CH.4
"Finally, she's asleep." Kyoko murmured to herself after insistently poking at Sayaka's cheek. The shorthaired girl was currently sitting asleep next to her on the couch with a wireless game controller grasped limply in her hands. She had fallen to slumber after playing against Kyoko for literally hours into the night. Sayaka had obviously been determined to make sure Kyoko fell asleep first, but Kyoko was a night person, so she had eventually lost the battle to keep her eyes open and slipped into unconsciousness.
It was now the early hours of the morning, still dark with the sun not due to make an appearance on the eastern horizon for a few more hours. For the heck of it, Kyoko made sure to beat the crap out of Sayaka's character on the wall projection screen and kill them repeatedly for good measure before setting down the controller with a satisfied smile. She left the score board on the screen to ensure it was the first thing Sayaka saw when she woke up. Cheating had a guarantee of pushing a button somewhere in the girl.
"My parting gift to you." Kyoko got up from her seat and reached for the ceiling as she stretched her entire body. She had changed back into her original outfit after the whole naked wrestling incident. Actually it wasn't much of a wrestling match as much as it was Sayaka trying to fight seriously and Kyoko laughing her ass off and continually going for the breasts. Sayaka eventually gave up out of extreme aggravation.
Kyoko grinned to herself at the memory as she zipped up her jacket and made her way to the door. Opening it, she glanced behind her as she put on her boots that were tucked neatly together next to the door. "It was fun. See ya, Sayaka." Kyoko waved indifferently behind her as she exited the apartment.
Stepping into the elevator, she buried her hands deeply into her pockets as she waited for the smooth glide to stop on the ground floor. As she waited the homeless girl's face seemed to steel itself and her feet constantly shifted restlessly. When the doors soundlessly opened Kyoko darted out as soon as it opened far enough and her feet moved quickly for the lobby doors, which opened when she triggered its motion sensor.
The night air enveloped her flying form and she instantly felt more confident being in the open space. However, she knew she needed to move fast to a different location since out of the corner of her eye Kyoko already spotted the silhouettes of several people running after her as soon as she left the building.
'Damn it, I knew there was no way we weren't followed here!' Kyoko thought in exasperation. One thing was certain, she had to move as far away from Sayaka's place as possible before these guys caught up to her. Nonetheless, Kyoko couldn't help feeling exhilarated as she ran through the empty and quiet streets of Mitakihara, blood rushing through her body as her legs made her fly seemingly without effort, the cool night air fueling her lungs. Sitting still too long made her feel as if she was rotting, but this was her element.
"You're running like a coward, Kyoko!" a voice snarled breathlessly behind her and she was reminded of the danger she was in.
"Would you feel more motivated if you pretended I was an underage boy, Ryu?" Kyoko hollered over her shoulder as she continued to outrun the gang.
"I could be mistaken with your figure!"
"Asshole." Kyoko grunted at the insult. It was the jacket! With that annoyed thought in mind, she decided that she had run far enough and that she should conserve her energy for the struggle that was sure to ensue.
It was in the middle of a park where the pursued girl skidded to a halt and whirled to face her chasers head-on. With a grin that bared her fangs she took a breath that filled her chest. "FUCK YOU!" she bellowed as her battle cry of choice. It took a minute but she was eventually surrounded by several young men in various stages of exhaustion, most of them fighting for breath as they regarded her with scorn.
"What's the matter?" Kyoko asked disdainfully. "Too busy smoking pot to keep up?"
"Shut the hell up!" Ryu spat at her. He straightened up and scowled at her, probably around a head taller than she was. Kyoko let her hate for the guy bubble up into her scornful gaze as she stared back at him. This guy had a history of messing with her this past year.
Since she was a loner on the street he viewed her as an easy target and an object to be toyed with. Some of the things he'd done to her in the past would be to steal her food, forcibly steal her clothes off her back in public places for laughs, or report her to the police and force her into hiding. But mostly beatings. Whenever they managed to corner her, it usually resulted in several pairs of fists and legs flying at her body, with Ryu never getting his own hands dirty. They were a pain in her ass and she wanted it to end. Today she would end it.
In all honesty Kyoko wasn't exactly sure why she decided today was the day she would kick this guy's ass. Maybe it was because her belly was full. She would never concede that it had anything to do with the girl she met today. Because that would be sentimental and utterly full of bullshit, according to Kyoko's thought process.
"I have something I want to say to you." came the dangerously ominous voice from the redhead. Now, Kyoko was always one to own up to her feelings, so it was about time she owned up to some very serious feelings she was having here. "I just wanted to thank you for very kindly coming to me to save me the trouble of hunting you down, Ryu."
"Didn't I tell you to shut the hell up!" he roared in a rage. He motioned angrily for his cohorts to grab her and they eagerly moved to do just that. They grabbed Kyoko's arms and held her with her arms held out at either side of her.
"Not man enough to handle me by yourself?" Kyoko taunted, resisting the urge to wince at the tight grips on her arms. "I always knew you were just a pussy hiding behind his minions!"
The sneer on Ryu's face turned dangerous. "The hell you say to me?"
Kyoko smirked, knowing she had him. "You heard me, pussy."
Ryu literally growled like a dog. "Let this bitch go. Looks like I gotta teach her a lesson personally." he confidently cracked his knuckles. Just because he let his cronies do most of the work, he was not a pushover. He had a tall and muscular frame that looked like he could easily handle a girl a head shorter than he was. His skin was a tough guy's tan color, but the clothes on his back always looked pricey.
The guys holding her chuckled before releasing her. Kyoko disregarded them like the small fry they were and rolled her shoulders to loosen herself up. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're a pussy. Pussies were made to take a good pounding, right?" Kyoko declared loudly, confidence dripping from her tone. A confidence seemingly unfounded when the guy she was facing had about a hundred pounds on her slender frame.
"I think I'm going to enjoy this." Ryu sniggered.
"When I win, I don't want to see your ugly ass face again. Got it?" Kyoko said.
"When I win, I'll just do whatever the hell I want with you. How's that?" Ryu responded, holding his fists up in preparation of a beat down. He didn't waste any time either, running straight for Kyoko without warning. Kyoko obliged him and ran at him with a yell of her own and their fists flew.
It was a straight-out slug fest from the beginning as they got into each other's personal space and threw their whole strength behind their fists. Kyoko had to mostly duck and weave under out of Ryu's long reach to rain blows on his body with quick rabbit punches to vital areas. Ryu's punches were slower but packed more power. He didn't even bother protecting himself from Kyoko's attacks as if to prove he was unaffected when he clearly was.
At one point the redhead attempted to knee Ryu between the legs, but he stepped back, hyper aware of that weak spot, and cracked his fist against her face. She took the full force of it on one side of her face, thinking briefly that his fist must have been the size of her head and she staggered backwards trying to regain her footing. But Ryu pushed his advantage and pulled back his opposite fist and smashed her across the other side of her face. He followed through with his full reach and she was knocked to the ground, completely disoriented as her vision fluctuated.
His massive fist grabbed her by the front of her sweater and lifted her into the air. She gasped in his grip and dug her nails deep into his arm but he didn't release her. Instead he pulled her up close to his face and smiled that grotesque smile that she hated so much. "Give up yet?"
Kyoko managed to laugh slightly. "Nah. Want some?" Unexpectedly she forced something into Ryu's smiling mouth with a quick move of her hand. Caught off guard, Ryu automatically swallowed whatever she forced into his throat.
His eyes looked at Kyoko in brief bewilderment, then anger. "What the hell did you…" He didn't finish his sentence as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his grip on Kyoko's clothes slacked significantly. She landed on her feet when he dropped her and the tall man limply toppled over into the dirt.
"Haha." Kyoko half-laughed in satisfaction, briefly wiping the blood trickling from her nose and lip. The item that she had popped into Ryu's mouth had been the pill filled with nano-bots Madoka had given her earlier in the day. She knew she had about ten or fifteen seconds until Ryu was roused feeling pain-free, so she got to work quickly.
Ryu's buddies were visibly confused when their leader suddenly collapsed and watched in uncertainty as the girl walked up to his prone body and started stomping on his unprotected crotch.
"Try, growing, this, back!" Kyoko grunted as she put her full weight into her kicks. The guys around her cringed and groaned in sympathy, unconsciously protecting themselves, but unable to look away from the merciless assault on the unconscious body.
Ryu's eyes eventually fluttered open in confusion. He blinked as feeling slowly registered in his brain. It didn't take long for tears to gather in his eyes and high-pitched shrieking to flee his lips as pure agony centered on his groin registered. But he couldn't move because Kyoko was currently sitting on his chest and smiling cruelly down at him. "I think I just did this world a huge favor." she said. She connected both of her hands to make a single fist and rose them above her head before bringing them down hard right on the spot she had butted him with the gun earlier that day. The bigger man was instantly knocked out once again.
The five remaining guys surrounding the area gaped in disbelief at the girl straightening up off their leader's body. The redhead put her hands in her pockets and tilted her head over her shoulder to show off her canines at them. "Who's next?"
The disbelief was quickly replaced by anger and indignation. The four remaining looked like different varieties of Ryu himself, and they grit their teeth and clenched their fists as she grinned at them. Taking the initiative to avenge their fallen member they launched themselves at Kyoko from all sides. Kyoko met them head-on, knowing there was no way she could come away from this unscathed but couldn't help the adrenalin singing through her veins in thrill.
Seemingly out of the blue someone dropped down from somewhere above and landed feet-first on top of the guy Kyoko was about to punch in the face. Kyoko paused and stumbled, deflecting her aim from the dark figure that had suddenly appeared. "What the hell?" The girl that was now standing on top of a prone body flicked her long black hair to the side before stepping off and backing up to Kyoko with her fists up. The other guys paused as well to eye this sudden new threat.
"Taking on five to one isn't very smart of you, Kyoko Sakura." she stated emotionlessly.
"You? What the hell are you doing here?" Kyoko asked in bewilderment, recognizing the girl standing at her back.
"I think we have more pressing things to worry about." the raven haired girl stated as the gang around them renewed their charge with renewed anger. She quickly bent down to pick up a large rock by her feet and used it as a weapon, pounding the rock into the skull of the first guy that tried to take a swing at her.
Kyoko didn't have the time to protest the unwanted assistance because she had to defend herself against men fighting viciously with their remaining pride on the line. Being beaten by a couple of teenage girls wasn't exactly their ideal night. Now with backup Kyoko was free to crush noses and nuts to her content. The two of them together made quick work of the small time gang, and their bodies were now strewn about them, either unconscious or groaning in pain.
"Mind telling me why you stepped in, Homerun?" Kyoko asked after she got her breathing under control. She rubbed at her now raw knuckles and winced.
The rock the other girl had used on her victims dropped indifferently from her hands. "If there's one thing I hate, it's repeating myself. If you call me 'Homerun' one more time, I'll make sure no one finds your body." Homura said, tone just barely betraying her annoyance at the nickname. She pulled out a pair of red glasses from a pocket and slid them onto her face before she shot Kyoko a look with her piercing violet gaze.
The redhead rubbed the blood from her hands on the grass. "My bad, Homerun." The glasses-wearing mystery didn't intimidate her.
They vaguely knew each other from the streets, the dark haired girl occasionally appearing off and on for no explicable reason. One day she offered Kyoko some food and introduced herself to the skeptical Kyoko. The homeless girl had misheard the introduction and repeated the word 'homerun?' with a bemused look on her face. Homura had corrected her, but it was already too late and the unwanted nickname stuck in Kyoko's mind. They've talked occasionally, but Kyoko mostly tolerated the other girl's presence because she usually got a box of pocky for her efforts.
"I've already alerted the police before I intervened. They should be here shortly to pick these guys up for disturbing the peace." said Homura in an impassive voice. Kyoko was reminded that Homura had a seemingly pokerfaced way of interacting with her, never giving too much away. To others her manner may come across as overly serious or intimidating.
"So, what are you doing out here?" Kyoko inquired, seeking conversation to distract her from the throbbing pain in her face and knuckles.
Homura turned away from Kyoko and walked away at a brisk pace without checking to see if the redhead was following. "Walpurgisnacht has invaded the city. I've been asked to assist with damage control and have been securing runaway creatures in this city sector," Homura explained at an even pitch.
Kyoko half-jogged to catch up with her and listened absentmindedly. "Ah, I think Madoka mentioned something about that earlier. Whatsitcalled is a circus or something, right?" Emotion flickered across Homura's face at the mention of Madoka's name.
"Yes, Madoka asked me to help." Homura kept her voice cool while gauging Kyoko's expression from the corner of her eye.
"You know Madoka? Small world." was the extent of Kyoko's unperturbed response. Homura appeared satisfied with the reaction and continued leading her companion out of the park.
"I've managed to secure one item and am currently in pursuit of an elusive target." Homura relayed, stopping at a bench at the entrance of the park. Kyoko stopped next to Homura and stared blankly at the small goat tied to the bench, munching on grass. The goat had been dyed a bright neon green color.
"Um," Kyoko wasn't normally at a loss for words. "There's a green goat tied to the bench."
"Indeed." Homura said dryly. "In exchange for my helping you,"
"I never asked anyone for help, why won't people understand this?"
"Watch my goat while I track down Walpurgisnacht's mascot animal, code named 'Kyubey'. Very rare and smart creature. A pain to catch." Homura was already walking away, her mission issued, and her own waiting to be fulfilled.
"Hey, I'm not babysitting your stinkin' goat!" Kyoko yelled. With a sigh, the dark figure pulled something out of her pocket and tossed a box of pocky over her shoulder. Kyoko caught it automatically.
"I'll be back soon. Probably." Homura stated the last word under her breath. However, she had no more time to spare when she spotted a white bushy tail disappearing across the street. With that she took off with her target in sight, disregarding the raging girl behind her.
"You think this is compensation? Hey! Damn it, she's already gone." Kyoko paced in discontent, tempted to just walk away. With a groan she sat herself down on the bench and ripped open the box of pocky. Shoving one in her mouth she bit down and winced. Apparently the inside of her mouth was bleeding a little and her lip was cut. She couldn't even eat in peace! "Damn that shit stain Ryu. I hope he feels that for the rest of his life." she grumbled.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed the goat's even gaze on her. They stared at each other for a minute. Kyoko sighed and relented, holding out the box of pocky to the green goat. "Want some?"
The goat regarded the box being offered to it with dull interest. It didn't stop it from opening its mouth and chomping down on the entire contents of the box, much to the girl's horrified expression.
"Wha-My-Why-" Kyoko spluttered in disbelief that her candy had disappeared before her eyes before she had had a chance to enjoy it herself. She threw the box at the goat and it bonked off the goat's head. The creature protested the treatment with an indignant 'Baa!'
"Son of a motherless goat!" Kyoko exclaimed in distress. Just what she needed to top off her day. A glow-in-the-dark goat. "Frigging Homerun." the redhead grumbled, slumping down on the bench tiredly. "Frigging Ryu." She paused as she considered the last person. " Frigging Sayaka…"
Somehow, with the her nose and hands buried in the warmth of her light green sweater, a goat next to her, a fallen gang behind her, and a wayward ally chasing down something god knows where, Kyoko was able to comfortably doze off on that bench like an old pro. And she was content.
Sayaka was in the midst of a strange dream. In it she was swimming around as a fish when she was suddenly speared through the middle. With a jolt and a sharp intake of breath she found herself sitting upright on the couch with the game controller still in her grasp. The first thing she saw was the score board of the game Kyoko and she had been playing last night projected onto the wall screen.
On screen Sayaka's character 'Caped Idiot', apparently lost an overwhelming defeat against Kyoko's character 'Food Dumpster'. (They had chosen each other's screen names, clearly enough). An eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the blatant jab at her. The second thing she noticed was the fact that Kyoko was not there.
"Kyoko?" It didn't take long to establish that her two bedroom one bath apartment only had herself as its current occupant. Sayaka stood alone amongst her furniture, not feeling as surprised as she maybe should have been. Only the rush of irritation at the thought the redhead had taken off in the dead of night, maybe into the clutches of dangerous people.
"That idiot." Sayaka hissed as she threw on a tee-shirt and jeans, combed her fingers through her short hair and quickly left the oppressing emptiness of her home. She rushed down the hallway and urgently pushed the elevator button. When it didn't show up immediately Sayaka took off for the stairs impatiently, flying down the floors with a single goal in mind- to find Kyoko before anybody else did.
When she dashed into the early Sunday morning air was when she realized she had absolutely no idea where she could possibly find the runaway girl. First of all, her head start could be from a few short minutes to possibly hours. Second of all, she never indicated to Sayaka any clue as to where she could go. With nothing to go on, Sayaka decided to try the street they had first encountered each other.
Calling out her name also seemed like a viable option. "KYOKO! KYOKO!" No wait, if she left without telling her, then she probably wouldn't answer her back. Actually, maybe she would. She'd probably be mad and come straight for Sayaka. In that case… "KYOKO SAKURA! GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE!"
She spent the next hour jogging up and down the street where she was first mugged, then tried to retrace their path from memory. She didn't have much success in that area since at the time she was merely focused on catching up to the elusive thief and less to her surroundings. Frustrated when her search ended up fruitless, Sayaka randomly jogged down streets asking random people if they've seen Kyoko. No dice.
"Mitakihara is much bigger than I realized." Sayaka said under her breath, finally walking tiredly through one of the city's many parks. "At this rate, I'll never find her. Heck, it's probably impossible to run into anyone I know!" she said, considering the distance she had covered in a couple of hours.
"Sayaka?"
The blunette stiffened in her tracks at the voice. Her breath shortened and her heart took off at this unexpected encounter. Turning around she saw the last two people she wanted to see at the moment.
"I knew it was you," Kyosuke greeted with a friendly smile. "Taking an early morning stroll too?" The girl next to him was too late in releasing Kyosuke's hand. Sayaka couldn't help her eyes lingering in the space where their hands had been clasped together. Hitomi's hands dropped to her sides guiltily.
Sayaka swallowed and let an uneasy grin slip onto her face. "Hey," she breathed. "Kyosuke. Hitomi." she nodded in acknowledgment.
"Good morning, Sayaka." Hitomi was trying to catch Sayaka's fleeting gaze but the blunette could barely look at her green-haired friend.
The boy failed to realize the tense atmosphere he had strolled them into. "We were just going to get some breakfast. Would you care to join us?" Sayaka's childhood friend offered cordially.
"No, no thanks." Sayaka was quick to decline, already fighting the urge to run away and set something on fire. She finally caught Hitomi's searching eyes. "Three's a crowd, after all." she said, offering her friend a strained smile. "Besides, I was in the middle of doing… something." Sayaka forgot what she had been doing for a second.
"Oh? That's a shame." Kyosuke looked genuinely disappointed. At this point Sayaka could barely face him. This was the last place she wanted to be. Her shirt collar was starting to feel really itchy and she was swallowing way too much.
"Yeah. It's a real shame." Sayaka left without further prompt. She tried to walk away quickly without seeming like she was walking away too quickly and she probably had a less than dignified exit than she was hoping for. Not that she cared how she looked at the moment.
"Sayaka, wait." A hand grasped Sayaka's sleeve to gently hold her in place. The blunette reluctantly tilted her head slightly to look at Hitomi from the corner of her eye.
"What?" she asked quietly.
Hitomi's look was one of patience and concern. "Look, Sayaka, I've asked you repeatedly in the past if you liked Kamijou and you always denied it. I let you know immediately when we went on that first date yesterday. I want you to know that since I respect our friendship, if you're not okay with this I'll end it." she offered, searching Sayaka's gaze.
Sayaka could hear the sincerity in her friend's voice, but also the trace of sadness at the prospect of breaking up with Kyosuke.
"What are you talking about, Hitomi?" Sayaka tried to laugh it off, but she came across as stiff. "I don't have a problem with you. Me and him are just friends, that's it. Nothing more."
Hitomi frowned. "How can you say that when I see the opposite in your eyes every time you look at me?"
"I said I'm fine!" Sayaka snapped, shrugging Hitomi's grasp on her sleeve off. "It's none of my business who he decides to date. I don't care!"
Hitomi's hand lingered in the air before her fingers curled themselves in gently and she lowered her hand to her side in a resigned manner. "Alright." Her level gaze conveyed that she didn't believe her friend for one second. "If that's how you want to play it Sayaka, then I guess I have nothing to apologize for." she said, her voice firm with resolve.
Sayaka's jaw tightened until it was almost painful. She could feel her emotions about to burst forth in an ugly wave and she didn't want to take it out on her kind and beautiful friend. No matter how much she wanted to.
"Oh, by the way," Sayaka spoke up, making Hitomi pause as she was about to go back to Kyosuke. "Have you seen a girl with long red hair with a green jacket? Kinda raggedy looking?"
Hitomi looked thoughtful for a second as she considered the question. "Was there a bright green goat with her?" Hitomi asked. Sayaka blinked at the random question.
"Um, who knows?" Sayaka finally managed to smile in genuine amusement when she tried to picture that combo in her head. However, her smile faded when she spotted Kyosuke coming up behind Hitomi and taking her hand in his.
"I hope you don't mind me stealing Hitomi away now?" Kyosuke joked while smiling down at the green haired girl. Insane jealousy roared through Sayaka's veins and she nodded quickly, mentally pleading with him to leave, to take Hitomi away from her sight and her twitching hands.
Hitomi's eyebrows creased in disappointment at her inability to break through Sayaka's stubborness, but she let herself be led away by Kyosuke's insistent tugging.
Sayaka decided to further torture herself by watching the couple walk away from her hand in hand to have a cute breakfast date. How sweet for them.
Within minutes Sayaka had reduced her knuckles to a raw state as she took out her frustrations against the bark of a nearby tree. When she couldn't hit the tree anymore she started kicking it desperately, eyes empty with misery and pain. 'If only there was some way I could block out this pain...'
"So, that was the guy?" a voice from behind Sayaka startled her out of her pity party. She whirled around to discover Kyoko standing behind her wearing an infuriating smirk.
"You…" Sayaka took pause at the implication that Kyoko had been watching her. "I've been looking for you, and you were just standing by?" she asked angrily.
Kyoko ignored her. "I don't know why you would get so hung-up over such an effeminate looking guy. You should just forget about him." Kyoko's look turned cruel. "But if you really want him than I can help you out."
"What?" Sayaka asked, even if she figured she was being led into a trap.
"March right up to him, and smash his arms and legs until he can never use them anymore." Kyoko suggested pitilessly. Sayaka gasped, truly offended.
"Make him completely helpless." Kyoko continued on, very much aware of the hell she was raising within the girl before her. "Then he'll be completely yours. His mind and his body!" Sayaka trembled with rage. "If you're too shy to do it, I'll be happy to take your place. As a favor for taking me in last night." Kyoko leaned over tauntingly until her face was close to Sayaka's. "It would be so easy."
Hands possessed by fury seized the collar of Kyoko's jacket and pulled her forward. Kyoko kept up her openly mocking grin as eyes burning with righteous vehemence engaged her. 'This right here, this is good.' Kyoko thought, expecting Sayaka to mercilessly take her revenge. 'Better me than the tree.' A chuckle escaped her throat when the blunette didn't immediately hit her, provoking her further. 'I'll make you bleed this anger out on someone who can take it!'
"What happened to your face?" Sayaka asked instead.
"Huh?" Kyoko's harsh look slipped momentarily to be replaced with puzzlement.
"I asked what happened to your face!" Sayaka shook Kyoko slightly in her grasp as she demanded an answer. Both sides of Kyoko's face was bruised as if she'd been pummeled by a gorilla, purple and blue standing out as well as a cut lip.
"That's none of your business." Kyoko's voice hardened to steel at the inquiry, matching Sayaka's gaze with a hostile one of her own. The grip on her jacket tightened, and Kyoko realized her mistake since she had been butting in on Sayaka's business just a moment before. She wouldn't back down now though.
With a growl, Sayaka released Kyoko from her grip, much to the redhead's surprise. "What you just said, it's unforgivable." said Sayaka. "But I'm not going to fight you on uneven ground."
Kyoko's eyebrows rose and she scoffed. "If you think this," she gestured to her face. "means that I won't be able to kick your ass five times over, then maybe I should refresh your memory."
"Oh, I'll beat you alright." Sayaka said with a smirk as an idea popped into her head. "Just not with my fists. C'mon." She started jogging away, indicating Kyoko should follow her. Kyoko stared after Sayaka in annoyance, really fed up with the fact that she was being once again forced into someone else's pace. With a reluctant sigh she jogged to catch up.
To Kyoko's infinite amusement, Sayaka led her to a nearby arcade. A minute later a smile was fighting its way onto her lips, because Sayaka had led her straight to the Dog Drug Reinforcement game. "Oh, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into." Kyoko said with a low patronizing laugh.
Sayaka glared her while fishing coins from her pocket. "Shut up and get on the dance platform!" she growled. Kyoko happily obliged, eager to show off her skills and kick some ass while she was at it. Sayaka set the game to Battle Mode and joined her soon after. Some upbeat song that was the theme of some magical girl show started playing.
"Hate to break it to you, but I'm actually one of the best DDR players in the city." Kyoko gloated just as the arrows on the acrylic monitor before them started scrolling.
"Oh?" Sayaka appeared unfazed by the declaration, stepping on the arrows indicated.
As the game progressed, Kyoko was actually caught off guard at the skill and ease Sayaka handled the game. 'Damn it, she's actually a challenge!'
"I hate to break it to you, Kyoko," Sayaka spoke up a few moments before the song finished. "But I'm actually the best player in the city."
Kyoko's mouth dropped opened in shock when their scores appeared on the screen. A 'Perfect!' score was Kyoko's result. However, a rare 'Marvelous' was hanging in front of Sayaka's smug figure.
Kyoko cocked her head curiously at the short haired girl. "What level is this on?" she inquired.
"Expert." Sayaka answered. Kyoko considered her for a moment before an excited grin broke through.
"Why don't we take this to the next level?"
"It's your funeral." Sayaka said as she adjusted the level of difficulty to the highest possible.
"I just underestimated you, that's all. Now I'm ready!" Kyoko was still brimming with confidence.
"We'll see about that." Sayaka wondered how long that would last.
Sayaka: 1
Kyoko: 0
…
Sayaka grinned triumphantly at her latest win. Kyoko merely scoffed. "That was just a warm-up. I'm serious now."
Sayaka: 2
Kyoko: 0
...
Sayaka's score dominated the screen once more.
Kyoko would not admit defeat. "You've proven yourself to me. I guess it's time for me to bring out that!"
"Bring out all you want, you're still going to lose." Sayaka deadpanned.
Sayaka: 3
Kyoko: 0
…
Kyoko grit her teeth in irritation when she lost again. She turned to Sayaka indignantly. "You know what; you're not taking this seriously. If you're not serious, then I can't bring out my full power!" Kyoko claimed.
"Just admit you're beat!" Sayaka said with a frustrated glare at the redhead.
"This next game we'll both go all out. No holding back!" Kyoko said with an accusing finger pointed at Sayaka. The blunette rolled her eyes.
Sayaka: 5
Kyoko: 0
…
A group of people had started gathering around the dancing duo. Some cheered when Sayaka beat Kyoko for the seventh time in a row. Some pointed at Sayaka and whispered, "Hey, look! It's the girl who's held the DDR high score for the last three years!"
Kyoko narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the whispers. She was loath to admit, but she's heard rumors of this 'legendary girl'. She never imagined that it would be this idiot.
"Don't get so full of yourself, Sayaka. The underdog always pulls through in the end!"
"Oh, so you're finally admitting you're the underdog here!" Sayaka laughed. Kyoko glowered at her.
Sayaka: 7
Kyoko: 0
…
"You're cheating, aren't you?" Kyoko accused immediately after her newest lost.
"How the hell can I cheat at DDR?'!" Sayaka exclaimed indignantly.
"Shut up! I'm not going to lose again!"
Sayaka: 13
Kyoko: 0
…
"This game is broken. Fuck this game." Kyoko snarled, kicking the dance platform as if it would suddenly correct its wrong ways. Their small audience 'booed' at her attitude.
Sayaka sighed tiredly. "Just give up already, will you?"
Sayaka: 21
Kyoko: 0
…
Kyoko stared blankly at the scores displayed side-by-side on the monitor. The scores were tied.
The redhead whirled on Sayaka and tackled her off the platform in a sudden fit of rage while screaming: "How dare you go easy on me just now!" The tangled pair landed in the gathered crowd, making people scream in alarm when others were pushed over in the face of the pair's violent roll on the floor.
The two girls were promptly kicked out of the arcade. Literally.
People walking on the sidewalk had to avoid or step over the two girls lying side-by-side on the pavement. Their eyes stared aimlessly at the blue sky, not caring about the strange looks they were receiving.
Sayaka moved her head to the side to look at Kyoko's face. The redhead was pouting. "Pfft," sound escaped Sayaka's lips. Kyoko shot the blunette a withering glare, daring her to make that noise again. "Pffft!" Sayaka's cheeks puffed up and she bit her lips in a futile attempt to hold in her amusement. The term 'sore loser' flitted through her head, forever now associating the term with Kyoko's pouting face and she couldn't hold in the laughter any longer.
Kyoko's eyebrow twitched when her glare had no effect on the shorthaired girl. She resisted the urge to strangle her, but stayed her hand at Sayaka's careless laugh. It appeared that Kyoko had been able to bleed out Sayaka's anger through all those losses.
'Somehow…' Kyoko sighed, sitting up. She held out a hand to Sayaka, whose bouts of laughing fits were lessening to giggles. Sayaka ignored the offered hand and managed to get up by herself.
Smiling despite herself, Sayaka regarded Kyoko. 'This is it.' Sayaka thought as Kyoko lifted an eyebrow at Sayaka's staring. 'This girl is the block to my feelings regarding Kyosuke and Hitomi…'
"What?" Kyoko snapped, unnerved by Sayaka's intent look.
"I was right. You make a good distraction."
Kyoko let out an exhale of aggravation. "So I'm just the 'distraction' now? How about this, I distract you with a fist to your face?" Kyoko suggested quite seriously.
"It looks like you took a few of those last night." Sayaka pointed out.
"Garbage trucks, Sayaka." Kyoko smirked. Sayaka frowned at her, clearly dissatisfied by that answer.
"Let's go home." said the younger of the two.
Kyoko blinked. "Home?"
"Yeah, home. We need to get you cleaned up. And you're probably hungry, right?"
"About that," Kyoko muttered, about to let Sayaka know that she had no intention of going back. That she had taken care of Ryu and had no need for shelter or 'getting cleaned up' at Sayaka's apartment.
"What?" Sayaka prompted.
"Um," 'C'mon, say it! Let her have it!' Kyoko's mind raged at her. "Never mind."
Kyoko kicked herself over her inability to tell Sayaka it wasn't necessary for her to stay over anymore all the way back to the apartment.
Homura approached the park bench where the green goat was tied up looking worse for wear. In her grasp she had a strange white ferret-cat like creature, Kyubey, hanging by the scruff of his neck, knocked out. Homura wasn't exactly proud of herself, but she had had to throw a series of rocks at the elusive circus mascot to finally render it unconscious.
She wasn't surprised to find the bench empty of the homeless girl. It had been hours since Homura had taken off, after all. She noticed a candy wrapper pinned to the goat's collar with some chicken scratch on it. Adjusting the glasses on her nose, she read the tiny note.
It read "You owe me more pocky!" in scrawled letters. The corner of Homura's mouth quirked upward.
A/N- Hmm, I think this story is going to be longer than I had first anticipated. I'm determined to keep Sayaka relatively in character, and she's going to be a tough nut to crack. But I guess that's what makes it interesting.
Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far! They're my happy pills, and they drag me back kicking and screaming to the keyboard.
