Chapter Two: Breaking the Ice

"You're late."

Kyouko paused, still halfway through the door. "That's the first thing you say to me after I kill a demon for you?"

Mami took a sip of her tea. "Thank you for that. But I thought that the demon would've been an easy task for someone as strong as you. Surely you shouldn't be twenty minutes late?"

With a hmph, Kyouko slammed the door shut behind her and strode into Mami's apartment. Mami, Homura, and Sayaka were seated on the floor around the living room table – for a good while, if their bored postures and crumbled skirts were anything to go by. As always, Kyubey was perched on Mami's shoulder, preening himself. On the far wall the television displayed the news; more stories about the suicides, no doubt. Kyouko cast her gaze towards the tabletop. All that was left of the cakes were the crumbs. She instantly regretted coming late.

"So I stopped by the arcade for a little bit, sue me." Kyouko plopped down on the ground next to Sayaka. "That demon was really irritating, by the way. Wasn't worth my time. Next time you can go kill it yourself.

"Sorry about making you do that," Sayaka whispered, leaning in close to her. "Mami told me to ask you. You're be more willing if it was me, she said."

"No problem," Kyouko whispered back, then said in a louder voice, "Just be sure to tell her that if she's scared of the demons, she can just say so, alright?"

Sayaka giggled, covering her mouth with her sleeve. With a sigh, Mami settled her teacup down on the table.

"If we're done with the greetings," she said, "perhaps we can move onto the reason why we're all gathered here. As we're all no doubt aware, this past week the number of suicides has skyrocketed. Though this is not the usual modus operandi, it is no doubt the work of demons. The question is, why does the demon cause its victims to kill themselves? Why can we never sense it? To this end, Homura and I have…"

"Here, I saved you some cream puffs." Sayaka whispered, pulling out a plate from under the table. "I figured you were going to be late."

"Marry me."

Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Just don't cause any more trouble today, alright?"

"…and we have confirmed that there is indeed a pattern to the killings," Mami continued, pulling out a map from her pocket and spreading it out across the table. "This is a population density map of Mitakihara. The red dots indicate where suicides have occurred."

Jumping down onto the table, Kyube surveyed the map with his beady red eyes. "Interesting…Yes, this might just be it."

"So what?" Kyouko said through a mouthful of cream puffs. "I don't see anything."

"They occur only in highly populated areas," Sayaka observed. "The mall, the high school, the town hall, Mitakihara University – they're all places with lots of people."

Mami beamed. "Correct. All the suicides have occurred at places where large amounts of people typically gather."

"Demons do that all the time," Kyouko said, licking the crumbs off the plate. "They get stronger by killing other humans, if you haven't forgotten. Once a demon takes possession of a human, it'll naturally seek out a densely populated place to feed on. What else is new?"

"But the fact that this demon has only sought out densely populated areas is something we cannot ignore," Mami said. "All forty-three suicides have been near these areas. This is the only lead we have so far."

"That is the dumbest thing I've heard. There's no way we can predict where it's going to strike just from knowing that."

"Perhaps not, but we can limit the possible places where it will appear. Homura and I – "

Kyouko laughed. "Limit? You want us to run around every single place that people can gather? Do you even know how many people live in Mitakihara?"

"Two million, for your information," Mami said coolly, "and it'll only decrease steadily if we leave this demon unchecked."

"I say we play the waiting game." Kyouko leaned back, supporting herself on her arms. "It's only been a week, right? And forty-something deaths are just a drop in the bucket. The more this demon feeds, the stronger it gets, and eventually we'll be able to detect its presence – then bam, we take it down in one shot. Not to mention all the extra Grief Seeds we'll get."

Mami's glare could've withered flowers. "Our duty is to protect this city. Every minute we wait is another chance for the demon to claim another victim. How do you sleep at night, knowing that people's blood are on your – "

"Ha! The people? Protecting the city?" Kyouko snorted. "That self-righteous attitude of yours is what I hate most."

"It's called compassion, something I'm afraid you're unaquainted with."

"Listening to you prattle on makes me want to puke. Get this through your thick skull: our first priority is ourselves. Who cares if a few dozen low-lives off themselves? As long as – "

"These are people, how can you talk about them like that?"

" – we get our Grief Seeds, nothing else matters. In fact, I'll say that letting the demon run around is our best choice. The stronger it gets, the more Grief Seeds we can grab – "

Kyouko paused, glaring at the blue-haired girl at her side. Sayaka had lain a hand on her arm; her expression was pleading. For a moment the only sound was the buzz of the television – and then Kyouko sagged against the floor, the tension dissipating from her body.

"Do whatever you want," she muttered.

Mami's glare never lessened, her eyes boring straight into Kyouko's, but at last she gave a curt nod. "Very well. We have been working on a plan. Homura?"

At Mami's words, Homura took out four colored markers and began tracing lines across the map.

"You always take her side," Kyouko whispered, scowling at Sayaka.

"You should at least give it a chance," the other girl replied, removing her hand from her arm. "We're getting nowhere at this rate."

Kyouko grumbled but said no more, taking a stick of Pocky from her skirt and munching on it. Mami was ill-suited to be magical girl, she knew. She was too righteous, too benevolent, too trusting. She was too much of everything Kyouko had learned not to be. A magical girl already had enough trouble taking care of herself. How was she expected to take care of others? Their world had no room for philanthropists, and sooner or later Mami's goodwill would catch up to her – along with anyone else following her. The scar on Kyouko's back flashed as hot as fire. Nothing good ever came out of caring for others.

Homura Akemi, on the other hand…out of the corner of her eye, Kyouko observed the raven-haired girl at work. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what to make of Homura Akemi. She was immensely powerful, no doubt about that – but there was something more fundamental at work here, something that warped her personality. She was too removed, as if she was observing the world through a fishbowl. It wasn't immediately obvious. To everyone else, Homura was a model student: intelligent, athletic, and beautiful, albeit a bit quiet. But there were long stretches of time where she simply stared at the sky, eyes scanning the clouds for something invisible and far beyond the atmosphere. During those moments she seemed far older than her sixteen years. Her hand would travel to the pink bow on her hair, her expression would turn unbearably sad, and, if Kyouko strained her ears enough, she could catch the end of those faintly whispered words, "…doka."

It was funny, Kyouko thought. In the end, it was Sayaka, the weakest among them, who was perhaps best suited as a magical girl. Unlike Kyouko, she actually cared about the people she was supposed to be protecting; but unlike Mami, she did not place them before herself; and unlike Homura, she felt the world in all its immediacy. Compassion, selfishness, ardor – Sayaka wore her heart on her sleeve. That honesty, the redhead remembered, thinking back to that blood-splattered smile three weeks ago, was what had drawn her to the blue-haired girl in the first place.

"This is our new patrol route," Homura said at last, snapping Kyouko out of her reverie. "I've designed it so that all of the most densely-populated areas are covered. This will take more time than before, but it'll optimize our chances of catching the demon the moment it materializes. Mami will cover the area from the legislative building to Mitakihara Park. I will cover the area from 32nd street to the western edge of town. Sayaka, you'll cover the major residential areas, starting from Tanoshima Apartments. And I've taken care to keep your territorythe same as always, Kyouko. Are we clear?"

Homura's words were directed towards all of them, but her eyes were solely focused on Kyouko. The redhead waved her hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, so I pretty much just do exactly what I've always been doing, huh? Fantastic plan you've got there. I'm fine with that, as long as you two keep off my territory. The bigger question comes after we kill the demon."

"We'll split the Grief Seeds evenly, as we've always done," Mami said.

"See, there's the problem." Kyouko leaned forward, baring her fang. "I don't like to share."

With a sigh, Mami brought her hand to her face, gently massaging her temples with her fingers. "This again? Kyouko, we've been through this. We will all gladly share any Grief Seeds we have with you, and you should do the same. The times when magical girls competed against each are gone. There are plenty of demons in Mitakihara for all of us. We just ask that you cooperate."

"Cooperate, huh?" Kyouko crossed her arms, staring belligerently at the blonde. She could see it as clear as day. The cliff looming before them led directly into the abyss, and they ran headlong into it, led by a blond-haired girl with more benevolence than brains. Sayaka laid a hand against her shoulder. Kyouko shook her off.

"Cooperate, you say. How long will cooperation really get us? How dirty is your Soul Gem? Thirty percent? Forty percent? 'But there's plenty of Grief Seeds for all of us.' Not a chance! Everything's alright for now, but do you think it will really last?" Standing up, Kyouko leaned across the table until she was face-to-face with Mami. "You know as well as I do. Misery is not an infinite resource. There will come a time when the well runs dry and your Soul Gem is as black as night. Perhaps it is not this year. Perhaps it is not even next year. But it will come, and at that time you'll all turn on each other like a pack of dogs. I've seen it happen. Save us all the heartache. Better to just split up now."

"False. Mitakihara is larger than any city you have ever been in. What you have gone through will not happen here."

"You think you're so perfect, don't you? That you have it all figured out? Fine. Cooperate all you want." Kyouko stood up and marched to the door. "But count me out of your plans. The moment you or Homura step foot into my territory my spear'll be stuck in your chest."

"You can't do this alone, Kyouko," Mami called behind her. "Whether you like it or not, you need us and we need you. It's the only way we can protect this city. You're just being stubborn. Sayaka, talk some sense into her."

Kyouko whipped around, slamming her fist against the wall. "Don't drag Sayaka into this. She can make her own choices."

Hesitantly, the blue-haired girl reached out a hand. Kyouko watched her out of the corner of her eye. Surely, if it was Sayaka, she would –

"Kyouko…please," Sayaka looked up at her imploringly. "It doesn't have to be this way. Just give it a chance."

Kyouko froze at the doorway. Something sharp pierced her heart, something as sharp as the point of a spear and just as cold. She clutched her chest through her shirt. God, it hurt – she hadn't expected to feel such a pain again, since that fire all those years ago. She had gotten weak. Haltingly, she took a half-step forward, looking like she was about to come back, then she straightened her head and clenched her fists at her sides.

"You always take her side," she said bitterly.

The door slammed shut behind her.

The room lay still. Kyouko's voice hung heavy upon the air, and for a little while the three of them just stared sadly at the door. Part of their vitality had departed along with her; the tension drained out of the air like ink from paper.

It had gone far worse than expected, Sayaka thought. Guilt lanced through her heart as exquisitely as a splinter. She might have just done something terrible – that brief glimpse she saw of Kyouko's face had told her all she needed to know.

"That girl…" Mami sighed heavily, shaking her head. "I had hoped she would join us, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I don't think she'll do anything drastic, at least. As long we keep out of her 'territory,' she can be counted on to exterminate any demons that show up there."

"A return to the status quo, in a way," Homura said. "Perhaps it is for the best."

"We'll still be sticking with the plan Homura laid out earlier," Mami said. "Will you be okay, Sayaka? I know you're relatively new and we gave you quite a large area to cover. If you ever feel overwhelmed, we'll be more than glad to help out."

"Huh? Oh, right, of course. I'll be fine," Sayaka said. There had been tears in her eyes. In all the time she had known the Kyouko, the redhead had never even shown anything close to resembling sadness. Anger, sure, and lots of irritation, but that confident smirk had never been far from her face. There had been tears in her eyes.

"I think…I might need to go." Sayaka stood up.

Mami nodded. "If it's you, you might be able to get through to her. Just…if she gets angry, leave immediately, alright? This isn't worth losing something over."

"I don't think it'll come to that."

Perhaps Kyouko is right, Sayaka thought as she strode into the sun-lit terrace. Or perhaps Mami is right. Or perhaps both of them are completely wrong. Regardless, it all came later. The sharp steel of winter wind ruffled through her clothes as she descended the apartment. Kyouko was nowhere in sight, no doubt miles away by now, sprinting from rooftop to rooftop while the tears in her eyes froze like icicles. But Sayaka would find her. She would go to her and say she was sorry. She would go to her and beg for the sympathy she never gave, for the forgiveness she didn't deserve, for the compassion she never showed. And then, perhaps, somehow, someway, all would be right with the world.