A Brand New Day

part 6

A/N: Somewhat intense and close to M. Nothing really too explicit, but some potentially triggery content.

I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Puella Magi Oriko Magica, nor any of the characters associated with either.

Homura sighed. She couldn't sleep. She lay upon a futon in her own living room, with Mami occupying her bed, Yuma on her couch, and Kyouko sitting at the computer playing some kind of online game. Tomorrow was Saturday, a day off from school, at last. It felt as though she had gone to school every day of the last month. She had no real plans, and since Mami and Kyouko had already done the grocery shopping, she had no real commitments either.

It had been several days, and the blond had been out somewhere every one of them. Kyouko had accompanied her to the store, and Yuma had been left here to be babysat by the computer and TV. Sayaka hadn't been over, and they barely talked in school. It was a strange feeling, both being not alone these past few days … and yet somehow feeling entirely alone.

There was a cry of triumph from the computer, and both Homura and Yuma sat up in partial panic. Kyouko glanced over at them and mouthed "Sorry." Yuma lay back down and was asleep again almost instantly, but Homura decided to walk over to see what the redhead was doing.

It was some kind of on-line fantasy game. Kyouko was controlling an animated character wielding a huge spear, and performing all sorts of fantastic, magical attacks with it. Homura chuckled and shook her head. Kyouko glanced back at her and pulled the headphones down off her ears.

"Fun game, Princess."

"I hear it's addictive."

"Little bit, yeah. I just made 10th level."

"Didn't you just start playing that tonight?"

"Yup."

"I hope it's free."

"Uh huh. Only gotta pay if you wanna unlock all the really cool stuff."

"Well, don't stay up too late."

"Yes mommy."

"You're impossible."

"Thanks, I do try."

Kyouko smirked and turned back to her game. Homura chuckled again, and went back to her bedroom, quietly pushing the door open and walking over to where Mami lay. As she approached, the blanketed lump on the bed shifted, and Homura froze.

"Homura-chan?"

Mami's voice was sleepy, but carried a note of pleasure. Homura walked the rest of the distance and sat on the edge of the bed, placing a hand softly on Mami's shoulder.

"Didn't mean to wake you. Just checking in on you. Like you want me too."

Mami smiled, as Homura could just barely see in the dim light filtering in from the living-room.

"Thank you Homura-chan. I can't tell you how .. wonderful my life's been since I moved in here."

"I'm glad. Very glad."

Mami scooted closer, and reached up to hook her arm around Homura's waist. The dark-haired girl chuckled, and lay down beside Mami, embracing her tightly.

"About damn time someone gets some around here."

Homura sat back up abruptly, and glared at the redhead, silhouetted in the door-frame.

"I was just checking in on her," Homura said defensively.

"Uh huh. Do what you want, I don't care. Just, close the door so you don't wake the kid up."

Mami blushed, but neither of the other girls could see this.

"Nothing was going to happen, Kyouko-chan."

"Yeah, but you told me …."

"Kyouko!"

"What? Don't want Princess here to know?"

"Know what?"

"Nothing," Mami replied quickly.

Kyouko chuckled and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Mami-chan has it bad for you, Princess."

"Kyouko," Mami hissed.

"Ummm … that is … I don't know what to say."

"Tch. Look, I tease. A lot. Seriously. But you two wanna go at it, have fun. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. I won't tell anyone else what you two do. I might watch, or help out if it's needed …."

"That won't be necessary," Homura replied tersely. "Nothing will happen. And if it did, we would be quite capable of handling it ourselves."

"Okay, you're the boss, Princess."

Kyouko stood, chuckling, and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"She … spoke out of turn, Homura-chan."

Homura settled back down in the bed, and pulled Mami into a tight hug.

"It's okay, Mami. I … that is, I wouldn't have you here if I didn't … well, like you. A lot."

"Thank you, Homura-chan. You've done so much for me. I … think that I …."

"Shhh … don't say any more, please."

Mami sighed.

"But … Homura-chan. I don't want to feel like a guest … or a patient. I … want … more than that."

"I consider you to be family, Mami."

"Just family?"

Homura shrugged.

"I … I don't know what to feel beyond that right now."

"Is it because of … Miki-san?"

"No. Well, not really. She loves Kamijou-san. She's probably fighting Shizuki-san for him right now. I mean, not this minute. Or … well, not really fighting, but …."

"You're babbling, Homura-chan," Mami giggled.

Homura felt a soft, cool hand on her blushing cheek. She turned her head, and kissed Mami's palm. The blond sighed softly, and guided Homura's face down towards hers. Pressing her lips softly to Homura's cheek, and somewhat playfully rubbing the tip of her nose against Homura's.

"I … probably should …."

Mami sighed again, less happily this time.

"Yeah. But … you're welcome to check in on me any time … or even stay. All night, if you like. I don't think Kyouko-chan would mind."

"She'd probably be thrilled, actually."

Homura sat up slowly, looking down at Mami with a mixture of feelings. Before she could really think about what she was doing, she stood, and left the bedroom.

"Good-night Mami," she said as she stepped hurriedly out the door.

There was a knock on Sayaka's door.

"Go away," was the muffled reply.

"Breakfast's ready, dear."

"Not hungry."

"You need to eat."

Sayaka didn't say anything. She was buried under the covers of her bed. She hadn't slept more than a hour or two. She had gone to visit Kyousuke the other day, and it had been … tense. She had given him a CD, and he had made it quite clear that such gifts were torture to him now that he couldn't play the violin any longer. She had decided to be bold, and asked him where they stood.

"Friends. We're friends, Sayaka. That's what we've always been and always will be."

She had come home and cried for several hours. Alone. She considered going to Homura's place … but seeing her fawn over Mami would've just rubbed salt into the wound. No, best to just accept that she would be alone forever. It was for the best, really. Who'd want someone like her anyway?

"Sayaka-chan? Honey? We made waffles. Belgian style. Your favorite."

"I am not hungry, mom."

"Okay. If you change your mind, we'll leave some of the batter in the fridge for you."

Silence.

What was the point of eating? Kyousuke didn't want her. Homura didn't want her. Kyouko was a thug. No one in school seemed to care. The one person she called a friend (as opposed to Homura who she saw … or wanted to see … as more) was the backstabbing bitch Hitomi.

On queue, her cell phone rang. She groaned and tried to ignore it.

It continued to ring.

"Sayaka, hon? That might be important."

She sighed, and threw her covers off, sat up, and grabbed the phone.

"What?"

"Hello to you too, Sayaka-chan."

"Hitomi, if you have something to say, say it."

"I … was hoping that we could … find some way to make amends."

"Get the hell out of my life and stay away from Kamijou-kun? For starters."

Hitomi sighed.

"I am sorry. Really. I am so very, very sorry."

"Fuck off."

She closed her phone, and tossed it back on her night-stand.

"Honey. You don't ever use that kind of language. Please open this door so we can talk."

No answer

"You're not in trouble, I promise. You're a good girl. You … you're hurt because of what happened. We want to help, your father and I."

Still no answer.

"Well … if you do feel like talking … we're ready to listen any time."

Sayaka lay back down and pulled the covers over her head.

Monday morning. Sayaka was conspicuous for her absence. She hadn't answered her cell phone over the weekend, and at least five text messages to her had been unanswered. Homura fidgeted uncertainly, glancing down at the phone in her lap and considering sending another message.

"Class," Saotome announced, "today is a very special and important day. Does anyone know what the significance of this is?"

She held up her left hand. The students stared at her in confusion.

"Nakazawa-san!"

"Ermm … that is … your … left hand is … oh … does not have a ring on it."

"That's right, and what does that mean?"

"That … you are … single? Again?"

"Correct! And, does it matter if a woman over aged thirty-five is single? Is it the end of the world if she is not married off by age 20?"

"Uhhh … no."

"No! Of course not! Just because an older woman does not have a man does not mean that she is frigid or uninterested in socializing!"

The class gaped in shock.

"Oh. And … we have two new students in our class."

"She always does this," the girl sitting behind Homura muttered.

"Please, come in. Introduce yourself."

"Well, you all know me, I believe. Kamijou Kyousuke. I've been here before and … well, I was finally allowed to return to school after being in the hospital for some time."

"Thank you, Kamijou-san. Please take your seat. Next?"

Everyone gasped, as the blond girl trundled into the classroom.

"Wow … she's cute. But why's she in that chair?"

"Umm … my name is … Tomoe Mami. I … umm, am very pleased to meet you. Please … treat me well."

"Tomoe-san, what happened?"

"Does it hurt?"

"I love your hair, how do you style it like that?"

"Is your right hand really paralyzed?"

"Are you really fifteen? Shouldn't you be in the third-year class?"

"I wish I could get out of Phys Ed too."

"What are you doing for lunch, Tomoe-san? Do you want to eat with us?"

"Actually, she's going to be eating lunch with me."

The girls swarming around Mami looked up at Homura with a faintly awed expression on their faces. If anything, this made the two of them even more cool in the eyes of the other students. Rumors started to circulate that the two had been in the hospital together. Others started around that the two lived together. Some started to say that the two were dating. It was noticed that they spent a lot of their free time with one another.

Most of the boys in the class hung out with Kamijou-kun, though he paid most attention to Hitomi. As the day wound to a close, Homura realized with shock that Sayaka's absence had been unnoticed by anyone other than herself and Mami. This seemed very sad, to Homura.

"Homura-chan?"

"Yes, Hitomi-chan?"

"I … I wanted to apologize to you."

"There's no need for that."

"Well … I was rather mean to Miki-san and you the other day. I really shouldn't have prodded her like that. It hurt you as much as it hurt her."

"Hitomi-chan, if you are really concerned, than we should go check up on her."

Mami, rolling alongside Homura, nodded.

"That is a good idea, actually. She hasn't been to our place in several days, and hasn't answered any calls or messages from Homura-chan."

"I … spoke to her Saturday on the phone. Briefly. She was … very upset."

"Oh no … something's happened to her, I just know it."

"Now, don't panic, Homura-chan. She's probably just sulking."

"I don't think that I'd blame her for that," replied Mami quietly.

Hitomi shrugged.

"Anyway, Kamijou-kun has gone on home. He said that I should … well, talk to you."

"And I think we should go to Sayaka's."

Hitomi took a very deep breath, and nodded.

The three girls sat awkwardly in the Miki family living-room. Sayaka's parents had little to say to them, since Sayaka had disappeared sometime Saturday evening. The police had been notified, but there was little else they could do. She took her cell phone with her, and her parents didn't have contact information for Homura or Hitomi. Both girls left their phone numbers, and also got the home and cell numbers for both adults as well, promising to call if Sayaka turned up.

"We … actually, should probably leave, then. We wanted to see if Sayaka-chan was okay. And … well, we should probably look for her."

"Please. If you find her, or find anything about her, please call us."

Homura nodded.

"Of course. We will certainly do that."

Sayaka sat alone on a metal bench. She was in a train station in down-town Mitakihara City. She had snuck out of her home Saturday evening, and … ran. Just ran, until she was too exhausted to run further. Then she found a place to hide and nap until morning. Sunday, she started simply wandering. Aimlessly. She was hungry, but she didn't care. Food simply didn't matter to her. All that mattered to her were Kyousuke and Homura … and she couldn't have both … and she had managed to screw up having either one. So what was the point?

Sunday night she had found another place to sleep, and Monday had been more of the same. Wandering. Buying cheap food and drinks with what little money she had. Her cell phone had run out of battery sometime Sunday evening, not that she had realized it. She had it on silent, with no vibration or lighting to warn her of incoming calls or messages. It was a dead lump of plastic and electronic components. Not all that different from how Sayaka saw herself at that moment.

"There you are."

Sayaka didn't react.

"Where the hell have you been, dumbass? You know you have Homura worried sick over you? Your parents are flipping out. Hell, I'm surprised there aren't cops all over this place right now, cause they've sure been called a whole bunch of times."

"Why are you here?"

Kyouko sat down beside Sayaka with a sigh.

"You have to ask? Look, I know I'm not always the best person in the world. I can be rough around the edges, and I've done shit that I'm not proud of. But you know what? Homura forgave me for all that, and took me in. No one else has ever, ever done that. She's good people. She really doesn't care if you're all moon-eyed over that boy whatshisname or not. She likes you, and wants to see good things for you."

Sayaka shrugged, not saying anything.

"Just come back with me, okay? Back to Homura's apartment. We'll talk it out, all of us. We'll ... we'll figure out what to do next, yeah?"

A train started to come down the tracks, and Sayaka stood up. She approached the edge of the platform. Kyouko stood up too.

"Don't follow me," Sayaka said quietly.

"Fuck that. Where you go I go."

Sayaka said nothing. She took a step closer to the edge.

"Hey, careful there Sayaka. You're getting too close to the …."

Before Kyouko knew what was happening, Sayaka stepped over the edge of the platform, falling down toward the tracks and into the path of the oncoming train. Things entered into slow-motion for the redhead, as some people screamed and started to turn and run off in panic.

Kyouko had never been a hero. She had gone through life with one thought on her mind. Survival. She cared about herself first, second, and only. She had never killed anyone, but she certainly had watched people die.

So it felt as though it was a different redhead that ran forward, toward the edge of the platform. It was as though it were in a movie. The train was coming on unstoppably, inexorably, and as Kyouko got to the edge she could see the bluenette lying across the rails very still. She couldn't hear anything but the sound of her own heartbeat rushing in her ears, and couldn't see anything but the blue-haired girl lying there across the train tracks. She wasn't thinking about anything at all. It was all pure instinct.

She dove off the platform, like some sort of action movie hero, and grabbed Sayaka. She had no time to think or ponder, and simply rolled away from the path of the train, hoping that there was space. If not, they were both dead. She had no time to make a mistake, and no way of knowing if what she did was correct or not.

The breeze of the train cars flying past brought Kyouko back to reality, and she could hear the squealing of breaks. She opened her eyes (she hadn't realized that they were closed), and looked around. She was crouched in an open space between two sets of train tracks, and a heavily sobbing, shaking blue-haired girl clung to her tightly. Her heartbeat was racing, her throat burned, and it felt like she had lost control of her bladder sometime during the incident.

The train stopped. It had all happened in seconds. There was still the general sound of panic in the station, and she saw the door to the motorized train car open. A conductor, or driver, or whatever they were called, looked out and back at them, yelling something in a high-pitched and panicked voice. Kyouko couldn't understand him and didn't even try to. She just held Sayaka tightly.

"Name."

"Sakura Kyouko."

"Age."

"14."

"Relation to the victim?"

"Fucking say her name, god dammit."

The police officer glanced up at the redhead with a frown.

"Miki Sayaka is a friend," Kyouko said with a sigh.

"You know of course that you saved her life."

"Yeah."

"What you did was extremely stupid. You're lucky you didn't touch the third rail, or there'd be two people in the morgue."

"You're a real people person, aren't you?"

"I been at this job long enough to see tons of kids turn themselves into hamburger by jumping onto the train tracks, so excuse me if I'm a bit jaded."

"That's pronounced dickhead, I think."

"Yeah? Maybe I am a dickhead. But I'm a dickhead with a badge, and I could very well run you in for trespassing, you know. You didn't have a ticket, did you?"

"Fuck."

"But then that'd get all over the news about how the young heroine is mistreated by insensitive cops, and we'd become the bad guys here. So I'm not gonna do that."

"How's Sayaka?"

"Well, there's good news and bad news."

"Just fucking tell me."

"The good news is that a quick psych eval confirmed she actually didn't jump off the platform intentionally. She had some kinda weird blackout or something. So she wasn't a suicide."

"And the bad news?"

"She's a runaway. Probably going to be put on some kind of probation. Home, school, no where else without her parents approval, kind of thing."

Kyouko shrugged.

"Sucks … but probably for the best."

"Yeah."

"Can I see her?"

"Not my call, Sakura-san."

"Am I done here?"

"Yeah."

Kyouko entered the room slowly, frowning. She hated hospitals. There was something unpleasantly deceptive about how peaceful, clean, and healthy they appeared to be, while containing so much sickness, pain, and death. Certainly a hospital was no place for a healthy person.

Still, all those thoughts vanished when she saw the bluenette sitting up in her bed. Her expression softened, and her pace picked up. Sayaka turned to see which of her friends was visiting her .. and when she saw that it was the redhead, her eyes went wide.

"Kyouko. You … they said you saved my life."

The girls embraced tightly.

"Yeah, dunno what the fuck came over me."

Sayaka clung tightly to her.

"You … you gonna be okay?"

"I don't know. Doctors say the tests are all coming back negative. I had some kind of seizure but they can't find a cause. No clot, no stroke, no tumor in the brain … just weird."

Sayaka finally released her grip on Kyouko, who sat down on the bed beside Sayaka. The redhead took Sayaka's hand, wanting to keep the girl aware of the fact that, just now, she wasn't alone.

"Yeah. Weird shit happens sometimes. I'm just glad you're okay."

"It's thanks to you. Guess that makes you my white knight, then."

Kyouko chuckled.

"God help you!"

Sayaka grinned.

"I mean, I remember being on the platform. I stepped forward to get into the train. Next thing I know I'm in your arms, the train zooming past, and aware that I almost died."

"Don't think about that, Sayaka. Over and done with."

She squeezed Sayaka's hand, and the blue-haired girl nodded.

"I … I don't know how, or if, I can ever repay you. I mean … what you did. You … it was real heroism."

"Nah. I just couldn't watch you get killed."

"I couldn't have done it. If you had fallen instead of me …."

Sayaka's voice trailed off. Kyouko shrugged.

"Look, you haven't led my life. You know? I just got hard, that's all. Not heroic, or anything like that. Strong, sure …."

"You know … I don't really know anything about you."

"Better that way."

"No, I don't think so."

"What's to tell? Two, three years on the streets. Robbing, burglarizing places, stealing money and food just to stay alive. Finding little hidey-holes to sleep in so some asshole doesn't slit your throat in the night …."

"I … kinda now what that's like."

"Fuck … you were a runaway for two days, Sayaka. That's nothing. Besides, Mitakihara Town's safer than … well, where I come from. And never-you-mind where that is, either."

"How did you do it?"

"Just willed myself to do it. Did what I had to. Whored myself out sometimes. You'd be surprised how many perverts there are out there who'd pay, and pay big, to put their thing in a 14 year old."

Sayaka shuddered.

"This one time … got in with this guy who said I could hit the big-time. No little street-corner quickies, but big money. I could only think of all the yen he swore I'd make. So I went with him. He cleaned me up, dressed me in this sexy little outfit, and me and five other young girls were taken out to the country. There were … I'd say twenty guys there, and they'd bought us for the weekend. It was a long, four-day holiday mind you. Only way I made it through that without slitting my wrists, was one of the other girls, a year or two older than me. Fell in love with her."

"What happened?"

"Reality happened, Sayaka. I decided I couldn't stand men doing … that to me. So I took my money for the weekend and ran. She … Kayo is what she called herself, never learned her family name, or even if that was her real name or not … she was in the business for life. Never saw her again. Hell, I dunno if she's even still alive. Between sadistic pervs, disease, drugs, the cops …."

Kyouko shook her head slowly.

"I … I'm glad you didn't get sucked into that, Kyouko."

"Yeah, me too. Actually, wasn't too long after that that I met Yuma. She had a really bad home life, and managed to escape. If that weekend hadn't convinced me to stop, then having Yuma to look after … hell, I knew at the time that I could probably make money with her but … that'd be so wrong, you know? So yeah. She and I, we're together for life now."

"Where is she?"

"Stayed at the apartment with Mami. I mean, she could've helped look for you too, at least until she had to recharge her chair's battery … but we couldn't have Yuma out there on the streets. Dangerous enough for Homura-chan."

"Where is she?"

Kyouko sighed.

"You love her, don't you?"

Sayaka blushed, and turned away.

"Hey, it's cool, okay? I love her deeply, but she's never gonna be mine. I know that, and I accept that."

"I … I do love her, Kyouko. But how can I … I mean, I love Kyousuke, even now."

"That happens. Love's more complex than most people make it out to be. First, most important, there's no such thing as a soul-mate. The idea that two people are destined to be together … total bullshit. Once you get past that myth, it starts to make more sense."

"You think so?"

"Well, not completely, no. But yeah, you can love Kyousuke and Homura at the same time. Don't honestly know where Homura stands though. I mean, I thought it was you she was holding out for, and Mami thinks so too. But there's something else there … can't quite place it."

"Maybe she just needs to get laid?"

The two girls smirked.

"I like you, Sayaka. Good sense of humor."

"Yeah, you're not bad either, once you stop beating people up."

"Hey now .. Homura forgave me. I don't know how but she did."

"Yeah. And I guess you've forgiven me, too."

"Nothing to forgive. I told you before, I deserved what I got from you. Besides, I'd rather stay on your good side than get hit again. You've got a hell of a left hook for such a scrawny little thing."

"Scrawny!"

Sayaka stuck her tongue out at Kyouko, who leaned in close to her.

"Yeah, scrawny. And don't stick that thing out if you don't intend to use it."

"Maybe I do intend on using it, what then?"

"Do you even know what to do with it?"

Sayaka blushed, but didn't back down.

"Oh yes, I sure do."

"I mean other than eating ice cream cones, moron."

Sayaka stuck her tongue out again, and Kyouko playfully nipped at it, catching the tip of Sayaka's tongue in her teeth. The redhead wriggled her eyebrows.

"Owww," Sayaka muttered.

"Now whatcha gonna do?" Kyouko managed to say through her clenched teeth.

There was a moment when neither girl was quite sure which direction to take things, but it didn't last too long. Sayaka pushed her lips to Kyouko's, and the redhead, who had hoped things would take this turn, pressed Sayaka down against the bed, kissing, nibbling, sucking on Sayaka's lips and tongue, forcing her own tongue down into Sayaka's mouth ….

An eternity seemed to pass, before Kyouko pulled back, breathless. Sayaka's wide, sparkling, blue eyes looked up into Kyouko's intense crimson eyes.

"Wow," she managed to say.

"Something like that," Kyouko responded.

"So … ummm .. what now?"

"Well, a nurse is probably gonna come in any minute, so we can't …."

"I don't mean that … I mean … us. Where do we go from here?"

"Fuck if I know. There's too many threads here, so I just dunno."

"Maybe … well … I mean, that was … yeah. So maybe …. I mean, we're friends. So …."

"Sayaka, shut up."

She leaned back down, but before anything else could happen, there was a knock at the door, and the sound of someone clearing their throat. Kyouko hastily stood up, and walked away from the bed, face a bright red.

"Miki-sama, there's another friend here to see you."

Sayaka sat up, thinking it to be Homura.

"Please, send her in!"

The nurse nodded, and gestured behind her.

Tension descended like fog as a green-haired and green-eyed girl stepped tentatively into the room.

Kyouko clenched her fists, but remained quiet. This wasn't her fight … well, unless Sayaka made it clear she wanted her help. If that happened, she'd make sure Hitomi paid big-time for what she did.

"Hello … Sayaka-chan. I … heard what happened. It's all over the news. Are you okay?"

Sayaka nodded.

"Yeah."

"I … I know we've had our differences …."

Kyouko laughed bitterly at this understatement.

"Kyouko, please?"

"Sorry, Sayaka."

Hitomi turned to the redhead.

"No, it's okay. It's also all over the news that you saved her life. At the risk of your own. You have every right to criticize me for what I did."

Kyouko shrugged and didn't say anything.

"I just … I am sorry, Sayaka. Not for loving Kamijou-kun … neither of us can help how we feel about him. Just … I should've pulled you aside first, and talked to you."

"Yeah," Sayaka said quietly.

"So … I really am sorry."

"I … accept your apology, Hitomi-chan."

Hitomi took a deep breath, sighed, and instantly looked relieved. She walked over to the bed, and hugged Sayaka.

"And … we'll make it through this. If you ... want, I will stop seeing Kamijou-kun …."

"No, no, you don't need to do that, Hitomi-chan. You … confessed to him, right?"

She nodded, sheepishly.

"So you two are together then, and … I just have to accept that. I … will just have to find a way to get past that …."

"We both still want you to be our friend, Sayaka."

"I … don't think I can go that far. Not right now. It still hurts, Hitomi-chan."

Hitomi nodded, and backed sadly away from Sayaka.

"I ... understand."

"Hey … I'm going to be out of here in another day or two. We … you, me, Mami, and Homura … we can eat lunch together."

"And Kyousuke?"

Sayaka shrugged, and turned away from Hitomi.

"Sure," she said quietly.

"I … will see you in school, Sayaka-chan."

"Okay … Hitomi-chan."