Chapter 7: Life and Death
So, when did you run into Shiratori?
Sayaka stared blankly at the ceiling as Kyouko's voice echoed in her mind; the rough fabric of the blanket provided by the school was a far cry from her fluffy bunny-printed blanket, but it kept her warm enough in the quiet night. 'Mm...well, I took a walk to Kasamino the other day, and that's when I stumbled into her. She told me that she was transferring into Mitakihara Middle School when she saw my uniform.' She sighed, nestling further into the fabric. 'I didn't think she would actually contract, though...'
I don't get it. How did she even find out about Magical Girls?
The blue-haired girl bit her lip. 'She must have been curious about me...she followed me around, and then she saw me in the hotel room with your dead body...' She sat up in bed with a start, eyebrow raised. 'Come to think of it, where did she take your body?'
Ha?! You let Shiratori run off with my corpse?!
'Look, it's not like I MEANT to leave it to her!' She protested in defense, clenching her fists. 'She just raised a good point! We couldn't just leave your corpse in an abandoned hotel room where it could be found by shady people!'
Sayaka...to me, Shiratori's a shady person. Kyouko sighed, resting her head back against the abyss. But, whatever. It's just a corpse; not like anyone's going to remember it anyway...
"Kyouko, don't..." Sayaka muttered softly, eyes shaking. "Don't belittle yourself like that..."
"Miki Sayaka?" A cool voice cutting through the silence got Sayaka's attention, and she quickly straightened out, looking around for the source. Royal-blue pools stared quietly back at her from where Akemi Homura had been laying down. "Are you alright?" She asked softly. "You sound a little out of sorts." Sayaka shook her head, nonetheless looking down sadly into the darkness of her covered lap. "No, I...I'm fine, just..." She sighed. "Can I trust you with a secret, transfer student?" Homura slid out of her blanket, stepping quietly over to the blue-haired girl and taking a seat. "My entire life has been a secret," She reminded without any hint of sarcasm. "If you need me to listen, I will." It was better the blue-haired knight not keep her troubles to herself, after all - besides, she had helped her to accomplish her mission, after timeline upon timeline of failure.
"What if I told you...Kyouko's still here?" Sayaka mumbled, azure pools shimmering in the darkness, facing the raven-haired girl. Homura stared for a moment. "As in...inside you?" She asked for clarification. Sayaka nodded, looking back at her lap. "Yeah. I didn't want to reveal it to you back then, with Kyuubey nearby, but...she's been here." She held up her fire-red Soul Gem, tracing the crescent engraving. "All along. She's actually the one who's been helping me with the stress of battle." She sighed. "But, she still...feels herself worthless. Even after everything she's done for us, what she's done to help this city, she still..."
"You have to remember the pain she's been through." Homura replied softly with a gentle sigh, leaning back on her arms and looking up at the dark ceiling. "She feels she's done nothing but harm to everything she's tried fixing. So, the fact that she doesn't value herself...is not that surprising." She smiled; she understood that mindset, actually. "...So I suppose, when you would occasionally fall limp, that was the two of you switching who was in control at that time?" Azure eyes crinkled. "Haha, guess we've been found out." She scratched the back of her head.
"Time heals all wounds...the physical faster than the mental. Give her the time she needs now that there is peace; let her realize that she's not alone, and that she still has a chance." Peach lips, darkened by the night, pursed tightly. "But she...she doesn't. Thanks to me, she..." Homura shook her head, reaching a hand to touch the blue-haired girl's shoulder. "Don't be that way. She can still live on, through you."
'Although, thinking about it...' The raven-haired girl thought to herself, 'Is it really safe for them, having two souls within the same gem? What repercussions might this have on Miki Sayaka? On Sakura Kyouko?'
"So, it can be done."
Yellow and green eyes narrowed sharply, staring down at the pale figure in front of her, resting on the altar within the confines of the dilapidated church. She held the pristine white Soul Gem close to herself, observing the swirling motions of her own soul. "A Magical Girl...is included in the properties of my wish." She brought the egg-like object down onto the altar, taking in the lit up features of the pale redhead. It had been a day since she'd brought her here. How long would her body last, without magic? She sighed, running her hands together, pushing back the anxiety building up inside.
"Can my powers bring back a fallen Magical Girl?"
Red, beady eyes stared up at her, unwavering, as the creature took a moment to think about what she said. "You wish to bring back a fallen Magical Girl, you say?" It closed its eyes in thought. "That is not outside the realm of possibility; most often, however, Magical Girls are thought of as competition, so they would prefer another not return."
"No." Ayumi clenched her fists in determination, raising her left hand up to her face. "This one I have to bring back." She let out a sigh. "...How much energy would it take?"
Kyuubey nodded. "You will certainly need to cleanse your Soul Gem once that magic is used; due to the nature of your wish, however, it will not drain you as much as one might expect from the act of reviving a Magical Girl."
"Revival...Necromancy..." The brunette looked to the side, mismatched eyes wavering with uncertainty. That was her power, wasn't it? To govern life and death as she saw fit? "...Alright. I'll keep that in mind."
She could bring her back.
She could find out everything that happened.
All she had to do was utilize the wish she had received during her contract with Kyuubey.
But...could she?
Could she really govern death? Did she have that authority?
'What am I thinking...that's exactly the power that I wished for!" Ayumi grit her teeth, taking her Soul Gem in hand, reaching inside herself for the energy she gained.
Yet...doubts plagued her mind.
What if her powers only created more pain and suffering for her home city?
For her new home in Mitakihara?
"Nobody has to know..." She muttered softly. "Nobody has to know that Sakura Kyouko ever died." Two-toned eyes narrowed darkly. "No. If anything, she has to return, if only to properly pay for her crimes!" She thrust the gem against the redheaded corpse, focusing intently as the object glowed brightly, its white energy permeating the darkness in the church and overwhelming Ayumi with its strength. "Gggh...!" She grit her teeth, focusing her willpower.
Sakura Kyouko had to return...
And then...
She HAD to pay!
The humongous glass windows of Mitakihara middle school poured light through into the shelter, rousing its inhabitants from their slumber. Kaname Madoka stirred, rose eyes fluttering softly open as she felt the warmth of the morning embrace her, telling her it was time for her to wake up. "Mnn..." She groaned, squirming a little in defiance before finally giving in, sitting up to rub her eyes, simultaneously shielding them from the blinding sun. "Fuahh...mn, morning already...?" She mumbled sleepily. She closed her eyes for a moment before finally getting to her feet, slipping on the school loafers and readjusting her red ribbons.
That's right; today was a brand new day!
"Homura-chan! Sayaka-chan!" She skipped away from her sleeping area, running over towards the section she knew her friends were located. The sight of raven and azure peeking out over rough fabric brought a joyful smile to her lips; her confidence at an all-time high, she strode quickly over to the two, stopping short in between the two sleepers before reaching down, pulling off both blankets at once. "Uuup and at 'eeem!" She cried out, a huge grin on her face as she yanked the blankets off.
"Unggh..." Homura groaned in displeasure, nonetheless sitting up onto her knees, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Ma...Madoka...?" She blinked blearily, groggy disbelief on her face. She would have expected such behaviors from Sakura Kyouko if she were still around, but Madoka...? "Mmnn..." She sighed, slowly getting to her feet, using her fingers to comb out any tangles that might have snuck into her raven locks while she was sleeping. With a sigh, she glanced down at the sleeping form of Miki Sayaka, a frown slipping onto her pale face. It wasn't fair that she would be the only one woken up in such a manner. The blue-haired girl was annoyingly still after that debacle. "Wake up, Miki Sayaka." She grumbled sleepily, using a stocking foot to gently kick at the taller girl's side.
What she felt left her blood running cold, and she quickly got back down to her knees to get a better look at the azure female. "Miki...Sayaka?" She called out, concern evident in her face. "Miki Sayaka!" Up above, Madoka stared down at the two, her grin slowly melting away, bright joy making way for confusion. "...Eh? W-What's wrong, Homura-chan?" She asked, trying to keep the light-heartedness in her tone, but already she could feel terror sinking in. "Sayaka-chan, she's...she's just tired from the battle yesterday...isn't she?"
Homura grit her teeth, shaking the taller girl for a few moments before checking her pulse. "...I...I don't understand it." She frowned in lost confusion. "She was with us just last night...I had spoken to her...so why...!" She bit her lip. She knew she had to tell Madoka. "She's..."
"She's dead!"
Madoka's eyes widened to pinpricks and she stepped slowly back, trembling, her grip loosening on the rough fabric of the blankets, all previous joy in her gone. "B...But...why...?!" Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, and she turned immediately on her heel, running full-speed out of the main area; somewhere that she could catch her breath, and process the impossibility of what was just said.
Sayaka-chan was dead?!
No!
It couldn't be!
After all, she...she and Kyouko-chan, they...
Kyouko-chan saved her!
"Mnn..."
The first thing that greeted Miki Sayaka as she roused from sleep wasn't the flourescent lighting of the school gym, as she'd expected to wake to. Rather, she was greeted with the bright blue sky, framed by splintered wood and beams overhead. With a groan of confusion escaping her lips, she pushed herself into a sitting position, taking in her current location.
She was definitely NOT in the shelter, that was for sure.
"Wha...wha...?" She blinked in confusion, shaking her head. The feeling of something soft and velvety brushing against her back caused her breath to hitch in her throat, clenching her teeth sharply. "W-What was-ow!" She winced. Something sharp was in her mouth, she noticed, confusion further piling on. She reached a hand to her jaw, rubbing it softly, before bringing the hand back into view again with a start.
Her hands...they were slightly paler than she remembered, and more calloused.
"Am I...feeling alright?" She frowned, looking again at her surroundings. 'Come to think of it, my voice sounds a bit off...am I catching a cold?' Looking down at her legs, she noticed that she very well could have been coming down with a cold; her slightly paler, skinnier legs were exposed to the elements, bare toes brushing against a rough wood surface rather than being covered by an itchy blanket.
Somehow or another, she'd been taken from the shelter and put in an abandoned area. But why? And who was responsible?
"Ah, you're finally awake."
Sayaka gasped with surprise, whipping her head to face the source of the voice, calm and a little bell-like, but cold in tone just like the transfer student. Again, she could feel something soft and velvety brushing against her from behind. "Who...why..." She grit her teeth, inwardly wincing at the sharp feeling against her gum. "What am I doing here?! What happened to the shelter?!" The figure came closer into view, revealing a familiar brunette, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared condescendingly down at Sayaka. "You were removed from the 'shelter'. That place was going to be demolished soon, anyway; by the storm, if not by the construction crew." The brunette stepped forward. "It's been a while; do you still recognize me?" Sayaka frowned in confusion. The shelter was going to be demolished soon? What did she mean by that? Her eyes widened with realization as the identity of the brunette began to sink in.
"Ayumi!?" Sayaka slipped off the wood surface, wincing when her bare feet touched the cold ground - what happened to her socks, anyway!? "What are you-where did you take me?!" She grit her teeth again; her legs were freezing, as if she'd been in cold slumber for days. But she hadn't been! She had been covered in a thick, if not itchy, blanket; and before that she was in her house, covered by her warm bunny-printed blanket! Ayumi stepped forward, eyes narrowing darkly. "I can see you're still gathering yourself again; that's understandable." She slammed her fist into the wall, causing Sayaka to jump in place, again feeling something soft brush against her back, and even against her hips. "Gggh!" She shuddered at the sensation.
"Why don't you quit with the dawdling, and start telling me what happened here, Sakura?"
Sayaka stared blankly. "...What?" She blinked a few times, shaking her head to ensure she'd heard the girl correctly. "What did you just...call me?"
Ayumi frowned irritably. "I called you Sakura. Don't think that just because you don't live here anymore, you can't answer by your family name." She stepped forward. "I brought you here for a reason...so start talking."
"Wha-huh? Huh?" Sayaka stared incredulously, processing the situation; she felt something soft brush against her again, and this time she looked behind her. What greeted her made her eyes widen to pinpricks, and a horrified scream caught in her throat. "A-Ahhh...!" The sight of velvety scarlet locks going down to her hips, brushing against a ragged teal hoodie over top of frayed jean shorts...was she imagining things again?! No. That couldn't be. The last time she saw herself this way, she was still in her own clothes.
So why was she seeing herself as Kyouko?!
"I said TALK, Sakura!" The brunette stepped closer, forming her Puella Magi attire as she did so, her normal clothes replaced by the little devil look. Sayaka looked back towards her, eyes shaking in confusion. "W-Wait!" She cried out, stepping around the wood surface - an altar, she realized - to increase the distance between them. "T-Time out! I think there's some kind of misunderstanding!" Ayumi grit her teeth, black combat boots stepping heavily on wood flooring. "What's there to misunderstand?" She questioned, her eyes glaring darkly at the shorter individual; Sayaka blinked in realization at that fact - she was a little bit taller than Ayumi, wasn't she? "You're the eldest Sakura daughter. The Magical Girl behind the Sakura curse. And I want to know WHAT HAPPENED." She swung out her hand, a scythe appearing in her grip before she started swinging it around like a baton, still closing the distance between the two.
"No, but I'm NOT Kyouko!" The knight cried out, all the while having a hard time believing herself. Her calloused hands, her ragged appearance...how could she NOT be Kyouko?! But she wasn't! She was supposed to be in her own body! "I mean, I don't know what happened!" She shook her head, shuddering at the scarlet locks brushing softly against herself again. "Last I saw, I was in the school gym, with everyone else! Why am I...why am I...?!" She stepped back a bit more before wincing in pain, looking behind herself to see her bare foot had just stepped on pieces of stained glass. In its reflection, she could see not azure, but scarlet eyes staring back. "I'm...I'm..."
"If you're not Sakura..." Ayumi pulled her scythe back, frowning in confusion. "Then who are you? And why would you be inhabiting Sakura's body?" Sayaka grit her teeth, suddenly all too aware that the sharpness she was feeling was the signature fang Kyouko had. "It's me, Ayumi...it's Sayaka." The brunette straightened out, a brow raising. "...A result of your illusion magic from before?" She frowned. 'No, that can't be. This was Sakura's dead body; I revived it myself.' The redhead cringed, foreign scarlet eyes shifting uneasily to the side. "Uh...well, n-not exactly..."
"I might need to clear up a few details..."
"Sayaka? Sayaka!" Homura continuously slapped the blue-haired girl in the cheek. It couldn't be. It didn't make any sense! Why was Miki Sayaka suddenly lifeless, when just last night she was perfectly healthy?! A feeling of dread filled the raven-haired girl's senses, and she reached for the taller girl's Soul Gem, checking to see if it was still even there, and that she hadn't somehow...
No.
It was there, intact, but...
The egg-like object was empty; just like Kyouko's had been when Miki Sayaka had first reappeared. "How..." She breathed in disbelief. The only way it could have an empty casing would have been if, just like with Kyouko, her soul energy was moved. She lowered her head, processing the information she'd just gathered, eyes half-open in thought. 'This tells me one thing...she may not necessarily be dead.' Biting her lip, the raven-haired girl got to her feet, lifting the taller female in her arms and making her way towards the direction she saw Madoka disappear to.
She looked around the corner, where the school stairs led up to the corridor going into the gym; what greeted her eyes was, first of all, a sea of sky-blue, gleaming at them with the promise of new beginnings. She glared at the irony before stepping forward, taking in the hunched figure of Kaname Madoka, sitting just at the top of the stairs. "Madoka..." She started, feeling her voice petering out just as she spoke. Madoka stared blankly at the stairs leading down, fingers clenched tightly as if she was ready to slam her tiny fist into the ground. "...Why, Homura-chan...?" She muttered, her voice low. "Why? Sayaka-chan, she...she was with us. Kyouko-chan made sure of that. So why..." Homura sighed, stepping forward until she came to her side, kneeling down and taking a seat beside her at the top of the stairs, the blue-haired corpse held carefully in her arms and on her lap. As soon as she could see Madoka's attention was on her, she pulled out the empty egg-like object and set it atop the cold body of Miki Sayaka. "I don't think...she's dead." She stated softly, her lips pulled down in a frown.
"Eh...?" Madoka looked at the Soul Gem, rose eyes slowly widening at the insinuation. The empty casing of the crescent Soul Gem gleamed back at her, no trace of the cerulean or fire-red color that had been there before. "But...this means that her soul - Kyouko-chan's soul energy - it was moved somewhere else! Where did it go?" The raven-haired girl sighed. "I have a theory...she may have been transferred into Kyouko's body." Rose eyes shook with confusion. "Eh? But-but why?! Kyouko-chan, she..." Royal-blue eyes closed softly as she shook her head, still at a loss. "I don't know. I think, the only way we're going to be able to discover what happened is by searching out Kyouko's body." The problem was, she was just informed by Miki Sayaka that Kyouko's body had been taken away by that new Magical Girl, so the location of her body was unknown. "I'll go out to see if I can locate Kyouko. You wait here, and make sure Miki Sayaka isn't discovered. I'll be back in a little while."
Madoka nodded slowly, watching as Homura got back to her feet, setting Miki Sayaka's cold form beside the shorter girl. "...Okay. Be careful." The raven-haired girl smiled softly. "Of course. You be careful as well; stay clear of Kyuubey." She walked down the stairs, school loafers clacking softly against the concrete, disappearing out of view. The pink-haired girl pulled her best friend's cold form close to her, eyes closing softly.
"You...were brought back by her?"
Even for a calm and collected individual like Ayumi, the idea that someone could be brought back by being given another's soul energy was...in all honesty, hard to believe. "And because of that, the two of you are now connected..." Sayaka nodded, experimentally running her fingers through the sea of red; it felt so velvety and strong. "Yeah. We're...not really sure how it happened either, but now I've got Kyouko's soul energy...and Kyouko's conscious in the background." She frowned. "Well, I dunno how it is now. Before, it was me. Now, it's Kyouko...but I'm still the one primarily in charge, I guess." Unless, they just switched out between each other, like before?
"Uh-huh..." Ayumi frowned, eyes narrowing. "And, is there any way to get in touch with Sakura, so I can speak to her?" She was still finding it hard to believe that soul energy could be transferred to save someone; that sounded like something in a fairytale. But then, if it was Sakura Kyouko who had been responsible for it, that would make sense...and in any case, if she really was there, she could still get her questions answered. Sayaka frowned, looking to the side. "Well, I...she was always the one reaching out to me, so unless she contacts me I don't even know if we can switch out like we had in my body." She sighed, kneeling down and proceeding to carefully pick the pieces of stained glass out of her foot, wincing as droplets of blood beaded from the wound. "Hey, uh...you wouldn't happen to know where her boots were put, would you?"
Ayumi nodded, turning on her heel and stepping around the corner, before returning back with a pair of worn out brown boots held deftly in her fingers. Her eyebrow raised at the blue glow emanating from the redhead, the wound on her foot closing up with a musical symbol around it before Sayaka reached out a hand for the footwear. "Ah, great! Thanks." She smiled at the brunette as the boots were handed over; her smile faded to a confused frown when she noted the brunette still staring her down with cold eyes. She dropped her gaze, focusing instead on putting the boots back on. They were hard, and coarse against her legs without any socks to cushion it, causing her to shudder at the sensation. Slowly, she got back up to her feet.
"So then...am I correct in assuming that your primary magic is healing?" Ayumi asked, tilting her head just slightly to the side as she stared the redhead down. Sayaka nodded, looking down at the silver band on her finger, running her fingers along the runes - Witch runes, she noted absently. "Yeah...my wish was to heal someone who had an incurable hand injury..." She chuckled darkly. "Of course, that didn't exactly go as planned...Kyouko was right when she said that you should only make a wish for yourself...or just not one at all." She looked up at the brunette again, pocketing her hand in the ragged hoodie she wore. Ayumi nodded. "So then, the illusion magic...that's from Sakura." Sayaka nodded quietly, keeping her lips pursed as she gauged the brunette's actions. Why was she prying so much into Kyouko's life? Did she really just want to dig up old wounds? "Hey...why bother Kyouko about the incident here anyway?" She glanced around. "I mean, as sad and terrible as it was, it's passed now."
"You don't get it, do you?" Ayumi glared darkly at the redhead, stepping closer, scythe at the ready. "It's NOT passed. People are STILL suffering from the effect of the curse she spread here. Even though both that man and she are dead, we still continue to fall from its curse. What did she do? Why hasn't it ended?" She stepped even closer, raising her scythe threateningly. "It can't be a coincidence that everyone in this city, who never once had a problem with valuing their life, is now caught up in depression to the point of suicide; a plight that's only come across this city AFTER the curse." She bared her teeth. "WHAT did Sakura DO?"
"That's quite enough of that."
Red and brown quickly turned to the source of the voice, catching sight of the raven-haired figure standing at the door. "Shiratori Ayumi." Homura frowned, eyes sharp and cold toward the brunette. She stepped closer to the two by the altar. "You were a valuable ally in the fight against Walpurgisnacht - I appreciated your help." Royal-blues pierced into gold and emerald. "But I can't condone your actions of trying to harm Sakura Kyouko."
"Transfer student!" Sayaka cried, running past Ayumi and toward the now slightly taller raven-haired girl. "How did you find me?" Homura stared coolly at the redhead, noting the way she had been addressed. "I knew it. So this is where you went, Miki Sayaka." Sayaka stopped short. "Uh, yeah..." She hung her head. "...Let me guess. Me being here means that my body is now dead again." A sigh of defeat escaped her lips. "Well, we're all fated to die sooner or later..." Ayumi looked between the two before stepping forward. "I don't intend to harm her." Any more than was necessary, she noted to herself. "I only intend to find out what has been causing this never-ending strife in Kasamino."
Choosing to ignore Ayumi's mission for the time being, Homura glanced instead to the hand hidden in the redhead's pocket. "How is your Soul Gem?" She asked, pointing with a pale finger. Sayaka blinked a few times, noting it was in fact important to check the status of the precious object now that it'd changed hosts once more. She pulled the foreign hand out of the hoodie pocket, holding it up to her face to get a good look at the gem's status.
It took a few extra glances for Sayaka to ensure that she was seeing things clearly. To further confirm, she morphed it into the egg-like form, taking a good look at the design etched into the Soul Gem.
It was the design of Kyouko's Soul Gem...
And yet...
The color that gleamed back at her - at all of them - was a cerulean blue!
"What the...?" Sayaka frowned in confusion, twirling it between her fingers to get a look at it from other angles, ensuring she wasn't just looking at it funny. "It's...blue! It's my original Soul Gem's shade of blue! B-But this is Kyouko's Soul Gem!"
Homura stared with wide eyes, a look of confusion on her face, as she slowly shook her head in disbelief. "One thing after another..." She decided to settle with pinching the bridge of her nose in a valiant effort to fight the rising headache. It was less than successful. Sayaka, for her part, remained staring at it in confusion. "...But, what happened to Kyouko's Soul Energy, then?"
"Madoka!"
Rose eyes shifted up from its gaze down the stairs as Kaname Madoka faintly registered the voice of her mother. "Mama..." She glanced down at the female in her lap; the cold body of her best friend, its empty casing atop of her. What could she do? She couldn't allow her mother to find out that Sayaka had died! She...hadn't died...right? Nonetheless, she knew she needed to greet her mother at some point, or the intuitive woman would investigate the matter and discover Sayaka's cold body.
'Maybe...there's no way of denying it, after all...' She thought glumly to herself, before carefully setting the blue-haired corpse to the side, the empty egg-like shell still resting gently atop. She forced herself to her feet, brushing her skirt off before glancing across the way, where orchid pools gazed back.
"...Is that Sayaka?" The woman asked, moving forward a few steps, eyes sharp. Madoka glanced down at the still figure before looking back at her mother, nodding slowly. "...Yes." She muttered, eyes shadowed out by bangs. "She..."
Kaname Junko stepped closer, walking across to her daughter before stopping, just a couple feet from the pink-haired girl. "...What happened?" She asked quietly, carefully; if it was what she thought, she had to proceed as though she was handling a fragile object, lest she break her poor daughter with the wrong questions. Madoka shook her head slowly. "I...I don't know. She was...just fine last night, and yet...now..."
The sound of a flame igniting caught the pink-haired girl by surprise, and she glanced left and right for the source. "M-Mama, did you hear that?" Junko frowned at the girl's reaction. "Hear what?" Madoka looked up at her in confusion for a moment, before realization settled in.
Her mother couldn't hear it.
Did that mean it was magic-based?
Mother and daughter were both startled by a gasp from down below, followed by heaving breaths, as if something was taking in fresh gulps of air for the first time in a long while. Junko looked down at the source of the noise, greeted by wide, azure eyes as Miki Sayaka sat up from where she'd previously been laying. "Wha...Sayaka?" The mother frowned in confusion, blinking a few times. Had she simply been exhausted, and Madoka feared the worst? It wasn't like the pink-haired girl to assume such things, having always been an optimist, but...
"S-Sayaka-chan!?" Madoka cried out in surprise, dropping down beside the girl to get a better look at her. "Are you alright?!" The blue-haired female glanced around for a moment more before deciding she'd grasped her current position. She took a small breath to calm herself before looking back at the pink-haired girl. "Hey, Madoka. Did I scare you?" Now that the danger of the situation had finally passed, Madoka gave a sigh of relief, followed by a joyful smile which quickly morphed into a childish frown, accompanied by playful punches to the taller girl's chest. "Geez! I was worried about you! Don't you dare scare me like that again!"
Junko stared at them for a moment, taking in the situation, before smiling, shaking her head in amusement as she turned on her heel. "If you give my Madoka a heart attack again, Sayaka, you're going to have to answer to me, y'know." She proceeded her walk out of the stairwell and back to the gym where everyone was gathered. Around the corner, her voice echoed. "Don't spend too long over there, Madoka! We need to gather together so we can see the status of our home!" Madoka looked up, a smile on her face. "Okay!" She called out in reply, before dropping her head back down to the propped up knight. "But, Sayaka-chan..." She frowned, eyebrow raised in confusion. "What happened back there? I mean, your Soul Gem was..." Rose eyes trailed down to the object in question, taking note of the fire-red that gleamed within, like an ember burning brightly. It was...no longer empty? Had they imagined it? She shook her head, scooting back from her friend. "N-No, never mind! It looks like whatever it was, it was a fluke!" She jumped back to her feet, brushing her skirt off again before straighening out. "I'm glad you're okay, Sayaka-chan!"
"Huh, yeah..." The blue-haired girl blinked a few times, processing what all the shorter girl was saying. She watched as pink puppy-tails bounced across the way and around the corner, disappearing out of view. The taller girl took a moment to compose herself before pushing herself to her feet, grabbing hold of the fire-red gem that was resting on her stomach as she did so. "A...fluke? Madoka noticed a fluke...?" She shook her head, morphing the gem into ring form before looking herself over. 'Hopefully it's nothing serious. Although, I wonder if we're ever gonna tell 'er...come to think of it, when did I get in control?' She frowned in confusion, stepping away from the stairs.
'Hey! Sayaka!'
She waited for a few minutes to see if anyone would respond.
Nothing.
'Sayaka?'
The chirping of birds outside was Sakura Kyouko's only response.
Her blood ran cold. Sayaka wasn't there. Did she...was she...?!
'S-Sayaka! Hey, Sayaka!' She swerved her head from side to side, as if looking around the area would reveal the pretentious knight to her; that was impossible, she knew.
After all, both Kyouko and Sayaka inhabited the same body!
...Didn't they?
A/N: And here's another chapter update for you all! Thank you for your patience.
Who was the one who said they wanted Kyouko back? Well, here you go, Happy Birthday. XD
Although, both she and Sayaka are now in the wrong packaging. What effect will this have on the two? Only time will tell. Although, I can only predict that it won't go too well, seeing as Magical Girls are not supposed to share each other's soul energies.
Meanwhile, you guys are right in being wary of Ayumi; she's out for blood and revenge and all that good stuff. And Homura, now that she's out of the loop of dealing with Walpurgisnacht, has some all-new nonsense to worry about. Madoka will also be along for the ride, although how heavily remains to be seen, considering she's not contracted and (hopefully) never will.
And speakings of all-new nonsense, what is going on with the city of Kasamino? Is it really related to the tragedy that occurred there a year ago? Is there something deeper that's going on behind the scenes of the Sakura Curse? All will be revealed, in time.
As always, comments and criticism are accepted and appreciated! Please let me know what you think, and what I can do to make it better for future chapters. I also love to hear predictions, so if you have any ideas, please feel free to share!
Thanks again, and I'll see my fellow readers in the next chapter!
PS: Yes, as far as I'm concerned the Different Story will always be considered canon in my heart (and fanfics). Or at least, the procedure in which their origin story was displayed in Volume 1.