Chapter-10: Does this hurt?

Sayaka felt like she was floating with each step she took, brining her closer to Kyosuke. She had been elated when he was more surprised than shocked when she revealed herself to him, and such reaction gave her a boost in confidence. She really needed to thank Akima when she got the chance: if she hadn't stepped in when she did, Sayaka would have probably lost Kyosuke a long time ago.

Thinking about this reminded her of the other emotion she was feeling. Something about the way Akima hugged her was unsettling. Just the rasp of her voice, the facial expressions, the positioning of her hug, even the look in her eyes disturbed her. She'd only seen them that way once before, and that was the night when the two of them fought. Personally it scared her, but up until now Akima had been very protective of her and Madoka, so she was probably reading into it too much.

Akima would never hurt her.

Sayaka finally spotted the café Kyosuke had invited her to, and walked inside. She tightened the hem of her skirt and swallowed, feeling the butterflies in her stomach swarming. Carefully, she walked towards his table and poked him. When he turned around, the warmth of his smile wiped away her fear, and she sat down.

"H-h-hey." She stammered, looking down at the table.

"Hey! Um,..h-how've you been?" Kyosuke responded, looking awkwardly to the side. Sayaka felt a stone drop in her chest, and shifted nervously.

"G-g-good! Um…I'm just….well,…I'm just a little nervous about this. I mean over the phone you sounded ecstatic that I was well…." She started, then blushed and looked down again.

"A Magical Girl?" Kyosuke offered, seeking to soothe her anxiety. Sayaka looked up and nodded, the butterflies subsiding slightly.

"Y-y-yeah. A Magical Girl." She said, her voice trailing off towards the end. Kyosuke giggled , causing Sayaka to blush harder. This felt more embarrassing than ever, and here Kyosuke was laughing at her expense.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for making this awkward for you." He replied, touching her hand. Sayaka inhaled sharply; suddenly aware that their hands were touching for the first time. Actually touching! Kyosuke looked at her oddly and she looked away.

"So…..you're not mad that I wished for your arm back?

"Are you kidding?! I can play again!" Kyosuke replied, launching into a list of how he could try playing again. Sayaka started to smile, then frowned. Kyosuke no longer seemed like he was focused on the fact that she fixed his arm, and was more focused on what he could do with it. She felt a weight drop in her stomach, and started to glare at him. So that's all he cares about now? She thought to herself. She had been excited for coming here, hoping he'd be okay with her being a magical girl. Instead he had brushed that aside for reveling in his violin practicing, and hadn't mentioned her since. Sighing, she got up and started to walk out, causing Kyosuke to stop.

"H-h-hey? What about lunch?!" he asked, getting up after her.

"Look. I'm glad you're really happy you have your arm back, but to be honest I think you should know that I didn't do it just for you to play again." She whispered, turning to face Kyosuke. "I did it, because…um."

Her throat tightened, leaving a dry taste in her mouth. She had been so close to confessing to him that she had nearly forgotten her nervousness. Now that she was staring at him, it came washing over her.

"I, um….I..well." She started, by she started to panic. Then Kyosuke smiled.

"You love me?" He asked, gently grasping her hand. Sayaka nearly fainted when he did so and enthusiastically hugged him.

"I…I do. I do!" She gasped, feeling her eyes well up with joy. Kyosuke smiled, then waved at the table.

"So…about that lunch?"

"Sure!" she replied, sitting down. Kyosuke smiled sheepishly and cleared his throat: clearly he was as nervous as she was.

"I um….I'm sorry for focusing on playing my violin again. I just,…well…"

"You missed it dearly and you're just glad you can play again?" She asked, feeling a sense of warmth flow through her.

"Y-y-y-yeah." He responded.

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way. Just um….just keep this our little secret. No one other than Madoka knows about it….so….um…well." Sayaka said, her voice starting to crack.

"Don't worry, I won't tell." Kyosuke said, looking up as a waitress finally stopped by. Sayaka sighed, looking off into the distance. The clouds overhead had darkened from this morning, making her frown slightly.

It was probably nothing, so she shouldn't worry about it.

Akima stared out the window, looking at the street below. Behind her, the room lay dark and cold. Something had been bothering her during the trip back, and it was mostly about her obsessing over Sayaka. She was seeing her more and more as something other than just a friend, but she was unsure if it was too soon to ask her. Her soul gem pulsed faintly next to her, its orange glow still bright and warm. She rested her head on her arms and exhaled, angry at herself for feeling this way.

Spotting movement across the street, she watched as Sayaka skipped into view with a boy behind her. So, this must be Kyosuke Akima thought to herself as she watched them parade around for a few minutes. Sayaka stepped onto a raised median and grasped Kyosuke's hand, using his lowered position for balance. The two walked along the median's path. Akima smiled lightly, seeing her friend happy. It warmed her to see things were going well with Sayaka, but at the same time, she felt tiny pangs of jealousy in her heart the more she watched. It wasn't until the two had crossed the street that they finally embraced each other. Akima pushed herself upwards as she watched them hold hands, then stifled a gasp when Kyosuke planted a light kiss on Sayaka's cheek. Sayaka smiled when he released her, then waved good bye to him as he left. She continued skipping towards the building as Akima sat there in shock.

Sayaka smiled as she knocked on Akima's door, looking forward to celebrating her recent fortune. When the door opened, she opened her mouth to congratulate Akima, but froze when she saw her friend's mascara streaking down her face.

"H-h-h-hey. Is something wrong?" Sayaka asked, watching as Akima waved her in, furiously dabbing at her makeup.

"N-n-n-no. I'm f-f-fine." Akima squeaked, her voice cracking. Sayaka grabbed her hand and led her to the couch.

"No you're not. Tell me." Sayaka demanded. Akima sniffled for a second before exhaling.

"I was w-w-watching you and Kyosuke earlier." Akima replied, wringing her hands in frustration. Sayaka inhaled sharply, not only surprised at this but also a little scared by it. "D-d-don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you both. But…but to be honest, I envy him."

"E-e-envy? Why would you envy him?" Sayaka asked, shifting away from Akima slightly. Akima looked down at her boots and wiped her eyes.

"I…this isn't easy for me to say. I c-c-care about you. You're my friend and I like you. I mean I,..well…I." she started, but her voice cracked as she continued to talk. She started crying more heavily now, more so because she was frustrated and in denial about herself than she was about being embarrassed. "Dammit why is this so hard?! I wanna tell you but I don't wanna tell you." Akima sobbed as she gripped her head in anger. She desperately wanted to reveal herself to Sayaka, but at the same time she feared pushing her friend away out of revulsion. It wasn't fair to Sayaka to force this on her, and it wasn't fair to sabotage everything they had accomplished.

"You can tell me. I won't get mad." Sayaka spoke, her voice softening to a light caress. She reached forward and grabbed Akima's hands. She looked into her eyes and put another hand on Akima's cheek, offering a smile for her tears. "Tell me."

"P-p-promise you won't hate me?" Akima asked, her chest tightening with each breath. Her palms were sweaty, so she clenched them into fists. Sayaka shook her head, forcing Akima to respond. "Okay. I-…..I'm….I…love you."

Sayaka tensed up, trying to believe what she had heard. She thought Akima had just said she loved her.

Right?

"What?" Was the only word Sayaka uttered as she leaned back from Akima.

"I…love you. Or I'm in love with you, or just attracted to you. God this is embarrassing." Akima laughed nervously, wiping her eyes again. She furiously willed herself to stop crying, but her eyes refused her commands.

"Oh. I….I'm not sure what to say." Sayaka responded, looking away out of embarrassment. Akima panicked and reached for her, causing Sayaka to pull away. "H-h-hold on. For how long?"

"I….I don't know. I just know that….well…every time I hear about you and Kyosuke,…I get mad." Akima responded, hurt that Sayaka wasn't taking this well. She couldn't blame her: She already had a boyfriend technically, and to spring this on her so soon afterwards was unfair. Sayaka looked at her one last time, then smiled.

"Well….you kinda already hooked me up with Kyosuke, so we can't be going out. I mean,…while I like you and all, my heart's been for him for a lot longer than I've known you." She said, feeling a small stab of pain in her chest as she watched Akima wilt. "B-b-but! That doesn't mean I can't love you back!" She reached forward and wiped a tear from Akima's eye. "I can only have my heart set on one person right now. Don't take this as a rejection though, you're still my friend."

Sayaka pulled Akima close, feeling the slight electrical charge running through her. The older girl was still sobbing, but the tears were starting to dry up. She inhaled Akima's choice of perfume and giggled.

"Please don't cry, you just picked the worse time to tell me this. So I hope in exchange, we can still be friends. Sound good?" she asked once she released Akima. Wiping her eyes once more, Akima nodded in understanding, although the deep purple her eyes had shifted to spoke otherwise.

"Wanna have some lunch?" Sayaka asked, nodding to the stove. Akima nodded, sniffling again.

"Sure, there should be something in there." She replied, getting up to approach the fridge. Sayaka smiled, but frowned when her phone vibrated. Pulling it out, she sighed when she looked at the number.

"Madoka sent me a text saying she's on her way over. Probably to make her wish still." She replied, prompting Akima to freeze. Sayaka got up and approached her, then planted a swift kiss on her nose. "I'll head her off and inform her you changed you mind. Sound good?"

Akima jerked in response, realizing that Sayaka was talking to her. Apparently the kiss had done more than just surprise her. "Y-y-yeah. You go do that."

Sayaka giggled and skipped out, leaving Akima alone again. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, but at the same time the grief was still there. Luckily for her, Sayaka had taken it a lot better than she thought. But she had still been rejected regardless. Akima sighed and continued rummaging for food.

Sayaka found Madoka waiting outside and waved at her. Her friend waved back, but nervously approached her. Sayaka shook her head and ran up to her, tackling her with joy.

"Sheesh you need to stop acting so timid. Hey! I got some good news! I got Akima to back off on her threat from last night!" Sayaka squealed, pulling Madoka into a dance in the courtyard.

"W-w-what?! You mean she's not going to kill me?" Madoka asked, more scared of losing her balance than she was of the answer.

"No silly. I'm an Ally of Justice remember? It's my job to protect my friends, and protect you I did!" Sayaka exclaimed, releasing Madoka as she jumped onto a planter. Placing a fist on her hip, she shot her arm forward and pointed at the sky. "I marched into the evil Akima's lair and emanded she surrender. Unamused, we fought a valiant battle, but in the end I vanquished her! Defeated, she begged for forgiveness and asked what I desired in exchange for sparing her! So I demanded she release you from her treacherous decree. And behold, Princess Kaname is free from tragedy once more!" she barked, slicing her arm through the air in a mock sword attack. Madoka giggled and clapped her hands while Sayaka leaped down. "To be honest I just had a talk with her and got her to back off."

"Oh….oh good! I…I had my wish ready and everything." Madoka said, nervously adjusting her hair. "B-b-but since you got her to back off, I guess I won't need it."

"I'm curious, what would have been your wish?" Kyubey asked, emerging from the shadows. Sayaka frowned at him and stepped in front of Madoka.

"It's not important. Get lost." Sayaka said, causing Kyubey to tilt his head.

"How am I the villain here? I'm doing nothing wrong." Kyubey defended, trying to sound hurt.

"No but y-" Sayaka started, then heard a rumble in the distance. Looking up, she noticed not only had the clouds darkened, but they seemed to be gathering at one point in the sky.

"Ah. It's happening. The Walpurgisnacht will be here in a few hours. Remember, I'm still available if you need to make your wish." Kyubey said before darting away. Sayaka kept staring at the clouds, then down at her ring, then finally back towards Akima's room.

"I'd better go get Akima, it's time." She said, leaving Madoka behind. "You should get home to your family Madoka."

"B-b-but I wanna h-" Madoka started, before Sayaka shook her head.

"That's not a good idea right now. Get your family to safety. I'd better do the same with mine as well." Sayaka replied, giving Madoka one last smile. "And don't worry, with the four of us combined, we'll save the day!"

With that, she skipped away, intent on first letting her parents know she'll be okay, then to grab Akima. She silently prayed that Akima was ready to fight, because if not, they were sure to fail.