Sayaka stretched her arms up with a grunt, then let them fall back to the grass with a noise of relief. "Man, it's almost scary how great I feel right now!"

A snort and a roll of the eyes was my response. "Enjoy it while you can. Now that you've acknowledged it, the other shoe's gonna drop soon."

"Shut up, don't ruin this for me," she shot back without missing a beat.

"Sayaka…" Madoka hesitantly began. "You're really sure that this is what you want? Aren't you scared?"

The new swordie puffed out her cheeks. "Jeez, I just can't catch a break with you two! Why is it that you keep ganging up on me, huh?" The lack of a reply convinced her to drop the pretenses, and the irritation dissipated, replaced by solemnity. "...of course I'm scared. When all this started, I'd never even seen a real fight to the death before, let alone been in one. And after what almost happened to Mami… I didn't think I was cut out for this at all."

"But that's just it," she continued. "The thought of actually losing Mami? Or Hitomi, or you two? Of being completely unable to help when some witch decides that it wants you guys as its next meal?" She paused, collecting herself. "That's what really keeps me up at night." One of her hands came up above her head and balled itself into a fist. "Besides, that one last night wasn't so hard to beat… it was actually kinda easy."

She lifted herself up to a sitting position on the slanted ground, a smile back on her face. "But if you wanna know how I really feel…" Pulling out her Soul Gem and showcasing it to us was her next action. "If I had to put it into words, I'd say I'm sort of… confident. More at ease. I might even go so far as to say that I kinda wanna pat myself on the back, too!"

"Whoa there, spitfire," I cut in. "Check that ego. 'Pride comes before a fall,' remember?"

She must've been in a real good mood, as the grin didn't leave her expression. "Audrey, come on. This isn't a stage drama, this is real life." She stood up, unconsciously pushing out her chest a little more. "But anyway, I'm excited to finally be able to do this! Seriously!" A hand rose to thump into her left breast. "From now on, I promise that I, Magical Girl Sayaka, will do my best to protect the ones I hold dear, and keep the peace of Mitakihara City!" She finished by thrusting her fist up towards the sky, as if to pierce the heavens with her resolve.

I couldn't decide whether to gag or bust out laughing, so I decided to do both. "So you say that this is real life, and not ten seconds later, you turn around and deliver a line straight out of a shonen anime? Why don't you do us a favor and make up your mind about which reality you wanna live in, huh?" A quick "oh, and tone down the cheese levels by about five hundred percent, please and thank you" was added as an afterthought a moment later.

That finally broke her tolerance, and she slowly turned to me with the smile still plastered on her face, but with a much more menacing air about her. "Remind me again - who's the one that keeps treating this whole thing like a VR game? How about you do us a favor and practice what you preach for once?"

...wow. Uh… damn. That… not gonna lie, that actually kinda stung. Ouch.

The call-out hit closer to home than I was expecting, and I was left blankly staring, unable to think up any kind of comeback. "...where the hell did you learn to roast like that?"

Her smile turned smug. "Believe it or not, you. I'm not the fastest learner, I'll admit, but it is still something I can do."

Madoka decided to speak up again. "And you're completely sure that you don't have any regrets?"

The sudden return to heavy subjects wiped the smile right off the rookie's face. "...I guess if I think on it, there is one small thing I regret." She turned to look at the water bordering the bottom of the hill we were on. "I can't help but wonder if these last few days could've gone over better if I hadn't decided to wait on making my wish." Her gaze fell to the floor. "I mean, in the end, I went through with it anyway, so if I hadn't dragged my feet… then maybe Mami wouldn't have had to go through what she did, and maybe she'd still be here with us right now, instead of doing… whatever it is she's doing to convince herself that she deserves to be here."

"Maybe…" The only normal girl of the group (what a lie) suddenly found the grass to be of supreme interest as well.

A sigh was squeezed out of my lungs. "Well, if nothing else, maybe I won't have to deal with as many headaches if you're filling in for miss M.I.A." My own off-white egg jewel came out, and I held it up to block the sun with two fingers, turning it over. "On my own, I doubt I could keep up her pace, even without having school as a huge time-sink. But once you get going, you could probably make up the rest of the difference until she comes back." I let the hand holding the gem fall back down. "...if she comes back at all…"

"She'll come back," Sayaka affirmed. I had to wonder which of us she was really trying to convince. "She has to."

You and me both, buddy. You and me both.

She then seemed to notice that somebody was moping, and extended an arm out to playfully poke Madoka's cheek. "Heeeey… you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

"I just…" She didn't seem to know where to start. "Maybe I could've-"

Sayaka cut her off. "Oh, don't you start going could've-should've. Hindsight's 20-20, y'know?" Her Soul Gem became the center of her focus again. "I feel like I was fated to do this, if that makes sense. It's just, looking back… I knew what I wanted from the start, so I can't help but think what would've happened if I hadn't pushed it off for so long. A lifetime of witch-fighting is nothing next to what I wished for. Although, it is kinda frustrating that it took so much time for me to realize how much it really meant to me."

She then unexpectedly swiveled in my direction. "But then again, if I hadn't decided to wait, I never would've gotten the chance to take your advice, Audrey. Because of you and Mami, I was able to find out that what I wanted at first wasn't… well, enough. Your guidance helped me keep my eyes on what's most important to me, and make a wish that I couldn't regret in a million years." A hand came up to rub the back of her head. "I know we don't always see eye to eye, but… I wanted to say thanks for that. Really. If you hadn't told me to go big or go home, something tells me that I would've ended up someplace that I'd never want to be."

Try as I might, I couldn't stop the tinge of red my face reacted with. "Oh, uh… you don't have to thank me. I was just… doing what anyone else oughta do. I mean, someone's gotta keep you on the straight-and-narrow when your bestie can't, right?"

"Whatever you say, Tsun-drey," she replied with a knowing smile that would've severely infuriated me were I not preoccupied with trying (and failing) to take the compliment. "Anyway…" She flipped back around. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, you shouldn't feel guilty, Madoka. If you don't wanna be a Magical Girl, that's totally fine! Maybe it's just not meant to be."

Silence fell for a bit, before Sayaka pulled out her phone to check the time. "Oh, looks like I better get going, or I'll be late." Standing up, she stretched her arms out again.

Madoka became curious, and asked "do you have something important to do?"

"You could say that," was the response.

I found this to be a perfect revenge-teasing opportunity, and a trolling grin stretched across my expression. "Off to visit a special someone, are we?"

"Audrey, for the third time today, stop trying to spoil everything."

I folded my arms and 'hmphed' at the rejection, turning my head to the side, my grin replaced by a disappointed frown.

Damn it. Fuckin' dopamine rush.

Suddenly, my phone notified me that I had a message. I pulled it out while simultaneously slipping my ring-ified Soul Gem back on my finger.

Messages - 1 (Kyaku)

I suppressed a giggle at the nickname I'd listed Kyoko as and navigated to my texts, translating it in a flash.

'Headin' to the observation tower now. Gonna be real pissed if ya ain't there.'

I exasperatedly rolled my eyes as I shot her a reply.

'Oh, don't get your panties twisted in a knot. I'll be there, don't you worry.'

Slipping the device back into a pocket, I turned to Madoka. "I've also got somewhere to be, sorry. If it's not too much trouble, could you try to not get yourself mixed up in any supernatural nonsense until tomorrow? I think we'd both appreciate that."

An embarrassed blush was my reward for the shot. "I-I'll do my best."

"Great. See ya." I waved goodbye and left.

A fair bit of time later, I arrived at the entrance of the fourth tallest building in Mitakihara. This was one of the few spots in the city that had a publicly accessible area for use of binoculars, and had a few coin-op models installed to capitalize on that. Great for all manner of long-distance surveillance types.

I heard the electric doors shut behind me as I proceeded to navigate the ground floor, going up a set of stairs, then following some helpful map stands placed around a few key areas in order to locate the elevator that would take me to the observation deck. Once inside, I set the destination to the top floor, and waited. Soon enough, I found myself in a dome-shaped area, with pay-to-view sets of binary spyglasses placed at regular intervals around the outer ring. Checking my phone again, I located the hospital and calculated it's direction relative to my position, and found the set that would provide the best view. When that was done, I turned around and started leaning on the wall next to it, waiting patiently for my expected guest.

Eventually, the doors slid open again, and Kyoko strolled in, casual wear on full display and a snack in hand. She paused after approaching me, taking a quick moment to give me a once-over. "Y'know, now that I look at ya, I'm startin' to wonder if ya ever grew outta yer 8th-grader syndrome phase. I don't know shit about fashion, but even I can tell that's a bit too much black."

I'd make a 'that's racist' comment, but I doubt that'd translate well.

Regardless, I had no misgivings about the short laugh I let out. "Bitch, please. You say that like we ever had a chance of doing that. I mean, we are kinda the real deal now." My shoulders rose up in an uncaring shrug. "Besides, chuunibyou isn't really a thing in America, it's just called being hammy and over-the-top." I stopped, reconsidering that line. "Or being a thespian." Another stop. "Or insanity." At that point, I decided it was better to quit while I was ahead. "But that's semantics."

"I wouldn't say insanity," came a telepathic voice that instantly soured my mood. Kyubey appeared from the elevator, padding over to us. "That's a much more serious mental disorder. What you refer to as '8th grader Syndrome' is more of a cultural phenomenon than anything else."

I flipped it the bird. "Fuck off, ya stupid con artist. Nobody asked you."

"Well, that's a little harsh." The redhead cocked an eyebrow. "Which one 'a yer relatives did he end up killin'?"

I shot her an annoyed glare. "I'd prefer it if you kept that nose away from where it's not supposed to poke, thank you very little."

An irritated glance and holding her hands up in a surrendering motion was her reaction. "Sheesh, I was just wonderin'... don't need to get all pissy just 'cause 'a some tragic backstory or whatever."

"For the record, my backstory's actually pretty tame. The reason we're on bad terms is because of something else he did." My hand came up in a noncommittal motion. "I'm not one to kiss and tell, but I might let you know what went down at some point. Once you've earned it."

She only rolled her eyes. "Like I even care 'bout yer sob story. Won't mean shit when yer gone."

That was to be expected out of her at this point in the timeline. "Meh, fair. Anyway…" I checked the sky, and saw that it has turned to a nice afternoon shade of orange. "Should be happening right about now," I mumbled. I then motioned for Kyoko to get closer, and pointed at the set of binoculars next to me. "C'mere. Peep through these, and you'll get what you came here for."

"Heh. Finally." She sauntered over and tapped the pair, enchanting it in the process. "Where's my target?"

"General Hospital," I recited. "Check the roof."

She swiveled the binoculars around a bit, then settled down. "Huh…" she murmured after a little while. "So that's the new Magical Girl in town."

Kyubey seemed to already know where this was going. "You're not really going to pick a fight with her, are you?"

"Why shouldn't I?" She flippantly replied, taking a bite out of the dry waffle in her hand. "She looks like a pushover. It'll be over in a flash." The binoculars lost their enchantment as she called the energy back to her Soul Gem. "Why d'you care, anyway? Got a problem with that or somethin'?"

"Not at all," was its reply. "But it might not be as easy as you think."

"Yeah," I cut in. "If I know anything about that girl, it's that she's bullheaded as all get-out and tenacious to a fault. Which tells me that she'll give you a hell of a time regardless of how big the power gap between you two is."

She barked out a laugh. "I thought ya were tryin' to discourage me, not fire me up! That sounds like all kinds 'a fun!"

I leaned back on the wall and shrugged. "Well, far be it from me to try and stop you if you're that excited. Besides, she may be a friend of mine, but I'm not afraid to say that she needs a reality check now, before she gets to the point where it could do something irreversible to her."

"All righty!" She stuck the waffle in her mouth to crack her knuckles. "Been a while since I got the chance to knock some sense into an idiot like her."

I pointed a finger up. "However, I hope you know that if you end up actually killing her, intentionally or not…" I strode over to her and emphasized my height advantage to give her the coldest death stare I'd ever pulled. "I will hunt you down and stick your head on your own damn spear. Got that?"

She didn't even blink, returning fire with a smirk. "I'd like to see ya try, yankee."

We held our ground for a few moments, before a small smile of my own crept onto my face. "Gutsy little shit, aren'tcha?" I stepped back, returning to my leaning position. "Just try not to give her anything severe, and we'll be cool. If people start asking questions, I'm finding a way to screw you over, pronto."

The smirk turned impish as another bite disappeared down her throat. "No promises on that end, sorry, not sorry."

"Head on your own spear, Kyoka-Cola."

"Try it 'n see what happens."

"If I may…" Kyubey interjected in an attempt to move things along. "You should also know that there is another Magical Girl in this city."

That tidbit pulled her focus to the incubator. "Another one? Seriously? That's… what, four Magical Girls runnin' around in the same city?"

"Five, counting Mami Tomoe," he corrected.

"Right, yeah…" Another chomp while she processed that. "Sheesh. I knew this country had a rep fer bein' packed, but I didn't think it was this bad." Down the hatch the wad went. "Eh, whatever. She'll get hers if she wants it. So what's this other girl's story?"

The drone paused. "I'm not entirely sure about that."

Kyoko blinked. "Wait, what?" A few seconds of silence proved it wasn't lying. "Bullshit! If she's a Magical Girl, then that means she made a contract with ya at some point, right?"

"You could say yes," he responded. "You could also say no."

"Cut it out, Coobster," I called. "Nobody wants to hear that cryptic crap. Just give it to her straight."

"Yeah, what she said." Kyoko folded her arms. "Quit beatin' around the bush. What do ya know 'bout her?"

Kyubey considered the question for a moment before answering. "She's an abnormality in this world. I hardly know anything about her, outside the fact that she doesn't like me very much. Her capabilities are a complete mystery."

I decided it was high time to have some fun of my own. "Not to me." When their attention swapped to me, I plastered on a wide trollish grin. "But why would I tell you that? All it does for me is ruin the fun of watching you squirm. Besides, you'll find out for yourself in time."

Kyoko grumbled at the sudden power dynamic flip and took another bite before turning away. "Feh. Not like it matters, anyway. She ain't the one I got beef with."

"About that, actually," I interrupted. "You know your target? She's best friends with a girl who our mystery contractor seems to have a bit of an obsession for. Now I don't know this for sure, but I feel like if anything goes seriously wrong in your little duel, you could end up painting two separate targets on your back - one for me, and one for her." I turned my head to the side, looking at the distant hospital through my peripheral vision. "And what I am sure of, is that that's the last thing you want. If you were to try and fight her… you'd be dead before you even knew what hit you."

She didn't seem fazed at all, confidently smiling at the veiled threat. "Just 'cause ya lost to her doesn't mean I will."

I snorted. "Right. We'll see who's laughing after she hands your ass to you in the time it takes you to blink."

It was easy to tell that she thought I was bluffing as she chowed down again. "Whatever ya say, Audie. Just don't be too surprised when I send her packin'."

"Uh-huh, sure you will. Well, in any case, my work here is done." I pushed off the wall and started for the elevator, before I remembered something. "Actually, wait. One more thing." I changed my course, beelining for Kyubey, and snatched him off the ground when I got close enough.

It sighed. "Again with this?"

"Hey, if you don't want it to keep happening, then stop coming to see me." I approached the nearest wall.

"Uh…" Kyoko vocalized, obviously lost. "Mind tellin' me what the hell yer doin'?"

"This." I wound up, aiming for the glassless gap between the roof and the wall. "Bon voyage, dirtbag!" Off the body went, flying out of the tower to what would surely be a messy death at the hands of hard asphalt and terminal velocity.

Ding! Kyubey Owned Count: 11.

"What the-?!" The redhead dashed up to the wall, trying to spot the drone. A few seconds later, she was pointing her lance at me. "Audrey, what the fuck was that for?!"

I dusted my hands off, then turned back towards the elevator, completely ignoring her. "Oh, chill out, dickwad. He's got spares."

"What?"

"How many times have I told you to refrain from destroying my bodies?" As expected, another body appeared out of the elevator, strolling on up.

"Clearly not enough," I responded. "You ask me, you should just give up trying. Unless you have a way to press the undo button on what you've done, I doubt anything will make me keep my hands off you."

This sequence of events left Kyoko completely off-guard. "The fuck…? What the hell's goin' on here?!"

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over," I brushed off as I entered the elevator. "Remember, keep it above the belt, or else." I pushed the ground floor button and allowed the doors to slide shut, but not before getting in one last word to the white devil.

'If she asks about anything… confidential, deflect it. Revealing the truth now won't do any good.'

The last thing I saw before descending down was Kyoko dumbfoundedly gripping her spear (and her waffle, to the surprise of nobody), utterly blindsided by what she'd just witnessed.

...damn, seeing that look on her face is satisfying. Not so great being on the other side, is it, bitch? Heh.

A/N: I think I'll call it here. I need time to make the next entry a suitably big bang.

I bet you're all dying to know what Sayaka changed her original wish to, eh? Well, that'll be revealed at a later date. Maybe. I've dropped small, subtle hints here and there, so if you think you have a bit of an idea of what it could be, leave a review and tell me your prediction. If you get it right… I actually can't think of anything to give as a reward, besides confirmation that you were correct. And maybe bragging rights or something.

Honestly, Kyoko is just a blast to write for, and her banter with Audrey has quickly become a highlight of my experience with this project. Their dispositions allow them to bounce off each other extremely well, and what results is gold more often than not. I'm looking forward to depicting more of their interactions in the future.

In any case, I hope the buildup to the alleyway brawl will be worth it. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get back to the drafting board.

'Till next time, ya crazy kids!