Homura sometimes experienced these weird moments. Moments where things seemed to slow down, and she was able to properly think things through in what would otherwise be a single second. She was having one of these moments now as she watched Sayaka's fist hone-in on her face.

'I can see it,' Homura observed to herself. She could see through Sayaka's movements easily, examining the punch in fascination. 'I probably shouldn't have taken my clothes off without warning.' Homura concluded to herself glumly. 'Yes, that was definitely the wrong move on my part. Perhaps I should apologize after I dodge this fist-'

An odd thought, considering Homura knew full well she couldn't stop time and move out of the way. Before she could react, Sayaka's fist rammed into the middle of her face, right in the nose. 'Ah… Perhaps I won't apologize.'

.~.~.

"So you're interested in this hell hole?" Junko asked with a teasing smile, clearly recognizing her victim's desire to be anywhere but here.

Kyoko quickly reviewed her options.

A) Run away

B) Kick this lady in the vag, then run

C) Simply say "no"

D) Play along

All of the options sounded tempting, but she decided to go with the option that would let her roam the building freely and complete her objective. She wasn't interested in whateverinternship this lady had in mind, but it wasn't like Kyoko had much of a choice. Besides, she was capable of playing nice…right?

Kyoko removed her hands from her pockets and straightened out her posture. "If you think it's a hell hole now, wait 'til I get involved"

Junko's smile broadened, impressed that the redhead was quick to choose fight over flight. "Walk with me, Kyoko." The older woman turned on her heels and walked further into the building. The tour guide moved on, but with Kyoko now following the business woman she had been stuck with.

"Pay attention, Kyoko, because I don't enjoy repeating myself." Junko walked up to a lift and pressed the button to go up. The doors slid open immediately and the pair stepped in. "This 'internship program' is really just an opportunity for students to get bossed around by company big-wigs. You're expected to complete the same menial tasks as any employee, such as sharpening pencils, fetching coffee, filing, and organizing. The only difference is you don't get paid for it! Not to say that it isn't an excellent opportunity."

"So why do people volunteer for this again?" Kyoko asked wryly.

"Well…you get high school credit and business experience."

The lift doors opened and the sight of a much higher floor greeted them. Kyoko was slightly taken aback; she hadn't even felt the elevator move. Realizing Junko was walking off without her, she hurried out of her momentary stupor. While following Junko she turned her head to and fro, trying to spot Ryu while keeping an ear to the business lady. The older woman didn't even lose pace as she turned a corner and entered a crowded hallway. It was as if she knew everyone would drop what they were doing to get out of her way, and surprisingly they did. As she passed through, they greeted her cheerfully and she in turn smiled effortlessly and greeted most of them by name.

Despite nothing but suits and pencil skirts dominating Kyoko's searching gaze, she strolled along confidently next to Junko, not feeling the least bit self-conscious about her boots and jacket attire. Just because she didn't look the part didn't mean she couldn't act the part. The redhead smirked in response to any curious looks she got, people clearly wondering who the raggedy teen following Kaname was.

"You'll get as much from this job as you put into it. It is how I started out, after all." Junko talked as if she had said these words over and over again, but still held some pride in them. "Usually to get an internship here you need college-level education, but since you come personally recommended by Homura, I'll make an exception. A basic understanding of computer databases and secretary work is generally required as well, but that stuff's easy to pick up on if you're smart. So what it really boils down to is if I like you." Junko finally spared Kyoko a sideways glance, an exquisite eyebrow arched in expectation. Kyoko raised her own eyebrow in response, not really sure what to say and not really caring.

"So tell me about yourself, Kyoko." Junko prompted lightly, gaze shifting forward again as she headed to wherever the heck she was going.

Kyoko hummed quietly, interest breaking off in favor of looking around for Ryu once more. She gave a mental shrug, deciding that sticking close to the truth was easier to do than coming up with a lie on the spot. Might even unhook her from this lady altogether; the sooner the better.

"Kyoko Sakura, 17 years old. I'm a street rat who hasn't been to school in two years, and I'm not very interested in tying your shoe laces," Kyoko said in her direct manner.

"Oh?" Junko didn't sound particularly interested in or even surprised by her words. "Are those your official excuses to continue living in your current circumstances?"

That certainly quirked Kyoko the wrong way. "What the hell do you know about me, lady?"

"Madoka's my daughter, in case you didn't pick up on that? She tells me about her friends. She said you had a lot of heart, but it seems all you care about is doing what's necessary just to get by. Somebody who has no desire to shoot for something greater is nobody special. Maybe she was wrong about you." Kyoko immediately felt an annoyed vein throb in her temple at the words, the woman successfully getting her full attention.

"I don't need to be special, and I don't want any favors."

"The whole 'I don't need you' shtick, right?" Junko laughed as she rummaged through her briefcase while walking.

Kyoko's scowl deepened. "That's right, I don't need you or any of this—!"

"Reality check, Kyoko – I'm the one who doesn't need you."

Fuming, Kyoko stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, crimson eyes livid with annoyance. Junko noticed Kyoko had stopped and turned back to the smaller redhead, standing directly in front of her and pinning her with a look. "I'm afraid you're out of your league here, Kyoko. This world you just walked into is very different from the one you're used to. You're going to have to do better than mere threats to get anywhere here."

Kyoko grit her teeth and her nostrils flared as she prepared to yell or do something besides just stand there like an idiot. There was something about this lady that Kyoko couldn't quite put her finger on… She triggered some base instinct in Kyoko that made her want to either growl in response or drop her gaze in capitulation. She settled for staring up at Junko daringly, thinking a good kick to the taco would be as an effective threat as any to her bureaucratic nonsense. "If you don't think I can get anywhere with my attitude, then why even bother with me?"

"Because you interest me." As far as Junko was concerned, Kyoko's stubborn retaliations were a point in her favor, she simply didn't know how to utilize that trait correctly.

"Let me guess…" Junko's serious gaze turned inquiring. "Orphan?"

Kyoko flinched the tiniest bit at that word, biting the inside of her cheek. She had done the whole orphanage thing for a few months. Needless to say, she didn't agree with the whole experience.

Junko nodded at Kyoko's silence. "I thought so. Orphan-types are easy to spot."

"And you think I'm one those types?" Kyoko couldn't help feeling defensive.

"It's in your eyes, and the way you speak. The way you walk, too." A smile tugged at the edge of her lips. "The type of person who spends their life kicking and screaming against the hand she's been dealt in life before realizing that it's useless. Now that you've given up fighting that fact, you decided to stick it out on your own and live only for your own sake, correct?" Her eyes twinkled humorlessly. "It's like looking into a damn mirror when I was your age."

Kyoko raised an irritated brow at the older woman. "I doubt nearly as good-looking."

Junko threw her head back as a full, rich laugh spilled from her lips. She pushed some lavender hair behind and ear and grinned at Kyoko. "I don't know about that, Kyoko."

"Kaname-san." A third voice drew Junko's attention to another girl approaching them, not much older than Kyoko herself.

"You're going to be late for the board of directors meeting." The girl informed Junko and handed her a see-through tablet with a list of bullet points. "You didn't even bother downloading your presentation. Luckily I had the foresight to do it for you."

"I've always thought improvising presentations kept the mind fresh," Junko replied lightly, using her finger to navigate the tablet. With a quick motion, as if she forgot the formality, Junko pointed between the two young women. "Oh, Kyoko, this is Oriko. One of my current interns."

The white haired girl gave Kyoko a once-over before effectively dismissing her with a short nod of her head and a quick, "pleasure." Kyoko was starting to wonder if there existed a human being that didn't piss her off.

"Oriko, this is Kyoko Sakura. I'm interviewing her."

"So this is what kept you." If Oriko was surprised, she didn't show it.

"This is supposed to be an interview?" Kyoko grumbled from the side of her mouth, looking off to the side.

"Kaname-san always works at her own pace," Oriko said wryly.

"What do you mean by that?" Junko quirked a smile at her before heading off. "Don't go anywhere, Kyoko, I'll be right back after I show these old guys that mine is bigger than theirs." With that, the lavender-haired woman disappeared behind a grand pair of doors nearby. Kyoko and Oriko regarded the door for a moment before looking at each other.

"Well… bye," Kyoko nodded at the girl across from her, turning on her heel and striding away. Then she paused as a thought occurred to her, making her turn back and look at the white haired girl who was silently watching her go. "You wouldn't happen to know where a guy named Ryu is at the moment would you?"

"Down the hall, take a left at the big red doors, down two floors, second hallway to the right, and six doors down on the left," Oriko answered, voice pleasant.

"Got it." Kyoko mentally jotted down the instructions and quickly went on her way.

Oriko turned her attention to her handheld device, smirking as she noticed a new message scrolling across the screen from Kaname-san. Keep an eye on her, will you? The message read.

Already ahead of you, Oriko typed back, her screen currently filled with security-camera footage of Kyoko trudging through the halls.

.~.~.

Time seemed to speed up for Sayaka when she turned around and spotted Homura in the midst of getting undressed. Suddenly everything seemed to happen all at once. Sayaka's eyes bugged out, her mouth agape in bewilderment and about to ask Homura what the heck she was doing. Before she could though, Sayaka yelped in a panic as she watched Homura trip on her skirt and stumble ungracefully toward the blunette. While Homura was reeling, Sayaka blindly swung her fist out in Homura's direction, smacking her right in the face. The assailant watched in distress as Homura's glasses fell to the ground, Sayaka realizing in horror that she had overreacted. All Homura did was take off her skirt…did that really warrant a punch to the face? Wait, that was a valid reason to punch someone, wasn't it? Sayaka wasn't sure; hell, she didn't know what the hell was going on anymore!

She didn't have time to be mortified further when Homura's hand suddenly snapped out and grabbed Sayaka by the front of her gym shirt. Thinking that Homura was trying to steady herself after Sayaka punched her, Sayaka's arms instinctively went around Homura's waist to help her. She realized her mistake when she saw a look on Homura's face that fully suggested that she was about to throttle her. And Homura did just that, using her momentum to swing Sayaka around and push her to the ground, but they both ended up taking the tumble since Sayaka had grabbed onto Homura. "Ack!"

Sayaka took the brunt of the fall with Homura landing heavily on top of her. "Owww," Sayaka groaned, eyes closed. Homura sat up, knees on either side of Sayaka's waist, hands still gripping Sayaka's shirt. Sayaka's eyes snapped open and she blushed wildly at seeing Homura on top of her, the girl's skirt dangling from the ankle it got caught on. Homura blushed as well, wondering if she could play off this whole thing as some kind of freak accident, which wouldn't actually be a lie. She hurriedly climbed off of Sayaka and stood up, frowning.

"My apologies," she murmured, grabbing her skirt and pulling it back on, eyes refusing to look back at Sayaka. The blunette just stared at her from her place on the ground, her brain trying to comprehend what the hell just happened. Was today Rapidly Escalating Situations Day? Why didn't anyone tell her about it?!

Sayaka sat up, having a million things to say, and after stammering stupidly for a few moments, she went with her first question. "W-wh-why did you take your skirt off?!" Her voice came out less accusatory than she had intended and was a single octave away from coming out as a panicked squeal.

Homura winced slightly. No answer or any amount of explaining would make her actions make sense. "… Because now you can trust me?" She hedged after a moment, searching for any confirmation to Kyoko's "advice." Or had she really just embarrassed herself in front of Madoka's best friend for nothing?

Sayaka's look clearly said 'As if I could trust you now!' and Homura's stomach sank even lower. "Put your skirt back on!" Sayaka exclaimed, blushing a bright red.

"Already done," Homura replied tersely, fastening the last button.

"And that doesn't even make any sense! Why would you…?! Where would you…?! Oh God." Horrid realization dawned in Sayaka's eyes. "Kyoko told you to, didn't she?"

Homura used this loophole to direct Sayaka's anger away from her. "Possibly." As predicted, Sayaka groaned angrily.

"That little creep!" Sayaka growled to herself. "What did she say?"

Homura shrugged. "All she told me was a way to possibly gain your trust."

"My trust?" Sayaka picked herself up from the ground, patting her clothes off. The process of dusting herself off slowed to a stop as Homura's strange reason sunk in. "Why should I trust you?" She said, narrowing her eyes.

Homura just leaned against a wall and remained silent, pinching the bridge of her nose lightly as if expressing frustration, when in reality she was checking how injured her nose was from that hit.

Sayaka's patience had already been burned out today, so all that was left was irritation. "Ever since you transferred in a few months ago, you've been hanging around Madoka. It's weird, and I don't like it." Sayaka stated her problem with the other girl. "You've been blind to anyone else around her. What made you feel like you want to gain my trust now after all this time? That's suspicious! Really suspicious!"

Homura's expression didn't change through Sayaka's mini-rant, but she felt more and more flustered. "There are things about this you don't understand, Sayaka Miki."

"Like what? Obviously I don't understand you. I don't know anything about you!" Sayaka snapped in exasperation. She turned to give the door a glare, willing lasers to burst from her eyes and melt the door down. She wanted to get out of here. She wanted to jump into bed, wrap herself up in sheets and go into hibernation.

Homura, on the other hand, was thinking about Madoka at the moment. How the adorable pinkette would always encourage Homura to reach out and make friends, to loosen up and be herself. If she wanted Madoka, she was going to have to go about it in an honest, open way. Homura wouldn't feel right if she went about it in any other manner, but she was so unaccustomed to this sort of thing that she felt she was making her chances with Madoka worse than better. She had to be frank and firm with Sayaka. Nothing else would get through to this girl; it just wasn't in her nature.

"My purpose for all this, Sayaka Miki," Homura spoke up, the shaky tremor in her voice nicely covered up, "is to receive your blessing to date your… our best friend. I want you to be okay with me dating Madoka." A loaded pause followed her statement.

"… What?!" Sayaka sounded impressively astounded and her face memorably stunned as she rounded on Homura.

The dark haired girl appeared skeptical of the reaction. "You didn't know I was interested in her that way?" The way Sayaka had been treating her had made her think otherwise. Homura made a mental note to assume Sayaka was just stupid in the future.

"I did know!" Sayaka corrected her, blushing at her own reaction. "You just surprised me with… with asking for my blessing." Sayaka trailed off, her blush brightening.

As a romantic herself, as well as a self-proclaimed knight, Sayaka could greatly appreciate the idea of others seeking her blessing when it came to her best friend. Even if she didn't approve of Homura, Sayaka could respect that sentiment from her, and it was at least a point in the other girl's favor. Just a single point, though!

"Why didn't you just say so instead of taking off your skirt?"

It was Homura's turn to go red in the face. "I was trying to go about it in a more natural manner."

"By taking off your skirt?"

"… Shut up." Homura muttered, a self-deprecating smile appearing on her face. She removed the smile quickly and tried to assume a more somber persona. "Then allow me ask you directly," Homura uncrossed her arms and pushed herself off the wall to stand in front of the blunette. "I would appreciate it if…" Homura's fists unconsciously clenched themselves, "if…. i-i-if you would a-a-approve of me courting Madoka."

Those words were a lot harder to say than Homura had anticipated. As a general rule, she didn't like relying on others. But she knew Madoka would be happier if Sayaka didn't have a problem with her, and if it was for Madoka, Homura would do anything. It also comforted her to know that even if she didn't get this brash girl's blessing, it wouldn't deter Homura from pursuing her love interest that much.

Sayaka just stared at her, once again marveling at these odd turn of events. "Can I take a rain check on this?" She blurted out. Homura raised a confused brow at her. "Look, I just… I can't deal with this right now. Okay?" Sayaka admitted quietly. She was too emotionally thrown to even think about all the people and feelings at play here. She had to recover and lick her wounds before she made any rash judgment calls on something as important as Madoka's happiness.

Homura looked unhappy but she nodded silently. Sayaka clapped her hands in front of her, nodding awkwardly as well. "This conversation isn't over, of course." Sayaka said quickly, waving her hands back and forth. "I'm not going to give you my blessing just like that simply because you asked for it, after all."

Annoyed, Homura waved her hand to silence her. "Let's just focus on getting out of here."

"Right." Sayaka muttered, having forgotten about that particular problem after Homura body slammed her. As the other girl walked past her, Sayaka noticed Homura's red rimmed glasses on the ground and stooped to pick them up. She held them out to Homura with embarrassment.

"Here." Homura squinted slightly to see what it was Sayaka was holding out to her before taking the item. "Sorry about punching you in the face and all…"

Homura slid the glasses on her face, breathing a sigh of relief that they weren't broken. "Not a problem. You don't hit very hard." Sayaka narrowed her eyes at her. Homura turned her attention back to the door that wouldn't open. "What was the problem with the door?"

"The keypad wasn't working." A disgruntled Sayaka replied, gesturing grandly to display her frustration with technology. Homura tried the keypad as well and found that it was indeed out of order. She tried the doorknob next and paused. "Did you try the doorknob?"

Sayaka blinked, trying to remember if she had indeed tried the doorknob, and wasn't sure if she did. "Of course I did, I'm not stupi—" The door swung open easily at Homura's push. Smug violet eyes twinkled at her.

"…Shut up."

.~.~.

People gave Kyoko even more strange looks since she no longer had a notable escort with her, but she paid them no mind. She focused on solely picking out the one guy she was looking for among the sea of fancy neckties. There was no reason for Ryu to be at the indicated location, but she didn't have anything else to go on, so might as well go with her first lead.

Down the hall, left, right, left, door.

"Ryu!" Kyoko snarled the name as she busted down the door the directions led her to with a boot. The room was empty, filled with nothing more than tables, chairs and a coffee machine in the corner. The redhead huffed, annoyed that her one lead was useless. It was going to be a pain knocking every door down before security reached her.

"Looking for me?" A cruel voice whispered in her ear before it felt like a linebacker shoved her into the room she just opened up. She tried to shout in surprise, but a hand that took up most her face clamped over her mouth painfully. She heard the door shut behind them right before her face was thrown against the nearest table.

"I didn't think you were this stupid, Kyoko," Ryu said with a laugh as he held Kyoko down on the table with his weight, his other arm wrapped across her stomach. The redhead bit into his hand hard and the young man cursed, pulling his hand away from her face but managing to keep his hold on her body. He adjusted his grip and pinned both her forearms to her side, making sure she couldn't move them.

"Just making sure you keep your end of the deal." Kyoko growled, trembling with rage. "'If you beat me in a fight, I'll leave you the hell alone,' ring any fucking bells?"

"And I've kept up that deal, I believe," Ryu crowed into her ear, sickening triumph saturating his tone. "Don't you think it should go both ways? Trying to jump me while I'm at work—you've got some nerve."

"Like hell you have! You've been following me, asshole!" Kyoko struggled against his hold, wanting nothing more than her fist in his face.

There was a pause, as if Ryu was surprised she knew. "You got me there," he admitted, a smile coming back to his voice. "Followed you enough to know who you've been hanging out with." Kyoko's top lip curled in a snarl as his words confirmed her fear. "The one chick with the bat from the other day? She has a decent rack." His tone seemed complimentary, if not creepy. "I don't remember making any promises about leaving her alone."

Kyoko scoffed loudly. "That bitch is nothing," she deadpanned. "She's just a bed to sleep in. She pays well for me to sleep in it too!" Kyoko said through her teeth. The bastard pressing her face down onto the immaculately clean table barked a laugh, sounding like an actual dog.

"Is that so? Sounds like something you would do," he said sleazily, pressing up against Kyoko roughly, much to her disgust. At least he seemed to buy her motive for staying with Sayaka and seemed to forget all about her.

"Just curious, how exactly did you think this would go?"

"My foot in your ass, for starters." Kyoko answered, making unwilling acquaintance with the table.

"That's a lot of bravado from a goddamn nobody." His hands were cutting off circulation in her arms from how tight he was holding them. "Listen up, you fucking toy," his breath was on her cheek and she strained her head to the side away from him. "You can never really touch me. You can never really hurt me. You're just an insect with no power, and nobody will miss you when you end up belly-up in a gutter."

Her hate for him flared up, those words making her impossibly angrier than before. With renewed strength, she kicked up both her legs behind her as hard as she could right between his legs. Probably still reeling from the last time she crushed his nut sack, Ryu squeaked and practically released her.

"Funny, feels like I can touch you and hurt you just fucking fine!" Kyoko roared, kicking him again in the shin, and started wailing on his midsection with numbed fists the second he released her. She didn't get much damage in before he clenched his massive fingers around her neck and picked her up. Then in one swift motion, he slammed her back down into the table she had just been acquainted with. The breath was knocked out of her, but she rolled over quickly before his giant fist almost smashed her face in. Landing heavily on her feet, she made a dash for the coffee machine in the corner, grabbing the coffee pot and hurling it at him as hard as she could. He managed to duck in time and the glass pot smashed against the opposite wall. Before he could lift his head back up, she pounced at him, face filled with rage and bloodlust.

The doors busted open at that moment and three security guards swarmed in, assessing the situation in a second. They grabbed Kyoko and held her struggling arms behind her back, shoving her down on the same stupid table. Kyoko growled like an animal feeling beyond pissed off. Another security guard grabbed Ryu, but the young man shouted at him and yanked his arms free.

"Stand down, Koyomi-san, or we'll take you in too!" Another security guard said, shoving Ryu away when he tried to approach Kyoko again.

"Just try it!" Ryu snarled. "See how fast my father fires your ass!" The threat seemed to cow the security guard and he moved away from Ryu to assist in apprehending Kyoko. The redhead felt mortified when she felt the sting of unshed tears gather in her eyes at the unfairness of the situation.

"Get her out of here. This toy has overstayed its welcome," Ryu ordered as if he was in total control of the situation. Kyoko was heaved up on either side by the guards and dragged past the scumbag. Ryu mouthed the word "untouchable" at her as she went past, his hands briefly hitting his chest in a bring-it-on gesture. Furious, she lunged at him uselessly, causing her to be dragged even more quickly out the door until the bastard's smile was out of sight.

His words affected her more than she wanted to admit. That bastard was nothing— but she was even less, wasn't she? No power or stupid influence; she couldn't protect anything. That was why she lost her family, and it's why she was being dragged away now, to be thrown back into the gutter like a rat. It's the same reason why she had told herself not to bother protecting anything other than herself—because she couldn't.

Kyoko gave herself a mental punch to the face. 'Shut up,' she growled, repeating the phrase to herself. Now wasn't the time to lament like an emo! Even if she was a nobody, she wasn't nearly as much of a scumbag as that guy! She had to figure out how to get out of this new predicament. These guys would either kick her out, which would make getting back in to kick Ryu's ass impossible, or even worse, call the police and get her thrown in jail for assault. If that was the case, she had to escape before they could take away what little power she had access to: freedom.

She started looking around, determining when was the best time to try and break free from their grip and make a run for it. She could use that exit, maybe block the door if she grabbed that chair over there while she ran past it. The busier the hallway, the better. Or maybe-

"Hey!" An angry voice shouted in their direction, making the small group of security guards pause. Kyoko looked away from the exit she had been eyeing, her eyes widening slightly as Junko strode towards them, clearly angry.

"Unhand that girl, she's with me." Junko said, wielding authority in her voice like a club. The lead security guard cringed, having no desire to deal with Junko as well.. When he spoke, his eyes were on the floor.

"It's not that simple, Kaname-san. This girl was attacking Koyomi-san and—"

"Forgive me if I find it laughable," Junko cut in, voice low with not a trace of laughter, "that you would detain a girl for defending herself from repeated-offender Ryu Koyomi, a man twice this girl's size. The evidence practically speaks for itself, even without me showing you a recording of what actually happened."

The security guard blanched further, glancing at Kyoko. "But…"

"I understand you're under a lot of pressure," Junko stepped closer to the man, just barely invading his personal space, "so I'm not going to stand here and further question your poor judgment. I just ask you use some of it to answer a question you should be asking yourself: do you want to get on Koyomi's bad side… or mine?" She stared at him expectantly, the answer embarrassingly clear.

"Let her go," the man said, waving at the other two to release Kyoko. The teen forcefully shrugged off the people holding her, resisting the urge to rub feeling back into her arms. She eyed Junko carefully, wondering why this woman would defend her after the way she acted. Even so, she went to stand next to Junko, glaring at the guards.

"Wise choice." Junko gave them all one more stern look before turning to Kyoko and inclining her head to follow her. Kyoko eyed Junko while walking behind her, wondering what her deal was. She was now indebted to her for helping her out of that situation, but Kyoko was too shaken up to actually be annoyed by this fact. Her predisposition to refuse help she never asked for was being trumped by the need for revenge. And maybe she knew just how to get it.

This time around Kyoko was led to a proper office, one she assumed to be this lady's personal office. Her suspicion was somewhat confirmed when she spotted that Oriko chick at a secretary desk outside the door to Junko's office. The white haired girl gave Kyoko a nod as they walked by.

When they entered the room, Kyoko saw an immaculate, open-spaced office, complete with a sleek glass desk, which Junko sat behind after the doors closed on their own behind them. The entire wall behind her was floor-to-ceiling tinted windows, which let light filter through in comfortable levels of brightness. As a backdrop, it seemed to emphasize Junko's presence.

The lavender haired woman passed her hand over the surface of her desktop and it lit up. She started navigating her way through menus, typing passwords in, and doing god knows what else while Kyoko stood by, watching and waiting. She eyed the name template placed on the edge of the desk with the woman's name on it: Junko Kaname. She was now thinking about this woman's supposed relation to the Madoka she had gotten to know so far… And she had to say, she wouldn't have pegged them as related if Junko hadn't told her. They had completely different vibes.

"Why are you helping me?" She finally asked when it seemed Junko was ignoring her presence, curiosity getting the better of her. The woman was silent for an extra moment before she seemed to find the file she'd been looking for, and a recorded conversation of Kyoko's encounter with Ryu started playing. If Kyoko leaned further, she would be able to see the video file playing as well in a window on Junko's desk.

Where did she even get that video file, and how did she know that Kyoko had been apprehended? Kyoko shifted her weight, scowling and uncomfortable with the idea that she was being watched constantly in this place. She was unable to stop the slight reddening of her cheeks when she heard herself imply that she was sleeping with Sayaka. However, Junko's face remained impassive and nonjudgmental as it played out until the fighting broke out, at which point she dismissed the file. She reclined back in her chair and regarded Kyoko with her eyes.

Bristling under observation, Kyoko forced herself to speak. "I owe you one for helping me," she spoke slowly and heavily, as if the words coming out of her mouth were being grinded into dust. "That internship you were talking about earlier… I'll do it." Her crimson eyes were grim as she looked right into the woman's eyes.

Lavender eyes assessed Kyoko just as seriously, clearly weighing her options. Finally, the older woman sighed quietly. "I like you, Kyoko, I really do." She spoke just as solemnly as Kyoko did. "But I'm going to have to reject you at this time."

Anger flashed across Kyoko's face like it had barely been restrained at all. "Then why bother bringing me here?" She spat, her emotions spinning beyond her control. Of course she wouldn't get it; of course a nobody like her wouldn't have the luck

"Madoka mentioned Sayaka took you in." Junko's strong voice cut through Kyoko's storm of emotions. "If I'm reading that video correctly, you were protecting her, were you not? Interesting. Unless she really is paying you to sleep with her, but I highly doubt that's the case!" Kyoko grimaced, Junko's words reminding her that she had failed once again to protect anyone. She felt like she was going to snap at the woman, but couldn't find the strength to verbally acknowledge her regrets.

"But I'm not here to baby my interns, Kyoko," Junko said in a no-nonsense way, staring down the redhead. "You think I don't know what's going on? I'm not going to let revenge be your motivation to work here." Kyoko's fists clenched tighter and tighter until they shook. "Not that revenge isn't a good incentive, but in this case it is not enough. If I'm going to be taking responsibility for you, you have to take responsibility for yourself first."

Kyoko only stared at the ground in front of her, face darkened. Junko's voice softened a little when she spoke again. "I don't know about you, but I'm willing to give you the opportunity to change your circumstances; you just have to be willing to change your life to make yourself a better person, not just so you can get back at some prick." The woman stood up, walking around her desk. Kyoko was standing as unresponsive as a statue, still glaring at the ground as the muscles in her jaw threatened to snap with how hard she was clenching it.

"Let your head cool off, and then really consider my offer," Junko said, holding out a card to Kyoko with her name and number printed on it. "I hope you find your answer quickly— I'm not going to keep this window open for you for very long."

After a moment of silence, Kyoko slowly reached out and took the offered card from the woman's hand. The card felt weighted in her fingers, heavy with a new chance at life. A chance that threatened to slip away at a moment's notice if she didn't seize it with fervent hands. She pocketed the card quickly and gave Junko a swift nod before turning to leave the office.

Before she reached the door, she felt the need to say something. "You're not right about everything, you know," Kyoko couldn't be pinned so easily by everybody. "I'm not technically an orphan."

Junko blinked, surprised. After a moment, she smiled slightly. "My mistake. I hope you'll prove me wrong some more soon."

Kyoko left, feeling like she wanted to prove everyone in the whole goddamned world wrong.

.~.~.

"How was I supposed to know it was just the doorknob? You jumped me before I got a chance to check!" Sayaka continued to grumble even as she and Homura emerged from the locker room in their school uniforms.

"If you had checked it first, then I wouldn't have taken my clothes off," Homura said with a tone that suggested she was right, even if it made no sense.

"You shouldn't have been taking off your clothes in the first place!" Sayaka exclaimed, tempted to kick the other girl. But her anger seemed to dissolve when she spotted Madoka sitting on a bench outside the locker rooms. When the pinkette noticed them, she smiled and stood up, indicating that she had been waiting for them. Sayaka gave Homura a side-long glance, noticing how she seemed to brighten the moment she saw Madoka, making Sayaka inwardly groan. Homura's feelings were super clear now that she had admitted them to Sayaka, and the blunette wondered if Madoka knew they existed too.

"Hey," Madoka greeted them with a small, cheery wave. "You guys sure took a while; I was just about to text you."

"We-" Sayaka was about to speak up but Homura cut in smoothly.

"We were detained." Sayaka gave Homura an annoyed look, wondering if Homura thought she had been about to tell Madoka the specifics of their 'detainment.' She hadn't been planning to, but she was a bit tempted to do so now.

"Hmm…" Madoka mused, gaze flickering between Sayaka and Homura curiously. Come to think of it, the two of them speaking to each other was kind of rare. Rare enough for Madoka to be extremely curious as to what this detainment was, but figured she wouldn't ask. Sometimes the easiest way to find things out was to let people tell you in their own time. "Shall we go?"

"No Hitomi today?" Sayaka asked after they exited the school grounds. "What is it this time? Piano, tea ceremony, or tightrope lessons?"

"I believe its alligator-wrangling today," Madoka played along effortlessly. Sayaka shook her head slowly, as if she would never understand the pastimes of rich young women.

"She's a versatile one, that Hitomi."

After that, the conversation seemed to go stale quick. Both Homura and Sayaka were wondering when the other person was going to leave already, and soon they stopped talking all together.

Madoka seemed very content just to skip in between Sayaka and Homura, the two other girls just plain uncomfortable with the other's presence. Sayaka looked just about done with everything ever, while Homura just wanted this opportunity to get some Madoka alone time. Madoka was wondering what papa was cooking for dinner.

Homura finally mustered the nerve to ask something of Madoka, even with Sayaka there. "Would you mind if I walked you home, Madoka?"

Sayaka raised both brows at her over Madoka's head. Homura sure was being aggressive right in front of her!

"Sayaka usually walks me home," Madoka informed Homura, making the blunette puff up a bit. "But a change of pace would certainly be nice!" Sayaka stumbled a bit in her walk. Madoka turned to her, missing the stumble. "Would you mind Homura-chan came with us, Sayaka-chan?"

The shorthaired girl communicated a look to Madoka that yes, she actually did mind. She wanted this chance to talk to Madoka about what happened at length, about her talk with Kyosuke and her subsequent decision to give up on him. She didn't usually have these kinds of talks about her feelings with Madoka, but she wanted to now as a part of her whole 'stop pretending everything is sunshine and rainbows' resolution.

Madoka's eyes softened as she read Sayaka's look, inclining her head towards Homura, wondering what she should say to refuse Homura's request. Sayaka paused at the question and inwardly sighed, shaking her head with no amount of subtly. Faced with Madoka's worried gaze, Sayaka smiled weakly and decided to let it go for the moment. After all, Sayaka felt mentally exhausted, and she wanted nothing more than to lie down on the spot. She could always talk with Madoka later.

"Go ahead and take her home, transfer student," Sayaka offered with a shrug."I think I'm just going to head home and make sure Kyoko hasn't done anything crazy while I've been gone." As she said it, she did become curious as to the state of her apartment with Kyoko in it.

Homura wondered if Kyoko would be there at all.

"Are you sure?" Madoka asked, concern clearly present in her voice.

"Yeah," Sayaka drew Madoka in for a one-armed hug, kissing the top of her head gratefully. "I'll call you soon." Madoka squeezed Sayaka's middle in response to her words. Homura watched the brief intimate hug, silently admitting to herself that attempting to get on Sayaka's good side was the right choice. She wanted to try being optimistic about having the opportunity to walk Madoka home.

"She'll be in good hands," Homura assured her, watching Sayaka's reaction carefully for signs of acceptance.

"I'm still wondering about that!" Sayaka said back, tone lighter than her words implied, joining her hands behind her head while casually sauntering toward a more direct route to her apartment. She'll deal with the weird transfer student after fifteen cartons of chunky monkey ice cream, if Kyoko hadn't eaten them all already. Madoka and Homura continued walking in the direction of Madoka's home.

"How's your treatment going, Homura?" Madoka asked curiously after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"Excellent, actually," Homura responded, offering Madoka a small reassuring smile. "The doctors are surprised by my progress. They say I'm already recovered, but my body seems to be steadily improving with the new medication. I'm stronger than ever."

Madoka grinned widely, relieved. "That's great, Homura-chan!" Homura grew warmer at the smile and looked away shyly. "How much stronger are you?" Homura's heartbeat quickened at the question, and she realized this was an opening to one of her small fantasies.

"Would you like me to show you?"

Madoka clapped her hands together in front of her excitedly. "I would!"

Homura promptly stopped walking and bent her knees so that she squatted close to the ground, leaning forward with her arms positioned in a way that suggested Madoka should ride her back. The pinkette stared in confusion for a moment before she realized Homura was offering her a piggyback ride.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Not a problem," Homura wiggled her fingers expectantly. Madoka blushed before giving in, bending to wrap her arms around Homura's neck and stepping through Homura's arms. The dark haired girl hoisted Madoka up by the backs of her knees and stood up quickly, making Madoka squeak. Without warning Homura took off running, making Madoka squeal loudly in her ear and tighten her hold on Homura's neck.

Homura made sure to weave through other people on the street as much as possible while maintaining her speed and grip on Madoka's legs, and soon Madoka's yelps dissolved into delighted laughter. Her choke hold on Homura lessened and she encouraged her. Homura's heartbeat soared the more she made Madoka laugh, and her euphoria kept her running all the way back to Madoka's house.

.~.~.

When Kyoko stormed out of the building, she didn't stop there. She stormed down the street, down the next street, then the next and the next until she found that she could not. Calm. DOWN. She was so livid that she didn't know where the hell she was even going, nor was she thinking about the fact that she had nowhere to go in the first place. She just knew she was going, and had to be gone.

It didn't take long before she found herself in front of Sayaka's apartment complex, much to her livid irritation. Why was she here? Why wasn't she leaving? The redhead stormed around in circles outside of the building, her fuming and muttering drawing stares. She realized with horror that when one is that angry, their first instinct would be to go home, and she had gravitated to Sayaka's place like a moth that just couldn't stay away from the flame.

'Am I stupid? I'm leaving! I'm going! Now! Nothing can keep me here!' Kyoko inwardly raged while she stopped pacing and stood uselessly in front of the ornamental glass doors. After a few heartbeats, Kyoko grabbed at her hair and tugged. 'Why is this so fucking hard to do!?'

"What are you doing?" Sayaka's suspicious voice asked from behind her. Kyoko jumped, somehow not expecting to encounter that voice, even if she was raging in front of the building they lived in. "Someone's going to call security on you if you keep acting like a weirdo." Sayaka continued walking up to Kyoko, who was staring at her strangely.

Seeing Sayaka was strangely sobering, and she felt her anger snuffing out somewhat. She hadn't been expecting to ever see Sayaka again, after all.

"Are you alright?" Sayaka asked after silence from Kyoko's end, and she was secretly happy that she finally had the chance to ask someone that question instead having that question asked of her today.

"Not really. I'm super fucking pissed right now," Kyoko admitted, glowering at Sayaka warily. Sayaka blinked, taking the other girl in.

"You know what?" The blunette said slowly, her eyes widening slightly as she had a thought. "So am I!" She exclaimed, as if realizing that fact for the first time today. Now that she realized she was still pissed , she smiled happily to herself. Being honest with your feelings sure felt odd. Kyoko just gave her a skeptical look, thinking her weird for smiling along with those words, before a small amused smirk appeared on her face as well.

"You know what I could really use right now?" Sayaka said in an almost wistful tone as she headed towards the apartment's doors. "A good soak in that tub."

Kyoko stared after the girl for a few moments before begrudgingly thinking that a bath sounded absolutely lovely at the moment, and followed her just like that.

.~.~.

Collective sighs of content rang out as they both sank into the steaming hot water of their too-small tub after racing each other to get naked.

"So what did you do today?" Sayaka asked, breaking out the soap and shampoo.

Kyoko shrugged. "Oh, I was just going to leave the city, but then decided to beat the shit out of someone I hate instead, and got offered an internship at one of the most prominent businesses in the city while I was at it."

After a pause, Sayaka snickered. "As if." Kyoko rolled her eyes.

"So what did you do today?" Kyoko asked, claiming the shampoo.

"Oh just," Sayaka waved her hand around for no reason, "confessed to the boy I loved, got rejected, and was immediately jumped and mounted by a half-naked Homura afterwards."

"Yeah right," Kyoko shook her head. "Homura would never have the guts to do that!" Sayaka just shrugged cheerily in a 'what's a girl to do' kind of way. Two rubber duckies floated in the water between them, and Sayaka squeezed one and let it fill up with water as they both fell quiet. They joked around, sure, but they were both simmering in their respective troubles.

"Feel free to share what's bothering you, if you feel like it," Sayaka said, squeezing the rubber ducky and squirting water in Kyoko's direction.

The spray of water hit Kyoko directly in the face and the redhead glowered at her. "I'm not really the sharing type."

Sayaka shrugged. "I just thought since it helps me out to talk to Madoka about things, it might help you too. Figured I could try being a better friend to you is all, but if you're insisting on the whole 'mysterious' angle…" Sayaka made quotation marks with her fingers on the word mysterious. Kyoko just gawked at her suddenly.

"Hold up a sec— 'friends'?" She asked genuinely curious. "Is that what this is?"

"Well, I guess…" Sayaka wasn't sure if that was a serious question, but Kyoko didn't seem to be using a sarcastic or mocking tone. "What else would we be at this point?"

"Huh…" Well, Kyoko could think of a couple of other things they could be as she subtly checked Sayaka out under her eyelashes. Some weird detached part of her brain wonder if she had always been gay, or if it was just Sayaka she was attracted to. She propped her arm on the edge of the tub and leaned her head against her fist. "Do you really consider me your friend?" She asked with more of that oddly genuine curiosity.

Sayaka blinked at the other girl, before a small smile touched upon her lips. "Yeah, I do."

Kyoko blushed and looked away from that smile that sent her heart pounding. 'Yeah, I'm super gay,' she grumbled to herself in her own head. Her blush dampened when Sayaka used the rubber ducky to spray water at her face a second time.

"Two girls naked in a tub playing with rubber toys, yep we're real great friends all right," Kyoko's light voice hardly gave away the suggestiveness of her statement. A full ten seconds ticked by until Sayaka got the joke.

"Oh, that's just wrong," Sayaka said as she chucked the rubber ducky at Kyoko's head. The redhead forced a chuckle before going strangely quiet.

She hadn't meant to form this connection, friendship, attraction, whatever the hell this was. A small part of her deep in her chest was stricken with terror. What will happen when she eventually loses this bond? The part of her consciousness that had been mentally protecting her all this time threatened to give her a headache as it rebelled against this idea, and urged her to leave before she grew roots to this girl. 'Isn't it a little late now?' The other part of her mind said as she peeked back at Sayaka. She had come back, after all. She was, for all intents and purposes, attached to Sayaka already.

Damn. Since when was the power of friendship so spell-binding or whatever? There had to be more to it. There had to be. Kyoko just didn't know what it was yet.

Kyoko's sudden loud groan made Sayaka jump a little. "You're such a pain in my ass, Sayaka."

Sayaka decided to turn Kyoko's teasing back around on her. "You're into it." Kyoko's eyes almost widened for a moment, nervous that Sayaka had found out so quickly, before she grinned instead. Had Sayaka always been that quick to tease her?

"You wish."

Sayaka suddenly remembered something important. "By the way, Kyoko…" Sayaka said slowly, watching Kyoko lather up her hair into a giant bubble afro. "Did you tell Homura that the way to gain my trust was to get naked?" Kyoko froze her motions, the afro of bubbles covering up the fact that she was breaking out in sweat.

"…What?"

"Did you. Tell her. To get naked."

"Uh…"

"Well?"

"Hmm…"

"Did you?"

"Ah…"

"Admit it."

"… You mean Homura actually did it?" Kyoko inquired, a slow smile breaking out across her face as she tried to picture it.

"So you did tell her!" Sayaka accused, looking ready to shove a bar of soap down Kyoko's throat.

"Yeah, yeah," Kyoko emptied a bucket of water over her head, instantly vaporizing her afro look. "But Homura actually got naked for you? Tell me more!"

"She didn't get a chance to!" Sayaka said, blushing at Kyoko's tone. "I only got to see her p-panties before I stopped her!" She admitted, trying to dispel whatever it was Kyoko was thinking about.

"HA! Oh my god, that's hilarious!" Kyoko laughed heartily, picturing various scenarios in her head of Homura flashing Sayaka her panties randomly. She never thought Homura would have the guts to actually do something like that!

"You suck," Sayaka growled as her face flushed in embarrassment.

"And?" Kyoko leaned back in her position, flicking her hand at Sayaka and splashing her with water droplets. "What happened after that?"

"After?" Sayaka asked dubiously. "Well, we talked for a bit, then we got out of school and Homura walked Madoka home."

"Oh?" Kyoko smirked. "So it worked."

"What worked?"

"My naked advice worked."

"What are you talking about?" Sayaka was getting more annoyed by her roommate's tone.

"You just said that you let Homura walk your best friend home." Kyoko pointed out. "This means you must trust her even just a little bit more after seeing her panties."

Sayaka's jaw opened and her eyes widened as Kyoko's words sank in. "Wha-what are you implying?"

Kyoko shook her head as if Sayaka was just the slowest person in the world. "Sayaka, it sounds like you're super gay."

Sayaka shook her head quickly, blushing like a maniac. "What, no, shut up! You're crazy!"

"Do you always warm up to girls when they flash you? Seriously, just throw on a cape and have rainbow vapors swirl all around you in the gayest way possible." Kyoko mock-shuddered. "I knew I had to watch out for you," Kyoko covered herself up. "Pervert."

"What. No!" Sayaka kicked her in the ribs, making Kyoko cough. "Idiot!"

"Search your feelings… you know it to be true!"

"Noooo!"

.~.~.

Meanwhile, Homura finally keeled over four meters away from reaching Madoka's front door after pushing the limits of piggy-back style.

"Ah! I broke her after riding her too hard!" Madoka squeaked in alarm.

It was worth it.


A/N- *insert creds/props/flowers/glory/sexual favors/divine worship/puppies to RPPuzzle for betaing here*