahead with you, isn't it Sayaka?"

"Idiot! I told you last night that I forgot to fix that clock!" The blue-haired Sayaka cried out in aggravation as she quickly rushed past her airheaded friend, rummaging through the cabinet to quickly put something together. "It's Daylight Savings Time! It's actually 7:40 right now!" The redhead stared blankly for a bit as she slowly registered what the other said. "Which means we need to hurry or we'll be LATE!"

This kicked the redhead in gear as she quickly followed suit, rushing to the bedroom and grabbing the school uniform for their middle school. "Stupid! How could I remember something like that!? Anyway, wasn't that your responsibility!?" She shouted halfway across the rooms, opting for switching out of the baggy second-hand pale-red pajamas while she was still in the bedroom, taking the uniform shirt and quickly slipping it on.

Sayaka rushed into the room, deodorant in hand as she neared the redhead that she just KNEW wouldn't bother with proper hygiene as she rushed in a hurry into the uniform. "Yeah, well, the alarm clock was yours!" She quipped, grabbing the redhead's thin arm as she pulled her over, raising the uniform shirt so she could apply the deodorant. As usual, Kyouko reacted with a cry of surprise, struggling away from her grip. The first time they did this song and dance, Kyouko was genuinely afraid of the sudden physical contact for reasons neither of them could fathom. Now, she was just annoyed at Sayaka's nosiness. She rolled her scarlet eyes as she sat still and allowed Sayaka to finish with the application, stifling a snicker as the blue-haired girl continued with, "And you forgot to fix that alarm! As soon as I saw that it was 7:40, I knew we were in trouble!"

"Hey, I fixed the alarm clock!" Kyouko grinned, sitting still as her friend took it upon herself to dress her the rest of the way in the school uniform as she always did, since she'd always complained that Kyouko could never get it quite right. It wasn't her fault she didn't care about how wrinkled it looked as long as it was on. "I just didn't bother to fix the alarm itself." Her grin widened as the blue-haired girl rose to glare at her mishap, but the grin was quickly replaced with a cringe as Sayaka proceeded to tie the ribbon JUST a bit too tight. "Y-Y'know, I can dress myself. And who's getting you ready?" Kyouko grunted, pushing her friend off of her as she promptly loosened the collar ribbon to her liking.

Sayaka groaned, realizing the redhead was right. She quickly dashed for her uniform, rushing toward the bathroom right afterwards at neck-breaking speed. Kyouko let out an amused chuckle as she proceeded to pull out the black knee-socks. She glanced down, eyeing the navy-blue socks that Sayaka forgot to grab, a smile forming on her lips. She always was one to dwell entirely on one thing at a time.

"Silly girl…" She took hold of the navy-blue socks as well, making sure that Sayaka wouldn't forget them.

After a very quick breakfast, of which Kyouko was secretly grateful for, and a once-over to ensure they'd grabbed everything, the red and blue duo were out the door and heading down the path to school in a flash. Through the blur of the landscape, Kyouko could see that most of the path was clear of students; which, while it meant that they needed to hurry, meant that they didn't have to worry too much about any obstacles in the way. Sayaka was very gung-ho about making sure she got there in time, no matter the cost. While Kyouko was the more athletic of the two of them, Sayaka always seemed to have more stamina. Due to that, the blue-haired girl was starting to leave her in the dust. Well, that was alright, the redhead thought with a smile. She herself was always more about going things at her own pace when she could anyway-

A strong collision rattled the redhead from her thoughts as skull met skull, and the two bodies were flung to the ground from the momentum. "OUCH~!" Kyouko grimaced, holding her forehead in pain as she lay against something soft and warm. "Geez, really need to watch where you're going…" She muttered as she pushed herself to her knees with one palm, where she got a better view of who it was she'd crashed into. A flash of raven and violet caused the redhead to sit up in place, her eyes wide. That particular someone, in all honesty, was someone she'd hoped not to ever run into outside of class environments. "Ehh…! A-A…"

The raven-haired girl underneath her looked up with a glare that could restart the Ice Age. "Yes, you really do need to watch where you're going." The girl coolly replied, masterfully maneuvering out from under the redhead and helping herself to her feet. Kyouko bit her lip. This turn of events wasn't good at all! "Err…sorry about that…A-Akemi Homura." She pushed herself to her feet, one eye glancing over to see that Sayaka had already taken off for the school and hadn't witnessed the embarrassing moment.

Argh, if only she hadn't run into the class president of all people!

"I see you've yet to truly learn to exercise caution, Sakura Kyouko." The girl quipped, brushing dust off the back of her skirt with one hand and adjusting the ear cuff she always had on with the other. "You really are quite careless. I certainly hope that carelessness doesn't translate to your attention in class." With that remark, she began to make her way back down the path. "Urgh…w-wait!" Kyouko cried out, touching a hand against the girl's shoulder to get her attention. The class president turned on her heel, looking back at the redhead with a cool gaze. "What is it?" She commanded, staring her down. Kyouko grimaced, biting her lip as she averted her gaze momentarily. "I…err…"

Maybe she would've just let the classmate go on her way. Sure, she was class president, but since when did authority ever mean that much to Kyouko? Instead, it may have been more about the placement of their seating in class. If Akemi Homura had been placed in the front of the class, it wouldn't have been a problem. Even if she was on the opposite end of class, it wouldn't have been a problem. But the girl was just two seats away behind her, dang it! That girl would be staring her down, unforgiving, no doubt figuring out some way to get back at her for her carelessness! So, she had to make amends somehow.

"T-There's a new restaurant opening up by the canal…" Kyouko mumbled, looking anywhere but at the raven-haired girl in front of her. "W-we should check it out sometime…y-y'know, as a way to apologize. For smashing into you, I mean." All the while, her gaze never left her shuffling feet. Akemi Homura stared the girl down, thinking over her proposition. A smirk escaped her lips as she coolly replied, "We're going to be late for class." And with that, she left Kyouko's sight in a flash, leaving the redhead stunned and bemused.

"Umm…what just happened?"

Running as fast as she could down the school halls, the redhead pulled the classroom door open with such force she could swear it was trying to come out of its slot. Yet, when she looked over, it seemed that not only was she not late, but students were still gathered around the classroom, chatting leisurely. Blinking in confusion, she quickly looked over at where her seat was. In the corner of her eye, she could see the class president with a faint smirk, though she couldn't understand why. 'M-Maybe I should take it as a stroke of luck…?' She concluded hesitantly, proceeding to make her way to her seat. As she sat down, she could see that Sayaka was lost in her own world of staring down the class president in suspicion until class started, as usual. Releasing a small sigh of exasperation, the redhead leaned back in her seat, allowing herself to get more comfortable before she was subjected to a day's worth of lectures, most of which she still had a hard time understanding for some reason, but couldn't bring herself to tell Sayaka.

"Sounds good." A chilly voice resounded out of nowhere, causing Kyouko to jump in her seat, looking frantically around until a pale hand waved her in the direction behind her. Homura sat poised and calm in her seat, one hand pointing daintily to herself, a small smirk on her lips. "An apology date. Sounds good." The redhead stared at the girl for a bit – causing the classmate in between them to lean towards the window in an unsettled manner - not quite getting what she was saying until it clicked in her mind. She was only now responding to the proposition she'd made almost ten minutes ago? She gave a small nod of acknowledgement and turned back towards the front of the class, stifling a small giggle as she heard the boy behind her breathe a sigh of relief, followed by the shuffle of straightening back in place.

As expected, class went by rather quickly for the redhead. It seemed, she noticed as she was zoning in and out of reality through the school day, that Sayaka was actually talking with the pink-haired transfer student that had shown up just a week ago. That blonde, Mami, from 3rd year even seemed to be gathering together with the two, and the three spoke light-heartedly amongst each other as if they had been life-long friends. She faintly noted that Sayaka had seemed genuinely happy with them, happier than she'd seen her look in a long time. She supposed that the girl had finally found the buddies she was meant to stick with for all time, or something lame yet sweet like that. The whole time during lunch, she saw the trio gathered together, smiles and laughter emanating from them in the classroom surrounding the transfer student's desk. What was the girl's name again? Kaname Madoka? She herself hadn't been all there the rest of the day, not even during lunch. But she supposed that Sayaka was too busy hanging out with her friends to really take note. Not that she needed her to notice, really, but the blue-haired idiot seemed very engrossed. Kyouko glanced blankly down at her packed lunch, picking at it absent-mindedly as if she didn't know what to do with it. Some small part of her brain was telling her not to waste the food, but she wasn't quite sure why she'd be so passionate about that.

Especially towards food that didn't have any taste.

Finding she didn't really have much of an appetite, she glanced back behind her to see the class president sitting there with her already-eaten lunch. It appeared her eyes were on the new transfer student too, Kyouko noticed. 'I guess the girl's pretty popular, huh? I mean, she's alright, but she's not really all that in my opinion.' Finding a thought to distract herself with, the redhead quickly began to make work of her tasteless lunch.

After lunch was math, which Kyouko really didn't have any experience in at all. She kept finding herself drifting in and out of slumber during that class, images of a world she didn't understand plaguing her mind, phasing in and out between sleep and wakefulness. She supposed math was supposed to be important; something about formulas in Trigonometry danced around in her head before they burst into flame, replaced by horrifying images that she knew she wasn't going to remember.

By the time she was more alert, the final school bell had rung, signaling the end of the day. Sayaka dashed over to her, tapping her on the shoulder to ensure she was fully alert. "Hey, space-case! If you didn't hear earlier, Madoka and I are heading over to Mami's for some cake! Did you wanna join?" Kyouko looked over at her, then towards the classmates she spoke about, then back at her. "Ah…nah, I'm fine. I think I'll just do my own thing for a while before heading home. Y'know, hit the arcade or somethin'." Sayaka frowned, but shrugged it off as she stepped away. "Kyouko refusing a chance for cakes? Well, okay…if you say so." She walked towards the classmates, giving the redhead a wave as they made their way out of the classroom. "If you change your mind, give me a call!"

Kyouko looked down at her school uniform, pulling the slim red smartphone with the panda phone strap out of her pocket. She'd nearly forgotten that she'd even owned this. It was weird; it almost felt like everything she knew was unreal. That the horrifying dreams, whatever they were, they were the reality, and this was the dream. But that couldn't be! Letting out a sigh, she reached down to pick up her bag, nearly jumping when she caught sight of the class president standing in front of her. "HYAA! Don't sneak up on me like that!" She scolded, pulling the school-bag over her shoulder as she straightened up, scarlet eyes staring into royal blues.

"You were going to take me to that new restaurant, were you not?" Homura reminded, taking her own school-bag in hand. 'There doesn't seem to be any harm in allowing those three to meet up. Miki Sayaka, aside from her usual suspicion, doesn't seem to know a thing. And Tomoe Mami is completely in the dark. Madoka, as well, remains blissfully unaware. Today is as good a day as any to allow Sakura Kyouko to get this done and over with, and then we will no longer need any reason to interact.' She straightened her posture, running her hand through her raven locks and flipping it to the side in a dramatic fashion. "Shall we get going?"

Kyouko blinked several times in surprise. "Oh! You wanted that done today?" She thought for a bit about her time, Sayaka's absence, and the current amount of money she had from her allowance. "Erm, yeah, I guess we can go ahead and do that. I mean, there's no school tomorrow." She gave a light shrug, making her way towards the classroom doors. "Yeah, let's go." The raven-haired girl gave a nod, following after.