CHAPTER 10: Monday
'Dear Sayaka:
I sincerely apologize.
I have deceived you. For the last few weeks, I have been secretly visiting Kyosuke Kamijo at the hospital. To that, I confess.
That anonymous confession note I briefly discussed with you and Madoka, I had reason to think that it might have been from Kyosuke. But before I told you two about it, I tried to investigate my suspicions of its source on my own.
But I admit, I only did so because I had already developed my own feelings for him. And my continued hospital visits have since convinced me: I am in love with Kyosuke, and I intend to tell him that soon.
I regret that you found out about it the way you did.'
"No. That won't do." Hitomi crumpled up the note, and tossed it in the trash. On second thought, a note just seemed too cold and formal. She at least owed Sayaka a face-to-face explanation. If ever she could work up the nerve to do it.
Hitomi checked tomorrow's itinerary on her phone. School, piano lessons and a visit from her grandmother. A busy day, with no room for distraction. Things between her and Sayaka were going to just have to keep being distant and awkward, at least until she thought of what she really needed to say. "Father, could you please drive me to school again tomorrow?"
"Don't you ever sleep?" Sayaka asked Miss Jones. It was just before sunrise Monday. Sayaka was preparing to go on her day-long stakeout of the hospital.
"Don't need to. It's not as much a biological necessity for our species as it is for yours." Miss Jones was occupied with work on the Soul Gem microwave. "But I did take a bit of uhhhhh… 'Power nap' recently."
"What are you doing now?" Sayaka peeked over Miss Jones's shoulder.
"Putting in a higher capacity voltage regulator. And installing a redundant fail safe to back it up. Can never implement too many extra safety measures. Especially when microwaving eggs on high so long."
"Welp, I'm off to protect the hospital." Sayaka slung a duffel bag behind her back.
"Got everything you need for the mission?"
"I've got a phone, a couple of Homura's extra bombs, and that gas mask in case I need to hide my real face again."
"What about refreshments?"
"I've still got your pills in my pocket."
"No that won't do." Miss Jones rolled her chair over to one of the circular indents on the wall, and opened it. "The pills are for a pinch. Here's a wrapped sandwich and some nacho cheese-flavored chips. Not much, but at least you can eat something real." She tossed them over to Sayaka.
"What about Homura?" Sayaka asked. "Is she gonna help me out today?"
"She suggested it would be more prudent to keep tabs on Mami Tomoe directly. I agreed. Covers as many bases as we can." Miss Jones rolled her chair back over to the microwave. "But she does send her regards, and isn't against the idea of coming to your rescue if you're in a pinch."
"I Won't bother her." Sayaka sighed as she stepped towards the TARDIS exit door. "I'm off."
"Oh! Wait! Before I forget…" Miss Jones rolled over and opened another indent. "Reconfigured it for healing human cells, whatever the ailment. Go ahead and use it on your boy while you're there."
"You mean it? You want me to use it on Kyosuke?"
"I still want you to give your healing magic another shot." Miss Jones leaned back in her chair. "But I've been thinking more about that first day at the mall food court… When the bunnycat had expressed his opinion of you. According to Homura, you have never made a contract for any reason other than for your boy. If we nip that situation in the bud, it should eliminate your counterpart as an 'X' Factor and allow us to focus our full attention on protecting the young Miss Kaname. At least for the time being."
"What if I go and wish to make him my boyfriend?"
"Would you really do that? Be that selfish?"
"I wouldn't. But she ..." Sayaka looked down. "She's found out about Hitomi's crush. She might be bitter enough to take the bait."
"Perhaps his 'miraculous' recovery will let everyone involved take a step back and reevaluate the whole situation." She hunched forward in her chair and smiled. "Oh. There I go again being the silly optimist again."
It was just prior to dawn. The area around the hospital was serene, birds chirping in the sky above and bugs clicking on the ground below. Sayaka couldn't remember the last time she was awake enough to catch a morning sunrise. But today, she didn't have time for such an indulgence. She began her search in the bicycle parking area, the very spot she had first sighted the Grief Seed that spawned the deadly witch. "Crap. Too early. It's not around yet." She nervously muttered. Sayaka looked up at the hospital building, and felt for the syringe in her bag. For now, she decided, Kyosuke and his hand had to wait their turn. Finding and preemptively disposing of the witch before it hurt anyone, took priority.
Her Soul Gem's light fluttered. It had sensed something that was close. Sayaka's own body went very tense, she nervously bit her lip, and changed into her magical girl form. She then proceeded towards the building's anterior entrance.
As she walked, the hallway in front of her began to wind and twist. "Huh? Is this it?" Sayaka's heart skipped a beat. With her cape, she covered her eyes as a flash of light completely encapsulated the world around her. A rainbow of sparkling colors and light hailed down from above.
"Wait a minute," Sayaka stopped in place while she surveyed the nascent labyrinth around her. "This isn't right." A cadre of colored mannequins under dull yellow spotlights danced in place around where she was standing, seeming not to pay Sayaka's presence any particular mind. "This isn't the witch I'm after. But-"
She still recognized the creatures as familiars she had encountered before. Back from the world she fled, she had killed some strays near the top of a nearby building. They didn't pose any sort of real threat at the time, but by that point in her magical girl life she had run away from all her friends and all her problems, that all she remembered was aimlessly shambling around, looking for something to mindlessly bash away her frustrations. By that point, she had run herself so ragged in those dark days that by the end of it, she could barely fight with any coordination.
"Gotta get a rematch in first, huh? Fine then," Sayaka searched through her bag, pulled out the gas mask Homura lent her, and put it on. Couldn't take the chance of allowing Kyubey or any other unexpected intruders to see her real face. "I'm game."
The mannequin familiars twirling around were still completely ignorant of her presence, content to spin in place. Sayaka drew her swords and charged forward. She sliced and diced the familiars into pieces, theorizing that her rampant acts of mayhem might draw the main witch out, if it were somewhere close.
"Ow!" Sayaka suddenly crashed flat onto her face. An odd bump on the floor had tripped her up mid-run. Sayaka gathered her wits, crawled over and examined the culprit. It was a girl, with long white hair, and a pair of twin pigtails sticking from the sides of her head.
Sayaka checked the girl's wrist. Her pulse was weaker, but the girl was definitely alive. "Hey! Wake up! This place is really really dangerous!" The girl was dressed rather oddly, with a brown hat over her head that featured cat-like ears and fluffy balls attached to strings on each side. She was wearing a salmon-colored cape jacket with two red buttons and white fur along the garment's edges. It was held together by a pair of brown suspenders that attached to a pair of bloomers on her hips. Just below her belly button rested a white, candy-shaped jewel. Indeed, it was a shimmering, white jewel. To Sayaka this could only mean that this girl was another magical girl. Her young face looked familiar, but in the rush to help her, Sayaka didn't think to pinpoint where she'd seen it before.
"Eh… Whaaaaaa… ?" The girl softly whispered.
"How'd you get here?" Sayaka delicately asked with an eye on their surroundings.
"The little animal… Where'd he go?"
"Animal?"
"He's small and he's white, and he's got this big long tail and red eyes." She could have only been describing Kyubey. This girl was definitely another magical girl.
"How could he leave you in here like this?"
"The animal said…" The young lady slowly sat up. "He said I wasn't strong enough to fight it, so I went inside on my own." She staggered. "'Cause I wanted to make her grateful. But I… I got really scared and I passed out."
"I've gotta get you outta here." Sayaka helped the girl get to her feet.
"No!" The girl protested. "I haveta make her grateful!" She angrily stomped her heel.
The dancing mannequins slowly retreated from view. A large, deformed dog, with a misshapen plastic doll for a tail, and a cupcake frosting-esque pink head trotted nearby, its head to the floor, a nose protruding just far enough out from its frosting head to sniff the ground. This had to be the witch, Sayaka judged.
"Take my hand." Sayaka commanded the girl.
"Scaaaaaary!" The fearful young girl latched onto Sayaka's waist.
"I gotta fight it."
"Alone?"
"Yeah." Sayaka conjured another sword. "It's what I do."
"Are you a magical girl too?"
"Yes I am." Sayaka bravely swallowed.
"Let Nagisa help! Let Nagisa help! Please! Please! Please!" The little girl insisted with a pesky obstinance that rang all too familiar. Her childish temper tantrum caused the canine witch to lurch its malformed head in their direction. It growled and positioned its legs for a full-force charge.
"Fine, you can help. On the count of three, we're going to run right at it. You got a weapon of some kind?"
"Weapon?"
"I use swords. Don't you have anything you can fight witches with?"
"Uhhhh..." The canine angrily barked out a warning. "Never fought a witch before."
"Take one of mine." She conjured another blade and handed it to the girl. "When I let go of your hand, I'll charge faster and go for its head, you follow with a swing for the body. Like swinging at a ball. Can you do that?"
She unconfidently nodded. "Okay."
"One… Two…" The canine abruptly rushed right at them at full speed. "Crap!"
Sayaka and the little girl panickedly dropped their swords, whipped around and ran in the opposite direction. "New plan! See that bag over there? Let's grab it!" Sayaks grabbed her wrist and they made a quick turn for the bag and scooped it up as they fled. Sayaka took out one of Homura's bombs, twisted the cap, and armed it with a hard tap against her hip.
"W- What's that? The girl panted out in a frantic breath.
"A little bone for the doggie." Sayaka set it to detonate. "I'm gonna swing you in front of me… Now!" The creature lunged at them just as Sayaka had tossed the bomb over her shoulder and straight in its face. The pouncing canine witch instinctively chomped the device, causing it to explode a scant second too early. A fragment of the bomb casing shot its way into Sayaka's shoulder.
"Guaaaahhh!" She screamed as she put her own body between the young girl and the explosion. They locked arms, hit the floor and rolled away as the labyrinth around them dissolved away.
"You're hurt!" The girl helped Sayaka get back up. "Nagisa will go find the Doc-"
"I'm fine." Sayaka grabbed the girl's arm and took a moment to catch her breath. "My magical power is healing fast. See?" A pattern of musical notes formed around the wound as the damaged tissues regrew. "All better!" Though she was still feeling the lingering pain, as she still couldn't recall how she'd previously figured how to block that sensation out. Sayaka slid her gas mask over her hair.
The girl gazed at her face. "Why were you wearing that?"
"It's because…" Sayaka blushed. "I'm trying to hide from that- What'd you call him? That 'white animal'. From Kyubey."
"Ohhhhhhh! Him! Why?"
"Because he- How can I say this?" Sayaka bent down to meet the girl at her eye level. "He doesn't really care about what happens to us magical girls. He just cares that we do what he wants us to do."
"Oh." The young girl nodded. "You're hiding so you can be free!"
"Yeah. I suppose you can put it that way." Sayaka pulled the gas mask off her head. She walked down the hallway and retrieved the Grief Seed. "Did that animal- errrr, did Kyubey at least explain to you what's important about these things? Grief Seeds?"
"They…" The young girl inched closer. "Do something magical?" Either Kyubey hadn't told her, or she plum forgot.
"They restore a magical girl's magic." Sayaka changed out of her magical girl form and stuffed the gas mask into her duffel bag. Her disguised face replaced her real one.
"Ohhhh! Your face is different again! What face is the real one?"
"My other one. This one's for hiding from him too."
"Ohhhhhh!" The girl tugged Sayaka's shirt. "That's good. The other face was better."
"Huh, thanks." Sayaka blushed. "Hey, you said your name's 'Nagisa'... What's your full name?"
"Nagisa..." The young girl's voice softly trailed. "Momoe."
"I'm Sayaka. Sayaka Miki." Sayaka bent down and held out the Grief Seed. "Can I see your Soul Gem for a quick sec?"
Nagisa changed out of her magical girl form in a white flash. Her normal school uniform belonged to that of a nearby elementary school. "Why do you want to see it?"
"So I can see how much magic you've still got." Nagisa reluctantly transmuted the ring on her hand into her Soul Gem. "Thank you."
The Soul Gem was a very cloudy shade of white, with a swirling black mass of darkness surrounding its core. It looked eerily similar to how Sayaka's own gem looked when she had first fought the dog witch's minions. Not a good sign, she knew. "Have you ever used a Grief Seed before?" Nagisa shook her head. "How long ago did you become a magical girl?"
"Last night." Nagisa tiptoed backward. "Was it?"
"What? You really don't know for sure?" Sayaka wondered. The young girl shook her head again. Still, if she'd never fought a battle nor used a Grief Seed, Sayaka speculated, it couldn't have been that long ago. So why was this girl's magic already so spent? Something didn't quite add up. Sayaka carefully inched the Grief Seed toward Nagisa's Soul Gem.
"What are you doing?" Nagisa reflexively tugged it away.
"I'm going to purify it." Sayaka assured her. "Your Soul Gem looks like it's near its limit. If you don't use a Grief Seed, you're going to-" Sayaka paused.
"Die?" Nagisa finished. "I'm a bad girl." Her eyes slunked to the floor. "Maybe it wouldn't be bad if I died."
"You don't really mean that!" Sayaka took her shoulder. "Do you?"
"Yeeesss!" Tears swelled in Nagisa's eyes as she swallowed her exasperated breath. "I hate her! She doesn't want me! She's always ignoring me and pushing me and hurting me! She hates me and I hate her back!"
"Who hates you?" Sayaka gently rolled up Nagisa's shirt sleeves. There were purple marks up her forearm and upper arm. They appeared to be half-healed bruises. "Wh- Who did this to you?"
"My momma."
"Just because she hurt you, that doesn't make you a bad girl!"
Nagisa took a step back. "But I am a bad girl. I am. I knew I could have made her better, but decided I wouldn't do that."
"Made her better? Are you talking about your wish?" Nagisa nodded. "Is your mom somewhere in this place?" Nagisa nodded again. "Will you take me to see her? Please?" She reached out her hand to take Nagisa's.
"Why?"
"I want to see her. Would that be okay?" Nagisa reluctantly clutched Sayaka's hand.
They walked onwards from hallway to hallway, until they reached the hospice wing. It was still plenty dark outside. As if the witch had scared the Sun away from rising.
"This one." Nagisa whispered and led Sayaka to a critical care room. "She's going to die soon. Because I didn't wish for it, my mom is going to die." Her mother was lying unconscious in bed inside.
"What did you really wish for?"
"A cheesecake."
"What?"
"For my mom." Nagisa pointed to a cheesecake on a plate on the table next to her. It had only been bitten into a single time. "The world's tastiest cheesecake." She repeated, "For my mom."
Sayaka picked up the clipboard that was hanging beside the door, she turned her phone on and tried to read through it. Sometimes she'd read a page through Kyosuke's chart while she was waiting for him to invite her inside. She didn't understand most of the medical terms, but it kept her brain occupied. Although she did absorb just enough to know that the doctors were not expecting Kyosuke's hand to ever recover.
"How long ago did your mom…" Sayaka tried to sound delicate with her words. "Start hurting you?"
"After she married my Papa. After she got sick." Nagisa whispered.
"Your Dad? What happened to him?" Sayaka squinted at the woman's patient history on the paper. 'Initial diagnosis: schizo...' The glow of her phone provided insufficient light to read.
"He was working all the time. Came home late lotsa times. Came here sometimes. Then one day he stopped coming here. Then after that he stopped coming home too."
"Do you have a brother or sister or anyone else in your family?" Nagisa shook her head. She was all alone. 'The first diagnosis was... in err...' Sayaka could just barely make out what was on the paper. 'Verified Diagnosis:… Glioblas…" She couldn't quite make out that last word nor was she sure what it meant. "Condition: Terminal." But she certainly knew what that word meant.
"Nagisa? Nagisa?" Her mother softly spoke as she pained to open her eyes. "Are you there? It's so dark I can't tell." Nagisa didn't reply at all. Sayaka stepped behind a curtain and covered her phone.
"Call a doctor…" She struggled to say. "Some…" Her eyes closed. "... Monster hurt me." Sayaka inched a little closer. There was a very faint mark on her neck. Could the mark have been a witch's kiss? Sayaka presumed that was the case, but the light was too dim, and the mark too faint for Sayaka to know with certainty.
Sayaka sympathetically took Nagisa's hand. "Would you mind if I tried something... On her?" She whispered into Nagisa's ear. Nagisa gripped Sayaka's hand more firmly, a sign she took to mean consent. "I don't know if I can do much for her." She formed her blue Soul Gem in her hand and tried her best to focus. Using her magic to try to free her Mom from the late witch's influence was the least she could do for her, she figured.
"... Pure white… And its mouth was torn…" Her mother rambled inaudibly. The mark on her neck faded, then vanished. Sayaka's token gesture appeared to have worked. Her Mother immediately passed out.
"You don't have to stay." Nagisa choked. "It won't be long." She released her grip. Her dullened eyes resigned to watch her Mom wither and die alone.
"You shouldn't have to go through this alone." Sayaka assuaged. "Nobody should."
"I could have helped her. Made her all better. But I didn't do that." Nagisa repeated. "I wanted to kill that witch so it wouldn't kill my Mom. So then I would have her cake. Because I wanted her to regret it! Regret hurting me!" Nagisa looked away from her Mom in shame. "I'm a bad girl who deserves to die." She choked. "Leave me alone!"
"She-" Sayaka stopped and started. "Your name. She called out your name. She cried out for help. From you. Would a mom who hates her girl do that at the very end? Do you think?"
"She doesn't have anybody else." Nagisa dismissed.
"Would a bad girl stay here with her when there's no one else?" Sayaka took a small step closer to Nagisa. "You could have left, like your Dad left."
"Because I hate her and wanted her to know I hate her! I'm bad! I was gonna do the bad thing!" Nagisa choked.
"If you really hated her, you could've just let the witch get her." Sayaka slowly hugged the girl around her back. "When the people I knew best needed me the most, I ran away." Sayaka choked. "I was the one who did the bad thing. And every moment in my life since then I've been trying to live that down." Sayaka wiped a tear clouding her eye. "But you didn't run. You stayed. You tried. Then you let me meet her. Would a bad girl do any of those things?" She smiled.
Nagisa's swollen eyes met Sayaka's tearing eyes.
"Would a bad girl be crying about taking her mom's cheesecake?" Sayaka slowly pitched a smile. "Do you think?"
"Nooooo," Nagisa conceded.
"You see? You're a good girl." Nagisa clung more firmly to Sayaka's body, her face digging into her stomach. "Will you let me help again?" Sayaka requested. Nagisa clutched her tighter, her tears sopping through Sayaka's shirt. "Show me your Soul Gem. Please?"
Nagisa's gem formed in her hand, still clinging on behind Sayaka's back. Sayaka cautiously pried the Soul Gem from her hand, then took the Grief Seed from out of her pocket. The Soul Gem was nearly pitch black, only glints of Nagisa's soul inside shining through. Sayaka mindfully tapped the two objects together. The dark black corruption drained gradually from out of the Soul Gem and into the Grief Seed.
"There you go." Sayaka slipped it back into Nagisa's hand. "Do you mind if I tried one more thing?" Sayaka turned her head. "On your Mom?" Nagisa released her stomach from her clutches. Sayaka formed her Soul Gem in her hand one more time, and held it above the woman's chest.
"What are you going to do?" Nagisa asked, a glint of hope had returned in her eyes.
"I can- uh..." Sayaka paused, trying to think of how to explain. "I… Think I might also have the ability to use my healing power on others, but I don't know how I'm supposed to do it. I need to practice. Would you mind if I tried it on her?"
"I won't stop you." Nagisa calmly backed away and sat down.
"Thanks."
Sayaka closed her eyes and stood focused, trying to focus on her task. She had just met this young girl. She didn't know this woman. She was seriously doubting if this woman was even worth the effort of saving. But her conscience absolutely insisted that she had to try. More lives than this person's could depend on her success.
"Food." Nagisa interrupted.
"Huh?" Sayaka opened an eye.
"Can Nagisa eat these?" Nagisa had been ferrying through Sayaka's duffel bag. She had found the sandwich and chips.
"That's fine. Eat up." Sayaka still had the pills. Nagisa dove right in, taking the cheese out of the sandwich and scarfing it first. Then helped herself to the cheese-flavored nachos.
Sayaka refocused her concentration on Nagisa's Mother. She tried to think of positive thoughts and memories. Perhaps that was the key to it, she believed. So she tried thinking of her happiest times, playing games with Madoka. Of that one time she made a half-court shot in gym class. Of her first day at the beach, staying at her aunt's inn. She popped one eye open and peeked down. None of it seemed to be having an effect.
"Your Soul Gem," Nagisa interrupted again. "It's cloudy too!" She pointed at it.
"Hmm. A little bit, yeah." Sayaka pulled it away. "I did spend some magic in that battle." It wasn't in nearly as bad a condition as Nagisa's was, but it still had a visible buildup of darkness. Perhaps her Soul Gem needed to be fully restored, she reasoned, before she could attempt to heal another. "In that bag. Left side pocket. There's another Grief Seed." It was the Grief Seed Mami had offered to share after she finished off the garden witch, though Sayaka had intended to save it for an emergency. "Bring it over here. Please." This situation was close enough.
Nagisa walked it over to her. "I purified yours. You wanna try it on mine?" She offered.
"O- Okay. Nagisa climbed out of the chair, and shuffled over. She slowly reached out to touch Sayaka's gem with the Grief Seed. Quickly the buildup swirled out of Sayaka's Soul Gem and into the Seed. Its restorative ability was now completely used up.
"Thanks," She smiled. Sayaka turned her focus back to Nagisa's Mother. She breathed in and out slowly, meditatively. Nagisa stood silently at her side.
She tried to think of the warmth and pride she felt when helping others. She thought back to that afternoon she put those bandages on Homura's arm. She thought back to all the times she helped Miss Jones procure items to repair her ship. She even tried to think all the way back to her debut outing as a magical girl, when she saved Madoka and Hitomi from a witch. But it still didn't seem to do anything for the woman on the bed.
"Now you're hungry." Nagisa interrupted a third time. "Your stomach's all noisy."
"Did you eat all those chips?" Nagisa nodded. "You ate the whole sandwich too?" She nodded again. "Yeah. Okay." Sayaka rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index finger. "There's a row of snack machines down in the lobby." She walked over to her bag and zipped open the right side pocket. "In the lobby, on the far left side, one of the snack machines sells some healthy snack bars." She fished out some money and then slid another item up her sleeve. "Get me two triple chocolate bars. Or if there aren't any more of those, get the raspberry flavored bars. Can you do that for me real quick?" Nagisa eagerly nodded her head. Sayaka dropped the money in her hand and watched her trot down the hallway.
"A nice kid, but geez, she's really gotta learn to read the mood." Sayaka sighed and walked back inside. "That'll keep it quiet in here for a few minutes at least."
She held her Soul Gem over the woman's sleeping body one more time. She thought of whatever else she could use that might instigate her healing magic. She thought back to all the times her mood was lightened listening to music in her room. How enlivening each symphony of Beethoven was. She thought of all the shopping trips she took with Madoka and Hitomi, oh what a simpler world that was. She even tried to think back to her first magical girl transformation, and how ecstatic she was jumping off rooftops, feeling like the sky was the limit now that she had the power to protect the world.
Sayaka lightly felt the woman's pulse. She was alive, but her breathing was still heavy and strained. She was running out of time. The Sun had finally peaked above the buildings outside, its morning light propagating throughout the room. Someone was bound to check in on this woman in due course, and be alarmed at the sight of a strange teenager standing over her.
The item she was hiding up her sleeve slid down into her hand. The syringe of nanogenes Miss Jones gave to her. "This is stupid. Kyosuke needs this. Why am I doing this?" She took the cover off the needle. "This is stupid. Kyoko should come and kick my ass!" She pressed the needle against Nagisa's Mother's chest. "This is stupid. Homura should shoot me right now!" She looked away and stuck the needle downward. "This is stupid. Dammit I'm so stupid!" The syringe emptied its contents into her body. "I did it again. Wasted a miracle on somebody else." She flipped the needle into the bag, then wiped her tears with her sleeve. She checked on her Soul Gem, somehow it shined as brightly as when it was first forged. She stood above her silently for a full minute. Then she let out a single, long, decompressive sigh.
"Oh, my… This is quite the unexpected development." The air she'd just exhaled she abruptly sucked right back in.
"You!" Sayaka furiously shot around and stared at Kyubey. "You… You set her up to fail, didn't you?"
"I presume, by the body you stand next to, that you are referring to one Nagisa Momoe, correct?" Kyubey jumped into view atop the balcony railing outside the window. "I had advised that she did not physically have the strength to defeat that witch, but she chose to proceed anyway. In fact, I was on my way to find another magical girl in this vicinity when I sens-"
"That isn't what I meant! She's what? Seven? Eight? Maybe nine years old!" Sayaka stomped her foot in protest.
"Physical age of the subject is not a determinant factor considered when finding magical girl candidates. Indeed, speaking relatively with regards to the human biological aging process, you and Nagisa Momoe are both in the second stage of development. Basically you are the same."
"You set her up to fail!" Sayaka whipped open the curtain. "Just like you set me up to fail!"
"A curious accusation to make, considering I have no memory of ever making you a magical girl, 'Saya Otonashi'." Kyubey tilted his head to the side. "I do, however, recognize that this appearance of yours is a fabrication. It would not be illogical to conclude that your name is false as-"
"Bastard!" Sayaka snapped. "If you already scouted us, and knew we were going to be crap at this, why would you want to make us magical girls in the first place?"
"You girls had a wish you desired to be granted. And so we grant them. In exchange you must fight witches." Kyubey's eyes glowed as he tilted his head to the other side. "Though I am curious as to how you are aware that there is a selection process, seeing as we do not reveal ourselves to you until the proper-"
"Shut up! Admit it!" Sayaka was riled up now. "You don't care about us at all! You just want these Grief-..." Sayaka suddenly realized she couldn't move. Her eyes were locked onto Kyubey's cold unflinching gaze.
"I am telepathically asserting control over your body, overriding you Soul Gem's control of it. Acting in such an arbitrary manner would normally be considered a serious transgression of my protocols with regards to how I am supposed to interact with humans. But in my judgement, the rather unusual circumstances of your existence justify such a measure." Sayaka couldn't feel the Soul Gem in her hand. She heard it drop to the floor.
Kyubey kept his eyes fixed upon her as she witnessed her own hand slowly slide the door open, letting him inside. He leapt in, then lightly stepped his paw on top of her gem, just as he did that terrifying night in her bedroom. Sayaka collapsed instantly onto the floor, her eyes frozen open, staring at Kyubey and her gem mere centimeters in front of her face.
"No! Get out!" She tried to reassert control of her body to no avail.
"I see… An image of myself standing before you as you agreed to make a contract. I recognize it as the top of this very building. Yet I do not remember making such a contract in such a manner. To verify its authenticity, I will need to see into a memory that is much more intense." The blue light from Sayaka's Soul Gem flickered and fluttered, her very soul trying desperately to resist his grasp.
"Getoutgetoutgetoutgetout!" Sayaka tried thinking of classical songs, of the plots of movies she'd seen, of the catchphrases of her favorite magical heroes on TV, of even the most boring lessons in school, she tried anything that would stymie Kyubey's mental invasion.
"I see you are fighting a witch now." Kyubey was diving further into her memories. "You attempted an all-out frontal attack with your weapon. Its counter attacks are piercing directly into your body, but you are ignoring the physical damage as you strike. It seems you discovered a method to block out the pain that you should be feeling from such wounds." Kyubey rubbed his paw over Sayaka's Soul Gem. "But these sensations are merely disregarded. If the experience were truly real, then the pain of the battle should still exist as raw information stored within you." Instantly, the pain she should have felt during that battle overwhelmed her senses.
Her arm felt twisted! Her whole gut felt impaled! Her face felt slashed! Her collar felt broken! And the worst part was, she still could not move or react. " Stopitstopitstopitstopitstopit! " Her desperate plea went unheeded. The tortuous pain was too intense now to think of anything else that could stop him.
"I see. The pain is real." Kyubey wagged his tail around. "That proves these memories of yours are definitely genuine." Kyubey's cold, unchanging stare flashed in her mind. "Now then, show me." He commanded. "Show me a memory where you are addressed by name. Show me a memory that features your reflection. Show me your true identity."
"Animal! You leave her alone!" Nagisa's voice shouted from the doorway. Kyubey's surprised gaze turned toward Nagisa and his cat-like paw slipped off of Sayaka's gem. With but a moment to spare, Sayaka alertly snatched her Gem away and regained control of her body.
"You really wanna get a hold of a Grief Seed so much…" Sayaka reached into her pocket. "Then take it!" She jammed the sharp, pointed end of the Grief Seed directly into Kyubey's right eye. She grabbed Kyubey by the tail, jumped to her feet, and tossed him out the balcony with all her angry might.
"You killed him!" Nagisa watched his flight to the streets below.
"He comes back." Sayaka slid the balcony door closed and caught her breath. "Unfortunately."
"He was trying to hurt you, wasn't he?" Nagisa said. "I knew there was something bad about him!"
"We've gotta go." Sayaka grabbed the duffel bag.
"What about my Mom?" Nagisa asked.
"He's not interested in her, don't worry."
"No! I don't mean that!" She took her hand. "Did you fix her?"
Sayaka glanced at the empty syringe in the bag. "Yeah. She's gonna make it." She zipped the bag closed. "She's going to be all better soon."
"Where can we go?" Nagisa wondered as they scrambled into the hallway.
"I'm not sure. Let me think for a sec." She knew they had to go somewhere Kyubey couldn't pull another stunt like that. She considered retreating back to the TARDIS, but that would mean calling off the search for the witch that was going to kill Mami.
"There's a few people in the lobby." Nagisa said. "The Animal always talked to me when I was alone. He never showed when there were people around."
"Good idea." Sayaka agreed. He wouldn't dare try another such stunt with potential witnesses. A public spot would have to serve as their refuge for the time being.
"Hey, Sayaka!" Kyoko shouted into the bathroom as she straightened the red bowtie in the mirror. "Check it out! You and I are the same size!"
"What are you doing in my school clothes?" Sayaka popped out of the bathroom, still wearing her pajamas while brushing her teeth.
"I was just curious." Kyoko tossed her hair back as she checked her reflection. "Besides, you took my clothes away."
"Because they've gotta be washed!" Sayaka rubbed her eyes exasperatedly. "They flippin' reeked." She tossed a bottle of shampoo Kyoko's way. "And you don't smell too great yourself, to be frank."
"You try livin' a night in the wild and coming out smellin' like roses!" Kyoko huffed.
"What about your family?" Sayaka asked. "Where are they?"
"Gone." Kyoko replied, crossing her arms.
"To where?" Sayaka followed up.
"Does it matter?" Kyoko grouchily replied. "They're gone."
"Well if you're going to crash here," Sayaka sensibly shifted the subject. "You're going to have to at least try to keep clean. Have you ever washed your own clothes before?"
"Down by the river."
"Okay. I mean have you ever used a washing machine?"
Kyoko simply shook her head.
"Then I'll teach you when I get home from school." Sayaka looked at the time on the wall clock. "Now will you take that off? It's my last clean uniform and I'm already running late!"
"Fiiiiiiiiine." Kyoko swiftly slipped the shirt off her body and the skirt down her legs. Sayaka looked the other way in embarrassment. "What am I gonna to wear until then?"
Sayaka slid her closet door open. She hastily tossed Kyoko a pair of blue overalls and a red striped T-shirt.
"Will it fit?"
"Sure will. If you're right and we're exactly the same size." Sayaka rapidly put her school clothes on.
"Hey! We're going Witch huntin' after that, right?"
"Huh?"
"You said at the schoolyard at lunch that you'd go with me on a Witch hunt!"
"Sorry. Sorta slipped my mind a little." Sayaka checked her appearance in the mirror. "I've had some other stuff bugging me."
"You want me to rough her up for ya'?" Kyoko grinned.
"What?"
"That two-timin' friend of yours. I can get her out of the way if you want me to. That's what you're thinking about, right? Call it a favor between magical girls. Or, a magical girl, and a rookie-to-be."
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that." Sayaka packed her book bag. "Look, they scheduled a sudden practice today, but I'll go on that Witch hunt afterwards, if you really, really need me with you."
"Tch. I was jokin'." Kyoko grunted.
"There's a DS in that desk drawer. Don't erase my save. Or you can watch TV." Sayaka stepped out the door. "Just… Leave Hitomi for me to worry about. Please?"
"Fine. Whatever." Kyoko shrugged. "Meh."
"And go take a bath!" She pleaded as the door slammed closed. Kyoko reluctantly sniffed herself as she splayed her body onto the bedspread.
"... Woah!" She sniffed again. "Mmmmmaybe I should."
"Good morning, Sayaka Miki." Kyubey was waiting for her atop a bicycle rack outside her apartment.
"Uh, morning Kyubey." Sayaka slung her bag around her shoulder.
"Sayaka, do you by any chance happen to have a sister in your family?" Kyubey asked.
"Nope. I'm an only child." Sayaka looked back up towards her room window. "And real thankful for that."
"Your parents did not have children before they paired?"
"They've been friends since middle school. They never dated anyone else. Why are you asking me?"
"A desire to get to know you better." Kyubey glanced to the skyscrapers downtown then leapt off the bicycle rack.
Sayaka slipped between two cars, checked for cars in both directions, then cut across the street. "This kind of street crossing is generally considered by your society to be inconsiderate and unsafe." Kyubey pointed out as he trotted along at her side.
"I know." Sayaka ducked into a construction area. "But if I'm late again, Miss Jones is going to make me her personal punching bag for the rest of the month. I just know it."
Sayaka crunched herself between a pair of close-together buildings, barely squeezing through the gap between them. Kyubey squeezed in just behind her, as effortlessly as if he had maneuvered himself in this manner many times prior. "Have you decided on your wish yet?"
"Yeah. I wish you'd stop asking me." Sayaka suddenly stopped walking, turned and looked at Kyubey. "That's not my wish. That was a joke!"
"That, I inferred." Kyubey trotted ahead.
"Is Kyoko right? Would it go wrong if I were to make a wish for someone else's sake?"
"While I am not at liberty to disclose the wishes of other girls." Kyubey's head turned upwards to her. "I will say that it is natural for certain ramifications to occur after such miracles have occurred. But such complications are endemic to social and emotional beings as you humans, in my observation."
"What about the opposite? What about wishing for someone else's misfortune?" Sayaka cut her way through a parking lot.
"Such a wish would be unconventional. But it is also not unheard of." Kyubey leapt onto a building's ledge as he followed along. "Did you have such a wish in mind?"
"... No. Just curious." Sayaka hurried to catch a stoplight. "Seven thirty!" She smiled while she glanced at her wristwatch. "Saved ten minutes just now! Twenty minutes is plenty of time! Looks like Miss Jones will have to find someone else to pick on."
"That is incorrect. The present time is seven forty." Kyubey said.
"What?"
"Your watch battery must be running low." Sayaka nervously caught sight of an electronic billboard above her.
"Crap!" She took off in a dead sprint. "Ten minutes left!"
"You may as well not waste your energy. There is statistically very little chance you will arrive at your school on time."
"Yeah? Just watch me!" Sayaka left Kyubey completely in the dust.
"She's alone again." Homura muttered while she watched Madoka stop at the last crosswalk on her way to school.
The sight of Madoka being completely unaccompanied was, for Homura, a bit disheartening. She could tell that Madoka was unnerved by it too, she clearly needed somebody's ear to speak to.
Homura used to meet up with Madoka and her friends at that crosswalk every day, back in her more impressionable days as a magical girl. Well before she knew the truth about witches. Before she knew of Kyubey's deceit. Before Sayaka and Mami came to distrust her. But trying to get closer and closer Madoka only seemed to make her and her friends suffer more, so eventually Homura conscientiously kept her distance. Then she forgot those meetups happened entirely.
Homura's pace increased to a full run. If she hurried, she could still catch up to her at the crosswalk. Her psychic session with Miss Jones made her remember those old walks, and now she coveted a fresher version of those memories. Yes, this could be her chance. One time, absent Sayaka and Kyubey, surely would do no harm. One time, serving as her quiet confidant, could be the singular change that makes this timeline the successful journey she'd long sought.
Abruptly, she halted. Madoka smiled and waved at someone on the other side of the crosswalk. It was Mami Tomoe, waiting with Kyubey perched on her shoulder. The two girls met halfway in the street, where Kyubey promptly hopped from Mami onto Madoka's shoulder, He cocked his head and stared back at Homura, as if he were daring her to approach.
"Good morning, Madoka!" Mami cheerfully greeted.
"Hello, Mami!" Madoka smiled.
"Greetings, Madoka." Kyubey balanced himself on Madoka's shoulder. "Homura Akemi is directly behind us." He telepathically communicated to Mami.
"I know it's not far, but would you mind if we joined you the rest of the way?" Mami politely asked. "I'm aware. Looks like we were just in the nick of time."
"Oh, no, I don't mind at all!" Mami put her arm around Madoka's back as they started walking again.
"Were your parents angry that you got home late last night?" Mami asked.
"No, not really. I told them I'm getting tutored by an upperclassman." Madoka answered.
"That's good to hear." Mami nodded. "I would never want to see you get in trouble with your family."
"Have you thought about your wish, Madoka?" Kyubey jumped down in front of her.
"What did I tell you last night?" Mami lightly pinched Kyubey's ear. "Girls hate guys who pressure them."
"No. I haven't a clue." Madoka sighed.
"That's perfectly understandable." Mami assured. "See if she's backed off at all." She telepathically instructed Kyubey. "Has watching my battles made you reconsider becoming a magical girl?" She asked Madoka.
"Not at all, Mami." Madoka smiled back at her. "You're awesome! I just hope I can be as awesome as you!"
"You would become a great magical girl, Madoka." Kyubey said. "I cannot see her, but I do still sense her presence nearby. It would be prudent to stay alert." Kyubey telepathically relayed. "You have the potential to become the greatest of them all."
"Weheheee!" Madoka giggled and blushed.
"Would you like to go Witch hunting with me again later today?" Mami offered. "It's likely she'll attempt another confrontation after school." She telepathically surmised.
"That'd be great!" Madoka accepted.
"Maybe this time we'll find a full Witch instead of just a small Familiar." They arrived at the schoolyard. "It's unlikely she'll try anything in class." Mami telepathically said to Kyubey. "She should be safe on her own. For now."
"I concur." Kyubey replied.
She turned to Madoka. "If you need my help with anything, come find me on the other end of the school." She handed Madoka a note. "That's my class schedule."
"Thank you, Mami." Madoka turned to Kyubey on her shoulder. "You wanna sit in on my classes today, Kyubey?"
Kyubey briefly glanced up the street. "For the time being, I think it's best I stay with Mami Tomoe. But I will see you during lunch again, should the opportunity arise."
Sayaka was in a dead run now. She cut through the backwoods, across the parking lots, and into the streets. There it was, Mitakihara Middle School, right ahead with but a minute left to spare.
Sayaka maneuvered between two parked cars and popped into the street, when without warning, a moving car zoomed in front of her, almost clipping her as it went by. Instinctively she jumped backwards and out of the way, losing her balance and knocking her head against the mirror of a parked car behind her. The offending vehicle promptly pulled up in front of the school.
"Hey! Watch where you're goin'! You nearly killed me! Idiot!" She jumped to her feet, and angrily ran over to confront the driver.
The passenger swiftly exited the vehicle. To Sayaka's shock it was none other than Hitomi Shizuki. "I'm sorry that happened, Sayaka." She slung her bag around her shoulder. "But you weren't properly crossing the street at the crosswalk. That was quite careless. You very much need to think of the consequences of acting so impulsively."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The two girls stared at one another, until another driver angrily honked Sayaka out of their way.
"Is everything alright?" Her father's voice asked from inside the car. "Was she hurt?"
"She's unharmed, father. Thank you for bringing me to school today." She bowed to him and stepped towards the school's main doorway.
"High and mighty lil' backstabbing liar." Sayaka muttered to herself.
Early afternoon arrived. The students shuffled into Miss Jones's classroom. First came in Hitomi, then Madoka with Homura following closely. Sayaka lumbered in last.
"Miss Otonashi has an excused absence today." Miss Jones jotted a note with a murmur.
"M- May I have her seat again today? Since she isn't here?" Sayaka tentatively asked.
"Well, your homework results did improve, however marginally, from your last assignment. Might do you good sitting closer again." Miss Jones turned her back to the class. "Today I'll allow it."
"Before we begin, I have an announcement to make." She took a deep breath. "I'd like to take some time to get to know you all a bit better, one-on-one." She pulled a hat from underneath her desk. "To that end, I am going to draft a special after-school class assistant, who will stay after school and help me with the busywork. While you do, I'll be making friends with you. Lucky soul. Of course, extra credit will also be your reward." She sifted through paper clipping in the hat. "Naturally, anybody in the extracurriculars happening today will be exempted." She sat in her chair with an enthusiastic thud.
"Yessss!" Sayaka pumped her fist under her desk.
"And our first 'volunteer' will be:" She drew a name and read it from the paper clipping. "Madoka Kaname. Madoka, is there anything you are committed to this afternoon, which would preclude you from participating?"
"I- uh-." Madoka sat up in her desk. "I do. But. I uh- I- I can tell them I can do it later." She blushed as she scratched the back of her head.
"Alright kiddos. Let's do the book learning thing." Miss Jones stood up from her desk.
"Miss Jones!" Madoka unexpectedly shot up from her desk. "M- May I go to the bathroom?"
"Class has just started." Miss Jones arched her brow. "Can't it wait?"
Madoka crossed her thighs and shook her head. She needed to update Mami right away on her altered afternoon, this little white lie would have to suffice.
"Okay." Madoka darted towards the door.
The lesson proceeded uneventfully. "Class: Phonetically repeat after me." Miss Jones wrote out on the board. "'If I had more money, I would definitely travel more.'"
The class repeated, in unison: "'If I had moar muh-nee I wood def-in-it-lee trah-vel more.'" Sayaka's eyes were glazing over already.
"Good. Now Miss Akemi," she tossed the virtual pen to Homura. "Please write the English translation on the board." Homura got up and wrote the correct translation.
"Very good. Next: 'If I had more time, I would definitely travel farther.'" She wrote on the board.
"If I had moar time, I wood def-in-it-lee trah-vel fahl-therr." They repeated. She wrote the sentence again in Japanese.
"Miss Shizuki, come write that on the board." Hitomi came up and wrote her translation.
"Oop. Little misspelling there at the end. That's 'farther'." Miss Jones corrected it. "Not 'father'."
"Gasp!" Sayaka blurted. "Miss Perfect's made a mistake! Turns out she's just as human as the rest of us!" Hitomi put down the pen and retreated to her seat. "Somebody better alert her boyfriend," She added as Hitomi was about to sit. The class collectively put their eyes on Sayaka.
The two young ladies suspiciously stared at one one another while Miss Jones wrote the next sentence on the board. Hitomi slowly lowered her body to her seat. "In the hospital." Sayaka bluted. The whole class erupted in chatter. Hitomi's face immediately turned beet red.
"Miss Clown, zip it!" Miss Jones snapped her fingers. "That's your one warning."
Hitomi took out her phone and furitavely began typing a message.
"Ohhhh my Gaaaawd!" Kyoko laughed to herself as she slashed the boss to smithereens in the video game she was enjoying. "In the name of love and justice! Tiro finale!" She was sarcastically quoting the game's dialog. "What a crock! So this was where Mami got all that crap! Hahahaaa!"
Kyoko turned her head. An odd buzzing sound behind her caught her attention. Sayaka had forgotten her phone on its charger. And she had just received a new message… From Hitomi.
'Sayaka:
I've been secretly visiting Kyosuke Kamijo in the hospital. To that I confess. It was wrong not to have told you sooner. I regret that you discovered it in the way you did.'
"Oooooooh. Juicy." Kyoko chuckled. The phone buzzed again.
'But that is not a reason to air the affair class. That was extremely rude and hurtful.'
"Heh! More like 'gutsy'. Knew I liked you, Sayaka." It buzzed one more time.
'Kyosuke is not my boyfriend. But I do want to discuss our situation with you soon. But only in private.'
"Hitomi Shizuki!" Miss Jones whipped around. "Were you just texting in my class?"
"N- I- I uh…" Hitomi had been caught red-handed.
"That's a violation of school policy. Fork it over." Miss Jones opened a labeled-drawer in her desk, only to discover that the top drawer was already full of confiscated and unclaimed cell phones. "Hooooly Hannah." She slid it closed. "Okay. Go take your phone to the Administrative Office. You'll get it back after school."
"Y-Yes Ma'am." Hitomi solemnly got up from her seat and headed towards the doorway, only to catch Sayaka with a self-satisfied smile out of the corner of her eye.
Miss Jones checked the clock on the wall. "Hmmm." She smiled and sat down and thumbed through the rest of the lesson plan. "Well, looks like we may not have time to make it through the rest of today's agenda." She fingered through the English book. Pages one-eighteen through one hundred twenty two will be your homework for tonight. Let's spend the rest of our time parsing through the rest of pages one fifteen, sixteen and seventeen."
"Should I text back? I think she's like, expectin' Sayaka to say somethin'. Hmmmm." Kyoko studied the messages. Out of the blue, Kyoko's shiny red Soul Gem flashed, and her neck hairs stood up. She had caught wind of a magical entity nearby. Her hunting instincts told her to put down the phone and the video game and chase it down. Kyoko paused for a second, then promptly typed out a single word reply, that word Sayaka had been repeatedly using to describe her friend Hitomi. "Welp! Time to get to work!" She hit the 'Send' button, put on her newly-dried hooded sweatshirt and leapt out of the window.
Hitomi reached the office. Her phone buzzed just as she reached the office door. She hesitated, momentarily then hastily decided to check her message. It was from Sayaka, a single word:
'Liar.'
