Chapter 2 - Do you have anything in mind?

Oh my gosh, almost a year on hiatus! That's terrible! I am really sorry. Personal issues and health problems are draining me out a lot...I hope you understand. I also hope my writing improved at least a little! Enjoy!

Akiko arrived home a bit later than usual, making her parents worry as she went to her room quietly, ankles with bright red marks, and a serene smile on her face. She made some flimsy excuse about getting lost on the way out that none of her parents actually bought, waved them off at dinner time, and went to her room.

She sat on her bed, changed her clothes and stared at her own school uniform: clean and in one piece, as though she went on no trial other than school time. Reita was kind enough to fix it secretly for her on the French restaurant he took her in, making some people look at them strangely.

"See? Piece of cake, I tell you!" He said, laughing and putting the ring with the navy-colored gem back on his finger. "Clothes are thin stuff, so there's not a lot to recover! Recovering wounds, on the other side…Look, my Soul Gem is getting kinda dark already…" He stared at the table, gaining a serious expression.

"No, it's all right. It doesn't hurt a lot…You don't need to bother with that." She replied to him, smiling and blushing a little bit; holding a glass of lemonade tightly, she sighed before speaking again. "This….is really hard to believe...I-I'm sorry!"

"Nah, no problem. If Kyubey hadn't approached me like he did, I'd never have believed it either! I am a man of science!" Reita bit his fork and played around with it, looking at Akiko and waiting for her to laugh. She just smiled shyly and quietly took a sip of her lemonade, trembling slightly; which made his face fall a little.

As the boy huffed and resumed eating his bowl of pasta, Akiko sighed and tried to process what had happened on that afternoon: The depression, the death wishes, the forest monster, the flowers… the boy in the white cape ,the giant axe, the feline creature who didn't move its mouth to speak. She looked at Reita, who was chewing and gulping noisily, eating so fast she couldn't even imagine how his stomach could even stand it. He looked so different while being a normal boy, it all just felt like a huge fairytale: a big, childish dream with a big, childish happy end.

" 'ey, wht're y' ffinkin' about?" The boy with the balk pompadour asked before swallowing his food, putting his fork down on his now empty plate. "Ngh… I ate too much…"

Akiko blinked, her blush coming back with full intensity as she took a huge gulp of her lemonade, choking a little. Reita laughed and patted her back lightly. As she recovered, gasping for air, Kyubey paced around the restaurant in their direction, flaunting his tail proudly.

"Hello. I am a little late, it seems!" He closed his eyes, wiggling his ears cutely. "Reita became a bit too fast after he contracted, I can't keep up unless he's carrying me around."

Contract. The word echoed through Akiko's mind while Kyubey sat on her lap, smiling and wagging his tail at her. Reita had made a contract with Kyubey, to become a Magical Boy… If it was a contract of sorts, maybe she could make one too, and fight alongside him…?

It felt like a tempting offer, indeed.

Kyubey smiled.

"Yes, Akiko Mitsuka." The creature said, hopping on her bed and staring at her clothes as well. "You can make a contract with me. You have as much potential as Reita Ichijou does."

She turned around, eyes widening. "R-really? A…As powerful as….Reita…?"

Kyubey laughed, his face not changing at all. "Yes, you can! It is a wonderful opportunity for all three of us, actually!"

Akiko lay down on her bed, hugging pillow and staring at Kyubey intently, her eyes shining with sheer happiness, and a sparkling interest. "D-defeating strong monsters…? H-having a cool outfit…?!"

"Yes to the latter!" His tail wagged slowly as he smiled his usual smile besides her. "And yes to the former, if your magic is as strong as the one I feel; and that usually means a big yes."

Akiko smiled before she even thought of doing such a thing; she giggled and grinned at Kyubey, blushing and even tearing up a little bit. Her mind was running with all the possibilities: defeating evil, being a heroine of justice, be overall cool, having something to be proud of the rest of her life. Such an opportunity felt too good; like suddenly having too much light on your eyes, after being in the dark for painful ages. Maybe, just maybe, she could finally be someone she could be proud of.

Kyubey just stared at her silently, smiling his usual smile.

"W-what do I need to do, Kyubey…?" She sat up, on her bed, adjusting her lilac pajamas and acquiring an uncharacteristically serious expression. She didn't want to spoil such an important decision.

"Well," He climbed on her bedpost elegantly, getting the higher ground. "You just need to make a wish. Any wish you would want to pursue with all of your life."

"A wish…huh…" The girl closed her eyes, breathing slowly. There was only one thing that came to her mind at the moment; it was ridiculous, childish and unneeded somewhat, but it was a wish. "Just…one?"

The creature nodded, still smiling. "Indeed, just one wish is permitted by Puella Magi. So choose carefully! It must be a wish you will sacrifice your very soul in!"

"M-my very soul…?"

"Yes, that is what I said! So, Akiko Mitsuka, do you have anything in mind?"

Akiko gulped down some of her hesitation, took a deep breath and spoke.

"I-I have…B-but…!"

Akiko paced around her school nervously the next day. She didn't want to actually refuse Kyubey's offer so bluntly, but it was a wish she just couldn't make. The thing she would go after was a right to any girl, and she wasn't different. She was going to live normally for this wish….and think about getting something more unreachable to her. As much as she desired to become a magical girl (was…Puella Maggie the name? Pella Magy?)and fight alongside Reita, she just didn't have the will to fight for something all other children had.

As she sat behind a tree for lunch time, a book and a bento in hands, she started to reflect about her decision. Was she right or wrong? Should she wait of fight now? The opportunity could slip by her if she wasn't careful…

Akiko took a bite of her fried shrimp, not really noticing a turquoise-haired female student passing by her, and suddenly vanishing into thin air.