CHAPTER 15: When Goes Around

"Greetings, Sayaka Miki!" Kyubey casually walked underneath the door into the dressing room.

"Waaaaahhhh!" Sayaka cried out as she reflexively covered her breasts and her private parts. "What the hell are you doing here?" She heatedly asked.

"Malls and other gathering places that are heavily trafficked by humans serve as an ideal location for me to search for potential new magical girls." Kyubey replied. "And conversely, as a place where witches can draw out victims, as well."

"No!" She sat down on the fitting room bench. "What I mean is-"

"Is everything alright, young lady?" The store clerk knocked on the door.

"Uh, everything's fine!" She answered. "I- I saw a bug is all!" She kicked at the locked door. "I got it."

"Let me know when you decide on a bathing suit."

"I will." She hurriedly put on her bra. "Thanks." She took a few extra breaths to calm down. "What I mean is, what are you doing dropping in on me like this? It's really really rude!"

"I came to see if you have decided upon your wish yet." Kyubey leapt onto the bench beside her.

"No, I haven't!" Sayaka slid away from him. "And frankly, after seeing you double dealing behind my back, I don't think I should trust you to grant me what I want!"

"Double dealing?" Kyubey promptly jumped off the bench. "Why do you accuse me of duplicitous behavior?"

"Why were you with Madoka?"

"Ah, you mean Madoka Kaname? You seem to have misinterpreted my interest in her as an act of deceit." He tilted his head at her. "I was with her because she too has the potential to become a magical girl."

"Madoka?" Sayaka narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. He turned his whole body around to face her. "Like you she recently attracted my attention."

"Let me guess… Because of that Mami chick?"

"Mami is how she and I were formally introduced, yes."

"Dammit!" Sayaka pounded the wall. "The nerve of that Queen Bee! Tryin' to mess with me by getting close to my best friend." She pressed her back against a mirror on the wall. "Please, please don't make her a magical girl!"

"I cannot promise that." Kyubey slightly shook his head. "The decision is hers."

"Can't you say no?" Sayaka protested. "She's way too delicate to be out there face-to-face with horrible monsters."

"Quite the contrary," Kyubey countered. "She is very much suited to being a magical girl."

"What?" Sayaka balked. "How do you even judge something like that?"

"A number factors are considered when candidates are chosen." Kyubey elaborated, "Foremost amongst them is whether they have a pressing need in their lives that can be changed through the power of a wish."

"But she's got a great life!" Sayaka threw up her arms. She added, with a tinge of jealousy, "She's got a lotta things that I sure don't! A cool mom, a dad who's always around, a brother, pretty good grades…" She sighed. "I can even name a few of the guys crushin' on her."

"On that I cannot speculate." Kyubey sat up and waved his tail. "I will only say that, whatever the cause, it makes her a much stronger candidate than you. If you do not decide to make a contract, then I will make an offer to her."

"But I've already proven myself, right? Didn't Kyoko tell you everything about that battle?

"She has." He waved his tail back and forth. "That is the reason I still remain interested in you, despite your continued indecisiveness and more limited overall potential."

"But I don't get why you would have to choose one over the other? Wouldn't more magical girls mean this city would be better protected?"

"Unfortunately, past experience has demonstrated that that is not the case. Grief Seeds are a limited resource, and rivalries can spawn from the competition for them."

"So that's Mami's game? Buddy up with Madoka and knock Kyoko straight outta town?"

"The two of them would make a highly formidable pairing," Kyubey stated. "Her keen survival skills notwithstanding, Kyoko alone would not stand a chance against them if they were to become partners."

"Damn her!"

"Your involvement as a magical girl would do little to alter that scenario. Indeed, it would most likely lead to further unnecessary conflict." Kyubey turned his back away from her. "Therefore, if you cannot think of a wish, I think it would be in the best interest of all involved if I were to hereby rescind my offer to you."

"You can't do that!" Sayaka protested. "Gimme a little more time! Just let me think of a way to keep anybody else from getting hurt. Then I'll have a wish made ready for you."

Kyubey tilted his head. "Very well." He wagged his tail. "I shall give you one more day to consider your options." He lowered his back and wriggled his way out the dressing room door.


"Gaaaaaahhhh!" Kyoko shouted in frustration as time expired on her game session. "Daaaammnnit! Second place again!"

'CONGRATULATIONS!' The screen flashed in front of her. 'PLEASE ENTER YOUR NAME!' "Tch!" Kyoko grumpily tapped her name into the machine. '5TH: KYOKO… 4TH: KYOKO… 3RD: KYOKO… 2ND: KYOKO…' Then the screen flashed to the display the scoring leader with a crackle of digital fireworks and a frenzied party of dancing stuffed animal mascots. 'CHAMPION: HOMU! GAME OVER!' Five tries and she still couldn't take the top spot.

Kyoko reached into her pockets for another go, only to find that she was fresh out of cash. "Shit!" She hopped off the dance platform. She quickly scanned the carpeted floor, hoping some careless patron had dropped some spare change she could lap up for herself.

"Ah ha!" She lunged for a Yen coin that was jutting out from underneath another arcade cabinet. A decent start, but still not enough.

"C'mon baby! C'mon!" She overheard a guy shouting nearby. A young man was thoroughly engrossed in a racing game, sitting in the simulated driver's seat. His coat and belongings were neatly tucked out of sight behind him. He'd be an incredibly easy mark, she thought to herself. He'd never notice her sneaking up from behind and taking his money. "Just a little moooorre!" She crouched down and crept closer. "Alllllmost theeeere!" Still totally oblivious. She reached into his coat pocket. "Alllriggght!" She could feel his wallet in her fingers.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Two little girls startled her from behind. Kyoko jumped back and scurried for cover.

"Yeah? What is it, sweethearts?" The young man hopped to his feet and turned around.

"We're done with the rocketship game now!" The taller girl said.

"Yeah! It was fun!" The shorter one echoed.

"Oh? What would you two princesses like to play next?"

The girls looked around the arcade. "That one!" The taller sibling pointed to the dancing game Kyoko had just played.

"Can we both play it?" The other girl asked.

"Alllllllright! It looks like two can play side by side." The young father made his way over to the game. "Oh? Uh, can I help you with something, Miss?" He finally noticed Kyoko hovering nearby.

"Uh, n- no, Sir." Kyoko shuffled awkwardly towards the exit. "S- Sorry." She bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry... That I bothered you."


The vanilla-colored white swimsuit she was trying on was her least expensive option. But she still had her eyes on the orange-striped bikini from before. And now a different, orange and yellow two piece on the rack outside had just dropped in price as well. Sayaka just couldn't seem to make up her mind.

"Who am I really trying to impress here?" She asked herself as she looked in the mirror. It was a valid question to ask. It wasn't like Kyosuke Kamijo was going to be seen at the beach anytime soon. And she couldn't have cared less about whatever fashion was trending.

"It is quite the conundrum." A familiar voice said outside her changing room. "Should I go with the black one piece suit, or the gold two piece?" Sayaka crept the door open and peeked out into the showroom.

"Oh, crap!" Sayaka gasped. "Ohcrapohcrapohcrap!" She closed and latched the door. The voice belonged to the substitute English teacher, Miss Jones, who was standing right outside. What a revolting coincidence that she, on this one time that she was "seizing" the day by not going to school, also happened to be the one time she encountered a teacher out in the wild?

What if Miss Jones sees her in here? What would she do? Would she report it to the administrative staff? Would she say something about it to Miss Yamazaki? Would that get her kicked off the team? Would her parents find out about it and force her to take that awful dishwashing job? She was laying there on the bench, hands between her knees, panickedly flipping through entire scenarios for her soon-to-be ruined life.

"No…" She thought again. "It's going to be fine." She reassured herself. She hadn't been seen yet. "Just sit tight 'til she moves on."

"Hey!" The door rattled with a loud thud. "You done in there, Miss?" She knocked again. "I've got a set I wanna try on!" It was Miss Jones knocking. No way out!

"G- Go use the other changing rooms, please?" Sayaka replied in a disguised, much girlier tone. "I- I'm still making up my mind!"

"Hmmmm. The others are occupied." She knocked again. "And frankly, that sales clerk's getting a bit cross with you, said you'd been holding this one hostage." She was trapped for sure!

"O- Oh. Okay." Damn. She stood up, gulped and stepped to the door. "I'm coming out." Damn. She was going to have to face the music. Damn. She unlatched the door and slowly peeked her head out. Damn.

"Ahhhhhh, Miss Clown!" Miss Jones wryly cocked her head to the side. "Fancy meeting you out and about, on a day when you seem to have neglected your singular responsibility to attend school."

"S- Sorry." Sayaka apologized. "I- I can explain." She added.

"I'd certainly be interested in hearing your excuse." Miss Jones craned her neck.

"You see I…" Sayaka's mind raced. "My cousin…" She'd suddenly remembered her previous lie to Yamazaki. "Yeeeeaaaah, my cousin!"

"What about your cousin?" Miss Jones raised her brow.

"She- Y'see, she came into town the other day." Sayaka went on. "We don't- She's from way out of town and we don't see each other that much, and since she's never been to Mitakihara… I- I thought I'd take a day and show her around. You know?"

"So where is this 'cousin' of yours, exactly?" Miss Jones asked.

"Kyoko!" Sayaka shouted, pointing to the red-haired girl standing and waiting around right outside the entrance. What a brilliant stroke of good luck that she'd finally left the arcade. "Hey! Kyoko!" She said even louder while waving her inside. "Over here!"

"Eh?" Kyoko sauntered inside. "Ya' want somethin' or somethin'?"

"I'd like you to meet my cousin Kyoko!" Sayaka met her halfway and took her hand.

"Wh-?" Sayaka affectionately pressed her cheek to Kyoko's before she could speak up. Her face blushed red immediately upon contact with Sayaka's.

"Pleased to meet you." Miss Jones courteously curtseyed.

"Kyoko, this is one of my teachers at school." She put her hand around Kyoko's back and forced her into an awkward curtsey. "I was just telling her that the reason I wasn't in class today was so that I could show you around town." She grinned at Kyoko with her gnashed teeth.

"Oh…" Kyoko's eyes went wide as she finally caught on to Sayaka's little subterfuge. "Oh! Yeah!" She instantly smirked. "You're a real pal! Thanks for showin' me around this place, 'Cuz!" She playfully punched Sayaka's arm. "Real swell of ya' and stuff!"

"I can see the family resemblance." Miss Jones remarked. "Still, my point remains… You should have given us foreknowledge of your absence. I for one know that Yamazaki is starting to fume."

"It was a little short notice." Sayaka replied. "But I told her about it."

"Yeah sorry, I…. Kinda just… Popped in outta nowhere on her." Kyoko nodded.

"If I recall, the school also offers day long visitor's passes." Miss Jones put her hand on Kyoko's shoulder. "You'd be more than welcome to come in tomorrow and hang out with her, if you'd like." She offered. "So long as you aren't disruptive in class."

"I…" Kyoko sniffed at the hand on her shoulder. "I'll think it over." She curtly answered. She promptly plucked the inviting hand off.

"Is there an issue over here?" The clerk interrupted.

"Oh… Nope! No problems at all!" Miss Jones picked her swimsuits off the chair sitting by the changing room. "Y'know what? Why be choosy when I can indulge myself?" She pulled out a card. "You don't happen to have any sort of, buy one, get one deal going one by any chance?" She followed the clerk over to the counter, with Kyoko unexpectedly following her lock step from behind.

"We have been trying to clear out inventory before the new season…" The clerk opened a door behind the sales desk. "Tell you what, I'll talk to the manager. See what we can do."

"Thank you!" Miss Jones said appreciatively.

"Kyoko, what are you up to?" Sayaka whispered and waved the girl back over to her by the changing rooms.

"Something's… Weird about that broad."

"What do you mean?" Sayaka hastily went back into the changing room and changed out of the bathing suit.

"There's somethin' 'bout her. It doesn't smell right."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sayaka said through the door.

"I couldn't sense nuthin' 'til she got real real close, but…" Kyoko glanced over to the front desk. "I'm sensin' some magic on her."

"Huh?" Sayaka peeked out. "Her? Can't be." She closed the door and put the rest of her casual clothes back on. "Isn't she like, too old to be a magical girl?"

"I mean… I dunno." Kyoko scratched her nose. "Never asked Kyubey if there's a cut-off age for the gig." Kyoko stepped back towards the front desk slowly.

"She's a teacher. She interacts with a lot of other girls." Sayaka hustled over to Kyoko. "Didn't you say you also sensed other magical girls at my school?" She put on her shoes while they lurked closer. "Maybe you're getting a whiff of them from her?"

"Hm. I dunno. I guess?" Kyoko whispered back. "It'd be the first time I've ever sensed anything like that happen', though."

"We aren't presently offering any kind of 'Buy one, get one' deal." The Manager approached Miss Jones.

"You're sure?" Miss Jones smiled as she waved her finger repetitively in front of the two. "Your clerk said you were clearing inventory. How 'bout a… Buy two, get one half-off deal?" The two girls watched her intently from behind. "Or maybe three?" Her entire hand was waving back and forth now.

"There iiiiiiiiiis…" The clerk stopped and started again. "We do have a policy that's exclusively during clearance events."

"You dooooo?" Her eyes widened.

"Yesssss." The Manager added. "You can get one free if you purchase three!"

"Didja see that?" Kyoko whispered from behind a clothing rack. "The way she's moving her hand around? I think she's tryin' to hypnotize 'em!"

"Woooonderful!" Miss Jones cheered. "But now I gotta go find two other bathing suits."

"You're being ridiculous." Sayaka watched along. "She's a smooth-talker, is all."

"Can we help you girls?" The two at the front desk finally noticed the two of them hiding in plain sight.

"I, uh, I wanna buy this swimsuit." Sayaka approached the desk with the vanilla white bathing suit in hand.

"Hey, I have an idea…" Miss Jones turned to Sayaka. "Find another swimsuit and I'll pay for yours, too. How's that sound?"

"Gee that's…" Sayaka tilted her head skeptically. "Awfully generous. What's in it for you?"

"Moi?" Miss Jones whimsically pointed at herself. "Why, nothing more than the good graces of a needful pupil." She leaned in toward Sayaka's ear. "And the assurance that you won't play hookie again."

"Hey!" Kyoko quickly snatched up a frilly green and blue swimsuit. "I like free stuff! Mind if I take this one?"

"I promise." Sayaka swallowed.

"That's a good girl." Miss Jones smiled. "Guess I must be in a really good mood today." The two workers behind the desk promptly began scanning the price tags.

"Uh, on second thought," Sayaka pulled her swimsuit back. "There's a more expensive orange striped one that I really wanted, but I'll pay you the difference. Can I go get it? Is that okay?"

"Oh?" Miss Jones looked back at her. "You wanna press your luck? Tell ya' what, you study hard and score at least an eighty-five on your next exam, we'll call it even."

"An eighty five?" Sayaka couldn't remember the last time she fared that well on an English test. "Fine. I'll pay you back if I don't, though."

"Splendid!" Miss Jones pulled out her card. "You best study hard, now!"

"I'll try." Sayaka said with a fake smile while she retreated from the checkout desk.

"Somebody bein' that buddy-buddy is definitely hidin' somethin'." Kyoko put her hand to Sayaka's shoulder. "Y'know, maybe I should go to that school with ya' tomorrow." Kyoko nudged Sayaka as she slid by. "That way, I do a bit of recon work."


"Those ribbons are really cute! Where'd you get them?" Kyosuke Kamijo reached for her hair.

"M- My Momma gave them to me for my birthday." Madoka leaned toward him. "But I only started wearing them to school a little bit ago."

"Do you mind if I-" He tugged a little bit on one of the red ribbons tying her short, twin-tailed hair.

"Not at all!" Madoka put her hand up against his, as he tried to untie it.

"It feels so soft." He struggled to loosen the knot. "And your hand is...Warm." He smiled with the realization that his damaged hand really was sensing another human's soft touch.

"Do you need… My help?" Madoka awkwardly positioned herself even closer as he tried to tug harder.

"I think I can…" He loosened the knot. "Got it!" He enthusiastically pulled it out as her bunched hair plopped over his hand.

"Do you wanna try the other one?" Madoka offered.

"It's fine." Kyosuke sat up while he rubbed the ribbon through his fingertips. "Besides, you look much better this way."

"Wehehehee." Madoka sheepishly laughed.

"What are those?" A set of drawings in a notebook inside Madoka's unzipped book bag on the floor had caught his attention.

"These?" Madoka blushed as she hastily grabbed her book bag. "Nothing. I like to doodle stuff in class."

"Can I see them?" He asked with an unmistakable excitement.

"O- Okay." She took them out.

"Is that you?" The colored-in drawing of a girl in a frilly, pink dress jumped right to his attention.

"How'd you know?" She giggled.

"Your smile." He joked. Her giggle escalated to a full laugh. "What are you wearing?"

"I don't wanna say." Madoka's blush turned redder. "It's totally embarrassing."

"It looks like you're a magical girl to me."

"Wauuuugh!" She cried while she reflexively hid her face in her hands. "So embarrassing!"

"Oh, no!" He apologized. "It's cool!" He was now the one who was blushing with embarrassment. "I- I watch those anime on TV, too!"

"Eh?" Madoka peeked out.

"It's not like… There's not a lot of other stuff for me to do while I'm cooped up here."

"I've…" Madoka's eyes quickly checked on Kyubey who was quietly observing atop a table. "Always thought that if I were able to help others, that would be wonderful." She smiled. Kyubey twitched his tail and perked his head.

"You helped me. You saved my life." Kyosuke wrapped the ribbon around his bandaged hand and up his arm. "Please don't tell anybody what I tried." He pressed his hand to her cheek. "I don't know what came over me." He leaned closer to her. "But when the Doctor said those things, I…" He choked. "I lost all hope."

"Don't worry." Madoka made a zipping motion over her mouth. "Your secret is safe with me." She pressed her hand to his as the waning sunlight shined an angelic spotlight upon her form.

"Thank you! You gave me hope again..." His lips artlessly puckered as he carefully arched toward her other cheek. "My Magical Girl!"


"... He- He kissed her." Homura watched the two souls through a pair of augmented binoculars from a distant rooftop.

"Say what?" Sayaka gasped next to her.

"Now it appears he's kissing her other cheek."

"Noooooo way!" Sayaka impulsively yanked the binoculars away with its strap still draped around Homura's neck. "Weeeeird!" Her jaw fell slack while she stared.

"This... This has not happened. Before." Homura ducked under the taut strap.

"I can't understand how it's happening now!" Sayaka gawked. "Geez! All that time we spent hanging out… All those rare CDs I tracked down for him… And all I really needed to seal the deal was a red ribbon?" She sarcastically laughed. "Damn it!"

"I'm sure... There's more to this chain of events than what we've witnessed." Homura folded her arms as she stared towards the hospital building.

"There'd better be!" She quickly passed the binoculars back. "He kissed her on the forehead!" She choked on her words and wiped her eyes. "That's three more times than he's ever kissed me!" She kicked a pebble off the rooftop.

"Are you going to be alright?" Homura looked one more time through the eyepiece, but chose to watch Kyubey on the table.

"Arrrghhh!" She grunted. "N- No. Not right now!" She collapsed to her knees as the sunlight disappeared over the horizon behind the mountains. "It feels like someone cheap shot me right in the gut…" She cradled her ringed hand to her stomach. "But somehow…" She clenched and opened her other hand against her heart. "Eventually…" She sighed deeply out of both resignation and relief. "I think I'm gonna be!"

Homura knelt down and helped her comrade get back on her feet. "Thanks." Sayaka propped herself on Homura's arm. "Thanks for asking." She dried her eyes and half-smiled.

"Apple juice."

"Apple juice?"

"My dad used to bring me some apple juice, when my tummy got sore." Sayaka recalled as they stepped in tandem down the maintenance stairs. "I think it would really hit the spot right about now. Haveta ask Miss Jones to synthesize some."

"There's no need for that. I'll buy some for you."

"Gee, that's awful kind of you. You really do care!"

"I'm trying." Homura briefly snuck a glance back toward the hospital. She wasn't going to say it, but at that moment she too had a precipitous thirst for apple juice.


"I heard looking at it makes you smarter." One student whispered to the one behind him. "That it shows you everything, that is and was, or ever will be, and you learn about it all at once."

"Then why would they go through all the trouble of teaching us things in class?" Another student questioned. "That's daft!"

"Next student!" A tutor's voice thundered through the cavernous valley where all the advancing students were lined up.

"No, I heard it inspires you to be smarter." A different student speculated. "All the failing students were sent home, yes, and the rest of us go through it like a sort of rite of passage." He said self-assuredly. "And the ones who look into that get inspired, they become the Elite Time Lords."

"But what about the ones who run?" Another student asked.

"Obviously, they don't become Time Lords."

"Then why aren't they kicked out like the ones who failed?"

"Next student!" Called The Voice.

"Because…" The student looked around, then put his hand to his mouth and leaned in. The sound of a terrified scream in the distance completely muffled his answer.

"I heard it drives you mad." A student ahead in line gulped.

"Next student!" The Voice commanded. A brave student marched forward.

"What? Why are you talking about madness?"

"It takes your soul from your body and for a moment your whole being warps outside the whole Universe!" The student glared back toward the rest. "And when you come back, you're not the same 'you' anymore!" This student was the very next in line.

"Next student!" The previous student rushed past them all in a dead run, running away from their friend.

"I don't wanna change! I wanna be me! I don't wanna change! I wanna be me! I don't wanna change!" Two tutors came and escorted the scared child onwards.

"That's the daftest thing I've heard yet!" The self-assured student said. "That would mean that all our tutors, and all their supervisors, and all our planet's leaders are crazy! It doesn't make any sense!"

"What do you think looking into it does?" The student behind her asked. The Young Gallifreyan Girl simply shook her head and bit her lip.

"Next student!" Finally it was her turn. A pair of tall, red and gold-cloaked tutors came to her escort.

"W- What's it called?" The Gallifreyan Girl innocently asked.

"Untempered Schism." One of the escorts flatly answered.

"Will it hurt me?"

"Yes."

"Pain is simply a part of growing up." The other escort said. "Think of it as akin to losing your first vestigial tooth, or spraining your ankle at play. It will forge a memory from which the Better You shall be crafted." His reassurement prompted only a brief, snobbish glare from the other escort.

"Welcome, Young Miss!" A longer-robed figure approached. "I've had my eyes on you for quite some time now." He bent over and peered directly into her eyes.

"On me?" She tried to recognize his face. It clearly wasn't her tutor's.

"Indeed." He grinned. "It could even be said that you have I to thank for the expedited approval of your Initiation." He strode over to the table and grabbed a rolled-up scroll. "You should be feeling most honored."

"Um," She still couldn't pin his face. "Thank you?"

"There is no need for that." He unwrapped the scroll and unrolled it. "Living up to my great expectations of you shall be thanks enough." He began reading rather dogmatically from the scroll's text. Wait, she thought to herself, was he that god awful, long-winded speaker from her first day?

"Very well, then." Moments that felt like hours later, he finished. "Take this." He pulled a fob watch from his pocket.

"A watch?" She examined its cover.

"It is your watch." He insisted. "Proof of your Initiation. A keepsake of all Time Lords."

He stepped behind her and gently patted her shoulders "Step forth." He pushed. "Embrace your destiny!"

She reluctantly traipsed down the path. There it stood before her, that decorated portal containing a swirling vortex, a most mysterious gap the very fabric of reality itself.

"Look." The escort gruffly commanded. Though she couldn't not look. Its very presence demanded her attention. She clutched onto the watch with both her hands, her eyes widened as she stepped, ever closer. What sorts of premonitions were boring into her brain at that moment, what raw information? What sort of abstractions, what kinds of concepts? She tried desperately to process the dizzying flow of ideas, but the more of it she could grasp, the less she comprehended.

The watch in her hands was glowing, radiating a golden energy. She stepped closer, the more unpleasant it felt, the more she felt the need to experience it. The whole Universe was calling to her, its silent-but-fearsome wail imprinting past her senses and straight into her very soul.

Now was the moment she both anticipated and dreaded, for she saw all her possible reactions at once. Would she become that inspired girl who would go on to lead the Gallifreyan Academic Ministry… Or be the mad power-broker within the Celestial Intelligence Agency… Or be the girl who ran… And ran... And ran…


"Miss Jones!" A girl whispered to her as her hand lightly tapped on her shoulder.

"Keep it down." The other girl whispered. "You'll awaken Nagisa."

"Unnnghhh…" Miss Jones felt the damp puddle of her own drool on the blanket underneath her cheek. "I was reading her a bedtime story. Must've dozed off a bit myself." She took a handkerchief from her coat pocket and dried the spot on the blanket. "Let's take it outside." She got out of her seat and closed the opened book in her lap. The group then quietly removed themselves from the sleeping young girl's bedroom.

"What'd you two learn?" Miss Jones asked.

"This timeline is extremely unusual." Homura sipped from a straw some liquid in a juice pouch.

"And it's getting weirder by the second." Sayaka added, sipping from a pouch of her own. "Plus the console's beeping all loud and stuff."

"Beeping?" She waved the girls to the Control Room door. "Alright, let's have a look."

"Is there a problem?" Homura questioned as Miss Jones typed.

"No." Miss Jones studied the display as she flicked through a set of switches. "Quite the opposite." She added. "The computer has locked onto the quantum energy signature from that dimension your magic accesses. Took it a little longer than I expected, but it seems to be good news."

"So what does that mean?" Sayaka wondered.

"Means that, eventually, provided we bust outta this causality loop and I get the supplies," Miss Jones hit a key that put the screen data onto a printout. "I'll be able to craft something that'll transport your depleted ectomatter directly into that dimension. No further need to stuff overloading crystals up Homura's sleeve."

"Sweet." Sayaka said as she gulped her juice.

"Have you devised a means of defeating Walpurgisnacht?" Homura asked.

"Barely started, to be honest." Miss Jones answered. "I was going to start by diving into the local folklore, then comparing it against other documented transdimensional crossrip events in my database, but as luck would have it, somebody's already checked out all the relevant books in town."

"Mami Tomoe," Homura namedropped and nodded. "She's often the first to learn of its arrival, so she does her homework." She motioned towards the exit. "I did however, obtain my own duplicate copies and keep them on a protected data device in my home. I'll go retrieve them now." She opened the door and took a step.

"No, wait!" Miss Jones dashed over and grabbed her a split second before Homura could exit. "Stop right there!"

"What are you-" A flustered Homura jerked away from her grip.

"Have a look." She pointed to a figure behind a potted plant across the mall's walkway. Sayaka joined the two in the doorframe.

"Kyubey!" The angered Homura stepped back. "Damn it!"

"My fault." Miss Jones apologized. "I should've realized the beeping was in fact, the TARDIS's Proximity Alarm going off."

"No, it's my fault!" Homura countered. "I should have stopped the flow of time before we returned."

"You're both wrong!" Sayaka cried. "I wanted apple juice. I left him a trail to follow back here." She frustratedly squeezed the rest of her juice onto the floor. "Stupid screw up!" She slammed her juice pouch against the wall.

"Clearly we've each made an unforced error." Miss Jones tried consolingly. "Fortunately," She closed the door. "The ship's Perceptual Filter is doing its job in keeping him on his back foot." She trotted to the control console and flipped on the sensor system. "We're safe as long as we're here." The image zoomed in on Kyubey with his white, rabbit-like appendages perked out. "At worst, he saw you disappear in a spot. That's all. He's seen that before, and waiting for you to reappear somewhere close by."

"He'll be watching this area like a hawk now!" Sayaka grit her teeth.

"I suppose you'll have to crash here for the night again." Miss Jones apologetically offered.

"Have you at least formulated a plan to capture him?" Homura folded her arms.

"Indeed, I have." Miss Jones winked.

Sayaka and Homura both glanced at each other. "Care to elaborate?"

"Why, I'm going to use his own attachment to Madoka against him, of course. Once she's in the right place, he'll be in the right place."

"She's going to protect him." Homura pointed out.

"Yes, I'm sure that's what the bunnycat's counting on, too." She nodded. "That's why he's going to turn himself in willingly."

The two girls skeptically raised their brows. "How?" Sayaka asked. Miss Jones simply smiled and pointed to her head.

"Soon enough, you'll see!" Miss Jones picked the trashed juice pouch up and slotted it into one of the circular indentations. "For now, patience." She pressed a button and a filled container of apple juice appeared inside. She poured some juice into a pair of cups and handed them to the girls. "Patience and calm. We'll leave all together at once for school tomorrow, using your powers. Let him waste his time searching. At least that one won't be making any contracts tonight."


"Hey, Homura?" Sayaka turned towards Homura as they went to their rooms, Sayaka in a set of pajamas with her apple juice in hand, and Homura in her school clothes.

"What is it?" Homura replied.

"That room of yours has an extra bed, doesn't it?"

"Apparently. Miss Jones said it was once a VIP room."

"Would you mind if I…" Sayaka hesitated.

"Hm?" Homura's head tilted slightly.

"I-" Sayaka swallowed some apple juice and started over again. "I really don't want to be alone right now. I need somebody to talk to."

"I'm really not much of a talker."

"That's fine." Sayaka took a sip. "I just need someone who will listen. Please?" She contritely smiled. "If I bug you too much, you can ki-"

"Fine." Homura motioned her head. "Go easy on the apple juice."


"It says: 'Don't listen to them. Don't despair. There's so much more to you than your talent'." Madoka read the curious note she'd found folded on the table beside Kyosuke's bed.

"Does it say who it's from?" Kyosuke wiped a tear from his eye. The note might have been short and simple, but it touched him deeply.

"No, it doesn't." Madoka handed it to him. "Maybe it was one of the nurses?"

"Maybe." Kyosuke set the note on a tray, picked up a pencil with his bandaged hand, and started drawing on it.

"What are you doing?" Madoka asked.

"Proving them right." He painfully winced as he doodled.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Madoka reached.

"Yeah!" He powered on. "The best pain I've ever had in my life!"

"Don't strain yourself too much." Madoka could tell he was drawing a crude figure of a person. "Who is that supposed to be?"

"You." Kyosuke smiled. "My Magical Girl." The outline was finished, he started adding detail.

"Antlers?"

"Earphones." Kyosuke corrected. He drew a long, flowing scarf draping from her neck.

"And those big boots?"

"Rocket boots!" He added a set of tail fins on her abdomen and a broad pair of round shoulder joints.

"Isn't that a bit much?" Madoka giggled.

"Maybe you're right." Kyosuke erased the shoulders and replaced them with a set of large, armored forearms.

"Wehehee! It's cute!" Madoka's phone unexpectedly rang. "It's my Papa!" She answered it.

"Do you have to go home now?" Kyosuke asked while scribbling a row of lines, then spreading dots and intersecting lines across each row.

"I have to. It's dinner time." Madoka's eyes checked on his progress. "What are you making now?"

"Music." Kyosuke penciled in musical notes along the lines. "Notes for your transformation song."

"Weehehee!" Madoka took the drawing and tucked it into her book bag. "I promise I'll come see you again soon."

"Thank you!" Kyosuke gratefully waved her goodbye.

"Madoka," Kyubey finally said as they rode the elevator. "Have you forgotten the reason you came to this hospital in the first place?"

"Huh? I, uh-" Madoka suddenly noticed the other note, the reason she came here, still residing where she put it.

"You still haven't located your friend." He waved his tail from side to side. "Your only clue now is that note."

Madoka tried Sayaka's phone one last time as she checked over the letter. The envelope seal had already partially come apart. The sun was setting, and she still had no clue where her best friend might be. Still no answer from her phone, and she needed to be home soon. The temptation to read it was getting more and more overwhelming. What else was she supposed to do?


"... And according to the book, there's like, all these different kinds of energy that exist in the abstract!" Sayaka paced as she rambled on. "Heck there's even this whole race of beings who feed upon it! They can zap you right out of time and suck up the energy from the life you were supposed to live!" She glugged her glass of apple juice. "It sounds so flippin' crazy, doesn't it?"

"It's not really any crazier than a creature that feeds on human emotional weaknesses." Homura sipped.

"That's exactly what I mean!" Sayaka exclaimed. "So that got me wondering whether witches really are these evil monsters bent on causing tragedy and chaos, like Kyubey says, or if they're just another animal that's preying upon the easy targets. And after thinking that idea over, well, if it's the latter, I wondered if I should really hate such a thing that's only guilty of following its instinct. It'd be like hating a crane for swallowing a goldfish."

"Are you…" Homura slid up in her bed. "Siding with the witch?"

Sayaka stopped pacing. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean it to make it sound that way." She went to the table between their beds and poured herself some apple juice. "While we were training together, Miss Jones told me never to assume what an opponent can do, or what their real motives are. So I started thinking more into it, that's all." She sipped her juice and sighed. "At least, I think it would help me be better at tracking them down, be more like you."

"Mami Tomoe was the expert witch tracker." Homura corrected. "I simply added statistical evaluations to the subject after living through so many timelines."

"Geez, that must have been rough on you." Sayaka imagined. "I watched Mami die, had Kyoko's blade right at my throat, and watched Madoka make her contract, those still keep me up at night. I can't imagine watching them all happen over and over again." She shook her glass around in a circular motion. "Or seeing me fall apart the way I did." She rubbed her palm against her forehead. "I can sorta of see how you'd start to think putting me out of my misery was merciful."

"I did it for Madoka." Homura insisted. "She's had to watch you suffer far more than I."

"You thought that if I'd vanished mysteriously, rather than died as a certainty, it'd be easier for her to handle?" Sayaka questioned. "I have to question the logic of that."

"To be honest, that I found at all that night was purely a coincidence. Your movement patterns and behavior after you stop attending school tend to get so erratic that eventually I found it unproductive to try to predict it." She poured herself some apple juice. "When I saw you there, I only saw a chance to mitigate further fallout from your spiraling actions."

"So… Basically your logic was something along the lines of preventing a familiar from becoming a witch." Sayaka sipped her drink. "And here I thought you and Kyoko were against killing familiars."

Homura quickly shot her an intensely dismayed stare. "Geez! Would you lighten up? I was joking!" Sayaka apologized. The awkward tension between them built, though Homura's uneasy gaze slowly eased, as she spoke another confession. "I was hunting the familiar you destroyed. There was a one in five chance it would've evolved and found Madoka." They simultaneously took a big, uneasy glug of juice. Sayaka poured some more and slid back in her bed.

"So what did Kyoko do after I vanished?"

"Does it matter?"

"I didn't see her fighting Walpurgisnacht with you."

Homura was silent for a minute. Was she trying to remember, or not certain she should answer?

"Without either Mami Tomoe or you to care about," She finally said. "Kyoko typically prioritizes her own survival. It's actually rare that she stays around to face Walpurgisnacht." Homura's eyes brifely glanced over and noticed the disappointed look on Sayaka's face. "But she did say that she was going to be looking around for you. I suppose I have no reason to doubt her claim." Homura sipped and kept staring down at her glass of juice.

The two were silent for another minute.

"So... When's your birthday?" Sayaka tried breaking the ice again.

"Excuse me?" Homura asked.

"Tell me your birthday. I wanna know."

"Why does that matter?" Homura sternly glared.

"Because you're Madoka's friend. And I'm Madoka's friend," Sayaka swirled her finger around her glass. "But I don't know anything about you. What do you like? What do you dislike? Who are the other people in your life... Where are the places you've been, I have no clue!" She sipped. "I wanna change that." She took a small sip. "That is, if you wanna tell me."

They were silent for another minute.

"I don't know my birthday." Homura uttered in a single relenting breath.

"You don't?"

"No."

"Why not?" Sayaka immediately pressed.

"Because I'm an orphan." Homura took a large sip of juice. "I was left at an orphanage when I was about a week old. The only things the workers found with me were a blanket, a basket, and a name pinned to it."

"Wow. For reals?" Sayaka's eyes widened.

"They tried to find out who I might've belonged to, searched for a birth certificate or hospital records, but they could never find anything." Homura lapsed. "When I was older, I was taken in by the local Catholic Church. That's where I grew up."

"Woah. So you've never had a birthday party?"

"I received an extra present from the Nuns during Christmas, when they could afford it." Homura paused and looked up at the ceiling. "Christmas was the one with the trees and gifts, right?"

"Yup, that's Christmas. Makes people think of snow, and Santa too." Sayaka politely sipped. "Was the church a nice place to be?"

"The Nuns were accommodating enough."

"That's good to hear."

They sat in silence for another minute, laying flat on their beds, both looking up at the ceiling above. "Can I ask… What were you in the hospital for?"

Homura's eyes briefly glanced at her. "Surgery." She answered succinctly. "I had a heart defect. It's not an issue now that I'm a magical girl."

"Oh." Sayaka nodded. "Yeah. That's a way to see it." She fidgeted with her own magical ring on her finger. "I guess."

Another silent minute passed. Sayaka sipped. Homura sipped.

"Did you have any friends you left behind?" Sayaka asked. "Back in Tokyo?"

"No." Homura closed her eyes. "I didn't have any."

"What? No friends at all?" Sayaka's head tilted at her. "Seriously?"

"Yes." She sensed Homura was growing a little testy.

"Boyfriend?"

"What?"

"Did you leave a boyfriend behind?" Sayaka elaborated.

"No!" Homura was now clearly irked by her her question.

"What? That's not right! You're gorgeous!" Homura irritatedly glared at her. "Er, sorry. I didn't mean it like… I'm just trying to be encouraging." She embarrassedly took a big gulp of juice. "How 'bout from class?"

"What? N-"

"I mean, if I'm honest, much as I really liked Kyosuke, he's not really all that cute, y'know?" Sayaka awkwardly babbled. "I mean, Senoue and Ohtani's at the top of everybody's list, then there's Tokoi and Kobayashi in second, not to mention Naganuma and Setsumaru." She chortled. "They'd all be lucky to be with you! Heck, even if Nakazawa's a huge dork, I'm sure he'd be-"

"I don't care!" Homura snapped. "About the boys in class!" She punctuated. "At all!"

"Sorry." Sayaka dejectedly apologized.

The two sat on their beds quietly sipping apple juice and not looking at one another for an agonizing couple of minutes.

"I'm..." Sayaka tried breaking the ice one more time. "Rrrrreally into dolphins."

"Huh?" Homura snorted.

"I mean, not into dolphins like, into boys," Sayaka clumsily corrected herself, "They're my favorite animal. Have you got a fav..." Homura's typically aloof face was getting increasingly incensed by her inanity of her chatter. Sayaka had clearly worn out her welcome. "Sorry I bothered you," Her voice croaked in apology. "What was I thinking?" She dejectedly slammed her drink on the table between the beds, jumped off her bed and rushed for the door. "Stupid. I'm so stupid."

"...Seals." She heard Homura lightly utter contritely as she touched the door. Sayaka abruptly stopped in the open doorway and turned her head. "I was once allowed to pet a baby at the aquarium in Tokyo." Homura's expression had settled into something resembling contrition. "When I was very young."

"You... Were?" Sayaka reluctantly turned around. She slowly climbed back onto her bed. Homura glugged her juice. "Was that the one on the north side of the city?" She asked once she felt comfortable enough to speak again.

"I don't know." Homura sighed and poured herself more. "It was whichever was the closest to the Church."

"I remember back when I was little, my parents would take me to that aquarium, and this one time they let me get close to the dolphin pool, and I got the chance to feed them some fish." Sayaka smiled nostalgically. "I remember that was one of the best days of my life!" Sayaka poured some apple juice into her own glass and glugged a mouthful. "But the next day," She swallowed. "My parents told me that we were moving away to some town called 'Mitakihara', I cried the whole rest of the day." She sipped. "I Couldn't stand the thought of leaving our home or that'd I'd never ever see the kids I played with at the park again. Worst day of my life 'til then." She glugged the rest of the glass. "But, if we hadn't moved here, then I wouldn't have met Madoka later. Nor Kyosuke." She wiped her lips. "Nor Hitomi. Strange how something you think is the worst thing that could happen to you can turn out to be for the best. Y'know?" She reflexively poured herself another drink as Homura watched her, contemplatively.

"The best day of my life," Homura spoke while she introspectively stared at her glass. "I guess it could be said that it began as my worst." She yearningly sighed. "It was my first day here in school. I was completely useless in class. Knew nothing of the lessons. Too weak to participate in gym. I remember feeling so miserable, so discouraged that I really wanted to die." She slowly took a sip. "That was how a witch found me."

"Really?" Sayaka swiftly sat up. "Was it- Did Mami come to your rescue?"

"Yes." Homura sipped again. "And Madoka."

"No way!" Sayaka put her drink on the table. "Wait, hold on... You mean I wasn't there with them?"

"Not in the beginning." Homura continued. "It was only Mami and Madoka, and they trusted I'd keep their magical girl lives a secret. And through their confidence, I learned all about Kyubey and wishes, witches and curses and Walpurgisnacht, everything they knew about the lives of magical girls." Homura sipped.

"Huh." Sayaka sipped. "I wonder what Madoka's wish was back then."

"She revived a stray cat that had been hit by a car."

"Wait… For reals?"

"Yes." She added, "I remembered, because I was the only person she ever told about it." She glanced down at her juice. "Because she thought Mami would be very upset if she knew she wasted her miracle on something so small and trivial. Probably correctly."

"Gee, that's…" Sayaka sighed. "Very Madoka. Helping others in whatever little way she can."

"Yes." Homura agreed. "The ideal magical girl. That's why I looked up to her so much."

"Wait, hold on a sec." Sayaka paused. "Was it that cat you saved a few days ago?"

"I don't know." Homura slightly shrugged her shoulders. "It's possible. I just got in the habit of saving it and kept doing it."

The two sat drinking quietly again, this time exchanging quick glances as the other looked away.

"So why'd you transfer to our school? Why didn't you go back to your old school after the surg-" The two accidentally made eye contact.

"Bullies." Homura finally said after the awkward moment.

"What was that?"

"I was bullied a lot, back in Tokyo."

"Ohhhh."

"Madoka was the first real friend I ever had." Homura recounted. "When she died at the hands of Walpurgisnacht, I," She hesitated. She recomposed herself, then said, "I couldn't bear the thought of being alone in this world without her."

"That could only be when Kyubey made his offer..." Sayaka deduced.

"I…" She slowly glugged her juice. "I wished to go back and see her again, not as the one she protected, but as her protector," She solemnly recounted.

"Woooaaaahhh." Sayaka's mouth hung open.

"And yet, even knowing all the things I know now… After seeing all the things I've seen, after being trapped in this eternal maze of repeating events…" She confidently nodded. "I would still make that same wish all over again."

"You would?" Sayaka was amazed.

"Without hesitation." Homura asserted.

"Wooooooooow!" Sayaka slumped flat onto her bed. "Damn." She breathed to herself. The two girls sat in silence for minutes more, Homura slowly sipping her juice, and Sayaka staring at the lights on the ceiling.

"You were right." Sayaka slightly raised her head and took another sip of juice.

"Hm?" Homura tilted her head towards her.

"What you said at the hospital." She glugged the rest. "You were right." She stared reflectively into the empty glass. "I think I can't heal him... Because I don't want to." A huge swell of self pity emanated from her voice. "'Cause I'm a lousy friend."

The two sat in silence for another minute, pouring and drinking their juices and trying not to look at each other.

"You want to." Homura finally opined. "You just haven't found your reason to."

"Tch." Sayaka slunk in her bed. "Well of course I want to! In my head. I know what's at stake." She sighed deeply. "But in my heart... I dunno. I look at him now, and I don't see the quiet, good-natured, sweet, caring, talented guy I fell so hard for, but rather a closed-off, self-centered, hugely oblivious idiot who never ever gave me the time of day!" She grunted. "So why should I waste any more of my time and energy on him?"

"Wow." Homura sipped. "That's pretty harsh for you."

"Ugh!" Sayaka glugged and poured. "Mami was right, too. She once warned me that wishing for someone else, without understanding what I really wanted from it was going to go bad. Kyoko said the same." She glugged. "But I didn't listen. Because I thought that the Universe was a fundamentally good place where the good people who do good things get rewarded in the end. That right always punished wrong. That's what I thought Karma was." She glugged and poured some more. "Looking back now, of course That World would destroy my naivete by hooking him up with my friend." She tilted her head back and downed her apple juice. "It was bound to happen. Can't be mad at Hitomi. She just saw in him all the same things that I used to really like."

"I think you've been drinking too much apple juice."

"And of course This World would react to my intrusion by pairing him with my other friend," She ranted on. "At least wrong still gets punished sometimes. What else could possibly explain him getting together with Madoka?"

"What do you mean?" Homura raised her eyebrow and sipped. "Care to elaborate?" She surprised herself by being genuinely interested.

"What? You weren't following her that night, too?" Sayaka sarcastically retorted. Homura's expression subtly shifted from curiosity to offense. "Oh. Sorry." Sayaka apologized as she sat up and rubbed her weary eyes. "It was right after I nearly tore myself apart killing that Shadow Witch. It was raining. Madoka and I were sheltered at a bus stop. She tried to talk some sense into me, but my mind was so diseased by that point that I..." She frustratedly slammed her glass on the table. "I yelled at her for being so useless despite having so much potential." She disgustedly tossed her pillow at the wall. "Stupidstupid idiot. Practically did Kyubey's job for him." She angrily pounded her bed. "That's when I ran away from everyone and I never saw her again until she was facing that Walpurgisnacht. God." She ashamedly squeezed the other pillow over her face.

Then silence between them for the next few minutes.

"And the worst part is," She finally spoke up again through the pillow. "My biggest, hugest regret, the one that keeps me up at night more than anything else, wasn't that I couldn't save Mami or those stupid feuds with Kyoko or that I couldn't say anything to Kyosuke or any of the crap between us," She pouted through the pillow. "It's the way I left Madoka back there. I can still see that look of shock and sadness on her face, the fear in her eyes, whenever I close mine. It's the worst feeling in the world."

The two sat silently for another minute. Homura quietly poured some more juice in Sayaka's glass. "Madoka would have forgiven you, you know."

"I know. That's what makes it the worst." Sayaka clamped the pillow tighter on her face. "Madoka. Not a single drop of hatred or resentment in her heart."

"Why I love her so much." She faintly heard Homura's voice through her pillow.

Sayaka slowly raised the pillow and tilted her head. "Wait," She sat up. "What'd you say?"

"I didn't say anything."

"Yes you did." Sayaka stared at her. "I distinctly heard you say 'Why I love her so much'."

"I said no such thing." Homura's face was getting noticeably red.

"Then..." Her face was glowing redder and redder by the second. "Y- You thought it?"

Another awkwardly silent moment that turned into a minute.

"That's it, isn't it?" She gasped. "Hoooooly cow! Now it's all starting to make soooo much sense!" Her eyes lit up. "Not caring about boys!" Her eyes progressively widened. "Your crazy level of dedication to protecting her… And all that time you must have spent watching over her life!" Her open mouth evolved into an admiring smile. "Then you said you'd do it all again without hesitation?" She put her hands to her cheeks and leaned closer to Homura. "You're really… In love with Madoka, aren't you?"

"Don't be absurd." Homura slammed her glass on the table.

"You love her!" Sayaka eagerly leapt onto Homura's bed. "Have you ever told her that?"

"Of course not! There's nothing to tell her!" Homura reactively slid away.

"Ooohhh, boy! I know that tone!" Sayaka blushed. "It's the same one I used whenever people asked me about Kyosuke."

"Get out!" Homura jumped off the bed, picked up Sayaka and led her to the door.

"Ah, I take it that means you've never told her." Sayaka smiled slyly. "Can't say I blame you, seeing as she doesn't really... Swing that way." She winced and awkwardly scratched her face. "Uh, far as I know."

"We're finished here." She quickly went back and snatched Sayaka's drink. "Take it and go!"

"You know, right now is probably the most emotional I've ever seen you?"

"Goodbye." Homura pushed Sayaka outside the door frame.

"Don't worry! Your secret's safe! Who would I tell anyway?" Sayaka quickly waved as the sliding door separated them.

The two girls stood in place silently for minutes, separated by the door still staring at one another through it.

"All that time, you and me were in the same dumb boat." Sayaka eventually muttered to herself. "Lovestruck idiots. Pining for someone who won't see us that way." She suddenly felt her bladder tense up. She had drank too much juice and needed to use the bathroom. "Seeing those two together must really be tearing you inside. I know." She pondered while she shuffled her way back to her room.

Those long lost memories that Miss Jones had resurrected were getting tougher and tougher for Homura to suppress. Yes, she did once tell Madoka exactly how she felt. Long, long ago, way back in the early days of her magical girl life. But being Madoka, she let Homura down as gently as she could. Homura had even made peace with merely being her close friend. But gradually her affections shifted, among the others in the group, each making a connection within her heart. But fearing a repeat of that letdown, she gradually learned to repress those feelings, freezing them deep inside herself, until she'd forgotten she'd ever had them at all.

That was, until this night.


"Now please, calm down!" Mami Tomoe had her surprise assailant bound in ribbons at the very outer edge of Mitakihara. It was a place she rarely ventured, but this girl's anxiety was so palpable that Mami felt her coming from several kilometers away.

"It's all her fault!" The rookie magical girl spat back. "Everything started going wrong after she hurt me in Kazamino!" The girl dropped a round, bladed weapon as the bonds tightened.

"Callllllllm dowwwwn!" Mami tugged at her bindings. "Who beat you in Kazamino?" Although she already had a strong suspicion from the word 'Kazamino'.

"That red-haired magical girl!" Her suspicion was confirmed. "I heard you were friends! Where is she?" She writhed in pain as she struggled.

"I don't know."

"Liar!"

"We worked together, that's all. But that was a long time ago." Mami reluctantly loosened her bindings. "We've gone our separate ways."

"Another lie!" The girl flashed out of her magical form.

"It's the truth!" Mami insisted. "I'm sorry she's hurt you." She released the girl. "Please, explain to me what happened to you in Kazamino."

"I was chasing a witch, when that red girl stopped me at a rooftop. We battled, and then she tied me up and tossed me off a building!" The exasperated girl dropped to her knees

"I'm sorry she did that to you." Mami noticed the girl's Soul Gem around her neck was incredibly tainted. This girl needed a Grief Seed more than anything. "How did it go wrong after that?" She figured she could win over this girl's trust by hearing her out.

"Everything!" She cried.

"What do you mean?"

"My wish!" She choked. "I wanted my family's business to succeed, so it did, but my Father got too busy to spend time with us!" She wept. "He became so obsessed with work and success that it drove my Momma away! And then my big sis ran away too!"

"All those things that happened," Mami knelt down beside her. "They're not the fault of that girl you're chasing. I'm certain you can sense that deep in your heart."

"But she's wrong!" The girl insisted. "She's wrong to let the Familiars grow into witches and let them prey on people!"

"I know." Mami consoled. "That's the reason we stopped working together.

"After she beat me," She recounted, "I started to think that her way was the better approach, so I let this one familiar go, and it grew and it grew and became a witch!" She bawled. "When I finally tracked it down, I discovered it had taken control of my Father." She pounded the ground frantically. "But his drive for success had gotten so into his head that… That…"

"... What happened to him?"

"He murdered his business partner! Now he's in jail and I'm all alone!"

"I'm sorry!" Mami crept closer and closer. "I'm so, so sorry." A big, comforting hug… She was certain that was all this girl needed to stave off the corruption. Closer and closer, she need only experience Mami's soothing touch.

"It's her fault!" She pushed Mami back and jerked away. "Her fault that I didn't kill the familiar!" Mami reached for a Grief Seed in her pocket. The gem looked pitch black, she knew she had but seconds to act. "Her fault for telling me all those horrible things!" I want my revenge!" Tears welled in her distraught eyes. "I want- I want-"

"Vengeance isn't the way to go." Mami couldn't give up. Again she slowly and carefully reached for her hand. "Now, please! If you come with me, I can-"