"YAAAA!" The battle cry of Miki Sayaka permeated the watery landscape, blade just barely missing the agile winged target; it flitted to the side, staring at her tauntingly for a moment before going up higher. "Don't think you can get away that easily!" The knight roared, charging after, surging through the barrier towards the winged creature, even as it moved ever further away. Her cutlass flew in front at the head, the blade lined up towards its target.
To the side, Sakura Kyouko remained out of the battle, her spear dangling from her hand, her mind conflicted. On the one hand, she was trying to rise past the pragmatic side of herself; caring more about the citizens - as ungrateful and horrible as they were - and learning to rely on less Grief Seeds as she had been – even though it was a fruitless effort by this point. It was already too late; she couldn't take in anything BUT Grief Seeds, to the point that it was literally the only thing keeping her going. She glanced down at her Soul Gem, taking in its condition. It had a fair bit of cloudiness to it, but it looked like it would be okay for a little while longer – or so she thought, but it was dark, too dark, too black, she needed Grief Seeds, she needed to stop that knight, that Familiar needed to mature! She shook her head, gripping her spear tentatively in her hand, a ragged breath escaping her lips.
The azure knight had been following that Familiar around the entire time they'd entered the barrier - it had to have been ten whole minutes, now – with no luck. Every time she'd closed the distance between herself and the stronger twisted cupid, it would always find another way to elude her, leaving her more frustrated and full of rage towards the creature than before. Kyouko bit her lip, held a breath, and released it; that knight wasn't going to get anywhere. She needed to immobilize it, and charging head-on wasn't going to accomplish anything. Reluctantly, she snapped the shaft of the spear into segments, even as she felt herself fighting against it – No, idiot, that'll produce a Grief Seed, it needs to stay, it needs to eat! We need to eat! Swallowing a lump forming in her throat, she swung the spear-whip towards the cupid, watching as it occupied itself with taunting the knight.
It didn't even notice when the chains wrapped mercilessly around its wooden form.
The creature tensed at the restraints, immediately making the effort to try to pull away, its struggles proving to be in vain as the chains only tightened more. "Now, Sayaka!" The redhead cried out, signaling the knight. 'Strange.' She thought to herself. 'This was always Mami-san's position, and I would be in Sayaka's place…' Shaking her head of the past, she focused on the present task of keeping the Familiar immobilized. To her credit, Miki Sayaka reacted pretty quickly. The minute Kyouko had signaled the okay, the knight was right on the task, a battle cry escaping her lips as she charged toward the Familiar, tearing through it like sandpaper, its remains dissolving into a black mist, even as its shrieks of pain permeated the area. The scarlet Magical Girl proceeded with pulling the spear back together, twirling it around before resting it back on her shoulder, the lack of gravity in the watery landscape leaving her floating with the currents.
The lack of gravity didn't last, as the barrier dissipated into nothingness, returning the two girls back into the regular world, with regular gravity. In response, the girls landed with a clack of heels to their feet, the caped knight looking silently at the remaining vestiges of the barrier as it disappeared. Footsteps snapped the blue-haired girl out of her reverie, causing her to turn, with narrowed eyes, at her unwanted partner. "I still can't believe you let that thing get away to begin with." She snarled accusingly, recalling the transformation, reappearing in her old school uniform. "If you'd just gotten that Familiar to begin with, instead of leaving it to attack innocent people, we wouldn't have had to deal with this!"
Kyouko scoffed in offense, recalling her transformation as well, reappearing in the borrowed T-shirt and sweatpants, her feet bare. "You're welcome!" She sighed, placing her hand on her hips, looking away. "I know I messed up. You don't have to remind me. But I also tried, didn't I? And didn't I just restrain the Familiar for you to get rid of it?" Against her own better judgement, that Familiar was supposed to mature into a Witch, provide a new Grief Seed! "It takes time, okay? I can't become like you guys in one day!" Sayaka frowned, taking in what the girl said, looking her over. She had a point, after all; she could've just stayed on the side and let the knight tire herself out chasing after that Familiar. Yet, she did put forth the effort to help out. "…Fine. So you helped. But I'm still watching you." She pointed a finger to the redhead's face. "If I find you let another Familiar slip away, this partnership is OFF. I don't care WHAT Homura says." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. Kyouko nodded in agreement. "Sounds fair. I'll see what I can do. Whether or not I can resist though, rest assured I've got your back." A pale hand patted the blue-haired girl's shoulder, only for it to be wrenched away. "I didn't say I wanted to be friends!" Sayaka's glare intensified. "Don't think you can suddenly get all buddy-buddy with me just because of one thing you managed to get right!"
Kyouko recoiled back, eyes shaking with hurt before she hardened herself once more, her expression neutral. "I know." She pulled her hand back, resting it against her hip, glancing subtly at her Soul Gem. It was in terrible shape, she needed a Grief Seed, she needed to forget teaming up with these people, this would be the death of her! "So, still up for hunting, or does my presence disgust you too much tonight?" Sayaka's frown lessened to a neutral expression, her eyes still staring cautiously at her. "…You're right. Maybe I overreacted. We should still continue hunting; we're never going to make this work if I freak out at every little thing." The redhead nodded, spear manifesting in hand, her eyes narrowed as she focused on her surroundings.
"Then let's continue on. There's a Witch nearby."
Emerald eyes stared sorrowfully out the window, taking in the cloudy skies overlooking the city landscape down below. Dainty fingers played with the moisture on the glass pane, before tearing away altogether, turning sharply on her slipper-covered heel. Maybe it had been too soon for Shizuki Hitomi to move in on the boy she knew Sayaka liked. It wasn't like she'd meant to steal him…but he was there for her. And Sayaka would have wanted her to be true to her heart.
And yet, the sorrowful look in Madoka's eyes, like the two of them had done the worst deed possible…
"Was I wrong…? Was it wrong of me to confess to Kamijou-kun?" Emerald pools shook softly, shimmering with the gathering of moisture in her eyes. She stepped lightly, with a heavy weight on her shoulders, to her bed, before slumping down to her knees, staring at the soft fabric forlornly. "Sayaka-san, you…you don't hate me for what I've done…right? You…understand, right?"
It was no secret that Miki Sayaka had been in love with the violinist. Ever since she, Hitomi and Madoka were young, the look of adoration in her eyes whenever she saw him, or spoke of him…and then, her dedication to be there by his side in the hospital, no matter the circumstances…anyone who didn't realize her love was no more than an idiot, for the love Sayaka had for Kyousuke was pure and real. And she, knowing her late friend's feelings, stepped in front no more than a few meager hours after Sayaka's funeral.
She grit her teeth, fair-skinned fingers gripping the bedding tightly.
"I…I'm such a terrible friend…" She choked on her sobs, feeling the sting of tears as they streamed down her face and onto the plush blanket. She just felt so disgusted with herself, realizing what an awful thing she'd done.
Through the stress, the hole in her heart began to tear wider, allowing access for the deepest, darkest thoughts of despair.
"And so you see, girls, you should never trust a man who only eats his fish cooked over a fire! Perfectly broiled fish will work just as well! I trust you boys, too, will learn not to be so picky about how your fish is cooked!"
Although the rants of Saotome-sensei would usually bring a smile to Madoka's lips, today she could feel nothing from the chattering. Rose eyes stared vacantly toward an empty seat, where Sayaka used to always sit, snickering at the teacher's off-topic lectures. She pursed her lips tightly from the memory, bittersweet, before shifting toward the other direction, taking in the condition of her other best friend. Her eyebrow raised with concern at the sallow look in the taller girl's face; Hitomi, who usually looked perfect and unblemished in any way, appeared ages beyond her years, as if a dark shadow had been placed over her. Before Madoka could speak up, however, Kyousuke had raised a hand from his seat. "Excuse me, sensei! Shizuki-san doesn't look so well, may I escort her to the nurse's office?"
Hitomi's head lifted up with a start, and she immediately waved her hands in dismissal. "Oh no, really, it's fine..." She smiled faintly at her boyfriend, her eyes betraying how tired she looked and felt. "It was simply a…restless night." Saotome-sensei's eyes softened in understanding, and she gently set her stick to the side, stepping toward the refined girl's desk. "Shizuki-san, you don't look well. Why don't you allow your sweetheart to escort you to the nurse?" The green-haired girl looked up at her, ready to continue with her protests, but the expression she saw from the teacher left her silent. She knew that Sayaka's death was weighing heavily on her. 'In more ways than you may think…' Emerald eyes narrowed, shaking softly. "…Thank you." She slowly rose from her seat, stepping toward the door. Kyousuke immediately rose after her, stepping by her side, a hand comfortingly on her shoulder as he escorted her out of the classroom.
Madoka watched on, a look of concern on her face. 'Hitomi-chan…she didn't look well. Was it because of how I acted, before…?' She frowned, looking down at her desk, guilt wracking her mind. 'I didn't mean for Hitomi-chan to be so…guilt-ridden over it…'
'Kaname Madoka.'
Rose eyes shifted upward, catching royal blue pools glancing at her in the distance. Homura offered a small smile of reassurance. 'What happened with Shizuki Hitomi isn't anyone's fault. Just as things have been hard on you, I'm sure she's just stressed with what happened to Miki Sayaka.' She turned back toward the front of the class. '…Perhaps more so. She doesn't know that Miki Sayaka is alive, after all…' Of course, if things progressed badly, death would have been a mercy for Miki Sayaka, but she couldn't tell that to the pink-haired girl. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to know the deepest, darkest truth about Magical Girls.
The truth of the matter would shatter any hope they had, after all.
"Are you okay, Shizuki-san?" Kyousuke watched his girlfriend from the side, his eyes wavering with concern for the girl's health. "Do you…want to talk about it?" Hitomi stared quietly at the ground, her lips softly pursed together as she contemplated what to do, what to say.
It would have been all too easy to end her guilt by calling off the relationship then and there. It was probably what was best for all of them, even. And yet…just the thought of trying to bring it up to the violinist tore the green-haired girl's heart in two. She just couldn't say it. He was there to comfort her, and she him…together, they could see themselves through the hard time of losing Sayaka, and grow ever stronger.
And yet…
"I'm fine…" She mumbled quietly, not meeting his gaze, knowing she would fall apart if she did. She hated to worry the boy, but it wasn't something she could easily talk about. "Madoka-san…she's seemed a little distant as of late…hasn't she? Both she and Sayaka-san…before what happened…" Kyousuke nodded slowly in understanding. "I think I know what you mean. Before, when Sayaka…when she had visited me in the hospital, she said to me that Magic and Miracles do exist…" He shook his head as they proceeded down the corridor. "I still don't know what she meant by that, but that look of determination…I'd never seen anything like it."
"I know what you mean." Hitomi nodded. "The expressions both she and Madoka-san have had…it's as if they're involved in something dangerous, something that we wouldn't be able to understand…" And come to think of it…how had Sayaka even died, in the first place? There were no injuries, and yet, Sayaka was the healthiest girl Hitomi had ever known. Maybe, if she could at least figure out what it was that killed Sayaka in the first place…she'd be a little more at ease. "Kamijou-kun…" She glanced slowly up at him, a newfound determination in her eyes, albeit wavering with fear and uncertainty. Kyousuke caught on to the many elements of her expression, and he stopped short, his expression serious. "What is it, Shizuki-san?" The emerald female took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before looking him in the eyes. "I want to find out what killed Sayaka-san to begin with. Will you join me in my search after school?" Kyousuke's eyes widened, before narrowing with determination. "…If it'll help you feel better, Shizuki-san…I'll help you." He could put his violin-playing to the side. Right now, his girlfriend was in pain. He needed to be there for her, to comfort her, as Sayaka had comforted him in the hospital.
He couldn't take his life or his love for granted anymore.
A deep, exhausted sigh escaped the azure knight's lips as she collapsed onto the couch, staring up at the white ceiling. Thank goodness Homura had given her a spare key, or else she and that crazy redhead would have had to kill time around the city of Mitakihara before returning home from a full night of hunting for Witches. She glanced down at her four Grief Seeds, all sitting in a row on the table, before looking across from her. The scarlet Magical Girl hadn't even made it to the couch before collapsing, still and unmoving on the ground, her face concealed by long red locks. Sayaka frowned; she forced herself back to her feet before stepping around the table, reaching down to lift the older girl up and onto the opposite couch. As she gripped the girl's arm, she winced at how cool to the touch it felt, and how thin. She hoisted her into her arms, looking her over once before setting her on the couch, making sure she wasn't going to fall off anytime soon. 'To think that as a Magical Girl, your body can get this bad yet still function…she's almost like a skeleton, with how thin and bony she is.' She exhaled deeply through her nose, grabbing Kyouko's hand to take a look at her Soul Gem.
The sight that greeted Sayaka made her want to scream. It was sickly dark, a deep blood red pooling throughout the veteran's gem. She'd been dealing with this the whole time, and didn't say anything!? It was no wonder she collapsed as soon as she got into the living room! With a start, the knight reached for the pile of Grief Seeds on the table, taking one of them and pressing it quickly against the ghastly-looking ring. She quietly watched as the corruption slowly left the gem and seeped into the obsidian object, the egg filling up faster than the girl's source of power was restoring, much to Sayaka's alarm. Immediately after the Grief Seed took in its fill the knight shoved it to the side, setting another one against the redhead's Soul Gem. She grit her teeth. "Why didn't she say anything? Is this why she has to rely so much on Grief Seeds?!" She shook her head. The reason didn't matter. It was still wrong to put Grief Seeds before everything else! But it did put things in perspective, a little.
What was the redhead's life like, in order to send her this far down?
"Nggh…" The redhead stirred, her eyelids scrunched together in pain before they finally peered open, scarlet pools staring faintly up at a blurry haze of blue. Somewhere in the haze, she thought she could hear scolding, but her hearing was too muffled to take in much more than the tone of voice. "Saya…ka…" She muttered, blinking the exhaustion out of her eyes before pushing herself up, using her free hand to rub her eyes. Once she had a little more energy to her, she glanced down to her Soul Gem, where a healthy hand was holding tightly to her. "…Let go." She mumbled, eyes narrowing.
"What happened to your boasting about how important Grief Seeds were to keeping you alive, huh?" Sayaka frowned, releasing hold of the redhead, pulling the filled up Grief Seed to the side. Even after filling up two whole Grief Seeds, the veteran still had a slight cloudiness to her Soul Gem. "You're being a real hypocrite, right now!"
"And would you rather I go back to being wholly reliant on Grief Seeds?" Kyouko's eyes narrowed further, pulling her pale hand against her worn hoodie. "I don't need you telling me what to do; I can take care of myself just fine." Sayaka scoffed, getting to her feet. "SURE you can, what with you forgetting to cleanse yourself and all! We told you to lay off on the addiction, not to abstain from Grief Seeds altogether! Do you want to die!?"
Kyouko recoiled, eyes widening as she thought deeply about what the girl said. 'Do I want to die…?' Her eyes dropped to the white expanse of flooring, vision hazing over once more. 'Die…huh. I've considered that option before…haven't I…' She absently brought the Soul Gem into view, taking in how cloudy it still was. 'I'm practically hanging by a thread…literally, the only thing keeping me going is Grief Seeds, but I can't keep obsessing over them anymore. Yet, the only way to keep myself functioning…is to use as many as I have been…'
It couldn't be helped – Grief Seeds were all she had left.
But then what was the point in living at all?
Every living thing does what it can to survive, she was no different.
But was it worth all the sacrifices?
Sacrifices had to be made, if she was going to live.
But what if she didn't WANT to live, if it came to this!?
Scarlet eyes widened to pinpricks, her breath ragged as she brought a hand to her temple. That was it. She didn't want to live anymore. She was done relying on Grief Seeds; she was done with this Hell. But she…she made a promise to fight Walpurgisnacht. At least, until then…she had to hold out. She chuckled humorlessly, setting her hand back to her side.
"Uh…are you okay?" Sayaka frowned at the girl, a mix of confusion and concern on her soft features. "You're doing that…crazy thing again." Well, at least she wasn't talking to herself again this time, she noted, raising an azure brow. Kyouko shook her head slowly, scarlet eyes full of a range of emotions the azure knight couldn't pick up on. "Sorry…I just thought of something hilarious, is all…" She glanced off to the side, her face fixed into a melancholy frown. "It's just, it's really easy to take lives for granted, isn't it?" Sayaka's frown deepened, her brow raising even higher. "I…guess? Sure, if you're a crazy maniac? Where are you going with this?"
"Nothing." The veteran laid herself back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling, the swinging pendulum in the corner of her vision. "…What was it like to die?" Sayaka stepped back, gritting her teeth, eyes narrowing darkly. "Why would you ask me something like that?! Don't tell me…you plan to try to kill me again!" The redhead released a heavy sigh. "That's…not what I meant. Just, never mind." She looked towards the wall, eyes wavering softly. "It's not important…" Sayaka stared down at her. "Hey, you…are you sure you're alright?" The short, ragged breathing was all that responded to her, and the knight returned back to the couch she'd previously collapsed on, concerned eyes still on the sleeping redhead. "Huh…maybe I should tell Homura about her weird behavior later on."
The day seemed to last forever for Akemi Homura.
It wasn't necessarily that she disliked school; on the contrary, something about the routine of class every timeline managed to give her a sense of peace. But there were plans to be made, training to be done, Magical Girls to monitor; there was no way she could do that while spending an eternity in the classroom, listening to the same History lectures she already knew by heart.
Still, it was important to maintain some sense of normalcy, if only she was to remain sane. Shizuki Hitomi and Kamijou Kyousuke had returned back to the classroom after some time. To her credit, Hitomi had a lot of strength of heart. She seemed a little better now than she did earlier, where she almost seemed under the curse of a Witch's Kiss. A quick glance at the green-haired girl's neck earlier dispelled any further suspicions of that possibility, leading her instead to believe that the girl was simply still grieving over Miki Sayaka's "death".
Madoka looked a little less stressed over her friend's condition now, as well, giving Homura a sense of relief. Especially with how much burden the pink-haired girl had to bear throughout the timeline, she constantly feared the worst with her. Surprisingly, however, Madoka wasn't succumbing to despair nearly as quickly as she normally would when she contracted in any other time.
Why was that, Homura wondered?
Dismissing the thought as one shred of good luck in the otherwise hopeless timeline, she was already packing up her bags and preparing to go by the time the last bell of the day chimed off, signaling for everyone to go home. Madoka stepped carefully around the other students, stopping in front of her desk, her hands behind her back in a shy, demure fashion. "Um, Homura-chan…can I come over again today?" She spoke lowly, so as not to receive so much attention. Homura held a firm grip on her school-bag, glancing at the pink-haired girl with cool eyes. "If you really want to so badly, I'm not going to stop you." She turned on her heel, raven locks brushing lightly against her school uniform as she made to leave the classroom, the hurried footsteps close behind indicating the rosy girl was following after.
Royal-blue pools spotted Hitomi and Kyousuke as they stepped out on their own, their faces serious and determined. She raised a raven brow at them. Now what were they up to, all of a sudden? Did it have anything to do with Shizuki Hitomi's change of heart? She looked away, eyes focused on the corridors ahead of her. In any case, they weren't her problem.
Right now, she needed to focus on maintaining trust between Miki Sayaka and Sakura Kyouko.
With Madoka close behind, the raven-haired girl made her way down the street, towards the direction of home. Even now, when it was a good three weeks before the coming of Walpurgisnacht, she could sense the heavy tension in the air. The buildup of despair was unmistakable, after countless timelines. Even if the others didn't already believe her, she was certain that the foreboding atmosphere would most certainly clue them in to the danger coming to the city.
She stopped short, digging into her school pocket for the keys to her house. To her side, Madoka fidgeted nervously, clearly still uncomfortable with the idea of facing the redhead again, but at the same time looking forward to seeing how her childhood friend was doing. Homura finally pulled the keys out, putting it through the keyhole and turning it, a click sounding off, indicating her presence. She pulled out the key, turning the knob and stepping into the foyer, the pink-haired girl following suit.
As she removed her school loafers, Madoka doing the same, she noted that the foyer was empty of a certain duo's shoes. This either meant one of two things: They were still out Witch hunting – at which point, she would either be amazed or concerned, or they forgot to remove them, and were still wearing their shoes around the house; that was the most likely outcome. She stepped out of the foyer, making her way across the hardwood floor before entering into the main space, the white expanse greeting her as she stepped through. She scanned the area, taking note of the sleeping knight on one couch, and the curled up veteran on the other. To the side of the couches, both their shoes lay in place. 'I figured that was the case.' Homura noted with a shrug, stepping into the room, looking down at the blue-haired girl. Azure eyes greeted her, shielded by an arm on her forehead. "Welcome back, Homura." She slurred, clearly still tired from their running around all night. "Is Madoka here?"
"Yes, Madoka's here." Homura confirmed, turning from the knight and stepping toward the redhead. "How was your hunt?" Sayaka frowned as she pushed herself upright, swinging her legs out in front. "It went alright…all things considered." Her eyes narrowed. "She tried to let a Familiar escape at first! I called her out on it, and made her fight it with me. After that, we only ran into other Witches, which she had no problem taking out without me yelling at her." She stopped short for a bit, her frown deepening with concern. "Well, actually…" Royal-blue eyes shifted towards the knight. "What is it? Were there other problems, after all?" Sayaka bit her lip, running her hand along the unused Grief Seed by her side. "Well…"
"She didn't cleanse herself at all."
Homura's eyes widened and she whipped her head to face the taller girl, a look of alarm in her eyes. "She's…not using Grief Seeds on her own?!" She was afraid her turning away from using Grief Seeds so much would result in such an outcome, but to hear of it actually happening…! Sayaka nodded, looking at the sleeping girl across from her. "Yeah…I didn't even think that was the case, until we got here and she just collapsed. She never showed any sign of too much magic depletion in her fighting, so I never suspected it until I got a good look at her while she was unconscious…" She swallowed a lump in her throat. "It's like she's trying to hide all weakness, but is also trying to find a place on her own to die…"
"That's exactly what this is." Homura replied, her tone a little harsher than she intended. "Has she said anything…strange; anything to set off any warning sirens?" Sayaka frowned with confusion. "Warning sirens? Like what?" Pale hands grabbed hold of the blue-haired girl's shoulders, startling her. "Waaugh! H-Hey, what's wrong with you?!" Homura grit her teeth in frustration. "Think back! What did she say!? Anything odd!?" Sayaka pulled back, nursing her shoulder. "Okay, okay! She…well, she asked me what it was like when I died." She frowned at the memory. "Honestly, I could only take offense to that question, since she was the one who killed me in the first place." Homura stepped back, eyes wide. "She…oh, no…she's contemplating the idea of death." She turned her head sharply towards the redhead, eyes shaking in fear. "She's looking to die…!" Sayaka blinked in disbelief. "H-Hey, I don't think she's going to go that far! Besides, she's been doing what she can to survive, remember?" She stepped forward. "Why would she be so eager to die?"
"I don't know…I don't know what's spurred this on, all of a sudden…" Or was this happening all along? It was so hard to predict the actions or thoughts of this timeline's Kyouko. Was she just becoming so disgusted, so disillusioned with herself that she'd rather die than live on, and help them out in the fight? She hesitantly brought a hand to the redhead's shoulder, shaking her gently, hoping that she would wake and explain that it was simply a misunderstanding. What if, all along, Sakura Kyouko in general wasn't against the idea of death? She had always readily accepted giving up her life to defeat the Mermaid Witch, after all…she shook her head, shaking the girl a little more until she was roused from her sleep, bleary scarlet eyes looking tiredly around. "Wha, huh…H-Homura?" She blinked in surprise, pushing herself into an upright sitting position, her head heavy and pounding as she straightened herself out. "What's…what's up?" She carefully nudged the slightly taller girl's hand off of her before looking up at her face, a look of tired confusion on her soft yet strained features.
"Kyouko, tell me…do you really plan to help us with the fight against Walpurgisnacht?" Royal-blue eyes narrowed, wavering with worry. In the distance, Madoka approached the azure knight, looking between her and the raven-haired girl in confusion. Sayaka shrugged in response, shaking her head. Kyouko quirked an eyebrow, straightening up a little as she attempted to decipher what brought on the time traveler's doubt. "…I said that I would, didn't I? Why else would I be working with Justice Freak Sayaka over there all night?"
"Hey!" Sayaka glared indignantly at her, arms crossed.
"Then tell me…what do you plan to do once Walpurgisnacht is defeated?" Homura's eyes were pleading, but for what they were pleading wasn't clear to the tired redhead. Kyouko sighed, shaking her head slowly. "Sorry, you've lost me…what's got you so worried…? If you think I'm going to abandon you against Walpurgisnacht, rest assured you won't have to worry about that. I'll be there." She glanced away, expression unreadable. "…As for after…well, the alliance only lasts until after Walpurgisnacht…at that point, we'll just go our separate ways, and see where things go from there." She looked up at Madoka and Sayaka, a grim expression on her face. "Likely, what'll happen is that we'll continue our territory war. What happens after that is anyone's guess."
"Do you plan to die?"
The unexpected words from the time traveler left Kyouko stunned into silence, her expression downcast. She wasn't wrong, after all. How could she deny it? After a few moments of nothing said between them, the redhead finally released a soft sigh. "…What'll happen after Walpurgisnacht will happen, whatever that is. Until then, you have my word that I will be there during the fight against Walpurgisnacht." She quietly slipped off the couch, making her way into the kitchen to attempt another bite to eat. Well, in truth she just wanted to escape the gaze of all the other Magical Girls.
Why was it so shocking? Wouldn't it have been better for all of them if she just died?
If they really cared so much, they shouldn't have been throwing a fit every time she placed priority on survival over anything else.
Madoka watched as scarlet locks disappeared around the corner before looking back at the raven-haired girl, her face a mix of emotions. On the one hand, she still hated the redhead, and still planned to send her packing or else after their alliance was over. But on the other hand…nobody should embrace death so readily; even someone who readily sent others to their deaths! "And…uh…what are we going to do?" Madoka glanced uncertainly to the side. The cold glare from Homura didn't help matters; with a small yelp of surprise the pink-haired girl shied away.
"It's going to take a miracle to get her to change her mind…" Homura muttered tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose. Normally it was Miki Sayaka who was close to giving up on life, and Sakura Kyouko would be the one to-
That's right.
The reason why Sakura Kyouko was so quick to be by Miki Sayaka's side was because she knew how it felt to hang by the edge. This was just an example of how Kyouko would be if it was a little bit more extreme…and if she didn't have Miki Sayaka's issues to distract her from her own. She sighed deeply, sitting down on the couch, wracking her brain for any ideas. "I need you guys to help her." She glanced up at the pink and blue duo. As expected, both of them stepped back reluctantly, looking not at all eager to help the crazy Magical Girl. "Well, if she's brought herself this far…" Madoka mumbled softly, eyes flitting between the kitchen entryway and the raven-haired girl in front of her. She wanted to spend more time with Sayaka, but at the same time she felt it better to be anywhere but where she was. In any case, the redhead never showed them mercy…why should she?
"W-We can't really help it if she's not going to try to pull herself back up," Sayaka retorted, expression downcast as she pursed her lips. "I-I mean, if she's going to let go…there's not really much that we can do…" Homura sighed, a look of disappointment in her eyes. "…Would you say the same thing if one of the citizens tried to commit suicide, without the aid of a Witch's Kiss?" Both pink and blue looked up at the remark, determination on their faces. "Of course not!"Sayaka replied without skipping a beat. "If a citizen was trying to kill themselves, of course we'd stop them!" Madoka added, shaking her head. "I wouldn't even give it another thought!"
"Even if that person had done something awful?" Homura's eyes narrowed. Madoka recoiled back, growing silent. "Well…a-a life is still a life…" She mumbled, fully aware of where the raven-haired girl was going with this. Sayaka shook her head. "That's different, though! These guys…w-well…" Her resolve crumbled as Homura's words sank in, her eyes darting left and right. "They…n-nobody…" Homura sighed. "If nobody deserves to die, then why would you leave Sakura Kyouko to die? She's as much human as the rest of any of us. Is it because you have a personal vendetta against her?" The two girls shuffled in place, silence their only method of response. "In that case, you're all just being subjective with your 'savior' ploys. You can't just pick and choose, or else you can't call yourselves true heroes."
Sayaka frowned, looking away. "…I can't promise anything…but I'll keep an eye out to make sure she doesn't kill herself." Madoka nodded slowly in acknowledgement. "I…um, I guess I better be going, then. You guys are going out Witch-hunting again, right?" She stepped back, a forced smile on her face. Clearly, she was shaken up by what Homura was talking about. "I'll stop by again tomorrow, okay Sayaka-chan?" She nodded hastily before stepping out of the room, making her way into the foyer and proceeding out of the house. Sayaka watched her go before looking back at Homura. "…Look, I don't know what you expect me to do for that demon…I'm still mad at her for trying to let that Familiar go!" A pale hand swiped at the blue-haired girl's head, knocking her a bit to the side, blinking in shock from the impact. "Wha…huh?"
"You're doing it again." Homura glared darkly. "Your stubbornness is going to ruin everything, at this rate." She glanced toward the kitchen. "Now I want you to go in there, talk to Sakura Kyouko, and let her know that her attempts to improve matter. Yes, she ALMOST let it get away. But she helped you take care of it, didn't she? She's clearly struggling with herself – the LAST thing she needs is you shutting her down with every little mistake." Sayaka frowned, thinking on what she said, before grudgingly making her way towards the kitchen, gritting her teeth all the while. 'That demon's in hot water as it is, without the whole Familiar thing! Why do I have to make her feel better?!' She turned the corner, stopping in front of the entryway, glancing around for any sign of the redhead. She spotted her in the corner, knees brought up to her chest as she leaned against the wall, rocking back and forth just slightly, an uneaten apple by her side. Sayaka frowned at the sight of her; she looked so pitiful, it was pathetic. Yet, she was certain the girl had absolutely no one but herself to blame for all her trouble. Nonetheless, she stepped toward the girl, getting down to her knees.
She had to 'make nice', after all.
"Hey." Sayaka called out to her. The redhead remained in her pathetic trance, rocking steadily back and forth, her head buried in her legs as she shut out the world around her. Sayaka sighed, reaching a hand up and bopping her on the head to get her attention. "Hey, space-case!" The redhead glanced up with a start, raising her head to face the knight, using a hand to touch the part of her head that'd been hit. "You…what was that for…?" She attempted to snarl at the girl, but it came out as nothing more than a low murmur. The blue-haired girl grabbed hold of her arms. "Hey, get up off the floor. You look pathetic down here." As she hoisted the girl up to her feet, she added, "Don't we need to do some more Witch hunting together? As some form of bonding?" Kyouko frowned, glancing at the taller girl in confusion. "Since when did you care? You don't even want to work with me, remember? I'm not trustworthy."
"Well no, you're not." Sayaka admitted, reaching down to pick up the uneaten apple. There were tiny marks in the skin; looks like she was attempting to eat it, after all. "But the whole point of this exercise is to build trust between us, and I haven't really given you much of a chance to do that. Aside from you letting that Familiar go at first, you have had my back…and you did help me out with that Familiar, when it came down to it. You also admitted to your mistake." She tossed the apple at the redhead, who quickly caught it with tiny hands. "Strike one. Let's keep this going for a little while, okay?" Kyouko looked up at her, eyebrow raised with confusion. "I don't…did Homura put you up to this?" The blue-haired girl shrugged. "Well, yeah. But I'll run with it, and see if I can't get myself to stop hating your guts. Sound good?"
Kyouko blinked in surprise; a small chuckle escaped her lips, genuine rather than the humorless dry ones she'd released recently. "You're unbelievable, you know that…" She looked over the apple in her hand, a melancholy expression on her face. "Actually, if you don't mind taking a detour…I was going to stop by someplace for a bit. You okay with tagging along?" Sayaka tilted her head to the side. "Huh, uh, sure…I don't exactly have a schedule or anything…I'll need to get a change of clothes, though; the Mitakihara school uniform would be too conspicuous." Kyouko shook her head. "You don't have to worry about that…"
"Our destination isn't in Mitakihara."
"Nothing here, either…" Shizuki Hitomi released a sad sigh before getting back to her feet, glancing her lover's way, the last rays of sun reflecting off the boy as they continued their search in the alleyway. It was ominously quiet, and they both knew it was possible a gang of thugs could appear at any time. But they were looking for something, anything, to point to Sayaka's death, with no luck. "It's hard to believe that there wouldn't even be a shred of evidence in the area she was found…" Kyousuke set a garbage can lid where he'd found it, stepping over to his girlfriend. "It is strange, that's for sure…" He sighed, placing his thumb and forefinger under his chin in a thoughtful manner. "I can't help but think about the incidents of the missing people…I know she didn't go missing, but it's just as mysterious, don't you think…?" Hitomi nodded in agreement. "…Well, if we're going to look into people going missing…there was a recent case of people taking the train that never got off…"
Kyousuke shivered at the thought, gritting his teeth with a look of horror in his eyes. "You're kidding…!" He shook his head. "Well, wherever there's something strange happening, there's bound to be some kind of evidence leading to what happened to Sayaka." His eyes steeled, more determined. "Then, Shizuki-san..."
"Let's get going to the train station…"
A/N: And we have another chapter out!
Dun duuun, Kyouko wants to give up on herself! Well, can you blame her? Nobody cares about her, she can't survive on anything BUT Grief Seeds, but she's tired of having to kill people anymore. Maybe if Sayaka can get to know her a little more, she can help raise her back up?
But more importantly, we have Hitomi and Kyousuke looking into matters. Does this spell disaster? I think it does. We'll just have to see if their luck holds out.
And Madoka...well, Madoka's torn. She wants to believe in people, but she already hates Kyouko for what she did. After all, even Madoka can hold a grudge, especially if she's been having to deal with that person for a while, and lost her best friend to her.
And Homura...are you sure this timeline is still worth saving?
We'll just have to see where we go from here. As always, comments and criticism are appreciated and loved. Whatever comments or predictions you guys have, I would love to hear them!
In the meantime, see you next chapter!
