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

"Kyouko?"

The redhead ignored the other girl's cry and continued to stomp away.

Sayaka, blinking back tears, glanced up to see her mother silhouetted in the window of their apartment. Her face went red, and her fists clenched. She was, for a moment, paralyzed with shame and anger. But the moment didn't last long, and she turned to take off after Kyouko.

"Kyouko ... Kyouko, wait!"

The blue-haired girl caught up to the redhead.

"Kyouko … I'm sorry. I didn't expect … I didn't think my mom would say something like that."

Kyouko stopped, and turned to Sayaka. Her face was red, and she was shuddering with barely controlled rage. Sayaka didn't know what to do.

"She … how … how could she … just … how … how dare she?"

"Kyouko … please. She … she is … protecting me. She … she likes the idea of me and Kamijo-kun. So she .. she doesn't understand how .. how you …."

"What … can just waltz in and turn her precious perfect little daughter gay? Because, Oh My God! Perfect jewel Sayaka could never be interested in a girl, it must be MY fault somehow!"

Sayaka blushed deeply.

"She … she is just concerned for me."

"Yeah. Whatever. Just … go home."

"What?"

"I don't wanna think about this right now. Go home, and … I'll catch up to you later. Or … something."

"But … but Kyouko. I …."

"What?"

"I … I don't want to leave you alone."

"Just go."

Kyouko turned and walked off. Sayaka just stood there for a moment, torn. She didn't know what to do. Never before in her life had she faced a decision like this. She … cared for Kyouko. She believed her mother had simply acted out of concern for her daughter's well-being. Kyouko had only just met her, after all. Could her mother be blamed for being, and expressing, concern?

She looked back, and saw her apartment window, the light still on. It was empty. She shook her head, turned, and ran after Kyouko.

"Thought I told you to go home."

"Yeah. I'm ignoring that."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to be alone."

"Why should you care?"

"What kind of question is that?"

Kyouko stopped again, turned, and grabbed Sayaka's shoulders roughly.

"You just don't get it, do you? I caused my family's death. I kill witches for a living. Literally. If I stop, my soul gem clouds up and then … hell, I don't know what but it can't be good. There's a really good chance that I'm going to die when Walpurgisnacht comes. I'm … just not worth it."

Sayaka sobbed.

"Yes … yes you are."

"Geez, you're stubborn, aren't you? I am not worth it. Period. Go home. Just … go!"

She turned, but Sayaka grabbed at her, snagging her left wrist. Kyouko's brain was clouded with fury. She rounded on Sayaka, lashing out at her. Her open palm impacted Sayaka's cheek, and in that instant, which seemed to happen in slow-motion, Kyouko suddenly regained her self. She looked in horror, and self-loathing, as Sayaka's head jerked to the side with the impact of the blow. She didn't turn her face back to Kyouko … Sayaka's eyes were wide with deeply conflicting emotions, overflowing with tears. Her cheek was red.

"Oh ... fuck … oh fuck … Sayaka … I … I'm … I'm sorry …."

"You … you hit me …."

"I … oh God .. Sayaka … I …."

She closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears of her own.

I've done it now. I've managed to fuck up her life, and then lash out at her as though it was her fault. God … I just … why?

Kyouko flinched as she felt Sayaka's body impact hers. Her first thought is that the girl was going to throw her to the ground, to hit her back as she deserved. For a long moment she could not understand why she couldn't feel any pain from the inevitable blows. Until she realized that Sayaka was clinging to her tightly, bawling her eyes out, muttering words over and over again.

"Say .. Sayaka?"

"Sorry … sorry … sorry … please don't leave me Kyouko. Please. Please, don't leave me."

"Jesus," Kyouko muttered. She was stunned.

"Why … why are you … apologizing to me … I … I hit you …."

"I don't .. don't care Kyouko. Just … just don't leave me. Don't leave me."

Kyouko shuddered, but wrapped her arms around Sayaka.

"No, Sayaka. I won't leave you. You have no reason to apologize. I ... I am sorry. I am so, so sorry. Please, forgive me Sayaka."

"Just don't leave me."

Kyouko's eyes closed, and she rested her head against Sayaka's. She didn't want to cry, but couldn't help it. Tears forced their way out, and she sobbed, gasping for air.

"How the hell did I ever find you? I don't ... don't deserve you, Sayaka."

"Yes, mother. Yes, I am with her. No, I don't know when I'm coming back home. I … care very deeply for Kyouko. Maybe I am. Yes, maybe I am. No mother, that doesn't make you a failure. Mom, why are you crying? You … but … you were the one … no mother, I am not being disrespectful to you … but … I … but … I'll talk to you later."

With a shout of frustration Sayaka threw her cell phone across the room. It it the wall with a loud thump, and fell to the floor in three pieces. She felt Kyouko's arms wrap around her, and she leaned backwards.

"Feel better?"

"No."

"Hope your phone was under warranty."

"At least that'll stop mom from calling."

Kyouko chuckled.

Sayaka sighed very softly.

"I could get used to this," she said as she snuggled close to Kyouko.

"Yeah, me too," she replied as her fingers slowly ran through Sayaka's short, straight hair.

"You just have to promise me. Promise that you'll be okay. I'm … I think I'm disowned. My mother was … livid. I don't … know if I can go back to school tomorrow. With all that, the only thing I can think about, is … well, the fear of losing you. Of … of being alone."

"I can't make a promise like that, Sayaka. Walpurgisnacht is … dangerous. I don't know what is going to happen. No one does, not even Homura with all her 'statistics and research'."

"Then … then I'll help you. All I have to do is make a wish with Kyuubey, right? Then I'll be like you and … and I can help you."

Kyouko's heart froze. The thought of Sayaka condemning herself to a life of fighting witches … in that moment the terror she felt made her cease to wonder why Homura protected Madoka so closely.

"No. No, you'd be too weak."

Kyouko grimaced, realizing after she said it that it sounded too harsh.

"What?"

Sayaka sat up, looking down into Kyouko's eyes with a hurt look. There was no way to take the words back … but as Kyouko looked up at Sayaka, she realized that it was the truth, however harsh it sounded.

"Dammit Sayaka! You care too much. You're too nice. You'd never survive Walpurgisnacht. Mami, she has talent and skill so she can get away with it. Homura … I don't know what's up with her. She's all about Madoka, but she knows … I don't know, maybe too much? It's like she's on a mission and will do whatever it takes for that to work. Me? Well, you see … I'm heartless. I only care about me."

"Just yourself?"

Sayaka looked on the verge of tears. Kyouko sat up as well, her hand coming to rest on Sayaka's bare hip.

"It's … complicated, Sayaka. I do care about you, but … Well, I guess that I kinda think of you as part of me ... I, um … guess. It's … I suppose it's selfish cause I'm starting to see you as part of my happiness."

Sayaka looked away from her and shrugged.

"This … you know, a few days ago I would've said that you're crazy. Now, I think I'm the crazy one."

"You might be, yeah. This isn't an easy life, Sayaka. You haven't really seen it, because I haven't been hunting witches. I don't want you to see that. But if you stay with me … it'll happen. I have to hunt them, to get grief seeds. You remember me telling you that's the only way I can clean my soul gem."

She nodded.

Kyouko paused for a moment, then sighed.

"I think that I need to go back on the hunt tonight."

"Are … are you in trouble? Is your soul gem … is it dirty?"

"It's not that. I just … I feel nervous if I don't have a surplus of them, just in case I need them. I've used one since meeting you, and haven't replaced it."

"Is that … like how you always want to have extra food?"

"Yeah. Kinda."

Sayaka turned back to her, pulling Kyouko close to her. Kyouko was surprised but didn't fight it.

"I really don't understand it all. I really don't. But … I want to be here for you. I don't want you to ever be alone again."

"I …."

Kyouko blushed, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. Sayaka touched her cheek.

"You?"

"I … love you."

Sayaka stopped breathing. Her eyes went wide, and she shivered.

Kyouko looked hesitantly into Sayaka's eyes, waiting for her answer. Hoping there would be one … and wondering why she even blurted that out. Heartless hell ...

"I … I love you, too." Sayaka whispered in reply.

They dressed, and prepared to go out. While Kyouko didn't exactly like the idea, Sayaka insisted that she would follow her wherever she went. Whatever the danger.

They left the hotel room, and Kyouko allowed the ring to transform into the egg-shaped soul gem.

Sayaka glanced at the dim soul gem with the little wisps of dark mist flowing within its surface.

"Is it supposed to look that … dark?"

Kyouko frowned.

"No. All this god-damn drama … it's like every setback with you clouds it a little more."

Sayaka glanced away from Kyouko, who instantly regretted her words. As she watched the mist within the soul gem became just a little thicker.

"No big deal though, just need to use a grief seed."

She pulled one out of the pocket of her sweater. Sayaka watched as the redhead held the dark spiked sphere next to her soul gem. There was the faintest tinkling sound as the two jewels touched, and black smoky mist began to roll out of the soul gem, to be absorbed into the grief seed. Kyouko took a deep sighing breath, closing her eyes.

Sayaka smirked.

"Does it feel that good?"

"It … yeah, feels pretty good actually. I mean … your tongue feels better."

Sayaka blushed, but didn't turn away this time. Kyouko chuckled and leaned in to plant a quick kiss on Sayaka's lips.

"Umm. What do you do with it now?"

"Oh, that's easy."

I take them.

Sayaka let out a gasp, and darted behind Kyouko. She peeked around at the white and red creature, eyes wide in fright.

"What … what is that … thing?"

"Oh yeah, forgot to warn you about Kyuubey. He shows up at the damnedest moments."

You hardly have a reason to be surprised, Kyouko. You know that I take grief seeds once they can no longer be used to clean your soul gem.

"Yeah, I know that. Here, enjoy."

She threw the grief seed to Kyuubey, who scampered to one side, catching it with his tail. It rolled down, before disappearing into some sort of opening that appeared at a red oval outline on his back.

Sayaka stepped around Kyouko, looking at the … creature.

"Basically, no one can see him but Puella Magi and potentials."

"But ... but I can see him."

"Yeah, obviously."

That is unusual.

"Yeah, well no time to worry about that, Kyuubey. We're off to get a witch."

Kyuubey scrambled up onto Kyouko's shoulder, and Sayaka frowned. She grasped Kyouko's arm on the other side of her body, glancing uneasily at Kyuubey.

"What? It's not like he bites or anything."

"Here we go. See Sayaka? Nice bright glow there … tells me there's a witch here. Not just a familiar."

"Familiar?"

"Yeah, witches spawn familiars. They help protect the witch that spawns 'em, and sometimes they go off on their own. If they hurt enough people they become witches themselves."

"That's terrible!"

"Nah, actually it's kinda cool. See, familiars by themselves don't have grief seeds. Not til they become a witch. See?"

"I .. I don't get it."

Kyouko sighed.

"You have to know which is which. There's no point spending time and energy fighting familiars, cause you don't get anything from them."

"But … but they hurt people!"

"Yeah? And?"

Sayaka's eyes went wide.

"You … you mean you … you let familiars hurt people?"

"Christ. See, this is what I mean. You are way too nice. If you become a Puella Magi thinking you're some kind of goddamn superhero you just end up wearing yourself out. You get weaker as your soul gem darkens, and if you're fighting familiars you don't get grief seeds to clean it. See? So you're fighting mooks and using up all your magic, and then when a witch does come along blammo! You're weak and pathetic and the witch fucking ends you! See, this is why I don't ever want you contracting with Kyuubey here … I'd give you … a week. Tops. Before you do something stupid, make a mistake, overextend yourself, and end up witch-food."

Sayaka didn't know what to say. Her mouth opened, and closed again.

"Hey ... say something, love."

"Like … like what? I … you have the chance to make a real difference … and you … you farm grief seeds like they're some kind of … treasure drop in a video game!"

Kyouko shrugged, and looked away from Sayaka.

I don't mean to interrupt, since your emotional exchanges are quite fascinating. However the witch that you detected is not becoming weaker as you stand here.

Sayaka glanced at Kyuubey, still perched on Kyouko's shoulder.

"He … he's right. I guess … you should … take care of it and we can, I dunno, discuss this later."

"Yeah. Yeah, good idea. Ummm listen … why don't you go back to the hotel room. I mean … I don't want to put you through any more than you already have. And witches … they feed of bad emotions. It's probably best, safest, for you if you just left. I mean … you know … waited. For me to … to come back."

She pulled out the hotel room key, flicking it to Sayaka. She caught it and stared at it for a moment as though it were some strange and exotic piece of alien technology.

"Oh. Ummm … okay. I will … yeah."

Sayaka lay in bed. Awake. She looked out the window, at the waning moon. She had come back here alone. She had undressed, and crawled into bed. She remembered in fairy tales and romances, about the heroine crying herself to sleep as she pined for her prince. She found that the stories lied ... however much she cried she was no closer to falling asleep. She feared Kyouko never coming back to her. Something could happen. Or she could decide that she was fed up with the little weakling and go back home. Or she could meet another girl who was strong enough to really help her out. Or … or any number of horrible things could happen.

She found herself starting awake to a banging noise. Disoriented, she looked around the dark room, and out the window to the now moonless night sky.

"Hey moron! What, you grow deaf or something. Open the damn door!"

Kyouko!

She jumped out of bed, trembling, and darted over to the door. Opening it without thinking, and seeing to her joy and relief the redhead.

Kyouko smirked, taking in the beautiful site before her. And that is when Sayaka realized what she had done, and blushed.

"Hi honey, I'm home," she joked.

As soon as the door closed, Sayaka threw herself into Kyouko's arms, bawling.

"I thought .. I was afraid ... that … you wouldn't … come back …."

Kyouko gave her a tight squeeze.

"Hey now love. I promised you, didn't I? I'll never leave you. Kay?"

Sayaka nodded, before leaning up and kissing Kyouko's chin, cheeks, jawline, lips ... only wanting to know that she was here, to feel Kyouko, to taste her skin, to know that this was real and not some strange dream or delusion or fantasy ...