"You need to stop this, Sakura." her roommate, who hadn't said a single word to her the entire four months they'd lived in the same dorm, scolded one day. "You're... You're almost done. You're a junior, why let it all go to waste?"

Kyoko paused at the underclassmen's words. It had been the first time someone had talked to her as if she had something to work for. But it was a false assumption. "... Look, kid," she turned to look at her. It was the first time she'd seen her up close. Her eyes and hair were both blue. "You don't know anything, alright? Stop spouting nonsense you dunno anything about, kay?"

The unsuppressed emotional response came immediately. "But...! Please, I'm a sophmore, and I'm pretty sure you were held back a grade, right? Why do this to yourself? Your future? Your life?"

"What would you know about my life?" she spat, tearing into the piece of beef jerky in her hand. The other flinched. "My life was damned the moment my dad decided to make sure I was on my own."

Suddenly it connected in Sayaka's mind. "Y... You're the girl from that... The survivor of that tragedy ten years ago, aren't you? At that priest, Sakura's, house..." she practically shook.

"Yeah, real party, but I can't tell ya much. Wasn't there for the main course." Kyoko shrugged. At least she said it to her face unlike everyone else.

"... Are you okay? You're crying."

Needless to say, Sayaka stayed until she finished yelling that she most certainly wasn't crying, and stayed throughout the sobbing and even stayed when Kyoko stormed out of the dorm.

Kyoko's memory was extremely sharp, and often times she was considered to have a photographic memory. If you wronged her or one of the few people she was close to, she'd remember it, and she could hold a mighty fine grudge. And yet, at the same time, she didn't really brood over things like that. She was definitely one to indulge in the pleasures of life, rather than to focus on everything bad in the world. So while she could hate your guts, she wouldn't focus on you at all, wouldn't give you the satisfaction of being the one thing egging at her constantly.

Aside from the negative, there were only five moments in her life that she found truly flourished in her memory. One, the first time she visited her father's sermon and was old enough to participate. Two, her first plate of steak all to herself in 7th grade. Three, beating up this one kid in the eighth grade. Four, meeting Sayaka Miki. And five, marrying Sayaka Miki.

Kyoko Sakura-Miki remembered them all fondly, but the latter two were extremely special to her. Sometimes when Sayaka was gone at work, she'd lay back on the couch and remember it all over again.

It wasn't fancy, and their friend Mami had wed them. There were only, aside from the three, two others to attend, but that was fine with her. It was in a courthouse, and they wore whatever the fanciest thing in their closets were at the time. As college students, they truly didn't have the money to do anything else. However, she might have dipped into her money she had saved up to do something special for her Sayaka.

"Wow... This is incredible!" Sayaka gasped, nearly jumping around, her short bob-like hair moving around with her as she gazed in awe at the view of the glimmering city of Tokyo at night. Kyoko had her hands shoved into her hoodie pockets, staring at the taller one. "It's so beautiful here!"

Kyoko allowed a small grin. "Yeah. It's pretty cool. You like it?"

Sayaka turned and hugged her tightly. Kyoko sputtered, but didn't fight it. "It's amazing, Kyoko. How did you pay for all of this...?"

"Ehh, you know. Wanted to give you somethin' neat, it doesn't matter." she shrugged. Sayaka moved back a bit, looking Kyoko up and down as she bit her lip. "... What?"

"You... Didn't have to." Sayaka said.

"Don't make me start regretting it, you!" Kyoko clinged around the other's waist and picked her up off of her feet, spinning her around once. Sayaka laughed happily, infectiously spreading to Kyoko's own grin. Regardless of the small height difference, she was definitely stronger than her now giggling wife. She spun around once more and then walked back inside of the hotel room, kicking the balcony doors closed behind her. She laid her down on the bed and smiled up above her. "Can't I do somethin' nice for someone gorgeous like you?"

"... M'not gorgeous, Kyo. You're gorgeous. I'm just... Sayaka. Quit joking around, yeah?" she smiled a bit up at the redhead.

Kyoko frowned and kissed up and down her neck quickly. "Shut up. I refuse to be called that." she paused. "And Sayaka is incredible, okay? Insult my wife again and I'll do something."

"What'll Kyoko do?" Sayaka grinned. Kyoko smirked and sneakily held up a hand.

"Might tickle you to death, might not."

Days like that made her forget all the things that had haunted her in the past. Perhaps it was fate that she was so paranoid about starting a family with the other, especially since it was the one thing that would probably make her wife the happiest. Family had caused her so much pain. She didn't want to go through it again.

She sighed and looked over at the picture of them on the bookshelf. It was of the two of them a year before they married, at Homura's birthday party. Kyoko had an arm around Sayaka, sticking her tongue out at the camera while Sayaka herself was laughing, mid-kissing the shorter's cheek. They were already a family, though, weren't they? All of them. They were all, Mami, Homura, and Madoka, a family with the two of them. They didn't have anyone else they could trust that much.

So maybe it wouldn't be too different... Regardless, it was odd. Kyoko could hardly imagine herself being a mother. Sayaka had learned to cope with her habits and vice versa, but a baby? A baby would need specific care that Kyoko wasn't sure she could give. Sayaka probably wouldn't have a problem, after all, she had become a teacher. She was around kids all day, and they all depended on her. But Kyoko was used to fending for herself, screw everyone else. She was independent...

"But I guess I chose not to be when I married you," she thought aloud, sitting up and taking a stick of pocky out of a box on the table. "We promised to take care of each other, right?"

And that, she would gladly do. She'd protect Sayaka from everything bad in the world if the blue-haired girl would let her, which she most likely wouldn't. She'd made herself so vulnerable to Sayaka, opened herself up and then locked herself only open to her. Would she be able to do it again for a child? Could she let another person depend on her?

Then there was the thought of Sayaka holding an infant, being motherly and what not that almost found herself changing her mind right then and there. But it was more than a cute little thing that made noise. There was a lot of responsibility... Kyoko was responsible for herself, her food, and for her wife and that was it. Maybe a few chores now and again. A baby added so many things to that list.

There was so much to consider... And looking at the clock, not much time to go along with it.

As soon as that thought passed her mind, the sound of the door closing, followed by a cheerful, "Kyoko!" caught her attention. Sayaka happily waltzed in, setting a bag of McDonalds in front of the other and sitting next to her. "Stopped for some food on the way back, since I figured we wouldn't have much time to eat today."

Kyoko already was eating through the fries quickly, stopping to look over at her with a few sticking out of her mouth. "Smart. Winning me over, huh?"

Sayaka sighed, her face falling into irritation. "It's not like that, for the last time. If you don't want to go, then you don't have to. But just know that you're the one who agreed to come with."

"Yeah, yeah." Kyoko stood, taking the bag of food with her, making Sayaka whine about being hungry, too. "Then we better get going then, huh?"

Sayaka looked at her for a moment before a smile broke out on her face. Kyoko swore it was the same one she gave that night in Tokyo. "All right, let's go."

"Ah, welcome, please wait a moment and I'll be right with you."

The two stopped and looked around. It was surprisingly... Quieter than what both of them had expected. It was almost like a health clinic waiting room, with white walls, yet it had some flashes of an olive green every once and awhile. It was charming, yet subtle.

"Sayaka! Kyoko!"

And just like that, the pair was engulfed in a large hug, a flash of pink in the almost monochrome scenery across their view. It was the loudest sound they'd heard since arriving, the kind of quiet where you feel like you have to be quiet but probably wasn't necessary Kyoko moved back a bit while growling, not enjoying hugs very much or any physical contact in general (read: unless from Sayaka), while Sayaka laughed in surprise. "Madoka! Why're you here?"

Madoka Kaname was a childhood friend of Sayaka's, and had met Kyoko in college. Cheerful, hardworking, determined. Kyoko still, to this day, is not used to that sort of thing from such a seemingly small girl. Sayaka and she still managed to keep being the best of friends even after all these years, so the redhead didn't hold anything against her. In fact, she thought it was probably a good thing that Sayaka had someone she could rant to or laugh with over the phone, because even they needed a break from each other every once and a while.

Their pink-haired friend smiled brightly. "I work here now! Isn't that amazing?" She moved back from them and adjusted her white cotton dress. "But I should really be asking you that question, yes?"

Sayaka blushed a bit, laughing nervously. Kyoko shoved her pockets into her blue hoodie, bending forward in what would seem to be a suspicious posture as she raised an eyebrow at the blushing one, before sighing. She looked over to Madoka and her huge, innocent eyes. Was that even natural? Might as well give her what she wanted. "Baby shoppin' or whatever."

Sayaka moved to glare at Kyoko at the term she used, Kyoko already leaning in the opposite at having expecting her rage when Madoka gasped loudly, hugging the two of them again.

"Oh wow! This is amazing! I'm so happy for you two; if anyone deserves a child, it's the two of you!"

"I dunno 'bout that. But uh, thanks?"

Madoka nodded and cleared her throat, standing up straight and changing her tone slightly. "Excuse me... My name is Madoka Kaname, and I am here to guide you through the process of adopting a child." she bowed slightly, almost giggling. "Thank you for choosing our facility. May I ask for you to fill out some paperwork?"

"... It's not a test, Kyoko."

"Shut up,"

"Stop looking at my paper!"

"If it ain't a test, it shouldn't matter, right?"

Sayaka face-palmed, standing up straight and sighing. "Well, anyway, I'm done." Kyoko quickly scrambled up, adamantly claiming the same. Madoka stood from the front desk and calmly walked over to the two.

"Great! Thank you," Madoka took the clipboards, from them and bowed again. "That's all for now, but I can call in somewhere within a couple of months or so on whether you can come back to look at the children, alright?"

"What?! A couple of months! That's quick!"

"What?! A couple of months! That's too long!"

The married couple turned to face each other with different levels of annoyance. Madoka smiled at this. "Yes, it is relatively quick now because of the person who owns this company. She just took over, y'know? Apparently, this used to be her grandmother's business... Either way, yeah, I'll contact you!"

"Awesome." Sayaka said, grinning.

"... Sayakaaa..."

Said woman sighed exasperatedly and put her pen down, looking up from her desk at the other sprawling out on the couch yet again. "No, they aren't done."

"It had to be a test then!" Kyoko complained, throwing her hands up into the air. "They're grading it to see if we're unfit! I swear, if they don't call us, then-"

"Wait, I thought you didn't want a kid?"

"I-I don't!" Kyoko sat up quickly, a small blush covering her face. "But, just... Just saying."

Sayaka smiled and stood, walking over to the couch with the redhead's eyes trained on her. She got onto her hands and knees on the spot next to her, leaning her face in close. "Kyo..." Kyoko swore she froze at the nickname. It was always that name, with that tone... It always got her. "Kyoko, can you do something for me?"

"What... Whaddaya want?"

"I want you to tell me that you love me." she replied softly. Kyoko blinked, looking at the other. Sayaka's cheeks were a bit tinted red and her eyes were closed, but she was smiling nonetheless. "... Please?"

A grin found a way to her lips, leaning forward and pressing their foreheads together. "Yeah... I love you, Sayaka." Another moment she found herself being vulnerable. How strange, this warm feeling was, but she loved it, and loved how it grew every day they spent together.

"I'm glad. I love you, too." Sayaka nodded slightly, pecking the other on the cheek. She let her lips linger for a moment, before she pulled away. "... So, I know it's selfish, with all that you've done for me, and all I owe you... But can we do this? For me?"

Kyoko looked at her for a second, considering something. "Haah... You owe me, huh...?" she finally sighed, rubbing the back of her head.

"... If anything, I owe you a whole lot, Sayaka." Kyoko muttered. "... I just..."

Sayaka sighed and pulled back completely, sitting up. "... I understand, Kyoko." she bit her lip. Kyoko twitched. Now she'd gone and made the woman upset. "C'mon. Let's go to bed, yeah? Maybe she'll call in the morning."

"...Yeah, okay."

Lord why am I so self-conscious about my writing.

I had this sitting in my writing folder for two months just reading it over and questioning it, but in the end I decided, 'it's my writing and screw the police- I do what I want!'

Anyway, I hope you like it still? The next one shall be up a lot quicker than this one, surely!

~Hari Sama