Chapter 7

Can You Face Your True Feelings?

Some time later, after the horrific revelation that the life force of every magical girl would not be more than 100 meters away from the main body, even though the soul gem still remained at her side, thanks to Kenton's quick thinking, Sayaka returned home, angered by the fact that she had almost died at the hands of Madoka, her friend, and cast it on to the table.

"You tricked us, didn't you?" she asked.

"Not necessarily. I did make it perfectly clear that I wanted you to become magical girls. I just didn't explain the exact form you'd be taking to do that, is all," replied Kyubey.

This only angered Sayaka even more as she rounded on the creature.

"Why wouldn't you tell us something like that, only for Sora to inadvertently release Vanitas from within him!?" demanded the bluette.

"Because you never asked. Besides, if you never had found out, it wouldn't have bothered you, one bit. And now, Mami's also shook up, thanks to that fact. You humans don't even realize you have souls. They're not something you can physically feel inside you. Your bodies are such fragile containers, just a cluster of neurons, organs, and a circulatory system. It's an amazing construction, but once your body stops functioning, your soul disappears. To keep that from happening, I put your soul into a physical form. It makes the soul easier to track, and easier to take care of. That way, you can battle witches and not have to worry about it," he said.

"Kyubey is correct, Sayaka. You have always been naive, and unable to comprehend your ability as a warrior, after you accepted his offer to be a magical girl, by signing his contract with your own blood, in exchange for Kyosuke to be healed of the injuries that made him unable to play violin again," added Sephiroth, who appeared.

"Sephiroth," Sayaka glowered darkly, when she saw the One-Winged Angel, who picked up her soul gem.

"Imagine what would happen if Kyoko did plunge her spear through your being. You'd still have the iron will to keep going, even after you healed from your injury, had Sora not intervened and become that rogue's most powerful rival," he explained.

But then he gained a malicious smile, and looked down at her, his catlike mako green eyes making her afraid of him.

"What would happen if your soul gem was crushed into dust in my hand? It's worth testing that theory out, wouldn't you say?" asked Sephiroth.

"That's enough, Sephiroth! You've made your point!" interjected Kyubey.

But the revelation shocked Sayaka even further, until she felt an unrelenting agony in her abdomen, as if she were experiencing a very horrible stomach ache.

"Do you see now, Sayaka Miki? No matter how much pain your body endures, your light will always heal your wounds, until it gives way to the darkness you have to dispel from within, regardless of the number of grief seeds you find from your witch hunts with your friends," continue the Silver Swordsman.

Then he slowly loosened his grip on the soul gem, and placed it back on the desk.

"When you've learned to block out all forms of physical pain, only then will you truly be invincible, and fight till your heart's content. However, you always exert yourself too much, and your reaction time is far too lacking," he finished ominously.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing," shuddered Sayaka.

"Oh, Sayaka. In time your belief in justice will become your undoing, and you'll succumb to unrelenting despair, that will give me strength. That one wish Kyubey sensed within you, was to make it so that your precious Kyosuke would be able to play violin again, and your destiny has already been set in stone," remarked Sephiroth, who vanished into the darkness.

"But know that when you truly lose yourself to darkness, only then will you truly be a hollow vessel, that has lost the will to live," he added ominously, then chuckled with demented pride, frightening Sayaka even more.

"You monster," she muttered.

But the next day, Sayaka didn't come to school, which made Madoka even more worried about her. She didn't know that Sephiroth had come to visit her that night, and had told her some horrible things that haunted her for a very long time. After class, Madoka was soon joined by Teams SKYYLAR and KRYYSTAAL, where they were soon joined by Homura on the roof.

"You knew about it all along, didn't you, Homura?" Sora asked.

Homura nodded slowly, her expression quiet and neutral.

"How come you didn't tell us about it before?" Madoka asked as well

"Would you believe me if I did? I've tried telling others before, but no one ever does," replied the dark-haired girl.

"Then why in the world would Kyubey even think of doing something so cruel to Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko?" demanded Kirito.

"Because it didn't think what it did was cruel. That creature doesn't understand human values," she answered him.

This startled everyone, due to what they heard.

"A soul's a fair exchange for granting someone's wish. That's what it thinks anyway," Homura added sternly.

"So what? That doesn't mean it should be fair at all. What that cat's doing is just plain immoral. Sora told us that what Sayaka wanted most of all was for Kyosuke to heal and play violin again. That's what she wished for, regardless of the consequences," snipped Yang.

"An agreement is still an agreement. It made the impossible possible, didn't it? That boy would have not gotten better, no matter what, even if Sayaka Miki spent the rest of her life taking care of him. The truth is, a miracle is worth more than the life of a human, but that's the price it sells them for," she remarked towards the blonde brawler.

"If that means that Sayaka Miki can't have a normal life, much like any other person would want, it's nothing more than a pile of immoral lies," interjected Asuna.

"Asuna's right, Homura. And even though you want us to forget about Sayaka, just because she became a magical girl, I refuse to let her be on her own forever, no matter what you tell me, Madoka, or anyone else. And it doesn't really matter as to why she'd choose this fate, even though Mami and the rest of us protected Madoka from that witch, even before she arrived as a Magical Girl." agreed Sora.

Then he walked past her, as the wind blew into Homura's hair.

"Gratitude and responsibility may not be the same thing, but sometimes they're more similar than you think. I may have been unable to save Nehelenia and Galaxia from dying, because of what happened before, but their deaths have given me even more motivation to protect those I cherish, and I'm still gonna find a way to help Sayaka understand that she doesn't need to shoulder everything on her own, regardless of the consequences," he added.

"Do you honestly believe in those things, Sora? That is the mark of a true idiot," quipped Homura.

"Maybe I am an idiot, but so what? You're nothing but a cold-hearted individual who feels nothing but emptiness, because you'd choose to do things that's not in the name of light," remarked the spiky brunette.

"Well, the only reason I'm always like this is because I'm not human anymore," she said.

This only made Sora turn away from Homura, as he looked at the ground and gave a low growl.

"Homura Akemi, I think it's best if you leave us alone right now. But the next time we see each other, you'd better be sure to tell us the real truth about yourself," sighed Sora.

"Fine. But if you still believe that you can save Sayaka from herself, then you'd better be prepared for what's gonna happen next," replied Homura, and she walked off into the distance, leaving poor Madoka to drop to her knees, just as Mami knelt down and hugged her.

"Madoka, it's gonna be okay," she assured her.

"Yeah, Mami's right. Magical Girls or not, we'll always find a way to help Sayaka, no matter how hard it'll be," agreed Leafa.

"See? We have each other, because we're friends," added Sora, who cheered up a bit.

"Y-yeah. I agree, Sora. I may not understand why Homura's always acting this way, but I hope she can open her heart and let us in," replied Madoka, who saw Sora's smile.

Then she slowly stood up and gently took his hand.

"And seeing your determined smile, actually fills me with even greater hope that we can convince Sayaka to let go of her blindness in pride," she added.

"Then it's decided," said Ruby.

In her room, Sayaka was now feeling conflicted about whether she could see Kyosuke or not, after becoming a monster, when suddenly…

Hey dummy, how much longer are you gonna stay inside? Kyoko asked through her telepathic link with Kyubey.

Sayaka quickly jumped out of bed, and ran towards her window to see Kyoko outside her house, munching on an apple.

Can you come outside? I wanna talk. Oh, and if you want, you can bring your other friends along as well, she added.

Reluctantly, Sayaka agreed, and they all walked towards what looked like an abandoned church ground that afternoon, even after asking Sora to join her, while his other friends continued to patrol for any abnormalities in the city with Mami.

"Whatever happened to us, sucks. I bet you regret ever making that contract, do you?" the redhead said to the bluette.

Sayaka kept quiet.

"But, you know, me, I think I'm okay with it. I mean, I can do whatever I want with my powers. Who cares about the details? I really don't think it's a deal breaker," she added.

"You think you got what you paid for, huh?" Sayaka asked, finally breaking her silence.

"Hell yeah I did. That's a great way to look at it. Think about it. If you live for yourself, you only got yourself to blame. So I can't really blame anyone else, and I don't have any regrets. See, if you look at it that way, then you won't beat yourself up about it," explained Kyoko.

"Maybe you're right, Kyoko. Living with myself means I can never forgive myself for all the things I'd do, just like how Riku has a lot of regrets for joining forces with Maleficent, until Xehanort turned him into his puppet, so that he'd have me and everyone else killed for it. But he's doing okay now, and he no longer has to sort things out on his own anymore, because he now has the true capabilities of a great leader, but he passed that mantle to me, so that he'd be second in command of the Warriors of Light," replied Sora.

"Much as I hate to admit it, Spiky, I kinda feel happy for that guy pal of yours," she replied.

They soon came to an abandoned church, in which the mercenary-like rogue kicked to the ground, and they climbed the debris-filled staircase to the top, where they saw many glass panes that were cracked and broken, when they reached the altar. Sora had never seen such a place of worship in such a ruined state.

"You brought us all the way out here, just to talk?" Sayaka asked.

"Uh-huh, got a lot to talk about," replied Kyoko, and she reached into her bag, pulled out an apple, and tossed it to Sayaka.

"You want one?" she asked.

But Sayaka tossed it aside, and bounced down the stairs. This enraged Kyoko who grabbed Sayaka by the front of her shirt and lifted her up with all her strength.

"Kyoko, wait!" cried Sora, ponting his Keyblade at her.

"I see you wasting food like that again, I will kill you," she warned Sayaka.

"That's enough!" he shouted, snapping Kyoko out of her rage induced trance, and she dropped Sayaka down onto the ground.

Luckily she picked up the apple, brushed it off her hoodie, and placed it into a bag, just as Sora lowered his weapon and let it vanish.

"Wanna know where we are? It's my dad's church," she told them.

"Your father's church?" Sora asked.

"He was an honest man, and way too nice. He's the kind of guy who'd read the papers and start tearing up. 'Cause he couldn't figure out how to make things better. He thought religion hadn't adapted enough. He wanted something new, something that made sense to the world. So one day, he started preaching stuff that wasn't in the bible. People got upset; stopped coming to his sermons. The church kicked him out, and after that, well, nobody cared about what he had to say. Go figure, right? I mean, from the outside he looked like he was trying to start a cult. Didn't matter if what he said was right or, even if it made any sense. Everyone treated him like he was a psycho. It got so bad for my family, that there were lots of times that we didn't have any food. I couldn't understand it. My dad wasn't doing or saying anything wrong, it was just different from what everyone was used to hearing is all. If people would have just calmed down, given him five minutes, and really listened to what he had to say, they would have seen he was right. Yeah, but, in the end, nobody did. I got mad. Like really pissed off. I hated that nobody gave my dad a chance and tried to understand what he was talking about. Then, Kyubey showed up and I made my wish. I wanted everyone to listen to my dad, and listen to what he was saying seriously. The next morning, they came back, the church was packed with so many people. Every day, they listened to my dad preach, and me, I started doing the magical girl thing. I figured, no matter how awesome my dad's sermons were, they weren't gonna take care of the witches anytime soon. It was my job, so like an idiot, I threw myself into hunting witches full time. We were gonna save the world together. Him doing it out in the open, and me in the shadows. And one day, my dad found out what was really going on. Man, I'll never forget it. When he realized everyone was there, not because of what he was preaching, but because of my magic, he totally lost it. And then he called me, his only daughter, an evil witch who corrupted his flock. Isn't that hilarious? I'm the one out every night hunting witches, and he calls me a witch. After that, my dad had a breakdown. He got really depressed, he was drinking a lot, and then he went crazy. He killed my family and then he committed suicide. Leaving me behind. Alone. The thing I wished for, destroyed my whole family," Kyoko explained.

"No way," Sora murmured in shock at what he heard.

"I brought all this suffering down on my family, because I made a wish for my dad, without knowing what he really wanted. So, right then and there, I promised myself that I'd never use magic to help anyone else ever again, but this power is mine, and I'll use it for me, and me alone. Miracle's aren't free, you know? If you wish for something good to happen, a lot of bad stuff is gonna happen too. I guess that's how the world stays in balance. Good, bad, everything zeroes out." she added.

"Kyoko, I, I'm so sorry. I had no idea you lived a hard life before you became a magical girl. And even though it may be too late to share my condolences about what happened to your mother and father, I want you to know something that you should never forget. Even though you don't like it when people are disrespectful to you for offering them something, it's because you don't like seeing it go to waste. Hearing what you said made me realize something about why you chose the life of a rogue, despite having a no-nonsense, straight-to-business attitude. Also, I kinda had a feeling that both you and Sayaka made a very similar mistake, after you agreed to be magical girls. It's important to never think of such negativity, or it could destroy you in the long run. And even though you both paid the price for becoming that which Kyubey made you into, after you signed his contract. Because, like I told Ruby Rose, before the fall of Atlas, it's always important to turn a crisis into a golden opportunity," explained Sora.

"Kinda like how Kyoko would?" questioned Sayaka.

"Exactly. Kinda like how Kyoko would, when she'd start to feel like her back's against the wall. Even though she and I may be rivals, just like how you and she are rivals, we want you to let go of all that pain you're feeling. When I see people feeling like everything's riding on their shoulders, it actually hurts me, and I refuse to let this cycle of self-loathing and hatred continue, no matter where I go. But, even though Sayaka thinks that she doesn't have any regret about using a wish to help someone she cherishes, that doesn't mean I can help her try and stay true to the light, even though she cares about Kyosuke. And as for why she's stubborn, it's because she's afraid of giving up after she finds out about the price she paid for becoming a magical girl, no matter how such power can be used for good, regardless of how it's used. Also, it's like Kyoko once told you. If I did indeed waste any food that you offered me, then I'd already be dead, in just a heartbeat," replied Sora.

"Now hold on a minute, Sora. Look, I get that I didn't like how Sayaka tossed away that apple after I offered it to her, but I was acting a bit impulsively without thinking straight, just as my father did," interjected Kyoko.

"I'll admit, I was worried that you'd seriously want Sayaka dead after she tossed it aside, but all food deserves to be treated with proper respect, like pizza and strawberry sundaes, and ramen," he said.

This made Kyoko smirk at him, even as Sayaka decided to leave.

"I'll leave you guys alone so you can continue your private conversation. But if either of you don't like it, then you can find me and try and knock some sense into my head if you want. I won't hate it, but I won't lose to either of you," she said to them, much to Kyoko's fury.

Enraged, she soon began chomping on the apple in her hand, until it was nothing more than a core, until she was gone. Poor Sora couldn't help but worry about her even more.

"What's her deal?" the redhead asked grumpily.

"Like I said, Sayaka's just as stubborn as Yang was, after I helped her and Team RWBYS defeat Salem, by showing the Empress of Grimm the error of her ways in that final battle to decide the fate of Remnant. But, I get the feeling she's letting the whole Magical Girl thing get to her head," replied Sora.

"I guess you may be right, Sora, but at the same time, I'm starting to agree with you, even though we're still rivals," said Kyoko.

"Then how about this? After we try and convince Sayaka that she can't do everything on her own terms, let's have some strawberry sundaes. My treat," he suggested.

"Aw, hell yeah! And maybe after that, we can have another sparring match, my spear against your Keyblade," cheered the rogue.

"Yeah," grinned Sora, and they exchanged a fist bump with each other.

By the next morning, as Sayaka was now on her way to school, she heard Madoka calling to her, with Hitomi greeting her as well.

"Hey, good morning," she said hesitantly, just as Team SKYYLAR and Team KRYYSTAAL arrived to check on her.

"What's wrong?" Kirito asked her.

"Yeah, Madoka told me that you didn't come to school yesterday. What was up with that?" asked Kiba.

"Oh, uh, I felt a little sick, that's all," replied Sayaka.

"Well, I'm just glad you're okay now," said Sora.

"Yeah, but just be careful of what happens next, Sayaka," added Saya.

Just as Sayaka was about to ask her friends about something, she soon saw Kyosuke walking to school as they were.

"Oh, I didn't know Kyosuke was out of the hospital," said Hitomi, which suddenly made Sayaka sad.

"Hey, Sora, why is Sayaka feeling sad?" Leafa asked in a quiet whisper.

"I don't know, Leafa. But I'm starting to think that there's something bugging her, just as Madoka is," Sora replied.

Once at school, all the students were asking if Kyosuke would be okay at being back in school, but the violinist assured them that he was fine, and that he was slowly getting his legs back into shape by walking about after he got up from his crutches by the next week.

"I'm glad Kyosuke's doing better," Madoka said.

Sayaka nodded in agreement, making everyone grow more concerned, just as Mami walked by.

"Why don't you go and say hello to him?" suggested Atsuko.

"No, it's okay. Maybe later," replied Sayaka.

"Hey, we understand if you're feeling unsure, Sayaka. You know we do," assured Sora.

But Hitomi wasn't so sure. Sometime later, she decided to have a heart to heart talk with her friend in the cafe they'd always hang out at.

"Okay, what'd you want to talk about?" she asked.

"I want to talk about love," said Hitomi.

This left Sayaka confused.

"I'll explain. There's something I haven't told you or anyone else, but can't stay silent any longer," she added.

"Oh, okay," replied Sayaka.

"For a long time now, I… I've always liked Kyosuke Kamijou, but now I'm in love with him," admitted the greenette.

"Oh, you are?" asked the bluette.

But she tried her best to dismiss the revelation.

"I never would've guessed, Hitomi. That's awesome. I just hope Kyosuke knows just how lucky he is," she said.

"You've known Kyosuke for a while. Weren't you friends since childhood?" inquired Hitomi.

"Uh, yeah, sort of. We hang out together every now and then," replied Sayaka.

"And it's nothing more than that?" questioned her friend.

Sayaka looked back at Hitomi, bewilderment being shown in her eyes.

"I've been thinking long and hard about this. I can't lie to myself any longer. So, how about you? I need to know. Can you face your true feelings for him, Sayaka?" Hitomi asked earnestly.

"Uh, true feelings? What do you mean?" questioned Sayaka.

"I take my friendship with you very seriously. And I don't want to get into a situation where I don't think I've been stealing him away from you. I want to respect the relationship you have with Kyosuke, because you've known him a lot longer than I have. That's why if you like him, you have a right to go after him, before I do," she explained.

Surprised by what she heard, Sayaka was unsure of what she was hearing, until she heard Hitomi say that she'd tell him after school, and that she only had one day to decide on whether or not she'd confess her true feelings to the young man. Conflicted and confused, Sayaka wasn't sure about what to say, until Hitomi bade her goodbye, and walked out of the cafe. That night, Sayaka was now walking out of her house, where Madoka and the others were waiting for her.

"Sayaka. I know that it wasn't my place to listen in, but I feel like I have to speak my mind. I know that you and Kyosuke respect each other, and I understand why Hitomi said that she likes him as well. But people who aren't honest about themselves, may end up becoming lost in their own regrets, until the darkness destroys them. I won't allow it to happen to you," explained Sora.

"Also, is it okay if I come a long? I won't get in the way," suggested Madoka.

"Why? Why are you always so nice to me? I don't deserve having friends like you guys," replied Sayaka as she shook with conflict, until Sora saw the tears falling down to the ground.

"What makes you say that?" asked Yui.

"I started to have second thoughts today. I thought, what if I hadn't saved Hitomi? It was just for a second, but still, I guess I'm not a hero after all," she answered.

"That isn't true, Sayaka. You've always been a hero to Madoka, when you saved her from those bullies. And as for what Mami would think, I think she'd disagree with the way you're thinking," assured Ruby, as she hugged her.

"Ruby," Sayaka murmured, as she hugged her back.

"Even if you're unable to tell Kyosuke how you feel, even if you lose him to Hitomi, there's someone who'd be willing to stay by your side and acknowledge your true feelings, as well as help you try to turn darkness into light by walking the road to dawn, and that someone is Sora's best friend, Riku. After all, you remind Sora of him a whole lot. He was always wanting to do things on his own, just so that he could find a way to protect those he cherished, as well as save them from the darkness, only to fall victim to that same darkness, which almost destroyed him. But he's changed since that time, and is now much more mature and wiser, and he was able to bring Sora back from Quadratum" she explained.

"I guess you're right, Ruby. I'm sorry," replied the bluette, as she parted away from her.

But Sora slowly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Sayaka as Ruby did.

"It's gonna be okay, Sayaka. So don't be ashamed of how you feel at all. Feeling pain is what makes you human, no matter how hard you don't want to accept it," he said kindly to her.

Sayaka nodded, then wrapped arms around Sora as well, and cried her heart out until all the negativity that she had poured out through her tears was gone. When she was done, Sayaka dried her eyes with a handkerchief, which she placed into her pocket.

"Thank you, Sora," she said kindly to him.

Then she smiled at him.

"It's strange. I know crying's a waste of time, but you and Ruby really do remind me of Madoka a whole lot. Kind, caring, and even understanding about how I feel," admitted the bluette.

"Well, let's get to it then, Sayaka. Kyubey told me that there's another witch in the city that's causing trouble," said Mami, who arrived at their side.

"And we'll be right behind you. All the way, Sayaka," agreed Kirito.

High up on a crane, Kyoko was looking down at the entrance into the new labyrinth, as she began munching down on some sea-salt ice cream, which tasted both salty and sweet, when the cold wind blew. Homura had arrived dressed in her magical girl outfit, and stepped forward.

"You're the last person I'd expect to just sit and watch," she said.

"Tonights the real deal. They're fighting a witch, not a familiar. If they beat it, they get a grief seed, so at least the newbie's fighting for something," remarked the redhead.

"I'm surprised you'd give up your prey so easily, just to help them out," admitted Homura.

But the wind suddenly shifted, making Kyoko feel uneasy, as the labyrinth began to pulse and shudder.

"What the hell is she doing? Doesn't she realize her death will hurt Sora?" she asked.

Inside the labyrinth, Sayaka stood panting wearily, as she stood before the witch that Yui identified as Elsa Maria. Together with Team SKYYLAR, they began cutting through the arms before them, which looked like serpents, and even tried to fight her way forward, with Mami and Ruby providing her with some heavy cover fire. But the witch was prepared for Sayaka, as she blocked her attacks without moving once, with Madoka watching anxiously, until Kyoko jumped in, with her spear in hand, and rescued her rival.

"Geez, I can't watch this anymore. Hang out here. I'm gonna show you a couple of basic moves," she quipped.

"Wait, Kyoko. This is her fight, even though we're helping her," interjected Yang.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Yang. Now sit back and watch," Sayaka said to her brawling friend.

She lunged forward without breaking a sweat, and began hacking and slashing at the witch in a wild frenzy. This was making Madoka and the others worried, until they heard Sayaka's laughter. It wasn't normal girly laughter, but it was crazed laughter, as she began taking all the punishment Elsa Maria began hammering into her, only to strike back with her sword in hand.

"It's true. I can block out the pain. I don't feel any pain anymore!" she cackled.

"Sayaka! You've gotta snap out of it!" called Sora, as he grew more and more worried.

Yes, Sora's right," agreed Madoka, who stood quivering in fear.