There was one thing Mitakihara had no notable shortage of. Witches. Granted, no place had a specific shortage, but for some reason, it always seemed the best and worst things had to happen at Mitakihara. In the late days of autumn, when winter was just around the corner, there was no excuse to not hunt Witches because the ominous black clouds overhead looked ready to launch an air strike of massive amounts of rain at any given moment. It had been a good four hours since Sayaka Miki noticed the clouds up above, and ten minutes more since she set out to find a Witch. Even if she just sat around and didn't use her magic at all, her Soul Gem would still darken over time; Kyubey had told her earlier that day. Hunting Witches was the only way to prevent whatever terrible thing would happen if it got too black. And of course, there was a hunter out for the head of the one doing the hunting. It had gotten more frequent in recent days, these sudden attacks where Kyoko Sakura would seemingly drop out of nowhere, and proceed to attempt to run a spear right through Sayaka. She'd failed every time, but only because strenuous circumstances forced Kyoko to retreat on every occasion.

Sayaka was relieved that in this case, she found a Witch before Kyoko found her. Not that she was scared or anything; simply that Sayaka had no wish to fight Kyoko and a Witch on the same day. A blue light emanated from her Soul Gem of the same color, and in a flash of that light, Sayaka saw herself standing in her Puella Magi outfit, with a trusty gold-hilted sword in her hand. Stepping forth into the labyrinth, Sayaka readied herself for battle. Her muscles tightened, her psyche shifted away from any fears or worries, and her Soul Gem radiated a barely-noticable blue light. Sayaka was ready...

...or so she thought. The last thing she expected to see – much less the instant she entered – was the very person she tried to avoid during Witch hunts. Kyoko Sakura, in the red-clad flesh, with a spear in her right hand. Her left arm and leg found themselves soaked in blood, and most of Kyoko's weight was clearly hanging on her spear as though it were a crutch. "I found this Witch first," Kyoko seethed through clenched and bloodied teeth. "Beat it."

"No way," Sayaka refused. "I found it fair and square! I-"

"Listen to me!" Kyoko's hand released her spear, and maybe a fraction of a second before the red Magi hit the floor, she gripped Sayaka's shoulder to pull herself back up. The two now staring each other's eyes down from mere inches away, Kyoko said "You made one idiot mistake already! I'm here trying to help you, okay!? You're going to turn around, you're going to go home or find something more your speed, and you're going to do it right now. Got it?"

"Let go of me."

"...actually, this is a little embarrassing to say, but..." Looking at the eerie tooth-coated floor beneath the two, Kyoko said "I think if I let you go, that floor's going to eat me alive. The Witch nearly tore me in half and I was lucky just to keep all four of my limbs, so I'm coming back for revenge later."

"Uh-huh. So you're running away?"

"I don't run away! Got that? I just can't fight so well with only one arm, and I can't fight at all with only one leg." Then a particular expression hit Kyoko's face. In particular, it looked like she'd come to an astounding, ground-breaking revelation that would make King Solomon blush. As though the universe itself had cracked open and given her all its knowledge and secrets. That mind-boggling epiphany of Kyoko's spent no time in being worded. "You have healing powers, don't you?"

"Not for you."

"Just use your magic for me," Kyoko said. "I'll make it worth your time."

"No."

"Instant refusal, huh? Fine..." Looking at the exit behind Sayaka, Kyoko said "At least walk the four feet to get me out of here. I get you don't like me, but I'm sure you don't want somebody dying on your conscience. You want to be a hero? Now's the time."

"...hmph. Don't mistake this for me liking you at all," Sayaka said, hauling Kyoko's bloodied left arm over the blue Magi's shoulders. Making her way to the exit and taking Kyoko with her, Sayaka continued "I made my wish so I could be a hero of justice. If I left you to die just because I don't like you...that's not very heroic at all, is it?"

"No, it isn't," Kyoko agreed. When the "normal" world filled her view again, from its green grasses and cement walkways to its black clouds and current lack of any birds to be seen, Kyoko felt a distinct stinging sensation on her bloody left limbs. Very much akin to having considerably cold rain fall on an open wound. The reason these two things were so very similar was quite simple. They were the same thing. Kyoko and Sayaka stepped out of a deadly and meaty labyrinth just to walk into the sky's vicious air strike of bitter cold rain. It didn't take long for the two to get soaked. Much less time than it took them to get beneath the nearest tree and sit back down, at the very least. A now-soaked red Magi looked out at the rainy world beyond this tree's shelter, and couldn't help but let loose a small chuckle. "I guess your moment got rained on."

"Enough with the stupid puns. I'm going to go get an umbrella, so-"

"You mean you didn't bring one with you? Didn't you see the sky before you left your house?"

"I brought an umbrella, but I left it under this tree to fight the Witch. I guess somebody found it and stole it while I was saving your life." That's city life. Turn around for thirty seconds, and your umbrella gets stolen. "I'll be right back, so-"

"Wait a minute, you can't just leave me here! Even if I'm a Puella Magi, I can't do much with only an arm and a leg. Do you have any idea what happens to girls when they're left alone on rainy days like this!? Huh!?"

"N-Not-"

"I could get raped! Or killed! Raped and killed! I've only got one arm, so I can't fight them so well, and with only one leg there's no way I can escape them! Just take me with you, okay? Where do you live?"

"About ten kilometers down the road."

"...we'll go to my place. Here, pick me up again." As Sayaka did just that, Kyoko continued "I live three blocks west of here. Even if you're carrying a wounded comrade, it should only-"

"Don't ever call yourself my comrade again," Sayaka said. The look on her face was almost as bitter as the rain hitting the two once again when they stepped out from that tree's shelter. "You're my enemy. Not my comrade."

"...it should only take us a good four minutes. I've got plenty of things to eat when we get there if you're hungry." All sorts of foods. Meaty foods, small foods, big foods, fruits, veggies, dairy products, rice, chocolate, and especially taiyaki. There was nothing Kyoko wouldn't eat, tofu notwithstanding.

"Great," Sayaka sarcastically said. Four minutes in this almost-snowy rain meant that by the time they reached Kyoko's, the two would be soaked to the bone and freezing. That in itself almost sounded like some overdone porn scenario where the couple would take off their clothes to warm up, using each other's body heat and staying under the covers to get their body temperatures back up, only to not want to go anywhere afterwards because they were so comfortable. Kyoko would play the damsel in distress, and Sayaka the knight in shining armor. The blue Magi cringed at the idea. "I'm only staying to heal you, and maybe eat something. Got it?"

"Sure thing." Like stealing candy from a baby...oh, I still can't believe I actually did that the other day!

Five minutes later; Kyoko Sakura's apartment...

"Th-That rain's r-r-really cold," Sayaka shuddered, stepping into the apartment with Kyoko still using her as a human crutch. The first two blocks here, the duo got to make up a reason why Kyoko was injured. They'd concluded that she fell out of a tree and hit the sidewalk. The rest of the way, they got to practice it. The businessman one block from Kyoko's offered the duo an umbrella, but Kyoko had intervened in the blink of an eye by saying they couldn't get much wetter than they already were by that point. Sayaka believed she was right when she said that. She believed it, until – literally right outside the apartment building – a car hit a fire hydrant hard enough to knock it completely out of its place, the resulting water-explosion soaking the two even more thoroughly. "I b-blame you for this."

"Sure thing," Kyoko said in response, keeping her syllables to a minimum to avoid any chance of stuttering in front of her "adversary." The two walked over to a small couch, where Sayaka proceeded to drop Kyoko like a rag. "I'll get you a h-hot drink after this."

Sayaka said nothing in response. Just set her hands – those at the ends of two shivering arms – on Kyoko's injured limbs, and quite literally worked her magic. Blue circular music staffs began appearing around the specific locations of Kyoko's cuts (though "fuck-ugly gashes" was probably more accurate) and slowly, the wounds closed themselves up and stopped bleeding. Kyoko was healed, but that didn't mean she wasn't still all bloody. Of all the days she could have chosen to wear a white shirt, too. One could see everything through it, being so thoroughly drenched, the same applying for Sayaka as well. Skin, bras, the whole classic deal. In Kyoko's case, that also mean viewers could see a whole lot of blood under the shirt's left sleeve.

"I-I'm taking a-a hot bath," Kyoko shuddered, getting up to her feet and making her way to where Sayaka inferred the bathroom would be. "Th-Thanks for this." Pointing to a small kitchen area, the red Magi added "Kitchen's over there. M-Make yourself something hot if you want." Kyoko opened a door at the end of the hallway, and Sayaka saw not a bathroom, but a bedroom. Curiosity killed the cat, they say.

The saying never said anything about Puella Magi, though. Therefore, Sayaka decided to see just what was in that bedroom. She took one step at a time, also taking a bit of time to observe the surprisingly tasteful apartment Kyoko had. She seemed to have a particular fondness for odd geometric shapes, and such shapes were painted all over the hallway's walls. It almost felt like a Witch's lair, barring a distinct lack of curses or despair. Most curious was the big red painted cross that adorned Kyoko's doorknob. Who painted on their doorknobs? Not willing to risk a cat's fate in that regard but not really caring as far as the regard of what was in the bedroom, Sayaka turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. She was actually surprised to catch the sight of Kyoko Sakura again, but this time just wearing a pair of bike shorts, a red bra, and slipping on a red t-shirt.

"Do you mind? I'm changing."

"I thought you were going to take a bath?"

"Eh. I decided to skip that part." Slipping on the shirt, Kyoko walked up to Sayaka and said "Even if my guest wants to kill me – especially if she does – I shouldn't take a bath and let her have her way with my kitchen. No telling what you'd do. Poison my apples? Microwave all my silverware? Maybe even just throw my food in the trash." Pointing to a closet, Kyoko said "I've got a few other changes of clothes if you want. You wouldn't want to catch a cold from wearing those wet clothes, would you?"

"These clothes are cold..." There was a moment of five seconds in the bedroom. Pure silence. The only sounds that registered in the ears of Sayaka or Kyoko were those of the rain outside pounding on the roof and windows with no intention of easing back on their assualt. Reaching for the top button on her shirt, Sayaka stopped for a second. Then her hands went back down, and her eyes locked on Kyoko. "Wait a minute! Why would you let me borrow your clothes!?"

"I have no bad intentions. Now do you want the damn clothes, or would you rather take the cold?" To show how serious Kyoko indeed was, she pulled out a blue t-shirt and a pair of white shorts. The time to literally take it or leave it was now; the expression on Kyoko's face made that clear.

"...give me the clothes," Sayaka said.

Such charming ladies, these two. I primarily write Touhou fanfiction, so I would notice this, but:
Did you know that Sayaka and Kyoko are the only two Magi to have their armpits on full display?

Again, I primarily write Touhou fanfiction. As such, I tend to feel a little out-of-place doing Madoka fics, even when I know the two have very many fans in common with one another. Even when I write to the works of the amazing Yuki Kajiura, like with this chapter. Initially, I wrote this as a small gift for Wolfsbane706, but it's turning into a full-blown story slowly but surely.

I don't really have much to say here, so I'll end it with this. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you'll stick around for future updates :)