Metal clanged against metal when Sayaka deflected the spearhead with her sword. The force of her counter propelled the spearhead into the wall. Kyouko tugged on the wooden grip, unable to free her weapon. Sayaka took advantage, rushed towards the distracted redhead. She aimed for Kyouko's abdomen, intending to wound her enough to where she couldn't fight back. Kyouko hopped back, barely out of Sayaka's range, and pulled on the spear. A section of the wooden grip extended from the chains, entangling Sayaka's sword in them.
Magic traced across Kyouko's spear, Sayaka sensed it from her sword's contact with it. The spearhead flew back, aimed towards Sayaka, but she forced the entangled sword behind her back, pointed downwards. The metals sang.
Kyouko smirked and readied a fist. Before she could strike, Sayaka let go of the sword, hopped forward, and summoned another one, its slash geared towards Kyouko. The girl's eyes widened when the sword cut through cloth on her hip, grazing her skin. She reacted fast enough to pull her stomach back to avoid everything but the tip of the sword, probably on instinctive reflex, Sayaka noted.
"Lucky scratch," Kyouko said, distancing herself from Sayaka as the sections of her spear snapped back in place. Sayaka willed away the entangled sword and materialized it in her left hand.
"Lucky for you," Sayaka said.
Kyouko didn't smile for once.
"Don't get cocky. It won't happen again."
Sayaka smiled a smile she knew would irritate Kyouko. She hoped she'd lose her focus.
"I know. This time it'll be more than a scratch." Sayaka crossed her two swords.
Kyouko charged toward Sayaka. Her wild slashes came in fast, but not fast enough. Sayaka was blocking them with both swords, dancing to the rhythm of Kyouko's movements.
Kyouko swooped her spear in a blow that forced Sayaka high into the air. The redhead attacked from wall to wall, hopping back and forth with a relentless assault.
Sayaka twisted her falling body to block the attacks, until she used the force of Kyouko's attacks to propel herself to one of the alley's walls. Kyouko was pushed to the other wall. They both sprang forward in the air, clashing their weapons before landing on opposite walls again.
Coming in once more, Sayaka spun sideways, her swords colliding with the wood of Kyouko's spear. The attack knocked Kyouko down to the ground.
Still in midair, Sayaka twirled, summoning multiple swords under her flowing cape, like a magician. She threw the swords she held at Kyouko, then grabbed the next two, and repeated this for as long as she could.
Red sections of light crisscrossed above Kyouko, forming a barrier that deflected the barrage of ongoing, raining swords.
Sayaka did not distress. She flipped back, feet aimed at the sky. A platform of musical notes touched her heels. It shot her toward Kyouko. She threw the sword that was in her left hand at the barrier. Again the sword deflected, bouncing up into the air, just as planned. Sayaka flipped so that her feet aimed towards the spinning sword. If she didn't time this correctly, she would end up with a blade lodged through a leg. Luckily, her foot touched the pommel of the hilt.
In conjunction with Sayaka's weight and momentum, the sword pierced through Kyouko's now shattered barrier. The blade of the sword stuck in the ground, Sayaka still atop the pommel, her other sword in both her hands. I bet I look so cool right now.
Judging by Kyouko's shocked expression, she did.
"I admit you've gotten a lot better," Kyouko said, "but it's still not enough to beat me. I'm going all out on ya now."
Her spear again extending by its chains, snaked towards Sayaka, this time much faster. Sayako leaped off the grounded sword, over the spearhead, but Kyouko flicked her wrists causing the chains to twist upwards - just enough to wrap around Sayaka's ankle.
Sayaka found herself being smashed against the left wall. She ignored the pain in her left shoulder, since it'd heal almost instantly, as Kyouko swung the spear, hoping to smash Sayaka against the right wall. Before that could happen Sayaka drove her sword into the ground and gripped it. She summoned another sword, threw it at Kyouko.
Quickly removing the chain from her leg, Sayaka stepped back out of what was hopefully the spear's radius. Kyouko slapped the throwing sword away with a wave of her weapon, and retracted it.
How can I beat her? Sayaka asked if she remained out of Kyouko's range, she couldn't do anything but throw swords, which did little to help. In close combat, both girls were about equal, though Kyouko's aggressiveness would probably win out, even if Sayaka relied on healing. No matter how she looked at it she'd expend more energy than Kyouko. She had spare grief cubes, but wanted to use them after the battle. This whole fight would've been pointless if she won but had no grief cubes left to cleanse her soul gem.
There was one thing left Sayaka could do. Kyubey once told her about how she could numb the pain away. The downside was her reaction time to injuries could slow considerably. Maybe if she allowed herself to be impaled, it would give her the opportunity to end the battle in one move. The thought made her stomach churn. Beating the snot out of Kyouko was probably the best idea... yeah, she liked that idea.
Sayaka decided to gamble on whoevers soul gem blackened first; she would fight in close combat. That's what her instincts told her to do.
Kyouko dashed toward Sayaka, Sayaka dashed toward Kyouko. The tips of their weapons collided, and a growing light emitted from it. Sayaka braced herself for the explosion of energy, and explode it did. The force sent her rolling across the floor disoriented for a few seconds. When her senses came to, Kyouko's spear was a meter away.
Sayaka stood up and raised her sword, but Kyouko twisted and the flat of her spearhead smacked Sayaka's forearm.
The pain in her arm was stronger than she thought it'd be. The blow probably fractured a bone, but she did more than her best to ignore it; she tried returning the favor. Kyouko, however, blocked Sayaka's attacks no matter how fast they were or what angle they came from. Maybe this wasn't my brightest idea.
Next thing Sayaka knew, she was on the floor panting. Even though her wounds healed she felt fatigued. Her soul gem would be nearing its limits soon.
When she tried getting up, Kyouko crushed her right hand with the butt of her spear. Sayaka winced, but tried to hide any signs of defeat.
Kyouko looked at her with glaring eyes.
"You're done. I'm given' ya one last chance to give up this pointless struggle."
Man, if Kyouko didn't have that spear, Sayaka would give her a good slap to the face. That spear... Sayaka pondered. If she didn't have that spear, Sayaka could surely win, but how could she get it away from her.
I can't. She'd just summon it back to her hands anyway. Her eyes searched for anything that could help her situation. Nothing but pipes filled her sight-
Pipes. That was it!
"You're so spineless," Sayaka said.
"What was that?" Kyouko put more force on Sayaka's crushed hand. "I didn't hear that right."
"You're a coward, Kyouko," Sayaka uttered in slight pain. "You always act so tough, yet you're wussing out on me just because you're afraid of going missing. Pathetic."
Kyouko lifted Sayaka by the hair with her left hand. "I'm gonna enjoy this more than I should."
Me too. As soon as Sayaka summoned her sword, Kyouko punched her in the stomach. It knocked the air out of her, but she managed a smile. "Is that all?"
Kyouko slammed her against the wall. Perfect.
Sayaka didn't wait for another chance, she aimed the sword toward the pipe her head rested on, and drove it through. A torrent of water blasted Kyouko's face. Her grip on Sayaka's hair lessened.
"Damn it!" Kyouko said.
Sayaka felt bad about what she had to do next, but she would heal the redhead after the fight, anyway. She shoved her sword through Kyouko's right shoulder, let the sword stay, causing her to drop the spear. Kyouko grit her teeth as she released her hold on Sayaka.
Sayaka feared summoning another sword since her magic drained much of her gem already. Instead, she went for a right hook, but Kyouko stepped back and grabbed Sayaka's wrist with her left hand.
She was still quite strong, even without use of her dominant hand, and threw Sayaka on her back against the floor. The cement cracked from impact, and sharp pains shot up her back.
"You don't fucking get it!" Kyouko yelled at her. She grabbed the sword's shaft, hand bleeding from the sharpness, and dislodged it. She sat on Sayaka, bloody fist hammering the blunette's cheek. "You're weak!" She continued pounding Sayaka's face. "Don't ever call me a coward! What's pathetic is your way of thinking! You're gonna get yourse-"
Sayaka had enough.
It was easy, like switching a light off. In an instant the blows against her face felt like nothing. She grabbed Kyouko's fist and collar.
Sayaka headbutted her with all her strength and weight put into it. Kyouko fell back a meter, two trails of blood running down her forehead. Sayaka retrieved her sword and let the pain come back so her reaction time wouldn't slow - and, boy, did the pain come back. Sharp pains came rushing in her right hand and swollen face and back. She fell down on one knee, using it and the sword to hold herself up feebly. She couldn't even heal herself anymore since her soul gem neared its limits.
"You lose," Sayaka said. Kyouko lay on the ground holding her head where Sayaka hit it. "How does it feel getting beat by a weakling?" She managed a grin.
Kyouko hoisted herself up with her spear, legs trembling as she did. "It ain't over, dumbass. Not until one of us is unconscious on the floor."
"Just what I was thinking," Sayaka said. It might well be herself on the floor; her body felt like it was ready to shut down.
Their soul gems had about the same amount of black. Using only one grief cube right now didn't seem like a bad idea, but Kyouko would surely strike the moment Sayaka did. That's when another idea came to her.
Sayaka's left hand's fingers slid down the soft fabric of her skirt, into a pocket where she stashed some grief cubes. Her careful fingers brought out a single cube, and she positioned her hand slightly behind her back as she did it. Then she struggled to stand up. Just to be safe she backed up a couple more meters.
"Looks like we both got enough strength for one last attack." Kyouko tried wiping the blood off her face, but her bloody hand only smudged more blood on it. "I think I owe you an apology, Sayaka. You're not weak. You're strong..." She looked away. "Sorry."
Kyouko Sakura, apologizing? She really had changed for the better.
Sayaka smiled. Hearing Kyouko acknowledge her strength felt so good. "I owe you one as well. You're not a coward or pathetic or spineless. I'm sorry." I also feel bad for what I'm going to do to you.
Somehow, though, without saying a single word Sayaka knew her friendship with Kyouko would be alright no matter how this fight turned out.
Kyouko nodded. "Let's finish this." She held her spear with only her left hand. Blood spread down her right shoulder where Sayaka had pierced it. Sayaka wouldn't let her guard down, however. She knew how strong Kyouko was.
Sayaka gripped the hilt of her sword.
"Ready?" she asked. Ready or not, this was the end.
Before Kyouko could respond, Sayaka chucked the lone grief cube she held at her.
Kyouko's eyes widened at the tiny object. She probably couldn't tell what it was at the speed Sayaka threw it.
Sayaka sprang forward, the muscles in her legs trying to weigh her down, but she fought against them.
Kyouko deflected the grief cube, her eyes glimpsing at what it could be, while also trying to follow Sayaka's movement. Before Kyouko knew it, Sayaka had closed off the distance between them, sword centimeters away from the redhead's soul gem.
Kyouko looked at Sayaka's eyes, and when she saw where they looked, her own eyes followed: the blackened soul gem on her own chest.
She knew it as Sayaka knew it.
"I lost," Kyouko said.
Sayaka kneed her in the stomach, then brought down the pommel of the sword's hilt on the back of her head.
Kyouko slumped over in Sayaka's arms.
"Sorry, Kyouko," she whispered in the girl's ear.
Sayaka sat the unconscious girl against a wall. She was all bloody and bruised.
And yet still cute.
Sayaka felt awful though. I did this to her... She almost couldn't believe it.
She took out all the grief cubes she had, purified Kyouko's soul gem with a couple of them, and then the rest with her own.
All her wounds healed almost instantly. To heal Kyouko would take a little more time.
To use her healing magic on others, she simply had to have enough magic and think about it. She placed her gloved hands open in front of Kyouko. They glowed blue, and seconds later, Kyouko's wounds started fading. It didn't do the same for blood though.
Sayaka took off her cape and wiped Kyouko's face and body. When she was thoroughly cleaned, Sayaka smiled. Kyouko looked so serene that the blunette almost wanted to take a picture and treasure it forever in secret, but she had other things to do.
She put Kyouko on her back... and... well... she didn't really know what to do with her.
Crap, I didn't think this through at all. Where am I supposed to put her?
Sayaka couldn't bring her to any of the other girl's houses, nor her own. It'd take up valuable time, and risked Mami and Homura catching on to her plan. She tried thinking about a place nearby. And then it hit her.
Sayaka grinned. Oh, man. She is so gonna kill me for this after she wakes up, but it's worth it.
And so, Sayaka with Kyouko on her back traveled to the nearest love hotel.
Dappuru: The original idea was for this chapter to focus on Mami and Homura, but unfortunately it never came to fruition. I already had the fight between Kyouko and Sayaka written up and it's been forever since I posted another chapter, so here it is. Hope you enjoyed.
Oh, and one more thing. Basked in Moonlight is on hiatus, and will likely stay that way for a while... maybe even forever. Trying to write two post-Madoka stories at once was a foolish idea for me... (Sure was a fun challenge while it lasted though.)
I apologize dearly and thank all of you who got this far.