Subaru: "So, Sayaka completed her wish, huh…"
Homura: "Yes, that is what I'm saying."
Subaru: "How long do you think she's got?"
Homura: "Days."
Subaru: "Hah. We'll see about that. Do you think I should go with her when she hunts witches?"
Homura: "Definitely. She is reckless and foolish, so she needs more brain power around her."
Subaru: "Phew, that's probably the one thing I've got going for me. Sounds like a done deal. "
Homura had just gotten home from… whatever she did, and confronted Subaru with that information. He couldn't really say it was sudden, but he did wonder what actually pushed her to make whatever wish she may have made.
Homura: "Hey, I have something for you. Take it, and don't worry about it, because it's for the benefit of everyone involved."
Subaru accepted the cell phone Homura offered to him. It didn't have anything but the stock settings and apps, but it was a veritable revolution for Subaru.
Subaru: "Wow, thank you. It would've taken me a long time to get one, even cheaper than this. Thank you very much."
Homura: "Everyone's contact information is in it. I'm sure you know not to use it arbitrarily. I trust you can judge when it's necessary to call whomever."
Subaru: "Yeah. Honestly, just this gives me a whole lot more power than I'm used to."
And it was true. Subaru's top weapons in his arsenal are his mind, and his friends. Being able to communicate at a distance like that would be a boon.
[Metia's were nice and all, but they were rare. Everyone has a cell phone nowadays, so I'll be able to call everyone.]
Subaru: "I'm gonna make my debut back into technology! By calling Sayaka. I'm gonna talk to her about going with her hunting witches."
Homura: "Good. Call me if you need me. I'm going to go to bed."
Subaru: "I'll be sure to. Goodnight."
Sayaka: "Hello?"
Subaru: "Hey, Sayaka. How are ya?"
Sayaka: "Uhm… I'm fine, what do you need Subaru?"
Subaru: "Imma just tell you that Homura told me that you became a magical girl. I hope that doesn't make you too unhappy."
Sayaka: "Ugh… well, she's right. Good thing I did too! I saved Madoka and Hitomi's ass today! Homura was late to the show, I don't think they would have made it if I didn't show up."
Subaru: "Well it's good you did then. I hope you're all okay. I was just wondering if you would let me join you hunting witches."
Sayaka: "Sure, the more the merrier. I hope Mami and the new girl can come too."
Subaru: "I'll have to ask about Mami, she may just be wanting to spend her time with Nagisa to mentor her. I'll see if Homura wants to come with though, I may catch her before she falls asleep."
Sayaka: "Eww, no, would you mind leaving her out? I don't think I could handle that bitch watching my every move."
[That's kind of what I'm trying to do, but I don't think you need to know that.]
Subaru: "Hah, I know what you mean, she can be fairly abrasive, but she's got a good heart in her, even if it's a little cold."
Sayaka: "I'm sure you believe that, but I just can't. Anyway, I'll let you come along, but please don't bring the transfer student with you."
Subaru: "Alright. When will you start hunting?"
Sayaka: "Probably tomorrow night. I'll let you know."
Subaru: "Nice, thanks for letting me join you. Now I'm sure both of us need to go to bed. Good night Sayaka."
Sayaka: "Goodnight."
Subaru: *yawn*
Subaru, however, didn't go to bed. He decided he wanted to see the stars. It was a relatively clear night, and if he got away from the city a little bit he could see them. He took public transport to the outskirts, and finally got to a spot on a hill where he could see the night sky.
?: "I see you still look like a cosplayer."
Subaru looked around and didn't see anyone.
Subaru: "Yeah, I'm a bit busy to be going clothes shopping right now."
Subaru was a little on edge about the voice that was talking to him from somewhere he couldn't see, but he thought he had heard it before.
?: "Seriously? How long has it been since we saw each other, you could've found something."
Subaru: "I don't have money, and I'm already using other people's kindness. I don't want to do that more than I currently am."
?: "Living off handouts? Hah."
Subaru: "She said it's mutually beneficial, and if what she says is true then it kind of is. I'll just have to see. And I would really like it if I could see you too instead of talking to this immaterial voice I'm hearing."
?: "Yo."
The girl emerged from her concealment and showed herself. Long flame red hair, blue jean shorts, tank top and green jacket.
Subaru: "I knew it. At the grocery store right?"
?: "Yep. Lord knows why you would want to work there."
Subaru: "I spent all that time explaining how I'm living off other people and you didn't connect the dots."
?: "But you just said it's mutually beneficial. Why do you need to work?"
Subaru: "I just don't need to be a burden to these people, okay!"
?: "What people? Your family, your friends?"
Subaru had to think about that one.
Subaru: "Hmmmm. Friends I guess. Friends I would put my life on the line for, just as they would for me."
?: "Hah. Lucky you. "
Subaru: "I am many things, but I don't think I'm lucky. Anyway, what are you here for?
?: "I'm out to be a delinquent, what else."
Subaru: "Hah, my delinquent days are far behind me. What made you become delinquent?"
?: "Family issues."
Subaru: "Are you sure it wasn't a wish?"
She was quiet for a while before she said:
?: "I don't know what you're talking about."
Subaru: "I've been stargazing, and so wishing has been on my mind a bit. Ya know, people wish on stars."
?: "Uh huh…"
Subaru: "What's your name? I know, you've gotta be an Astrea!"
?: "Astrea? What is that, something European? No, I'm Kyouko Sakura."
Subaru: "Yeah, I figured it wouldn't be. Just reminded me of someone."
The Astrea family of sword saints popped into his head when he saw this girl's hair. Reinhard, Heinkel, all of them had majestic flame red hair, and this girl's was almost like that, just longer.
Kyouko: "So, what's your name? Spit it out."
Subaru: "My name is Subaru Natsuki. You can just call me Subaru."
Kyouko: "Sure. No wonder you're stargazing, with a name like that."
Subaru: "You can definitely say I have a special connection. I should really be asleep right now, but I couldn't let a night like this go to waste, especially now that I'm back to see it."
Kyouko: "Were you somewhere that you couldn't?"
Subaru: "Yeah, it's a long story, but I haven't had a good stargazing opportunity for a long time. I'm glad I could see it in such a great place, and have somebody to talk about it with."
Kyouko: "See ya."
With that, the girl bounded away, into the dark of the mountain.
Subaru found his way back to Homura's apartment, and finally got himself his night of sleep.
Subaru: "Crap! I slept in!"
Subaru looked at the clock and it said eleven in the morning. It was almost noon, and he was just waking up. He didn't have anything he really needed to do at the time luckily, but it wasn't a good habit to have a bad sleep schedule.
[I gotta do some training. I might see if I can use magic now after being transported. I doubt it though. But definitely whip training and maybe using invisible providence without keeling over.]
Subaru walked to the park by the school again, hoping to maybe have some conversation with the girls while they were inside.
Subaru: [Hey Sayaka, you ready to go hunting tonight?]
Sayaka: [Hell yeah! Those witches don't stand a chance. The one I got last night was a piece of cake.]
Subaru: [Good. I'm gonna be training, you just keep up your schooling.]
Madoka: [Thanks for coming with Subaru! It would be a lot scarier if it was just Sayaka and I. It's good to have someone who can fight that isn't new to the job.]
Subaru could sense the nervous laughter through the telepathy. He seriously hoped that he could get Sayaka and Madoka through the coming trouble.
Subaru: "Damn!"
When Subaru tried magic, it still didn't work, just like it hadn't for the past year. He would have to make do with what he had. However, he still wanted more than just what he had now.
[I'll have to see what Homura has up her sleeve. Literally.]
Homura: [What do you need from my sleeve?]
Subaru: [Woah! You're scary, you know that?]
Homura: [I have heard it before. But what do you need?]
Subaru: [I need a weapon. My whip is fine for close range, and as a tool, but I need something to reach out and touch someone. Or, well, something hopefully. I'd like to not shoot people.]
Homura: [I'll see what I can do. Just keeping the phone on you is good enough. Don't get in over your head, you'll be killed with only Sayaka as backup.]
Subaru: [Yeah, I know. I've put your number on speed dial, since you can seemingly teleport when you want to.]
Homura: [Good call.]
Subaru: [I'm going to go see what Mami is up to now. Talk to you later.]
Subaru wondered what it was that Homura could in fact do. But that would be for later. Right now, he wanted to see the little cheese gremlin he had salvaged from despair. He went to Mami's apartment, and telepathically said:
[Hey, Mami, I'm coming up, better get ready!]
However, no one answered. Subaru thought maybe he just did the telepathy wrong, so he went to the unlocked door and walked in. Mami wasn't there, nor the gremlin, but there was in fact someone inside.
Subaru: "Wha-!"
Kyouko: "Don't move a muscle. What was that Subaru? You have the telepathy too? You aren't even a girl!"
Subaru: "Wait, you're a magical girl!?"
Kyouko quickly transformed and summoned a spear in front of his throat.
Kyouko: "You had better have a good excuse for coming here. Let's hear it."
Subaru noticed the fridge was open, and there was a piece of cheesecake on the table that looked like it was in the middle of being eaten.
Subaru: "Oh, I was just looking for a good cake. Ya know, Mami makes a really good New York cheesecake!"
Kyouko: "You and me both!"
Kyouko put the spear down and dragged him over to the kitchen.
Kyouko: "You should have some too, Subaru! I'll eat it if you don't."
Subaru: "Agh, alright, if you're forcing me to!"
Subaru joined Kyouko and helped himself to some of what was in Mami's fridge.
"I walk in, and here are two thieves helping themselves to the contents of my fridge."
Subaru/Kyouko: "They started it!"
Subaru: "You were here first, you already had the cheesecake out!"
Kyouko: "Don't make me push your head in, that's not how it went!"
All of a sudden, ribbons enveloped them both.
Subaru was sat in one chair, and Kyouko was sat across from him. Still in ribbons, of course.
Subaru: "Okay. So I came here to see the new girl. Where is she?"
Mami: "She is back at school again, she just started today. She was hoping to have that cheesecake when she got home."
Mami looked incredibly serious. As serious as when she was talking about wishes and being a magical girl to Madoka and Sayaka.
Subaru: "Uhmm I can make another one?"
Mami: "Get to it."
Subaru: "Yes sir!"
Subaru did a salute and marched into the kitchen, starting on the replacement cheesecake.
Mami: "So, Kyouko, what happened? You suddenly come back after all that happened? Why?"
Kyouko: "I just felt like you had died, I wanted to be sure. I'm glad you haven't.
Mami: "Thank you, I guess…"
Kyouko: "Mmm.. yeah."
Mami: "It has been a while, hasn't it?"
Kyouko: "It has, it has… What have you been up to?"
The conversation was awkward. Kyouko wasn't really expecting to see Mami. She had thought she would've kicked the bucket by now the way she lives, but here she was.
Mami: "Oh, you might've figured out from the conversation with Subaru that I have a new kouhai."
Kyouko: "So am I not your kouhai anymore?"
Mami: "You can be. That's up to you."
Kyouko: "I think my training days are done, frankly. Glad to be back though."
Mami: "How do you know Subaru anyway? I didn't know you two had met."
Kyouko: "I was going to ask the same of you. I just met him at a store one day, and last night saw him stargazing on a mountain."
Mami: "Well, for me, I first saw him in a labyrinth, fighting familiars. If I hadn't gotten there, he and some other people wouldn't have survived. He's a… interesting fellow. I think you'll have to have him tell that story to you."
Kyouko: "Yeah, he is… but he's way too hard on himself. Almost pathetically."
Mami: "He works and fights hard enough. I don't know why he would be… He did live with me for a little bit, but with Nagisa here now, he moved in with someone else. But that's enough of that, you should eat something that is actually good for you.
Subaru: "Okay, I got it made, Mami. I think I'm gonna hit the road now."
Mami: "Alright, take care Subaru."
[Aghh, that was not how I wanted that to go, but I'm glad Mami is getting Nagisa back to normal.]
Subaru made his way back home to meet Homura before going out to hunt witches with Sayaka.
Subaru: "So, what've you got Homura- woah!"