Good lord, I think my hand is going to die. I'm reading other fics and realizing that they're accomplishing about as much in a chapter, in about 4,000 words fewer than my own. Hm...good thing or bad thing. That is the question.
Well, I like to think I'm adding more detail, but it depends on whether its effective. Quality over quantity and all that jazz.
Eh, not going to get anywhere on the matter by watching myself type this. Lets get to work.
Chapter 8
War and Peace: The Stages of Grief
This mission...what was his mission again?
Entropy. Energy. Thermodynamics. The human understanding of physics flashed through his mind. An unending torrent of facts constantly reminding him of his mission...his mission! Entropy!
Contract a human girl. Apply the false principles of hope, keeping hidden the nature of the Soul Gem. Collect grief-output for use in reversing energy-deprivation. The facts were right there.
But why were they shoved aside by the mental spike of agony that stabbed through his head?
"Just what...did you wish for...?" The construct could barely form the words in his own mind, overtaken by...pain?
He could barely think straight with all of the turmoil in his head. This couldn't be pain, he was an Incubator! Sure, the feeling of fifteen bullets flying through your body would be painful, but that's what other bodies were for.
But another body couldn't solve this.
As quickly as the thought came, it was forced aside by an image so clear it took him a moment to discern it from reality. A small girl, perhaps twelve years old, stood in front of him. Her green hair was parted into two ponytails that hung to her shoulders, and her blue eyes locked onto his red.
The image changed slightly; the two materialized in a grassy field. Above them, ribbons and long strands of paper were tied to poles, with lanterns dotting each and every one, swaying gently in the cool summer's breeze. The girl now stood atop a small patio, behind her a building used for human religious ceremony. Her face was completely neutral; he could not discern any of her thoughts.
Slowly, he took a step forward. "Who are you?"
The girl did not reply. He decided to take another step forward. Inch by inch, he came closer to the girl, who remained motionless and stoic.
The moment he got within five feet from her, however, the world vanished. The grassy fields were sucked into the void; the only things left being him and the silent human before him.
Without warning, another plane of existence began to warp around the two. He knew this process: the makings of a witch's barrier. But he could sense no witches in the vicinity...perhaps there was a stray familiar around somewhere?
Around him, the bannisters and paper returned, but instead of obeying gravity as they should have, they began to twist and spiral through the air, the distorted colors spewing black inkiness behind them. The grass returned as well, but colored a hideous purple, growing and shrinking in a seemingly random fashion.
A cold chill ran down Kyubey's spine, and for a moment, he forgot where he was. Confusion was the first thing that ran through his mind at the new sensation.
'That's never happened before...'
Turning around, he decided to look for the exit from this supposed barrier. Maybe one of the Puella Magi was in the vicinity, if she could deal with it-
Kyubey fell to to the corrupted grass in a heap as the same pain from before returned, tenfold. Opening his eyes to discern where the source of torture was; He could only assume it was from the inexplicable transformation he was going through.
His once white paws grew into distorted black tentacles in the blink of an eye, sending him sprawling. Slowly, with almost achingly torturous precision, each paw suffered the same fate, leaving him sprawled on the ground.
Slowly, his body underwent the metamorphosis as well, simply tinging a dark purple. His nose and mouth vanished, leaving his wide open eyes.
He could not utter a single word, through vocals or telepathy.
He was trapped.
Eyes still wide, he turned to the girl, who had not yet moved from her spot. Without any hesitation, she looked up towards him and smiled and did the last thing he expected.
She laughed.
"If you ever want to die for the sake of the universe...let me know."
His eyes got wider. That was his voice!
Then, in that voice again... "It's time you died for us."
"What?"
This was a dream. It had to be. As long as he denied it...!
Entropy. His mission. None of this was real! He wasn't...he wasn't one of them!
He couldn't be.
Making it to the police station was rather easy for Homura. Grasping Kyouko's and Sayaka's hands, she stopped time, eliminating the need to rush there with reckless abandon and draw unnecessary attention. No matter how much closer Madoka and her mother were to the police station, they would get there first.
"So..." Sayaka reluctantly started. "What's going to happen to me once we're there?"
"They'll probably just cancel the report and give you a warning." Homura replied. "You were missing for around three days, so the main problem is with the school."
"I see..."
Kyouko, seeing Sayaka still fidgeting nervously, set a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't sweat it, kid. Madoka's meeting us there, remember?"
Sayaka brightened, if only a little. "Yeah, that's true."
The remainder of the trip passed in silence as the three girls found themselves at the entrance to the police station. Pulling the two to the side of the building, away from the public eyes, Homura resumed time, and the tree walking into the station.
The font desk was staffed by several officers; Homura chose the freest land available. She wanted this done and out of the way as soon as possible, and neither Kyouko nor Sayaka found a reason to disagree.
"Can I help you?" A gruff voice spoke from behind the plexiglass window. Homura could only see his head, but noted kind eyes, a sharp nose, and a mammoth of a mustache speaking to her.
"We have come in regards to the disappearance of Sayaka Miki. We would like the missing persons report to be canceled."
The officer balked for a moment: rarely were people that blunt about missing people. "I see...Is Ms. Miki with you?"
Sayaka hesitantly stepped forward. Tentatively locking eyes with the officer. "R-right here...sir."
The officer smiled gently, before craning his neck to the side, looking at something in the back room. Turning back, he nodded. "Yup, resemblance is there. We'll have to ask you a few questions, so if you would come into the back with us-"
His sentence was interrupted, however, as the doors to the station were slammed open by a middle aged woman. Behind her, a middle school girl was looking at her mother with wide eyes, not expecting that kind of reaction.
"Sayaka Miki! Where the hell are you?"
"Junko! Madoka!" Sayaka darted forward and tackled Madoka in a fierce embrace, nearly knocking the girl off her feet.
The officer behind the desk didn't seem too surprised by the outburst. "Junko Kaname, I assume?"
"That's me!" Junko replied. Turning her attention to the two unfamiliar girls, she scrutinized them before nodding slightly. Homura looked slightly flushed and was staring at the floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room. The other girl, Kyouko was staring at Madoka and Sayaka with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She'd have to ask about that later.
"So you're the ones that found Sayaka?" Junko asked, catching their attention.
"Yes." The two said together.
"I see..." Junko smiled. "Nice work!"
The two remained silent, perplexed by the mother's behavior. The officer interrupted with a slight cough. "So, Sayaka, may we proceed with the questioning?"
"Ah..." Sayaka paled slightly, turning to Madoka. A single glance in her eyes was all Madoka needed to answer the silent question.
"Officer, may I accompany her?"
He paused, thinking for a moment. "Don't see why not. Let's get goin'."
Slightly relieved, Madoka grasped Sayaka's hand, and the two followed the officer into the adjoining hallway.
"Time to wait." Kyouko noted, flopping back against one of the many couches in the lobby, opening a box of Pocky as she did so. Shaking the box in Junko's direction, she silently offered one to the mother. She accepted, pulling out one and letting it hang from her mouth like a cigarette.
"Looks like they're getting along well." Homura muttered to herself.
Kyubey shot up with a start, gasping for air. Scrambling around for purchase with the ground, he sighed as he made contact with the soft carpet within Madoka's room. Shaking his head, he slowly came out from under the bed, feeling the massive throb in his head continue.
There was no sign of the mysterious girl, and her words sent another spike of pain into Kyubey's head. He had no idea what the words meant, but there was no way the dream could have any effect on him in the real world...right?
"Maybe that wish was a dream too..." Kyubey muttered as he shook his head once more, trying to clear away the mysterious ailment in his head. It was no good, however; the throbbing only seemed to intensify as Kyubey winced. "Stupid headache..."
It didn't make sense to the construct, that much was certain. The mild knockout he experienced seemed to have blocked some of his short term memory. He couldn't remember a conversation with Madoka, so there was no reason to be here in her room...was there?
A particularly painful throb in his head caused Kyubey to cringe, and, finally having enough of the damn head pain, double checked in the mirror to see if anyone or anything was gnawing on him.
What he saw caused him to stare, open mouthed.
Standing right behind him was the girl from his dream. She looked exactly like she did before, but now stood in a much more ornate outfit. Standing in a flowing green kimono, her face was now streaked with blood, the orange necklace she wore coated in the slippery substance. Kyubey immediately recognized the shattered pieces of a Soul Gem, clinging by a thread to their once ornate clasp on the girls neck.
"You..." He took a step back. "But...Your Soul Gem...You should be dead!"
The girl, just as she did in his dream, spoke her words in his tone exactly.
"Misako Yutsumi."
"What?" Kyubey stared in awe as the name was recited. Immediately, the memory of a weeping girl flashed into his head, pleading out for someone to save her parents, who were being assaulted by out of control party-goers.
"I can make your wish come true...Misako Yutsumi." The girl spoke again, still imitating Kyubey's voice perfectly.
'How is this girl here? She's...dead!' Kyubey stared in shock as the girl closed her mouth and raised her arms. A glowing green light enveloped her hands, expanding outward as several more bodily figures began to materialize. Kyubey vaguely recognized several of them: a girl in a bear costume, one in tribal clothing, and another in tattered clothes.
All girls he contracted with.
'But...they're dead, aren't they? They turned into witches...long ago! Why are they here now?'
A slight snarl, unnoticed by Kyubey, escaped his lips. "What is the meaning of this?"
As if they were a chorus, all responded in tandem: "We are here, to show you what you have become."
"Become?" Kyubey asked. "I haven't become anything!"
The girls remained silent and unmoving. Kyubey's eye twitched slightly, as if irritated at their actions...
A flash of light pierced their surroundings, and the room was empty once more.
"See, Sayaka? That wasn't so bad!" Kyouko whooped as the four girls exited the police station. Pausing, they all waved their goodbyes to Junko, who opted on heading home to a fresh bottle of Scotch.
"Maybe..." Sayaka muttered, turning around and resuming their walk. "I just wish they never asked about my parents. They should have already known."
"It was their duty, Sayaka. Not much we could do there," Kyouko retorted, offering a Pocky stick to the girl. Accepting it, Sayaka bit into the chocolate coating, relishing the flavor.
Smirking, Kyouko pulled out a second stick, waving it in front of the girl next to her. "Madoka? Want one?"
Madoka didn't respond. Silently walking alongside Sayaka, there was no way she didn't hear Kyouko. Though Kyouko did find it strange that Madoka looked so...emotionless. It was something she rarely saw from her.
"Madoka?"
She jumped slightly. "Huh?"
Kyouko lifted the Pocky once more. "Want one?"
"Ah...sure." Madoka accepted the treat, staring at it for several seconds before slowly biting into it.
'Wonder what's going on with her...' Kyouko turned back around, catching up to Homura.
"So..." Sayaka began, trying to start some form of conversation. "Now all we need to do is clear things up with the school, right?" Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a small piece of paper. "I'm supposed to give this to Kazuko-sensei, in case they want to put me through counseling..."
Madoka snapped out of her daze at Sayaka' use of the word, 'counseling', and squeezed her hand. "That won't happen. We won't let it."
"I hope so..."
"I know so." Madoka squeezed her hand once more. "Hey...once we're done..." She trailed off, but began once more, her voice stuttering and wavering. "Do you...maybe want to...go...err..."
Sayaka caught on immediately. Biting back a chuckle, she darted forward and pecked Madoka on the cheek. "Yes."
"Wh-wha?" Madoka flushed twenty shades of red, the words not entirely sinking in yet. When they finally hit her, she smiled broadly. "O-Okay!"
The four continued down the marble road, turning off near the city park. Slowly, the urban city vanished behind them as they made their way through the small forest towards Mitakihara Middle School. Kyouko led along with Homura, a stick of Pocky hanging lazily from the redhead's mouth. Madoka and Sayaka led up the rear, hand in hand, both with Pocky sticks of their own, courtesy of Kyouko.
Seconds turned into minutes as the group finally found themselves at the gate to the school. Homura stopped them there, turning to address Sayaka.
"We need to talk with Kazuko-sensei. Since she's our homeroom teacher, she's our first step to figuring out what happens to you. Okay?"
Sayaka simply nodded. With an affirming smile, she motioned for Homura to enter first, following after her, Madoka by her side.
The glass-coated windows that covered each classroom were of little help in concealing the newly-returned schoolgirl. Students from every room stared at Sayaka, some with looks of confusion, others with relieved, almost sympathetic smiles. It was far from the reaction that Sayaka expected, but it didn't ease her worries one bit.
Reaching the end of the hall, Homura knocked on the office door of Kazuko Saotome. The homeroom teachers had a brief break during noontime hours, and she hoped to catch the teacher during one of these periods of downtime.
After several seconds, the door whipped open, and Kazuko's head popped out. "Yes? How may I-" She paused. "Homura! What can I do for you?"
"Nothing for me, Sensei." Homura stepped to the side. "But for her."
Kazuko did a double take at the girl that stood in front of her. "Sa-Sayaka?"
"Eheh...Here, Sensei..." Sayaka mumbled, using her free hand to rub at the back of her neck. Cringing slightly, she braced herself for the incoming tirade of lectures from her teacher...
She felt Madoka's hand quickly pull away, and before she could question it she was wrapped in the arms of her Sensei, being crushed to death in a vice-grip hug. "Thank goodness! When I heard the missing persons report, I-"
"Sensei...I'm fine now, thanks to these three." Sayaka smiled, despite the bone-crushing hug. "Though, its getting a bit hard to breathe..."
Kazuko immediately released her hug, stepping back slightly. "Heh...sorry about that. Got a bit carried away." Regaining her composure, she focused her full attention on Sayaka. "Have you talked with the police?"
"Yes." Sayaka replied. "They directed us here for the school's judgment as to my absences, as well as any...counseling." Sayaka nearly spat out the last word. "I don't get why, I was only gone three days..."
"You should know our school policy by now, Sayaka. Any absence is followed up with a phone call to the parent or guardian. Since you live alone, we had to contact you. Imagine how shocked we felt when you had not shown up that day, but had also not returned to your apartment for two days prior."
Sayaka stared forward blankly at this, unsure how to reply.
Kazuko smirked slightly. "Well, normally the principal handles this kind of thing, but since he's out of town on a business meeting, all action related to student discipline is deferred to the homeroom teacher. Therefore, I have full authority in all of this. And I can already say that I'm not going to send you to counseling. They tend to screw up people more than help them."
Sayaka, in shock, was about to ask why when Kazuko merely shrugged. "Trust me. I know."
"So what will I have to do?" Sayaka asked, changing the subject.
"Well, there's homework to catch up on, of course. Any punishment would be dependent on the nature of your absence. I have to know that before I can hand anything down."
"Well..." Sayaka began, flustered, before Madoka interrupted her.
"Sayaka's been through some problems with her friends lately. There were some problems with Hitomi and Kyousuke that she was trying to get through. That's all."
Sayaka stared on, shocked at Madoka's boldness. The girl in question merely smiled sheepishly.
"Ah..." Kazuko paused, deep in thought. "I had heard about that briefly. Though I didn't know it spanned to Hitomi as well. Why did you not tell anyone?"
"She told Hitomi. Look where that got her. You really think she'd tell anyone else?" Kyouko spoke up, snorting as she did so.
Kazuko gave the loudmouth a questioning glance. "And you are...?"
"Kyouko."
"And you attend this school?"
Kyouko paused for a moment. "Home-schooled."
"I see...Very well. Shall I call Hitomi in to clarify things, or...?"
"No, that's fine." Sayaka quickly stated. "I'm...I'm over it."
"I see." Kazuko smiled. "In that case, I shall write down your make up work, and you will attend class first thing tomorrow morning. Alright?"
"Okay!" Sayaka replied, smiling all the while.
As the four left the building, Homura turned to Kyouko, mild amusement on her face.
"Home-schooled?"
"Hey." Kyouko pulled out a new stick of Pocky. "A lot of people ask, okay?"
"Watch."
The white void returned once more as Kyubey struggled to open his eyes. Discovering his surroundings had changed so drastically, he shot up and immediately glanced around, trying to gain control of the situation.
The four girls surrounded him in a small box formation; their hands were extended towards him, but otherwise they were still and silent. Their hands began to glow faintly once more; Kyubey had an idea of what was going to happen.
The surroundings changed once again, giving way to a city bustling with activity in the early hours of the morning. However, Kyubey could instantly see that the activity was not normal; screams and shouts of anger and panic could be heard throughout the city.
One girl in particular caught his attention. As if he was forcibly drawn to her, he walked closer, noting in slight shock as the rampaging crowd passed through his body as if he were a ghost.
The girl stood behind two people, who were raising their arms in self defense, trying to ward the insane crowd off. Though all three were dressed in formal wear, the two adults had clearly sustained serious injury. Blood was seeping down the neck of the male, and the female sported several cuts and bruises amongst her arms and legs. Around them, chaos ensued from the riots as people threw whatever they could, wherever they could.
"Daddy!" He heard the girl scream. "What's going on?"
"Don't worry, sweetie." Her father shouted over the chaos. "We'll protect you!"
"Stay behind us, you don't wan to..." The woman was cut off as she saw something out of the corner of her eye. "Yukito, behind you!"
The man turned, but a second too late. A flying bottle of empty Sake slammed into his face full force, smashing into thousands of fragments. The man dropped, screaming as blood began to leak from his face.
The woman screamed herself, dropping to the floor to tend to her husband...only to be swarmed by the stampeding feet of rioters. Boots and shoes slammed into her body, sending her to the ground in an instant.
"Why..." the girl sobbed. "Why is this happening?"
"A witches kiss, of course." Kyubey's voice filled the air, but the construct was up and alert, the voice clearly not from him. Staring in shock, he watched as a duplicate of himself stood next to the girl. "A witch, a being of despair, has affected these people. I want you to contract with me to defeat her."
"W-what?" The girl looked at the creature with wide eyes, confused. "What can I do?"
"Contract with me. I'll fulfill any one of your wishes!" Kyubey stated, over the roar of the crowd. "But in return, you must fight witches for the rest of your life."
Shaking, the girl nodded hastily. "Please, stop this! Bring Mommy and Daddy back!"
Red eyes began to glow. "So be it."
With a flash of light, the crowd suddenly fell into silence. Nobody moved a muscle for several moments, until, like zombies, they began to leave for their respective homes. It would be morning before they awoke, with the feeling of a hangover and falsely implemented memories of a calm party.
The girl looked around nervously, trying to find somewhere to go, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she nearly broke down crying at the sight of her parents, a large smile on her face as her father wordlessly picked her up and began carrying her down the street.
Kyubey watched all of this in stunned silence. He remembered this particular contract. He idly noticed that the throbbing in his head was gone, replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling that made him want to curl up to someone forever.
'What...is this feeling?'
Then, softer... 'This is...nice.'
The world pulled away as Kyubey found himself in the white void once more. The girls were still there, but Kyubey only focused on the green-haired one that now looked way too familiar. Without explanation, he wanted to grant more wishes, make more contracts...all because of that warm feeling he just experienced.
'What...was that?'
"We're not done."
Kyubey paused. The tone behind that voice sounded much more malicious than the young girl he saw not moments ago. Idly, he wanted to see her smile again, not talk in that horrible voice...
"Shut up."
'She can read my thoughts?'
"You like the feeling of happiness?"
'Happiness?'
"Now, taste the despair you have created."
The world flashed once more.
"Madoka! Wait up!"
Turning around, the four girls watched from the bottom of the stairs as a green-haired girl clumsily stumbled down, trying to catch up to them.
"Hitomi!" Madoka began waving her arms in the air.
Hitomi paused at the bottom of the steps, pausing to catch her breath. Finally getting enough wind to say her peace, she smiled broadly. "You're finally back! Where have you-"
She was cut off as she stared in awe at the person standing in front of her. Said person immediately flushed slightly red, trying to hide behind Madoka as much as possible.
"Sayaka..."
"Hey...Hitomi."
For a moment, the two stood there, unsure of what to do. An awkward silence hung in the air, and Madoka was about to say something to get rid of it when Hitomi suddenly lunged forward, latching onto Sayaka. She clung as if letting go would kill her, her body beginning to shake slightly.
"Hitomi-!"
"Thank...Thank goodness you're okay..." Hitomi whispered, her voice muffled by Sayaka's shoulder. Finally sensing no hostility from the girl, Sayaka tentatively returned the embrace, casting a worried glance at Madoka, who merely shook her head and smiled. Sensing that Madoka was fine with the contact, Sayaka sunk a bit deeper into Hitomi's embrace.
It was several minutes before Hitomi finally spoke up once more, her voice so muffled that Sayaka had to have her repeat the words.
"I'm sorry."
That took her by surprise. Sayaka knew why she was apologizing, but was surprised that she was in the first place. "Hitomi?"
"I..." Hiotmi pulled her head up to look Sayaka in the eye. "I gave you a day, to do what may have taken months..." She smiled bitterly. "I'm a horrible friend. It was completely wrong for me to have-"
"Hitomi." Sayaka cut her off, smiling slightly. "I'm over it." Reaching over slightly, she grasped Madoka's hand once more. "I...found someone else. Someone better."
Hitomi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Backing away, she watched as the two moved closer together. "Forbidden love...I knew it all along. I told you that you deserved her, Madoka."
Madoka merely smiled, glad that her friends were able to make up. Hitomi and Sayaka had gone through a rough spot, but thanks to a bit of talking, everything was back to normal.
"Hitomi? Who are you talking to?"
Hitomi looked around slightly, confused by the new voice. Catching sight of the person limping towards, her, she smiled broadly. "Ah, Kyousuke!"
Madoka tensed slightly. Sayaka paled deathly white. Kyouko snarled in anger, while Homura frowned deeply. Madoka could tell they were not happy to see him.
"Are these your friends, Hitomi—Oh, hey there, Sayaka!"
"Hey." Sayaka said, forcing a smile that she knew was fake.
Satisfied, Kyousuke turned back to Hitomi. "The movie starts in an hour, so we should probably get going-"
"Hang on, Kyousuke." Hitomi interrupted. "Sayaka just came back, I think it'd be best if we spent some time with her."
"I'd love to, but..." Kyousuke turned to the girls. "I have an audition tomorrow for the Youth Symphony. I really need to get back to practicing." He turned back to Hitomi. "I'll see you later, oka-"
Kyousuke's words were cut off by his own startled gasp, as he felt the wind on his hair, and saw the fist of one pissed off girl hovering centimeters from his face.
"You. Fucking. Bastard."
Kyouko pushed forward slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to send Kyousuke reeling slightly. Her face was surprisingly devoid of any emotion during the whole exchange. Just as quickly as the hand went up, it was back at her side.
"You brush Sayaka off like nothing, talking to your little girlfriend, there..." Kyouko whispered, glancing at Hitomi with the slightest of apologetic looks; Hitomi was not the focus of her anger here, and from the look she received back, Hiotmi knew that. "And when she comes back after five days, you brush it off like it was nothing?" Venom was dripping from her voice with every word. "You think your little audition is worth more than your friend?"
Kyousuke faced Kyouko fully. "I'm glad to see she's safe, but my audition is tomorrow. If I don't get my pieces down-"
"Who fucking cares! My god, do you think about anything other than fondling your shiny violin?"
Kyousuke's expression darkened a bit at that. "I've been practicing nonstop ever since my hand healed. I have to catch up to my peers. Friends will always be there. This audition will not."
"Friends will not always be there!" Kyouko shouted, no longer trying to contain her anger. "Sayaka wasn't! For five days! But that didn't matter as long as you got to play Mr. Perfect Life over there!"
Kyouko raised her hand once more. "Is your piece of wood more important than your friends?"
That took Kyousuke by surprise. "My friends are important to me! Sayaka is important to me!"
"Oh really?" Kyouko snarled, laughing. "Didn't seem like that when you accused her of torturing you with music. Not that you politely requested her to stop bringing CD's or anything. No, just fucking well tell her off and go back to sulking in the hospital."
Kyousuke's expression darkened even further. "Where did you hear about-"
"Gee, I fucking wonder." Kyouko interrupted without a second's hesitation. "Wasn't like she was, y'know, hurt by your stupid actions or anything. It's not like I was with her the whole damn time!"
"My music career at that time was over-"
"No." Homura stepped in on this one. "I know nothing of music, but every profession has a different task to be accomplished. Your career as a violin player was over, but your career as a musician was not."
Kyousuke backed up slightly, his expression darkening even more. "She kept making me listen to music...Every day! Bringing in some damn new CD..."
"Is it that hard to say no?" Kyouko snarled once more. "Instead of flat out insulting her and accusing her of shit she never did? No, you made the choice to put those fucking headphones in, Kyousuke! Not her!"
The boy found himself backed into a proverbial corner. "Hitomi...help me out, here..."
"No."
"What?"
Hitomi glanced at Sayaka, who was now sobbing into Madoka's shoulder, before turning to face him fully. "Go practice, Kyousuke. If it's more important to you...then go do it."
"Hitomi..."
Hitomi ignored her 'boyfriend,' turning toward the girls. "May I accompany you? To see Sayaka home?"
Homura nodded, glancing around for confirmation. Kyouko nodded as well, her scowl turning into a slight smile. She knew Hitomi was not the enemy anymore. Homura even noticed a weak nod from Sayaka, who still hadn't removed herself from Madoka's arms.
Kyousuke slowly started forward, reaching out with one arm to Sayaka while supporting himself with the other.
The hand was immediately slapped out of the way by Kyouko, her snarl returned and in full bloom. "Don't you dare touch her."
Pulling his hand back, Kyousuke sighed. "Sayaka...I'm sorry. Is there any way I can have you forgive me?"
Several seconds passed. Everyone stood stock still, the only sound being the breathing of those around them.
Finally, Sayaka lifted her head from Madoka's shoulder. Removing herself gently from the embrace, she motioned for the rest of the girls to leave.
Solemnly, everyone began heading back towards the city. Sayaka moved to follow, catching up to Madoka. Before she fully focused on the girl though, she turned back to Kyousuke.
"No."
Yutsumi lay on the ground, panting heavily from her recent battle with a particularly powerful witch. Glancing to her left, she saw her Soul Gem, caked in inky blackness, the traces of bright green she came to know all but gone.
A tear formed in her eye, and she had to bite back a scream of pain as an audible crack resounded within the gem, the glass casing shattering into fragments.
"This is what I lived for?" She whispered to herself. She could feel the despair flowing through her, and she allowed it to freely. There was no more point in her life aside from the mindless killing of witches...
From the time it began, she wanted it all to end.
Her wish saved her parents. Her wish stopped the riots, But it did not erase the memories of the event. Slowly, her parents changed, becoming more quiet and less outspoken to the people around them. Every once in a while, hidden flashes of anger were taken out on the pedestrians Yutsumi recognized in the riots, those who had stampeded over her parents in such an uncaring fashion.
It all happened so suddenly.
Three months after the attack, thirty-six people were found dead in their own beds, their skulls caved in with a heavy, blunt object. The police made out the weapon to be a large boot, with each of the thirty six heads having the same impressions.
The boot traced to the Misako family. Yukito Misako and his wife, Misuzu Misako, were arrested on thirty-six counts of murder, and put to death.
Slowly, the grief in Yutsumi's gem overcame her, and distorted colors began to wrap around her entire body.
She screamed.
Kyubey stared on, his eyes wide. The whole spectacle was something he had heard about numerous times, and had been the instigator of even more. However, actually watching the girl writhe about as the witch transformation overcame her sent yet another stab of pain through his head.
"What is this?"
"Pain."
The spirit of Yutsumi materialized next to Kyubey, the three other girls flanking her. "This is our pain. This is what you put us through."
Kyubey remained silent, trying to figure out the meaning behind all of the hallucinations. "Then...this feeling is...grief?"
"Grief." Yutsumi repeated. "Sadness. Anger. Happiness."
"That's impossible. We as incubators are born without emotion-"
"Stupid Incubator," Yutsumi spat. "Remember her wish."
The world flashed, and instantly, Kyubey was back in Madoka's room. However, this time there were two of him once more, and Madoka was standing over a small plate of food.
"I want you to understand, Kyubey. I want you to feel what those other girls went through..."
"Is that what you want?"Kyubey asked, staring at the girl in front of him.
"Yes..." Madoka hesitated, but only for a moment. "That is my wish." She looked at the ground. "Didn't you see how badly those girls were hurt, when you did what you did?"
"If I understood that, then there would be no reason for me to come to this world." Kyubey replied.
"Then...my wish has all the more meaning. I want you to understand, Kyubey. If you feel what they felt...then you'll understand."
"I must admit, I've never heard of such a strange wish. Surely there is something better that you would like for yourself?"
"No." Madoka shook her head. "You need this. You need this more than I do."
The construct sighed. "I suppose its your decision. Very well."
Kyubey watched himself as he ripped the soul out of Madoka's body, and moments later, saw himself drop to the ground, screaming.
"She wished for you to understand." Yutsumi said. "She gave you...emotion. She gave you what we felt."
With that, the girls vanished, the echoes of their last statement rebounding in the room
"Now you, Kyubey, have emotion."
"I think he's going to hate me for that."
"For standing up to the little fucker?" Kyouko asked Hiotmi, pulling a stick of Pocky from seemingly nowhere. "Probably. Still won't change the fact he deserved it though."
"Maybe, but..."
"You did the right thing, Hitomi." Homura cut in. "You expressed your thoughts, as he expressed his. There is no wrong in that."
Kyouko snorted at the comment. "How the hell does he justify that kind of shit? Pampered little pretty boy..." She trailed off, gnawing at the Pocky absentmindedly.
"It's over for now. And Kyouko..." Homura narrowed her eyes at the girl. "Do something about the swearing. I think Hitomi is about ready to pass out."
Kyouko blanched, and looked at Hitomi, who had paled slightly at her last words, face slightly white and eyes wide. Kyouko chuckled a bit, waving her hand in front of Hitomi's face. Instantly, she snapped back to reality with a small gasp, eliciting another laugh from Kyouko.
"I wonder if she'll be okay..."
Both girls stared at Homura, confused, before noticing the tilt in her head as they walked along the cobblestone pathway. Immediately, the two averted their eyes from the sight, the smiles from their previous elation vanishing in a heartbeat.
Madoka and Sayaka trailed behind the other three girls, walking at a slow pace. Sayaka had her head on Madoka's shoulder, her eyes still slightly tear stained from their encounter with Kyousuke. Madoka made sure to keep an arm around Sayaka at all times, to support her both physically and emotionally.
Though the two had been silent for some time, something in Madoka's mind kept nagging at her, desperately trying to find release.
"Sayaka?"
Shifting her head slightly, Sayaka looked into Madoka's eyes. "Hm?"
"Did you still..still want to go..."
Again, Sayaka immediately understood. Laughing mildly, she buried her head back into Madoka's shoulder. "Sure. I think we need it after...well..."
"Yeah..."
Gently, Madoka pulled Sayaka forward a bit, catching up to the other three girls. Using her free hand, she tugged on Homura's sleeve.
"We're gonna go for dinner...can we meet up somewhere later?"
Homura nodded. "Meet at my apartment. Tomorrow morning. Got it?"
Both girls nodded, and hooked left off the path, heading towards the urban section of the city.
"Are they going to be okay?" Hitomi asked quietly.
"Yeah." Kyouko nodded. "They'll be fine. Madoka'll make sure of it."
The two arrived at the restaurant easily, well within walking distance from any point in the city. Pushing the doors open, they were greeted by a waiter, who showed them to a small table in the back of the dainty place.
"Madoka..." Sayaka whispered, tugging at their still-clasped hands. "Could we...stop this?"
"Huh?" Madoka looked confused. "Why?"
"It's...weird. In public, I mean. Most people aren't...they aren't like us."
Madoka noticed the guilty look in Sayaka's eyes, and smiled in understanding. "It's okay. I'm new at this too. We'll figure this out together, okay?"
A genuine smirk played across Sayaka's lips at the statement. Nodding, she seated herself across from her at the table, accepting the menu with a small smile.
Despite the easygoing atmosphere they shared at the beginning, Madoka noticed Sayaka slowly beginning to lose the small smile she once had, spacing out at several points during the meal. She watched several times as Sayaka held a piece of food up to her lips, only to seemingly forget its existence as she stared far beyond the restaurant wall.
"Sayaka?"
Immediately, the fork dropped as she jumped slightly. "Huh?"
"You okay? You've been spacing out..."
Sayaka forced a smile. "Yeah. Just thinking."
Madoka nodded, but continued to keep an eye on her, just in case.
Time passed, and before they knew it, the check had arrived. Madoka paid immediately, using the leftover funds from her allowance, and quickly stood up from her chair, reaching for Sayaka's hand as she did so. She silently took it, standing alongside Madoka, and the two exited the diner and began heading back home.
Madoka frowned slightly. Sayaka had returned to silent brooding, her eyes downcast as the two walked down the street. Squeezing her hand slightly, Madoka got her attention.
"What's wrong, Sayaka? You've been acting like this for a while."
Sayaka forced a smile. "It's okay. Just...thinking."
"About?" Madoka pressed. "You can tell me...I'm here for you."
"I..." Sayaka sighed. She knew Madoka would see through any lie she told. Sighing, she decided to come clean. She could trust her, after all.
"Madoka...was I right, to do that to Kyousuke?" She stared at the ground, trying to quell the shaking in her voice. "Was I too hard on him? Regardless of how he took things, I was still wrong...I still hurt him. So..." She trailed off, tears forming in her eyes. "Was I wrong?"
"How could you have been wrong?"
"Huh?"
Madoka smiled slightly. "Last I checked, Sayaka, you didn't do anything to Kyousuke back there. The ones that did things were Kyouko, Homura, and Hitomi."
Sayaka remained silent.
"What they did, Sayaka, is called standing up for their friends. Back then...it was only you and Kyousuke. There was nobody that knew, so nobody could stand up for you." She smiled, wrapping an arm around her... "But now we know. Now we can stand up for you, protect you, speak for you. Just like we should have, all those weeks ago."
Sayaka stayed silent, and before they knew it, the two found themselves at the foot of Madoka's doorstep. Above them, dark storm clouds were beginning to show, indicating the signs of heavy rain.
"Well...I guess I better get going."
"Sayaka, wait." Madoka grabbed her hand as she began to turn around. When she turned to face her, Madoka blushed slightly.
"Stay...stay here for tonight."
Now it was Sayaka's turn to flush red. "W-what?"
"I mean, its going to rain, and I don't want you getting caught in the storm, and..."
"Madoka, stop." Sayaka regained her composure, cutting off Madoka's rant mid-sentence.
"I'll stay."
It took a moment for the words to register. When they finally did, Madoka smiled broadly, grabbing Sayaka's hand and pulling her into the house. The two bounded up the stairs to her room, closing the door and flopping onto the bed. The rain began pounding on the window just as the two cuddled up on the bed.
"Madoka?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you." Sayaka smiled, rubbing her hands together in nervousness. "For standing up for me. Just...Thank you."
"Hey." Madoka gently ran her finger down Sayaka's cheeck before pulling the girl into her arms. "Of course."
Smiling, the two turned to the window, watching as a peal of lightning tore across the sky. Sayaka huddled closer to Madoka, shivering slightly.
Madoka gave her a concerned glance. "Scared?"
"Nah." She shivered again. "Just cold. These uniforms are useless sometimes..."
"Yeah..." Madoka glanced around, before finally noticing the very object they were sitting on. "Sayaka, could you get up for a sec?"
Silently obliging, she got off the bed. Madoka acted quickly, grabbing the top and bottom sheets and lifting them up. Motioning for Sayaka to climb in, she waited for the girl to get situated before gently lowering the top sheet over her, then covered her with the heavy blanket.
"There we go." Madoka said, satisfied. "Warmer?"
"Yeah..." Sayaka glanced around. "But where are you going to sleep?"
"I've got a spare futon. I can sleep there."
"But...I don't want to kick you out of the bed..."
Madoka smirked. "You need it more. It's okay."
"No, it's not." Sayaka pressed. Then, flushed slightly, "Do you...want to share the bed? It'd be warmer that way..."
"Well..." Madoka saw Sayaka's look, and melted. There was no way to say no to that. With a moments hesitation, she lifted the sheets and slowly climbed in, coming face to face with Sayaka, the blanket covering them both in a soothing warmth.
Several minutes passed in silence before Madoka felt a slight tap on her shoulder. Looking up, she gazed into the teary eyes of Sayaka.
Reaching up, she brushed the stray droplets that had escaped onto her cheeks. "Hey...what's wrong?"
Sayaka laughed, a light, airy sound that caused Madoka's hear to jump. "That's just it. Nothing' wrong."
Nestling closer to Madoka, Sayaka buried her face into her shoulder.
"For once...everything's right."
Madoka smiled, wrapping her arms around Sayaka as well.
"I love you, Sayaka."
Sayaka smiled, mumbling incoherently into Madoka's shoulder.
The two slept silently through the night, the storm above them, completely ignored.
Kyubey shot awake once more, this time atop Madoka's bed. Unwilling to believe that the dream was true, he darted to the mirror, checking his face for any sign of...well, he didn't' know. Something.
What he saw made his eyes go wide in shock.
"..."
Kyubey backed up his mental train of thought.
'Shock?'
Yup. The numb feeling of mind-stopping paralysis...Kyubey felt shock. Suddenly, everything he felt within the 'vision' made sense. The fuzzy feeling of happiness, the addicting feeling of hope...as well as the crumbling feeling of despair.
It all made sense. Grief was energy, but grief was pain. Something everybody wanted to deter, to avoid, at any possible cost. Before now, Kyubey merely saw it as a resource, like the coal mines in the deepest depths of the earth. But now he could feel the meaning of that energy.
And it shook him to the very core.
"Is this...what they felt?"
Looking at himself in the mirror once more, Kyubey shook his head, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
Perhaps her wish was bias, but Kyubey felt the need to right the wrongs he made. The unique feeling of guilt coursed through his body.
"So this is what 'impulse' is..."
Something in him changed, all right.
Green eyes tore away from the mirror and stared into the sky beyond.
It was time to fix this.
Kyouko, Hitomi, and Homura paused right outside Homura's apartment, watching the storm with awed eyes.
Well, Kyouko and Hitomi were awed. Homura had paled to a deathly white, watching the peals of lightning tear across the sky.
Kyouko finally noticed the condition of their third member. "Homura? You okay?"
"The storm..." Homura shakily said.
"What about it?"
"Class-9 super-cell storm...typhoon-force winds, heavy rain..."
"Kyouko? What is she talking about?" Hitomi asked, perplexed.
"Dunno..." Kyouko snapped her fingers in front of Homura's face, receiving no reaction. "Hey! Whats up?"
Homura tore her gaze from the darkening clouds and stared a the two with wide, terrified eyes. She knew what was coming. Countless times the same clouds of dread hovered over her head, signaling the arriving fanfare of the most powerful witch known in existence.
Normally, Homura wouldn't feel worried at this point. But after the distraction offered by saving Sayaka, as well as losing the time needed to properly prepare for Armageddon...
Needless to say, Homura Akemi felt true fear for the first time in a long time.
"Walpurgisnacht..."
Kyouko paled considerably, and Hitomi looked at Homura with even more confusion. She knew something was bad, given Kyouko's reaction, however. "What's...what's that?"
Homura didn't reply. Kyouko made a "I'll explain later" gesture, and stared into the sky.
"Ah, shit."
Chapter End.