Chapter 28

I

Nagisa laid on her back with her legs hanging off the end of the bed, and her feet kicking up and down as she hummed, staring at the glowing gem which she held above her face.

Mama was going to be alright now. She was really really going to be alright! And it was all thanks to her wish!

For the first time in a long time that afternoon, she had heard her mother's voice - her real voice - and she couldn't wait to go see her in person tomorrow! They could actually talk, and play games, and laugh together just like they always use to. Even better then all of that, they could eat cake together! It was the first cake Nagisa had ever made all by herself, and she couldn't wait for her mother to be the first one to taste it!

"Nagisa?" her aunt's shrill voice called from out in the hall. "Why is your light on? Get to bed now."

Nagisa stuck her tongue out at the closed door. "Ok, sorry aunty!" She didn't think her aunt ever picked up on the fact that the extra polite way she sometimes responded was meant as a tease. Nagisa rolled over onto her side and reached her arm out to pull the little drawstring on her lamp.

Not only would she and mama be together again, she wouldn't have to live with her aunt anymore. She was told to respect her aunt, because apparently being allowed to stay with her was just such a huge favor, but she never thought her aunt was very nice at all. She barely seemed to care that Mama, her own sister, was sick. Even today when Mama was all better, aunty didn't even seem all that happy.

Oh well, Nagisa thought. Pretty soon Mama would be let out of the hospital and it wouldn't matter anymore. When Nagisa thought about it, she felt so excited she knew it would be impossible to sleep. She rolled over and opened her palm to look at the SoulGem nestled inside it. It let out a soft glow which lightly brightened her face. She couldn't wait to try out her new magic too!

Just as she was thinking that, she heard a tap on her window which made her head raise up. She looked over to where the tapping noise came from, but her blinds were drawn so she couldn't see outside. That's when she heard a voice in her head. "Nagisa? Are you awake?"

"Oh! It's Mami!" Nagisa said out loud, practically jumping out of her bed. Then she remembered how to speak telepathically, and closed her eyes tightly as she concentrated. "Mami? Is that you?"

"Yup, come look out your window."

Nagisa quickly ran over to the window, practically sprinting, but moving on the tips of her toes to avoid making too much noise. When she threw open the curtain, Mami was right outside, hanging from a yellow ribbon. She had one hand held onto it above her head, and it's bottom end looped around one foot so she could be upright with her other leg and arm dangling behind her.

Mami smiled, and spoke telepathically. "Want to go out on patrol with us?"

"Oh yeah! definitely!" Nagisa thought back. She opened the window and leaned out to look around. She saw Sayaka down below, dressed in her full Magical Girl attire, smiling and waving. "Oh, weird girl is here too!"

Sayaka's face quickly became less amused and her arms fell down to her side. "Seriously, why the hell do you call me that?"

"Because! You listen to that weird music!"

Mami gave a good humored smile. "Maybe we should move this along?"

"Oh right. Just one second." Nagisa went back into her room then started stuffing pillows under her blanket to make it look like she was still in bed; Just encase aunty peaked in on her. She then went back to the window and took Mami's hand. "Alright! Let's do it!" she said, then became covered in a flash of rainbow light as she transformed and Mami pulled her through the window and into her arms.

II

Having wrapped up the leftovers and finished cleaning the dishes, Homura took a seat at the kitchen bar, and rested her head on the palm of her hand.

Her eyes drifted over to the bedroom door, through the threshold she could see a length of rope still tied to the bedpost at the foot of the bed. She had started on dinner as soon as she freed Madoka that evening, and therefore had not had a chance to clean up as she usually did.

She sighed and rubbed the corners of her eyes. It was getting late, and she was going to have to tie Madoka up again soon. She did not want to, because Madoka had already spent most of the day tied to that bed. She only had about an hour and a half of freedom in the morning before Homura left, then ended up being left there again until dusk, which was only a couple of hours ago. Madoka had probably slept through most of the day though, so Homura figured she could allow her to stay up for a while before putting her to bed again.

She got up from the bar and walked over to the bedroom door, then stood just inside and looked around. The ropes were still on each of the bedposts with their loose ends sitting along the top of the mattress. Over on the dresser was Madoka's pile of clothes. She only had a few days worth of clean outfits left, so Homura would either have to get more clothes for her or find a way to wash them.

Homura felt bad about the circumstances she had to keep Madoka under. It is bad enough that she was being forced to be kept away from her family like this, but on top of that her living arrangements must have been incredibly uncomfortable. Homura did not know what would be better for her, though. Her home apartment, maybe, if she found a way to soundproof a room and keep Madoka locked up in there, but Kyubey would have far too easy of a time finding her there. Any other options Homura could think of consisted of abandoned houses or basements in secluded industrial areas, and those would not have the basic comforts this hotel room offered.

No, this hotel room may not be ideal, but it was still the best she could think of. Here they had running water, a kitchen, TV, and a nice soft bed for Madoka to sleep on… even if she did have to be tied to it most of the time.

If only Madoka were not so insistent on trying to get away, the situation would not have to be so bad. If Homura could simply trust that she would stay put there would be no need to tie her up at all. Although, Homura had to admit she felt somewhat comforted when Madoka was tied up, because after years of constantly worrying about what actions Madoka might take, Homura had discovered there was a sense of relief when she knew exactly where Madoka was, and knew she could not move or find a way to get herself hurt. She knew Madoka hated it, but it had to be done. Homura wasn't doing this just for her own comfort, but for Madoka's safety as well. She didn't want Madoka to hate her, but as long as Madoka was safe she did not care.

Homura stepped out of the bedroom and turned her back on the bed with the rope still tied to it. In the living room, on the coffee table in front of the TV, the stack of manga she had stolen from the bookstore caught her eye. From past lives, she already knew that Madoka would like the stories and the artwork those books contained, and she had brought them so that Madoka would have another way to entertain herself while she was stuck here. Actually, when Homura was selecting them, there was a certain thought in her head. She had thought it would be nice if she and Madoka could curl up on the couch and read those books together; just like they used to do in Homura's past lives.

Now with that thought crossing her mind, she felt embarrassed, and stupid for thinking this Madoka would want to be that close with her. The truth is, the Madoka who would snuggle up to her was from many many lives ago, and the time between then and now had broken Homura down into someone who could not have such a relationship with anyone.

She raised a hand to her chest and clutched it into a fist over her heart. The thought made tears sting her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and shook her head, pushing away the train of thought her mind had started wandering down. She had to be strong. And who knows, after enough time maybe Madoka would get used to all of this and warm up to her again?

She wanted Madoka to be happy, but happiness was secondary to her safety. Like this, Madoka was safe. Homura had to remind herself of that. It may hurt that Madoka is being reproachful towards her, and that Madoka might be scared of her, but at least she was safe. She was safe!

Homura watched the bathroom door for a moment, thinking Madoka had been in there for quite a while now. She said she was only going to brush her teeth, but had been in there for over ten minutes already.

She felt a quick wave of anxiety. Madoka could have quickly slipped out of the front door while Homura was cleaning up in the kitchen. Would she really try the same trick again so soon? Even after it didn't work the first time?

Homura's feet started moving across the living room. "Madoka," she said, loud enough that Madoka would be able to hear her from inside the bathroom.

No response.

Every time Homura had turned her back over the last few days, Madoka had been up to something. Why would her escape attempts be limited to just one per night? Especially now that the danger Sayaka was in had been revealed, who knows what foolish things Madoka might try?

There was still no response by the time Homura made it to the bathroom door. "Madoka!" she said again, louder, with her hand reaching for the knob.

"W-what!" came Madoka's from behind the door.

Homura's hand stopped, her fingers encircled around the knob without actually grabbing on yet. Her heart was still beating, but the sound of Madoka's voice soothed her anxiety somewhat. It took her a moment to respond, to make sure her tone would be calm. "It's nothing," she said. "Are you okay in there?"

Madoka was quiet for long enough that Homura thought she would not respond, but she eventually did. "Yes."

"Okay then," Homura said, then turned away from the bathroom door. She looked at the front door, and set her eyes on the chain-link lock which was still securely fastened. It would be impossible to refasten from the other side of the door after slipping out, so all Homura would have had to do was check that the chain-link was not undone to confirm Madoka had not escaped.

She found herself pacing around in the living room. She wasn't thinking clearly, why hadn't she just checked the chain-link before starting to panic?

"This is not working," she said to herself. Having the door unlockable from the inside meant that she would never be able to fully relax. Therefore, she would have to install another lock on the door. A simple latch which she could put a padlock through would do the trick. No, a combination lock would be better. That way there would be no key for Madoka to try to steal from her, and a combination lock takes longer to undo either way, even if she did figure out the combination somehow. Yes, that would be perfect. She would go pick those things up tomorrow when she made another trip out. Or, perhaps tonight after she put Madoka to bed.

With that plan decided on, she started thinking about the window in the bedroom. It was the only window in the apartment. Madoka couldn't exactly call for help from the streets below while Homura was in the apartment with her. Nor could she climb out of the window. It was too high, and there was nothing for her to grab onto. Perhaps she could drop something out? Like the DVD player, to get someone's attention. Or, she could write a note explaining where she was and asking for help, then throw it down to the streets below.

Homura sat down on the couch. Her hands found themselves on the sides of her head with her fingers combing through her hair and gripping against her skull tightly. Why had she not thought of those things sooner? She had to be more careful, and start thinking things through more thoroughly. Otherwise, Madoka's life would still be in danger.

What was she supposed to do about the window, though? Simply putting a padlock on it was no good because the glass could simply be broken. Nail a piece of plywood over it?

Maybe she really should bring Madoka to an abandoned basement somewhere? She would need time to get at least a few basic living necessities in order. It wouldn't be as comfortable for Madoka, but what choice was there? Madoka couldn't be trusted, and since her safety came first, maybe it would be better?

Then the bathroom door opened, and Madoka stepped out. Homura's head lifted up as she was pulled out of her thoughts. She could feel Madoka's presence, standing just a few paces behind her.

"Um… H-Homura?" Madoka asked, in a meek voice. Homura's head turned slightly in response. "There's…"

Homura turned more fully to look at her. Madoka's face was turned to the side, and she stared at the ground. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying again.

"What's wrong? Madoka?" Homura asked as softly as she could.

Madoka shook her head, and tried to strengthen her face as she looked back at Homura. When Madoka was angry she didn't seem to have a problem being assertive, but now that her rage from earlier had subsided, it seemed she was having a little more trouble getting the words out and speaking her mind. "We- we need to talk!"

III

There was a chair with a woven straw back in the far corner of the living room, which didn't get much use and seemed to mostly be for decorative purposes. Madoka pulled it up and sat adjacent to the coffee table, apparently deciding she didn't want to sit on the couch with Homura while they talked about whatever it is she wanted to talk about.

Madoka's demeanor was weaker than it had been before, and Homura wasn't sure what the change was. It wasn't the dull and distant - depressed - attitude she had this morning, thankfully. The way she was now, the way her head stayed down, and her eyes were always finding themselves on the floor. Her body language was simply subdued.

"What did you want to talk about?" Homura asked.

"Well… I… I know there is nothing I can say that can convince you to just let me go home. But, the way things are… I mean…" Homura raised an eyebrow as Madoka struggled to find the right words to form her complaint. "M-mainly, with getting tied up… something needs to change with that."

"I was just thinking about the same thing." Homura said, her static tone not revealing much else.

"Okay... well..." Madoka watched her, anticipating for her to expand those thoughts. Homura didn't say anything else, and when they made eye contact Madoka nervously glanced away again with her face reddening. "S-so what, then?"

Homura closed her eyes, feeling some vague annoyance as she ran through her earlier thoughts again. She had not come to a conclusion about how to deal with the problem. Each train of thought ultimately led back to the fact that Madoka couldn't be trusted, and therefore Homura couldn't give her much freedom. She had explained to Madoka before how important trust was, but Madoka constantly betrayed her by attempting to escape; even after swearing she wouldn't anymore.

"I don't know," Homura finally answered. Deciding not to get into her thoughts of nailing plywood over windows and padlocking doors. "Do you have any ideas?"

Madoka seemed surprised by that. "Me?" she asked. Homura nodded, her cool gaze making Madoka even more nervous. Madoka tried to force some aggression into her voice, apparently self aware of her diffidence and trying to combat it. "Well, how am I supposed to know?"

Homura folded her arms. "Last time I tried to make things more comfortable for you I ended up having to chase you across town. You put yourself in serious danger by doing that, Madoka. I wish you would understand."

Madoka's fists balled up against the cloth of her pajama bottoms. She voiced her complaint in a small voice, already losing the forced aggression from a moment ago. "It… it's not like I asked for any of this, you know."

That made Homura feel guilty, but she shook it off and reminded herself it was all for Madoka's own good. "I know…" she said, simply.

They were both silent for a while, though Madoka still seemed to be struggling with something. "Why did you…" There was no easy way of breaking into it, so she ended up just spitting it out all at once, then blushing furiously once the words were spoken: "W-why did you try to kiss me!?"

Homura's eyes widened and a light blush hit her own face, struck by how sudden the question had come. She stared at the small girl who kept her vision down on the ground, her body was tense with her head forcing itself down into her shoulders. Her lips tightened into a nervous frown.

Homura thought it over, and couldn't quite think of how to answer. She knew why, but it wasn't something she could easily explain in words even to herself, let alone vocalize to Madoka.

That morning, when Madoka was tied to the bed and crying, Homura just felt so bad for her, and wanted to comfort her somehow. However, when Madoka turned away, and told Homura not to touch her, something snapped.

All she wanted was to protect Madoka, and she needed to make Madoka understand how much she cared for her. By denying the attempt to console her, Homura worried that Madoka really didn't understand. So, she had decided to make her understand. Homura wasn't very tactful, she knew that about herself; she didn't have smooth words which could put Madoka at ease. So she expressed it in the only way she could, and next thing she knew she found herself on top of her.

With Madoka in her hands, completely restrained underneath her… Homura felt something. She did love Madoka after all, and that face which stared back at her was the same face that once loved her in return. Homura wanted to believe that love was still there, and thus her attempts to console Madoka had become more selfish. With Madoka under her control, she could have just taken whatever she wanted. In a past life, she had felt those soft lips against her own, and even now that selfish part of her wanted to feel it again.

"Well?" Madoka pressed on, though somewhat timidly. Her hand found itself on the opposing forearm and she hugged herself defensively. Her face was red, and she refused to look at Homura.

She's afraid of me. With that thought, Homura felt a sinking feeling in her chest. Of course she would be… after everything I've done to her, and the fact that she really is powerless against me. Anyone in her position would be scared of someone like me.

"Madoka," she said as she started to stand, "Listen, I-"

"C-can you stay on the couch, please?" Madoka asked, before Homura was even in a full stand. Homura froze, with her knees half bent, but she complied and sat back down. She went back to thinking over what to say. How could she make Madoka understand that all she wanted was what was best for her? She didn't want to hurt her.

"I imagine it's hard to understand," Homura finally said. The change in her tone made Madoka raise her head, and she eyed her cautiously. "Every time I go back it's like everything is being erased for everyone except me. All of the moments we shared, our conversations. It's like none of it ever happened, and the only things that remain are my own memories of it."

Even this explanation she was giving to Madoka. She had explained all of this to her in past lives, though this was the earliest point in a time loop that she had ever tried. Normally it would be weeks before she could even make Madoka believe she was from the future. Even as she spoke the words, she wasn't sure if Madoka could really understand.

"Imagine if you left this hotel room and ran back home, and when you walked through the front door of your house and stood in front of your parents, they stared at you as if you were a complete stranger. Imagine if they lost all memory of who you are, and no matter how desperately you tried to explain to them, they would just think you were crazy." She had used this analogy to explain it to Madoka before, too. Whether Madoka believed her or not, simply having such a scenario described to her was always enough to make Madoka's eyes start to glaze over with tears. "That is what my life is like. It happens again and again, more times than I would be able to count, even if I cared to keep track."

"Homu… ra?" Madoka whispered.

"I'm sorry about what happened this morning. I know from your point of view we have only just met, and I have been nothing but horrible to you. Just try to understand… to me, you are so much more."

"Well, saying you were nothing but horrible to me… I don't think that is fair. Still, this is all very strange, and it's all so sudden." She took in a deep breath, "I… I don't like you tying me up, but if you need to I suppose I can't really stop you. I mean, if you do, just…" her frown deepened. "Just, don't touch me like that anymore! Th-this morning wasn't the first time either. Something changes with you when I'm like that. I-I don't think you are going to hurt me… But…"

"I… won't do it again," Homura said, guiltily. She supposed she couldn't defend her actions, and didn't try.

"Good. I mean…" Madoka's hand rubbed against her forearm. "When I'm in that position… where I can't do anything. I-it's not right to force yourself on me like that…"

Homura instantly lifted her head and raised her tone, to squash the idea of what Madoka implied as quickly as possible. "I-I would never do something you didn't want! I swear!"

"I know," Madoka said, making actual eye contact with her for once. She gave a small reassuring smile. "You did stop… but, just don't put me in that position again. Okay? It's… it's not right."

Homura nodded, and let her tone become more resigned. "You do understand that I do not want to hurt you. Right?"

"I… I do believe that." The statement implied there were other things which she didn't believe, but it was at least reassuring to know she knew Homura would not hurt her.

They both became quiet for a while. The conversation seemed to have come to an end.

Homura glanced over to the stack of Manga. "Um… I imagine you are not tired yet. It's getting late, but you can stay up as long as you want."

Madoka simply nodded her head, understanding what going to bed meant for her, as long as she was a captive in this hotel room.

Homura picked up the stack of Manga and moved them down the coffee table to where Madoka could reach them. "I got these for you. I figured simply watching TV all the time could start to get boring." There was a rather weak attempt at humor in her voice. When Madoka didn't respond to it, she felt embarrassed. "Anyway, they are here if you want them."

Madoka's hand eventually reached over to the stack. She turned the spines of the books towards herself so she could read the titles, and her thumb flipped up the top corners, making a shuffling sound as she quickly scrolled through them. "Which one would you recommend?" she asked.

Homura smiled, took the stack from her and looked through before selecting one and handing it over to Madoka. "Here, this one can be a rather tragic story at times, but it is quite good."

Madoka took the book from her and looked at the cover. It displayed three girls in matching highschool uniforms huddled close together and smiling. In the background there were darkly shaded silhouettes of three other characters standing behind them: two were dressed in heavy battle armor and the one in the middle look to be some kind of princess. There was a rather sinister presence of these background characters, which was a sharp contrast to the more inviting atmosphere of the girls in the foreground.

"Tragic?" Madoka asked, not really feeling in the mood for a sad story, though the cover did pique her interest.

"Well, at times, but not always. All in all it's… rather inspiring, really. Well, I don't want to spoil anything but I'm sure you will like it." She actually knew for a fact that Madoka would like it. Her past Madokas all had a certain obsession with the main pairing of the story, and often commented on how cute she found them to be. Also, the main character's hard headed best friend reminded Madoka of Sayaka.

Homura remembered an earlier timeline when she would walk to school with the two of them. One day Madoka had teased Sayaka with the comparison, and Sayaka, having not read the Manga, was rather confused and didn't quite get what Madoka was going on about. She eventually delivered some foolish line about how her "wife" simply couldn't keep her mind off of her, then proceeded to assault Madoka by tickling her. Homura had laughed at the time, while Hitomi just palmed her face in embarrassment.

In truth, Homura often felt a bit of jealousy toward Sayaka's close relationship with Madoka. Especially after many more timelines had past, and she started losing her own ability to be friendly with them. Try as she might, she started pushing Madoka away while Madoka's undying love for Sayaka always remained strongly intact.

"Um… do you want something to drink?" Homura asked, forcing herself away from her thoughts. "I bought some packs of instant cocoa, if you'd like."

Madoka was reading the appraisals on the back cover. She looked up from it and gave Homura a halfhearted smile. "Yes, that would be nice."

Homura returned the smile, then got up to go fetch it for her.

Madoka watched her as she walked into the kitchen. When she disappeared behind the bar, Madoka looked back to the manga she was holding, and flipped open the cover.

A wave of guilt spread through her…

...She understood how Homura felt about her. And thanks to those feelings Homura had revealed to her, Madoka understood that she wasn't powerless after all. There was at least one edge she had over her captor. However, in order to take advantage of that power, she would have to do something horribly cruel to this girl. This girl who was already broken, and who had shown what was in her heart…

Madoka had a plan forming. One which she knew was cruel, and heartless… But what choice did she have?

IV

Kyoko put her back against the wall of the alley. The heads of three shadows bounced along the roadway right next to her, and she cautiously leaned to the side just enough to peek out into the street through the corner of her eye. She saw the three girls walking together, each of them dressed in their Magical Girl attire. The smallest girl, whom Kyoko picked up was named Nagisa, was between the two older girls and skipped along merrily.

She's young, Kyoko thought, even younger than I was when I contracted. She probably would not be worth much now, but given a few years that girl may develop into an incredibly powerful Magical Girl one day. Kyoko's eyes narrowed. Too bad for her, I won't be giving her that chance. This territory is mine, and she's in my way, just like the rest of them.

Her lips lowered into an unhappy frown as she listened to their voices echoing down the street. Mami casually told them about her early days as a Magical Girl, and how she went about learning new techniques with her own magic.

The older of the two rookies, Sayaka, let out an idiotic laugh like she thought this was all a game. "I don't know if I'll be able to come up with anything as awesome as your magic though, Mami."

The younger girl giggled, "You could always try just boring the witches to death with that weird music."

"Uhg, are you still on that? Look, it's an acquired taste! You are just too young to appreciate it!"

"Now, now," Mami said, with a good humored tone, "We are out on a patrol, so it is best to stay focused."

Kyoko quickly ran down the alley until she was hidden in the shadows, then ducked down beside a pile of broken wooden crates and watched as the girls walked by. Once they cleared the opening, Kyoko ran back and peeked around the corner.

She figured tonight was a golden opportunity for her. These two rookies were freshly contracted and therefore would be useless in a fight. Although, Kyoko wasn't actually looking for a fight. Her plan was to follow them around, wait for them to find a witch, and then swoop in at the last moment and snatch the GriefSeed from them. It would be a great way of announcing her presence in town, and declaring war on the currently occupying Magical Girls.

The long term game would be for her to strategically pick out locations around where Mami and the other girls lived and get to the witches first. The idea was to snatch up as many GriefSeeds as she could while these girls were at school and simply deprive them of magic. After a while they would be so weak it would be no problem for Kyoko to crush them all by herself. Mami's tendency to go after familiars would help with this even more, and the simple fact that keeping three SoulGems clean over just one put Kyoko at an even bigger strategic advantage. If she was lucky, and these rookies were smart, there is a chance the three girls would end up turning on each other once they become desperate enough.

She grinned to herself. A bit of an underhanded method, maybe, but this was war. At first she thought Homura might make a good ally for herself, but after their conversation earlier Kyoko realized she may have overestimated the dark Magical Girl a bit. Sure, she seemed like she was pretty powerful in a fight, but she was a fool if she thought five Magical Girls could last as a team in a city this size. Even coexisting was unlikely. What Homura said about a Walpurgisnacht caught Kyoko's interest, but she had no reason to believe it. Homura did not exactly seem entirely stable; the relationship with her petgirl proved that.

As the three girls rounded a corner Kyoko ran up to a building's wall, and used magic enhanced pulls and jumps to silently scale up the side. After landing softly on the roof, she then continued to stalk the girls from above.

She once again found herself wondering about the exact dynamic between Homura and her pet… "Madoka" was her name. Kyoko originally heard from Kyubey that Homura had kidnapped her for the purpose of preventing her from making a contract. After actually seeing them together, however, Kyoko quickly realized that there had to be more to the story than just that. Homura certainly cared for her, there was no doubting that. If Kyubey's scenario were the truth than Homura's treatment of her captive would have been much rougher than what Kyoko had witnessed.

The more surprising thing is that Madoka seemed to care for her in return. Kyoko figured if someone ever tried to slap a collar on her the only thought in her mind would be murder. She certainly wouldn't take any sympathy on a captor who was dumb enough to blow herself up. Madoka should have taken that as an opportunity to escape, but instead she had begged Kyoko to help the dumbass out by sharing her GriefSeed. Were they both just totally nuts? Or was petgirl the type of person who was just really into being treated like that? Apparently there was a word for it… Maso… Maso-something, but Kyoko couldn't remember it.

Kyoko laughed to herself. Coming back to Mitakihara might have been more of a pain in the ass than she asked for, thanks to the sudden influx of Magical Girls, but at least things around here were entertaining these days.

She had become somewhat lost in her thoughts, then quickened her pace to catch up with the three girls who she was stalking. They walked up to an alleyway and the three of them peaked around a corner. Kyoko went to the building's edge, directly above them, and peaked down to see what they were looking at.

Kyoko's eyes narrowed in annoyance when she saw a dog-like familiar sniffing around in the alley. "You gotta be kidding me…" she whispered to herself. When she saw the girls take battle stances to confront the lowly familiar, Kyouko palmed her face. She was hoping they would go after a witch so she could steal a GriefSeed from them, but NO! They were going to waste their night hunting damn familiars!

"What a damn waste of time!" she muttered to herself. She reached into her tunic and produced a box of pocky with a sigh. She then took a seat and assessed her options.

Well… she thought, suddenly grinning to herself. This doesn't mean I can't go 'head and cause a little trouble for em' anyway…


-Atomyst

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