The day held so many parallels to when Hitomi learned of the existence of Magical Girls, it wasn't even one bit humorous. She felt bad though, that she had put Sayaka in such a position. Maybe one day was too little time. But there wasn't very much Hitomi could do about it. She said she's confess to Kyousuke and she intended to do just that. She had given Sayaka the chance and she had told her how she felt.
It's true, Hitomi thought, I don't want to deny how I feel.
"Just 'cause y'all haven't known 'this guy fer as long as yer friend, it doesn't mean yer feelings mean any less than 'er's."
Soon, the day was over and it was time to go home. Hitomi breathed in deeply before she let it out, expression serene but spirit determined. She took her bag and quickly caught up with Kyousuke.
"Oh? Hello Hitomi," he said, smiling slightly.
"Hello," she replied back, her heart beating a bit faster. "Are you feeling better?"
Kyousuke nodded, grinning as he collected the rest of his items and they walked out. The sun was beginning it's descent as the two walked across the bridge that led to Kyousuke's house.
"Hey Hitomi," the grey-haired boy said, "is this the way to your house as well?"
"Actually no; in fact, my house is in the opposite direction," Hitomi said simply.
Kyousuke stopped where he was and turned to face her. "But why would you go this way?"
"... because I have something very important to tell you."
She led him over to the other side of the bridge by some trees and grass. "What is it, Hitomi?" Kyousuke asked.
Hitomi's heart was thudding loudly, the sound echoing in her ears as her hands clenched ever so slightly as she looked into his grey eyes and said in a soft but serious voice, "I have feelings for you, Kyousuke. I've harbored them for a very long time, and I decided to tell you today because I couldn't look ignore how I feel anymore."
Kyousuke's eyes widened at that, looking taken back, before he averted his eyes, looking conflicted. The pit appeared in Hitomi's stomach again. "Kyousuke?"
"... I- I'm sorry, but I can't return your feelings," Kyousuke said, his expression saddened and apologetic, "I don't feel that way towards you."
It wasn't her hopes, it wasn't her heart, she didn't know what it was. All she knew was that it was broken, possibly beyond any repair.
"I... I understand," she said, voice still calm, still level, "I'm sorry I put you in such an awkward position..."
"It's fine, and I'm sorry," Kyousuke said, gently setting a hand on her shoulder, "But... we can still talk and be friends, please? I don't want things to get awkward between us, please?"
Hitomi forced a smile on her face as she shook his hand. "Of course; I don't want it to get awkward between us either."
After a minute or two, Kyousuke continued on his way home and Hitomi turned around. The feeling inside her was now more potent and she felt like her chest was starting to be ripped in half. She held back the tears in her eyes until she got home. She ignored her parents completely and locked herself in her room. She stripped off her uniform and shoes and socks, not even bothering to put them away properly.
She shrugged on her white nightgown listlessly before flopping unceremoniously onto the mattress and burrowed under the covers, wrapping herself up in them like a cocoon. The tears wouldn't fall, the brokenness wouldn't leave and Hitomi was fairly certain that this was what asphyxiation felt like.
She just wanted to be left alone forever, and never face anyone ever again, especially Sayaka.
"Geez, tha' was a freaky witch," Bernadette grimaced as she picked up the grief seed.
It was getting darker outside as the first stars came out as Grace and Bernadette had just returned from Hokaido. It was a little more two weeks left before Walpurgisnacht would attack and Homura was adamant that they get as many seeds as possible. They had just defeated the witch named Itzli, the Oblivion witch.
They were both also fairly certain that she used to be an alien.
"I can understand why Homura would be anxious to have grief seeds if we'll be using a lot of magic," Grace said, "If Walpurgisnacht really is as powerful as she says she is, then we have to be as prepared as possible."
"I really don' care righ' now," Bernadette drawled before giving a yawn, "I jus' wanna get t' sleep..."
Grace smiled softly at her friend's carefreeness. "We're nearly to our hotel; keep-"
Suddenly, a sharp beeping split the air of the otherwise empty train, jolting both females into full alertness. Grace quickly whipped out her chromebook and opened it up.
"Is it a witch?" Bernadette asked, awake and alert.
Grace nodded, flipping it shut. "It's very close, just up ahead in fact."
The train they were in was empty, so neither Magical Girl feared being spotted as they transformed. Once more, the orange-haired young woman gave Grace her soul gem before Bernadette gripped her clubs tightly as the train began to slow down. As the doors opened, the two immediately saw the distortion around the area. Grace frowned as she gripped her Chromebook tightly before Bernadette immediately went in front of her.
"Let's go."
The two walked along cautiously, the scenery changing so that the floors became checkered black and white before the walls became rounded and twisted. Short screens of runes flitted about around them. Grace opened the device to translate.
"'Look at me'," she read. "'Look at me'. 'Look at me'. 'Look at me.'"
"That's it?" Bernadette grimaced as she gripped her clubs tighter. "Did they want 'tention tha' badly before?"
They continued through the labyrinth until both females heard music coming from ahead. It sounded like an entire orchestra, but the main music it came from was a violin.
"Perhaps a music enthusiast or player; by the looks of it, either failed or an overlooked one," Grace murmured to herself.
Just then, Bernadette became aware of the sound of gunfire. "There's already someone fightin' it?"
"Let's go."
Eventually, they came to the center. It was an auditorium with wine red curtains and a giant stage. At the head was a cut-out of a conductor, waving his hands wildly in guiding the players through their twisted piece. On the stage, was a group of back-up dancers that bore a rather disturbing resemblance to Hitomi.
At the center, was an enormous armored witch with a mermaid's tail, giant pink bow on it's breast, a ragged dark blue cape, a giant checkered teal and turquoise collar and held a broadsword as she urged the conductor on with both hands as if her appendage and sword were batons.
"... eesh," Bernadette said, a bead of sweat trickling down her face.
The music began to get louder and louder, making the two females cover their ears to try and block it out.
"Well?!"
"Witch: Octavia von Sekendorff," Grace nearly shouted, the music was becoming deafening. "Type: Mermaid witch. Nature: falling in love? That would explain why she looks like a mermaid."
"'kay; so, how do we beat it?" Bernadette yelled, stepping to the left as Octavia seemed to stir
. "... this witch is class IV!" Grace called back, her eyes widening.
"So jus' hit 'em with ever'thin' we've got 'till they die?!" Bernadette shouted back, before a scream rent the air.
It was distorted, anguished, angered and hateful and the two females ears nearly broke from the sound. Grace grimaced as blood trickled down from her ear.
"You okay?!" Bernadette bellowed over the scream, her voice barely making it through as she clutched her own ears as the coppery liquid dribbled past her fingers.
Grace couldn't reply but gave a thumbs up.
Suddenly, Octavia stopped screaming only to conjure wheels around her and throw them at the two magi before turning back to the orchestra. Bernadette threw her clubs against the wheels, smashing them apart. Grace quickly moved out of the way of the wooden contraptions, barely avoiding them.
Have to stay vigilant.
Grace's hand gripped the cross-shaped gem in her hand tightly as she followed Bernadette's lead away from the wheels.
Have to keep moving.
Octavia screamed again.
Have to-
Suddenly, Grace became aware of a roaring in front of her. Then, she was literally smashed against the floor as a wheel crashed into her before rolling off, sending the brunette sprawling. Her Chromebook smashed onto the ground and slid away from her.
Grace coughed weakly, feeling blood trickle her lips from where it had come up her throat. Her chest throbbed in pain and she was certain that one or more of her ribs had been broken. She couldn't feel her legs.
She could hear Bernadette scream her name, not the nickname she had given the younger girl. Grace managed a glance upward to see another wheel coming toward her. She looked down at the cross and clenched it tightly. Bernadette was hurtling her clubs over to the wheel, but Grace knew it wouldn't be fast enough.
With only seconds left, Grace threw the soul gem over to Bernadette as hard as she could before the wheel closed in...
When Hitomi looked up from where she had been hugging her pillow laying on her stomach, it was already night and the clock read 11:27 PM. She simply snuggled in deeper into the covers, deciding to try to attempt to sleep; she had been wallowing for over six hours now.
As she sat up, she heard a low beeping from her purse. She walked over to the purse and took out her cellphone and flipped it open. "Hello?"
Hitomi heard a low sound on the other side before Homura said, "Come to the hotel on Prefect avenue, immediately."
The greenette stiffened. That was where Bernadette and Grace were staying. "I'll be right there."
Hitomi ran over to her closet and took out some shoes and a warm jacket and put them on as she ran downstairs and out the door as carefully as she could. In about twenty minutes, she had made it to the hotel and knocked on the door to their room before Homura opened it up.
"Homura, what's-"
Homura simply motioned her inside before closing the door behind the greenette. Hitomi was surprised to see Sayaka was fast asleep on Grace's bed. Bernadette was huddled in the far corner of the room, her face buried in her arms where they rested on her knees drawn up to her chest.
The greenette knelt down by the couch to examine Sayaka better. On closer inspection, she was horrified to see that Sayaka wasn't even breathing. She gently lifted her friend's eyelid, only to see the once lit-up and shining blue eyes now dull and dark. She checked Sayaka's pulse at her wrist and neck before laying a hand over her heart. There was nothing.
For a moment, Hitomi's mind was utterly blank before it slammed into her very being. Hitomi's stomach wrenched violently and she barely managed to swallow back the bile in her throat. Homura walked over to them, her fist clenched tightly around an object. She took Hitomi's hand and gently pressed the object into her hand, closing her fingers around it. The greenette looked at the object.
"A grief seed...?"
Homura nodded. "I dealt the killing blow."
Hitomi blinked, feeling slightly confused before the dots connected.
Sayaka had been the one who healed Kyousuke at the cost of her soul.
She became a witch.
It was all her fault.
It was Hitomi Shizuki who pushed Sayaka over the edge.
The tears from before that wouldn't spill overflowed down the greenette's cheeks. She buried her face into her hands and sobbed achingly, her chest and throat burning. A moment later, she felt muscled arms pull her close and hands gently rubbed her back and combed fingers through her hair.
"Ya had no way o' knowin' wha' Sayaka was goin' through. 'sides, I was th' one wh' told ya to t' tell 'er that. If this's anyone's fault, it's mine," Bernadette said in a blank tone.
Hitomi glanced over at Bernadette through her tears when she noticed something else. "Wh-where's Grace?"
At that, the orange-haired girl flinched before she shuddered. A single tear dripped down her face and hit Htomi's cheek before sliding down.
A fresh wave of grief and anguish hit the greenette and more tears trickled down her face. "I-"
"Don't."
Bernadette held her hand up in a 'stop' motion. "Just don't," she said in a monotone, but stressed tone.
"I-I had no idea," Hitomi said in a soft voice as she hugged Bernadette closer. "Sayaka..."
A day later, Sayaka's funeral was held.
Nearly everyone from school came. Hitomi remained to the side, away from her friends and away from Kyousuke. She couldn't bear to look him in the eye, not after what happened. She avoided everyone else that day and walked back home as rain began to pour down.
Her head remained bowed before she noticed the absence of rain. Hitomi glanced up to see Tamotsu holding an umbrella over her. "I don't want you to get sick, is all," he said, smiling slightly.
Hitomi didn't reply but continued walking. She wished silently that the brown-haired boy would leave her be, but even now she didn't want to come off as rude, especially since he was trying very hard to be kind to her.
If anything, this made her stomach churn even worse than before; she didn't deserve any kindness, not after what she did.
She continued walking until she arrived to her house. When Hitomi went underneath the porch roof, Tamotsu waved good-bye with a gentle look before running off. Hitomi went right up to her bedroom, locked the door and slumped on her bed listlessly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Hitomi saw Kyubey lounging on her window sill, prompting her to sit up. "You want to give me a contract, don't you?"
"How astute of you," Kyubey said as he jumped down and walked over to her bedside.
"What a cruel being you are; you approach a girl who's going through a terrible event and offer them a wish, don't you? And you know that they're so upset, they wouldn't think twice of being granted a wish, even if it's not what they truly want?"
Kyubey remained silent.
"You obscure the truth with half-truths and chosen words to fill your own agenda, yet you claim that what you're doing is for a great good? You're a monster."
Suddenly, images shot through Hitomi's vision and she was falling through them faster than she could think but could comprehend everything all too well.
"You have killed each other, enslaved each other, essentially raped the only planet that can sustain your species, and created abominations that take life as easily as you snap your fingers."
Kyubey's voice echoed all around her as blood, screams and sobs thudded in her ears, images of whipping, killing, armies and destroyed land filled her eyes.
"Yet you call me a monster, when all I wish to do is keep the universe you live in from burning itself out?"
Hitomi gasped as the images and noise stopped, back on her bed again. Sweat trickled down her face as she breathed in and out frantically while Kyubey observed her coolly.
"... even so, I can't agree with what you're doing," Hitomi got out, his fists clenching around the blankets. "You have the choice to tell them the truth but you don't. You could do that, you know. They might still chose to make a contract with you."
"True," Kyubey acknowledged, "but how many do you think would do it?"
Hitomi remained silent.
"In order for this universe to continue existing," Kyubey said, "sacrifices must be made. You're smarter than most humans I've met, even when acting purely on emotion. You understand why this must be done."
"Is there no other way to get energy?" Hitomi asked.
"We have tried in various worlds, but here on earth, the humans girl's pure emotion is the most powerful, the most potent, not to mention how easily harvested and harnessed it can be," Kyubey said. "They have been the best source of power for my race to help this universe."
Hitomi frowned at that. "You... you can't feel anything, can you? That's why you can keep doing this, that's why those girl's sadness and despair couldn't ever affect you."
"Emotion does not exist in my race, no," Kyubey answered. "Even those who have it are considered retarded and stunted."
"... you still expect me to make a contract with you, don't you?"
Kyubey said nothing.
"You grant any wish, right?" Hitomi asked as she stood up. "Exactly whatever I wish for?"
"Anything at all; you could even wish to become a God," Kyubey answered.
...
Sayaka looked up from her food at the sounds of her classmates excited murmurs. She wondered vaguely what they were talking about but tuned out a few seconds later. She was more concerned about Kyousuke. She had decided to do it; she would become a magic girl and use her wish to heal Kyousuke's hand.
After thinking long and hard about what she truly wanted, after mulling over what Mami had told her about her intentions, Sayaka realized that she really wanted to see Kyousuke able to play music again. She still remembered how broken he sounded that day at the hospital; Sayaka couldn't bear to see him look like that ever again.
Just then, the bell rang and Ms. Saotome came in, followed by Kyousuke.
?!
"Everyone," the brunnette announced, beaming, "I am happy to say that Kyousuke Kamijo has made quite the miraculous recovery!"
At that, Kyousuke raised his hand, the hand that he was told he could never use again and wiggled his fingers expertly just like how Sayaka saw him do to show them off after using the violin. Tears rose to her eyes and Sayaka stood up and clapped for him.
A moment later, the other students followed as well. Kyousuke smiled, a light blush on his face at how they reacted.
Homura grimaced as she dodged the attack.
She miscalculated. Even after placing all the bombs carefully around the witch, Cecil still managed to barely survive the attack by wrapping her giant lavender tongue around her body just a millisecond before the bombs went off to ward off the brunt.
This is bad, Homura thought as she fired her gun off before dodging Cecil's minions attacks and blasting their heads off. She's attacking too fast for me to use my magic properly. If I'm not careful...
Suddenly, the raven-haired girl saw a shadow above her. She whipped her head up to see Cecil shoot toward her from above, leering triumphantly. But just as suddenly as she appeared, Cecil stopped. A moment later, her head split neatly in two before her body disintegrated, leaving behind a grief seed.
What...?
"Dammit! Wha' th' hell were ya thinkin'?!"
Homura looked over in the direction of the voice to see Bernadette and Grace run over to the area, both looking more than a bit exasperated. Homura turned in the direction they were facing.
It was a Magical Girl wearing a black beret with the hair tucked inside with a white ribbon on the back, a green shawl with grey trim, a white shirt with a green stripe going down the middle of the front and the hem of said shirt, green hand-guards, black gloves, a pleated green skirt with grey trim, long white socks that went up to her thighs held in place by two grey straps, and black geta sandals with fancy but practical laces. She held a long black halberd with a dark silver head and green trim with the end of the weapon having a dark silver ball and spike.
Around her neck was a white cravat with green lace trim, held in place on her neck by a fleur-de-lis stylized soul gem, glittering a deep and beautiful green color.
"Hitomi Shizuki?"
The greenette looked back at Homura and the ravenette could have sworn she had looked in a mirror when she saw the determined look on Hitomi's face. She picked up the grief seed and threw it at the ravenette who caught it.
"Sorry about that," she said in a low tone.