CH. 5

The walk back to the apartment was spent quietly for the most part. Kyoko was busy mulling over her inability to relieve Sayaka of her 'knight' duties since she took care of Ryu herself. She eventually chalked it up to wanting to be fed home cooked food once more. Not that Sayaka had demonstrated any sort of skill in the 'home cooked meal' department.

Because of the lack of conversation on Kyoko's part and her amusement of the situation fading away, Sayaka ultimately went back to brooding silently. The encounter she had with Hitomi and Kyosuke rolled around her mind like a bowling ball. And thinking about that led her to thinking about Kyoko and what she had said after the encounter.

'March right up to him, and smash his arms and legs until he can never use them anymore. Make him completely helpless. Then he'll be completely yours. His mind and his body!'Kyoko had said, aiming an arrow right into the chink of Sayaka's armor.

Something about the whole situation just nagged at Sayaka. Despite her attempts at having some semblance of control over her life, it seems as if her whole world keeps moving on without her. Between Hitomi, Kyosuke and Kyoko, the illusion of control she maintained was just that- an illusion. And Sayaka hated the feeling.

Kyoko herself was enough to occupy her mind with troubling thoughts. Kyoko mysteriously leaving in the night, the bruises on her face, watching her, then showing up to say such… disgusting things about Kyosuke. Sayaka wondered why she even bothered inviting Kyoko back to her apartment if she obviously wasn't going to stay put and behave.

"Hey, Kyoko?"

"Yeah?" Kyoko was jolted from her thoughts when Sayaka spoke to her for the first time since they started walking.

Sayaka seemed to hesitate, chewing over the thoughts she wanted to express. "You ever get the feeling that we've… met before?" she finally asked.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow at the question. That came out of nowhere. "I seriously doubt it." she answered. "Why?"

Sayaka shrugged. "I'm not really sure myself. I guess something about you just seems familiar. Nostalgic, you know?" she sighed. "But I guess it's just me."

Kyoko ran a thumb over a sore knuckle thoughtfully. Now that Sayaka mentioned it, she kind of understood where she was coming from. This morning she found herself wandering back to Sayaka's apartment after a short nap, and then deciding to follow Sayaka around like a curious kitten as the blunette hollered her name and ran down streets at random. She had had no initial intention of interfering with Sayaka's amusing search for her, until she watched the blunette struggle with that couple she walked into at the park. The interaction had annoyed Kyoko to no end, and before she knew it she was stepping in. It was… weird. For some reason, she just couldn't leave this idiot alone.

"If we knew each other, maybe it was in a past life. Or from within a dream." Kyoko suggested with mild sarcasm after a few seconds.

"Do you believe in that kind of thing?" Sayaka asked. Kyoko frowned.

"I don't believe in anything in particular. Not anymore."

Sayaka shrugged, considering Kyoko's earlier suggestions. "If we had met in a previous life," Sayaka turned to Kyoko with a slight smile. "I bet we offed each other!" It was meant as a joke, but an unexplained awkward tension was exchanged between the two as they met each other's eyes. They looked away and silence fell between them once more.

It wasn't until they came upon their destination that Sayaka spoke up again. "By the way, Kyoko, I want you to apologize for what you said about Kyosuke." she suggested offhandedly as they entered the lobby of the apartment building.

"Oh?" Kyoko cocked her head to the side. "You mean you want me to apologize for suggesting you break that guy's limbs and make him yours?"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying." Sayaka affirmed.

Kyoko smiled toothily at the slightly shorter girl. "Well, you can kiss my ass."

Sayaka smiled back at her as if unaffected. "So you're not going to take back what you said?" The elevator doors opened to their presence and they stepped inside.

"Nope. Huge sloppy spit-shining kiss right on my ass!" was Kyoko's cheery answer. The door to the elevator slipped closed, sealing the two inside the suspended metal box with an inaudible hiss. It was as if a fuse had been lit after they were blocked from the outside world.

Outwardly the two of them were smiling, but Sayaka's blue eyes were boring into Kyoko, and Kyoko's crimson gaze resolutely refused to let Sayaka cut her down.

"If you insist on being difficult," Sayaka's hand hovered over the panel of floor numbers, Kyoko's eyes following her movements curiously. On the bottom of the panel was a small red Emergency Stop button. Kyoko only had a second to wonder why a modern elevator would have such a button before Sayaka's fingers were upon and the elevator came to an abrupt stop.

"I'm not letting you out of here until you apologize." Sayaka said resolutely.

Kyoko couldn't help grinning at the girl's doggedness. "Oh boy, here we go."

"I'm serious," Sayaka's demeanor conveyed her singled-minded determination to get Kyoko to apologize. "Take back what you said, or I'll never forgive you."

"Like I care if you forgive me!" Kyoko snapped in annoyance. What she wouldn't give to have some food to tear into with her teeth right about now! "You know what, I'm calling bullshit here." The redhead whirled on Sayaka, pinning her with her gaze. "I'm not apologizing for shit unless you," she flicked Sayaka between the eyes. "Fess the hell up!"

"Fess up?" Sayaka stepped away from Kyoko, angry from the turn-about. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I'm talking about your stupid love drama you got going here!" Kyoko said loudly in frustration. "Fess up that you're in love with this goddamned guy!"

Sayaka felt as if she'd been punched in the chest. "That isn't any of your business." her voice lowered coldly. Kyoko barked out a mock laugh.

"When you're forcing me to be some kind of distraction from your bullshit, it kinda becomes my business, doesn't it?" Sayaka averted her gaze at that point. "Don't you owe me at least a sypnosis on what the hell I'm supposed to be distracting you from?" Kyoko was obviously irritated and exasperated with this role she had been placed in. She waited for Sayaka to say something, and when she didn't she tried another tactic. "Well, your so-called 'distraction' doesn't want to be a distraction anymore." Kyoko challenged. "What do you think about them apples?"

"Then what are you going to be then?" Sayaka yelled. "Get bumped to 'pain in my butt'?" she asked sarcastically. Kyoko's confirming smirk made her falter a bit.

"I think I'll be exactly that." She shrugged noncommittally. "It's what I'm best at."

Sayaka was fuming. She had wanted Kyoko to apologize, not have her feelings put on the spot! It felt as if Kyoko was poking at a tightly compressed bundle of emotions that threatened to explode at any time. The space in the elevator suddenly felt too confining and without meaning to, Sayaka glanced at the red Emergency Stop button longingly. Kyoko caught the glance.

"You're not running away now, are you?"

"Shut up, Kyoko!" Sayaka lashed out vocally. "I'm not running away! You're the one trying to get out of this situation!"

"A situation you put me in, dumbass!" Kyoko slapped a hand against the reflective metal elevator doors. "'Distraction' my ass! That's something for cowards! And if there's one thing I've figured out about you, it's that you're not a coward!" The redhead jabbed her finger in Sayaka's direction. "Now answer my fucking question, Sayaka. Do you love this guy?"

Sayaka's fists clenched as the pressure mounted on her emotions. Kyoko was bearing down on her and with nowhere to run or hide or pretend, Sayaka was at a sudden loss.

'Why not?' Sayaka thought to herself sourly. 'I'm in a box cut off from the outside world with a girl I barely know. Yet she's pinned me so easily.' Sayaka's blues stared back at Kyoko as her fists slowly unclenched. 'I'm pathetic.'

"Yes." the word slipped by Sayaka's lips in a barely audible whisper. Staring at the ground, Sayaka finally admitted her feelings out loud to the world with great difficulty. "Yeah, I love him. I love him so much I think I'm going to die every time I think about him." Her own hands came up to cup her elbows in a futile attempt at holding herself together. "I love my friend Hitomi too, but I can't help feeling like she stole him from me even though she didn't. I actually regretted being friends with her. I'm a horrible friend, and she's done nothing but try to make this easy on me. I'm so jealous I want to punch something." Her voice broke audibly and she was staring so intensely at the floor that her vision began to blur.

"It's not fair. I loved him first. It's not fair!" Try as she might to prevent it, the tears overflowed her eyes and slid down her cheeks. "I'm a horrible person! I just want them to be happy, but I don't want them to be happy with each other! How can I ever look at them again without feeling like the scum of the earth?" Droplets of salt water splattered softly onto her shoes. "I don't deserve either of them! They don't need a friend like me who can't even be supportive! This sucks! This hurts!"

The condensed bundle of feelings in her heart had succumbed to the pressure and splattered her insides, painting her in her own feelings for the world to see, begging for attention after so much time being ignored. But the world would not witness her exposed grief. Just one still Kyoko, who quietly watched Sayaka choke through her admission.

Kyoko certainly hadn't expected Sayaka to cry. She had been ready to beat the information out of Sayaka, not for the girl to let Kyoko know just much she was suffering underneath everything. Kyoko had been watching Sayaka cry, dumbfounded and suddenly unsure of herself in the face of such vulnerability. She sure as hell she couldn't punch Sayaka back to normal.

The blunette took a mighty sniff and hid her face behind her arm, as if remembering there was someone watching her. She held up her head. "You got a problem with that?" she raised her voice defiantly with difficulty, still hiding her uncontrollably leaking eyes behind her arm. Seeing Sayaka fighting to maintain her dignity in the middle of a meltdown, Kyoko couldn't help letting out a breath of leniency.

"None."

"Good." Sayaka blindly reached for the button that would renew their ascent. Kyoko stepped forward to help her out and pressed the button for her. The elevator gently whirred as it resumed carrying the two girls.

"By the way," Kyoko started out extremely awkwardly. "I guess I didn't really mean what I said about breaking your boyfriend's limbs and stuff... Sorry." she gave in with embarrassment and a blush. The mumbled apology left a strange aftertaste in her mouth. She made a mental note to not get in the habit of apologizing.

Sayaka nodded, trying not to show her surprise. For a minute there she had forgotten that the apology had been her goal in the first place. "Thanks, Kyoko." she murmured gratefully.

It was only a matter of seconds before the elevator doors parted once more, releasing them to the world once again. There was a small crowd gathered at the doors when they opened, looking impatient that their ride had been delayed. Sayaka lowered her head in embarrassment, trying to hide her red eyes that made it obvious she had been crying. Kyoko noticed and hesitantly took Sayaka by the hand to lead her out of the elevator behind her to block her from view. "You people never heard of stairs before?" she muttered irritably.

Sayaka was blushing extremely hard. Though she wasn't exactly sure why. It could have been from Kyoko taking her hand, her comment to the waiting crowd, or the annoyed stares they were getting. Probably a combination of the three. Either way, Sayaka stuck close to Kyoko's back, accepting the shielding Kyoko provided her to hide herself from the eyes of the world.

Facing Kyoko's back prevented her seeing Kyoko's face, which was also blushing. A couple of people gathered around the elevator doors had smirked at her and given her a thumbs up. Kyoko cluelessly glared at them until it occurred to her that they probably figured the delay had been due to a passionate embrace in the elevator. Her face flared up and she flashed her finger at them before hurrying away with Sayaka in tow.

In no time they were in front of correct door and Kyoko used Sayaka's keys before Sayaka even realized Kyoko had pick pocketed her. She didn't even have time to reprimand the redhead before Kyoko pulled her inside.

"Sit," Kyoko ordered, lightly shoving Sayaka onto the couch. The blunette resisted a moment before complying. Frankly, she was beside herself with embarrassment at her actions now that she had a clear head. Especially the fact that she had broken down in front of Kyoko of all people. 'Why couldn't it have been Madoka?' Sayaka wondered, frustrated with herself. 'Why did it have to be anybody at all?'

Lost in her thoughts, Sayaka hadn't been paying attention to Kyoko's actions. The redhead had headed to the kitchen, grabbed the nearest variety of junk food she could find, and headed back to plop down next to Sayaka on the couch.

"Want one?" Kyoko offered, holding out a bag of Twinkies to the other girl. Sayaka eyed the bag with a wary eye before taking it in her hand. Kyoko focused on her own bag of chips and tore it open eagerly. Sayaka realized with an amused gust of breath that Kyoko was in her own way trying to comfort her. In a moment, Sayaka was chewing gratefully on a mouthful of Twinkie.

Kyoko's eating was noisy so there was a noticeable silence when she paused in her chow down. After gulping down about three mouthfuls worth of chips Kyoko cleared her throat. "If you want my advice,"

"I don't." Sayaka interrupted tersely. Kyoko rolled her eyes.

"Fine, then I'll just talk to myself. It makes no difference to me if you choose to listen or not." Kyoko said unfalteringly. She waited a few seconds to see if Sayaka would refuse. When she stayed silent Kyoko took a deep breath and attempted to choose her words carefully.

"Sometimes life hurts," Kyoko started out thoughtfully, trying to pull her thoughts together in a verbally cohesive way. "And sometimes it's easier to forget. An emotional hurt isn't like a physical one, you know? Physical wounds heal over time. But the more you try to ignore an emotional hurt, the deeper the pain is going to fester." She snapped a chip between her index and thumb, letting the crumbs settle in her palm. "I think that instead of distracting yourself from all this, you should just confront it head-on. Pick a side and fight for it."

Sayaka had been listening intently while trying to maintain an air of disinterest. But what Kyoko had to say resonated within her and it made a lot of sense. "You talk as if you're so much older than me." Sayaka commented quietly. She scrunched up her nose. "It kind of pisses me off."

Kyoko laughed lightly. "No offense, but I don't really understand this love drama crap." She resumed eating and spoke around her chewing. "Not that I can't recognize suffering when I see it. But I don't see the point of breaking down over some guy. You'll get over it eventually, right? You shouldn't make a tragedy out of something that isn't. You'll just make your own life unbearable in the end."

"Like you know tragedy?" Sayaka replied thoughtlessly. She regretted the words when Kyoko shot her a sidelong glance that for a moment reflected real tragedy and real loss. The glance only lasted a second before Kyoko resumed eating without a real response to her comment. Sayaka felt a shiver go through her and instantly felt guilty. She had picked up Kyoko from the streets; of course she had gone through something bad! What did she know? She mentally kicked herself at her tactlessness.

Sayaka looked away from Kyoko and tugged at a hairclip uncertainly. "I guess I'm just stupid." she finally said. Her comment drew Kyoko's curious glance at her again. "Life has been relatively good to me, I suppose. Maybe I've been dulled by my sheltered ways. I imagine lots of people would jump at the chance for a miniscule problem like mine." She bit her bottom lip briefly. "But because of that stupidity, my problems don't feel small to me. To me, it's my whole world. And I think that just makes it suck even more."

Kyoko watched Sayaka from the corner of her eye as the blunette actually opened up to her once more, a small amount of surprise registering on her face. Surprise that Sayaka was smart enough to recognize her own stupidity. That counted for something in Kyoko's book. "The way I see it, you got two choices here. You can either fight for Kassimjo," Sayaka snorted at the name. "Or you can just let it go, and move on. Live for yourself. Or find someone even better!" Kyoko suggested.

Sayaka took a bite out of her Twinkie. "Kyosuke is a prodigy violin player from a rich family who goes to a school for geniuses and will most likely go straight to Carnegie Hall after he graduates."

Kyoko stared blankly at Sayaka before a smirk cracked her façade. "Well, good luck with finding someone better."

A bark of laughter made its way out of Sayaka, but she quickly covered it up with more Twinkie. She smiled despite herself as she chewed. She actually did feel a lot better now that she had talked about it with someone. "Fight or move on…" she murmured to herself, letting the words seep into her mind. 'Maybe breaking down in front of Kyoko wasn't such a bad idea.'

"Hey, Kyoko," Sayaka mumbled in embarrassment, her cheeks warming. "I feel a bit bad about seeing you as just a distraction. That was selfish of me. I shouldn't have just thrown you into this; I should have just dealt with it myself." She stared at her fiddling hands. "So, um, I guess what I'm trying to say is," Sayaka looked over at Kyoko and nearly fell out of her seat. Kyoko had fallen fast asleep, hand buried in her bag of chips and drool dribbling from the side of her mouth.

"Geez! How on earth did you fall asleep so fast? And I was in the middle of apologizing, too." Sayaka grumbled with renewed exasperation. Kyoko mumbled something unintelligibly and shifted her head to the side, making the drool in her mouth pour out more easily onto the couch. Sayaka stared at the unfolding events with a horrified expression. She reached out to shut Kyoko's mouth. A second later she grimaced when she got Kyoko's saliva all over her hand.

With a tired sigh the younger girl started cleaning up. She finished her Twinkie and plucked the bag of chips from Kyoko's hands. Even in sleep, Kyoko resisted having her food taken away from her. After Sayaka wiped her own hands clean she stood over Kyoko with her hands on her hips, pondering how to proceed. She leaned in close to observe the sleeping girl's face. "Wow, she really is knocked out."

The bruises on Kyoko's face abruptly came into focus. Sayaka almost flinched looking at them. Guilt tugged at her chest once more. She had made Kyoko deal with her problems when she obviously had bigger ones of her own. Sayaka also partly blamed herself for the bruises out of a strange sense of responsibility she had towards Kyoko. She should have kept a better eye on her. She could've protected her. Sayaka straightened up and left in search of a remedy. When she returned she held a bruise ointment in her hand and proceeded to apply it to Kyoko's face.

Kyoko initially recoiled from her hand, but eventually started leaning into Sayaka's hand and the soothing feeling it provided. A breath escaped Sayaka's lips. A smile tugged at her lips. A flicker of affection bloomed in her eyes as she gently caressed Kyoko's features. A thumb brushing over the cut on Kyoko's lip. A finger tracing her brow. Kyoko's even breaths and slight nuzzlings into her palm. It was… cute and sweet in a way that soothed Sayaka's frayed nerves and she relaxed into the natural motions.

However, she paused when she realized she had long since finished in applying the ointment to the bruises and retracted her hand after a moment's hesitation. Missing the warmth of Sayaka's hand Kyoko instinctively leaned her head to the side searchingly. She leaned too far to the side and sprawled awkwardly against the couch seat. Sayaka shook her head slightly in bemusement as she looked down at the still fast asleep girl on her catch.

"… Just this once." Sayaka grumbled to herself as she leaned down. She tucked her hands under Kyoko's shoulders and knees and scooped her up in a princess carry. The blunette stood there a moment, adjusting Kyoko's head as it lolled limply on her shoulder. "… She's lighter than I thought she'd be." Sayaka noted with surprise. After the brief wonderment Sayaka carefully made her way to her bedroom. Once there she carefully deposited Kyoko onto her bed.

"I take it back. You're actually quite heavy." Sayaka grumbled as she unzipped Kyoko's jacket and clumsily wrestled the worn out jacket off the girl. Kyoko only wore a tiny black tank top underneath that exposed her midriff. The redhead was truly lost in the next world, mumbling incoherently and sighing as she curled up around herself atop Sayaka's sheets. Sayaka had to smile at the picture she presented.

"Good," Sayaka glanced at the digital clock in her room. "Afternoon?" It sounded really lame saying that. Shaking her head, the younger girl left the room. It was strange, having another person living in the apartment. It felt… nice. For the first time in months, Sayaka felt peaceful in the quiet of her apartment and the oppressive emptiness was no longer present.

She tucked a hand into her pocket and grasped her cell phone. 'Maybe…' she thought. 'Maybe I should call mom and see how she's doing…' Just as she thought that her phone vibrated in her hand, startling her. Heart leaping at the possibility of her mother being the one to reach out first, she hurriedly answered without checking the id.

"Hello?" she answered anxiously.

"Hello, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka's bright voice canceled out the pounding of Sayaka's heart. Sayaka heaved a sigh. Of course she shouldn't get her hopes up like that.

"Hey Madoka, what's up?"

"You sound down, is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Madoka. What have I told you about worrying over me?"

"Even if you say that…"

Sayaka sighed again. "You didn't call just to check on the tone of my voice, did you?" she asked suspiciously. She wouldn't be surprised if Madoka did just that.

"Oh, right!" Madoka's voice shifted from concern to excited very quickly. "You know Homura from our class, right?"

Sayaka's feature darkened the tiniest bit. "Yeah?"

"Well, she helped a whole lot last night when that one circus let a few animals loose into the city. Apparently they were so grateful that Homura helped them that they gave her a bunch of free tickets for tonight's show!" Madoka enthusiastically relayed.

"I guess this is your invitation?" Sayaka asked with a smile, Madoka's brightness thawing out her reservations when Homura was brought up.

"Yes! And tell Kyoko-chan too! She's staying with you, right?" Madoka asked.

Sayaka raised an eyebrow. "How did you know Kyoko was staying with me?" she asked in bewilderment. She was sure Madoka hadn't caught their conversation the night before.

"How? Because I know you, Sayaka-chan!" was Madoka simple answer.

"Yeah, but," Sayaka sputtered. "Kyoko might've decided not to stay." she pointed out.

"But Kyoko-chan likes you, why would she say no?" Madoka said innocently.

"Likes me?" Sayaka looked skeptical. "I beg to differ."

"Oh, don't be silly!" Madoka dismissed Sayaka's skepticism as easily as she would brush dirt off her shoulder. "Just invite her, okay? I'll text you later and let you know what time everybody can be there."

"Alright. I haven't been to a circus in a while! This could be fun!" Sayaka let Madoka's infectious cheerfulness rub off on her.

"Yay! Thank you, Sayaka-chan! I'll see you later!"

"Bye, Madoka." They both hung up. Sayaka glanced down at her phone and her look became puzzled. 'Wait, who's 'everybody'?'

.-.-.

"Looks like Hitomi can make it too! She said she'll invite Kamijou-kun. Isn't this great, Homura-chan?" Madoka smiled at Homura, who was sitting across the bed with her.

Homura looked at Madoka sullenly. "Yeah. Great. Invite the Mayor while you're at it." she said miserably. Madoka didn't seem to pick up on the hint of sarcasm.

Madoka laughed. "I don't have the Mayor's number, silly!"

Just a few minutes ago Homura had bravely marched to Madoka's house, psyching herself up to ask Madoka out to the circus tonight. After rapping on the door it was answered by Madoka's younger brother Tatsuya, who threw an opened can of yogurt at Homura before she had time to compose an appropriate greeting. Madoka's father immediately came over and apologized to Homura profusely and offered her entrance before she had the chance to wipe the yogurt from her glasses. He called Madoka down and the girl had started fussing over her before Homura had the chance to become nervous.

It took a while until Homura had found her chance to do anything. "Madoka." Homura had said after they had settled down in Madoka's room. "I plan on going to Walpurgisnacht tonight. They gave me these tickets," she pulled out a handful of tickets and showed them to Madoka. "I was wondering, hoping really," a blush tainted Homura's cheeks and her hands inadvertently started fumbling with each other. "I want us to go to Walpurgisnacht. Together." Homura was finally able to get out. She was caught off guard when Madoka's hands grabbed up hers.

"Of course I'll go, Homura-chan!" Madoka had answered with joy in her eyes. Homura's eyes widened.

"You will?" she had responded, a hopeful smile creeping onto her lips.

Madoka eagerly nodded her head. "Of course! You have so many tickets, we should invite a whole bunch of people too!" The smile on Homura's face fell off her face and shattered onto the floor. Madoka was already reaching for her cell.

"Wait, but," Homura tried reaching out to stop Madoka, to explain that she had meant it for just the two of them.

"Hello, Sayaka-chan!" Madoka spoke cheerfully into the phone, not hearing Homura. The dark haired girl was unable to speak up and correct her, and stayed silent while Madoka called all of her friends to let them know of Homura's 'generosity'.

Homura sulked on Madoka's bed. Of course, sulking to Homura consisted of a small exhale through her nose and staring intently off to the side. Madoka noticed and she smiled fondly at her friend. Scooting closer until her hip was pressed against Homura's, she leaned against her. Homura immediately stiffened and blood rushed to her face uncontrollably when she felt the smaller girl press against her.

"We'll meet up with everyone tonight, so we have the whole day to be together, Homura-chan. Just the two of us." Madoka said warmly, alleviating Homura's concerns and messing with her thought process. "Is that okay with you?" Madoka asked when Homura didn't reply right away.

"… I would like that." Homura replied. Madoka hugged her excitedly, pressing her cheek to Homura's.

"Yay! You're the best, Homura-chan!" she said joyfully. Homura couldn't help smiling sincerely as Madoka hugged her like she would a giant teddy bear. She normally wouldn't let anyone touch her like this, but if it was Madoka…

"Yo, Madoka!" a voice burst out while simultaneous swinging Madoka's bedroom door wide open. Homura and Madoka were both so startled they fell over onto the bed. Junko stared down at them with an amused smirk. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Madoka's mother asked coyly.

"Mom!" Madoka exclaimed in embarrassment. Homura hoped that if she stayed still time would stop and she'd be able to slip out of the room. Unfortunately she didn't have any supernatural powers like that.

"Who's your friend, Madoka? She's a knock out!" Junko observed with a wink in Madoka's direction. The pink haired girl flushed cutely and laughed uncomfortably.

"Homura Akemi." the violet eyed girl stated her name as stood up and bowed respectfully to Junko. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaname-san."

"Oh! Manners to boot!" Junko sounded deeply impressed. "I think she might be out of your league, Madoka!" she said teasingly.

"M-m-m-Mom!" Madoka spluttered.

"That's not true at all." Homura spoke up. She looked Junko straight in the eye. "It is I who is unworthy of attention from your daughter. She has been nothing but kind to me and is like the sun in the sky and the flower that blooms in the desert. I'll be forever indebted to her for the friendship she has offered me." Homura expressed in all seriousness, pink tingeing her cheeks in earnest. Madoka was so red in the face she looked dizzy. Junko raised both her brows in surprise at the declaration. She smiled.

"Then, I'll leave my daughter to you, Homura. Please take care of her."

"I'd protect her even if you hadn't asked me to." Homura said boldly. Junko grinned in Madoka's direction.

"Lucky girl. I, for one, definitely feel reassured!"

"Homura-chan…" Madoka spoke softly, looking at Homura as if in a new light. Homura glanced at Madoka, and her face flared up once more and she looked away, trying to maintain her demeanor. Junko witnessed the exchange and felt giddy.

"Oh right! I wanted to ask you something!" Junko suddenly exclaimed, snapping both girls from their bubble of discovery. "Madoka, I need you to help me find an intern for my company!"

"Eh? Why?" Madoka asked in confusion.

"Because," Junko looked suddenly angry. "This morning my boss made me pick up his son from jail for fighting! What does he think I am, his secretary? Anyway, he's still going to let his delinquent son into the intern program! Can you believe that?" She spoke as if truly cheated by fate. "I need someone who can top that. How about you, Homura? Want to work under me?"

"I'm going to respectfully decline." Homura answered.

"Too bad. Anyway, ask your friends!" Junko said over her shoulder as she left the room, a cup of coffee waiting for her in the kitchen.

"Why did you decline?" Madoka asked curiously. Homura shrugged.

"I'm going to inherit a mafia family, so I'm not looking for work."

"EH?" Madoka's jaw dropped.

"… I'm joking." said Homura after two beats.

"Ah, I see…" Madoka laughed weakly. Homura held out a hand to the smaller girl.

"Shall we go?" she asked with a soft smile. If they were to spend the day together, Homura wanted to make an early start. Madoka returned Homura's smile and gently grasped the offered hand.

.-.-.

Sayaka grunted as she practiced her swing for probably the hundredth time in the last hour. Her arms were killing her and the metal bat slipped from her fingers to thud against the floor. She had skipped softball practice on Saturday due to her wanting to get as far away from the school as possible when Hitomi told her about going out with Kyosuke. She had run off as far as she could, and when she became tired she was near a grocery store and decided to buy herself some comfort food. This was why she was so angry when the comfort food was stolen from her.

Now that she thought about, she would have never met Kyoko if she hadn't skipped softball practice that day. And if she hadn't met Kyoko, where would she be now? Sayaka didn't have the imagination to think about it.

'I wonder if she's still sleeping?' Sayaka suddenly felt compelled to check on her new roommate and hesitatingly headed for her own bedroom.

Cracking the door open, Sayaka poked her head into her own bedroom curiously. "Kyoko, are you still asleep?" Sayaka stage-whispered into the room. A rustle and groan was her only answer. She stepped further inside as quietly as she could, which actually wasn't quiet at all. Kyoko was on the bed still asleep, but in obvious distress. Her hands gripped the bed sheets, she was sweating and her face and body were tense. A pained whimper escaped her throat and she shifted on the bed to her other side, renewing her grip on the sheets.

"H-hey," Sayaka uncertainly tried to rouse the redhead by putting a hand on her shoulder and gently shaking her. Kyoko flinched away from touch as if she had been burnt and shivered. "Wake up, Kyoko!" Sayaka tried to speak in a louder voice. Kyoko didn't react to her voice at all. Sayaka started looking in distress herself as she watched Kyoko struggle against something in her sleep.

"Sa," Kyoko mumbled, curling around herself. "Shyka…"

Sayaka sat on the edge of her bed and leaned over her to see if she could make out what Kyoko was saying. But all she heard was mumbo jumbo. Sayaka instinctively wanted to help in any way she could, so her body responded by reaching out, grasping the other body and pulling Kyoko to her. The redhead herself didn't resist the warmth Sayaka's body provided her and she clung to her. The blunette flushed uncomfortably as Kyoko's scantily clad figure attempted to burrow into her, but she did note that Kyoko seemed to relax against her.

"Sayaka," her name escaped Kyoko's lips in the form of a sigh and Sayaka instantly blushed. Was she being dreamed about? If so, it didn't seem like a very pleasant dream. She had no idea what to make of it. Gradually, Kyoko's breathing returned to the slow deep breaths of peaceful sleep and Sayaka breathed a sigh of relief.

Her blue eyes were staring up at the ceiling, and then glanced down at the abundant amount of hair resting against her chest where she held Kyoko against her. And she found that her own eyes were starting to droop from tiredness. She was physically and emotionally drained by the past few hours. Never before had her emotions been pulled in so many different directions in such a short amont of time. Sharing the warmth on the bed was strangely soothing and Sayaka couldn't help her breaths slowing to match Kyoko's. She was glad she had been able to comfort Kyoko from whatever nightmare she had been experiencing. It was the least she could do since Kyoko had comforted her earlier regarding Kyosuke.

"Now we're even again." Sayaka mumbled softly before she let her eyes slide shut.