A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&R and enjoy the chapter!
Sorry for this chapter being a bit late than usual! Also, we would like to thank a Guest reviewer who kindly pointed out our slight mistake on chapter 8. The slight mistake has been fixed! :D
~ Chapter 12: Confrontation & Apology ~
~ Mitakihara City: Downtown Alleyway ~
Madoka backed away at Sayaka's insistence when the Magical Girl appeared. Fearful pink eyes took up the redhead girl walking up towards them.
"So you're the hotshot new apprentice of Mami, huh?"
Sayaka's shouldered hunched up. "What did you just say?"
The redhead took up a vicious grin. "I'm saying you don't look like much."
"No! What is this about Mami?!"
"She didn't tell you?" The other girl scoffed. "Of course. She must be really ashamed of me."
Madoka pulled out her phone and started up a call for Mami. Whoever this girl was, she was definitely bad news. She showed up out of nowhere, interrupting Sayaka's Witch Hunt and throwing threats.
"Don't you dare claim you know Mami!"
"Oh, I dare. And I dare say you're a real chump going after prey with no rewards."
"Hello?"
Mami's voice broke through the tension. "Mami-san! We have a problem!" Madoka grew more worried as she saw the tenseness on Sayaka's form. "There's someone here that looks like a Magical Girl!"
"A Magical Girl?"
"Yes, with red hair."
A silence emanated from the other end. "...I'm on my way." And the phone call ended like that. Madoka wasn't given much time to ponder on the strangeness.
"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Sayaka demanded.
"I mean you should leave the small fry alone. The way they are now they're useless. Leave them alone long enough and they'll become Witches on their own."
Something snapped in the air – Madoka could hear it, FEEL it.
"And let innocent people become casualties?" Sayaka's voice was low, deadly.
The redhead shrugged. "If that's what needs to happen, so be it."
Madoka yelped as the wind sharply picked up; Sayaka propelled forward with the help of her magic, sword out and launching herself towards the redhead. A flash of red, and the other magical girl summoned a spear out to block the blunette's weapon. She pushed forward, throwing Sayaka away from her. The blunette barely managed to right herself.
"Are you all right?" Madoka reached out towards her.
"I'm fine!" Sayaka threw her arm out, keeping the pinklette behind her. Blue eyes remained on the target in front of them. "Stay behind me! I don't want you getting hurt!" Sayaka prepared for another attack.
Nagisa's head snapped back in surprise, eyes wide at the burst of magic she felt.
"What's wrong, Sweetie?" Amai turned her head to the little girl.
It took a moment for her to answer. "...There's some people over there. Kyoko's over there, too."
Amai's brow arched. "Why would she be over there? I thought she went that way." Amai pointed towards the west.
Nagisa's eyes widen. "Wait a minute... Sayaka and Madoka are over there!"
"The pink haired girl and... wait, Flat Dough?" Amai asked incredulously.
Without responding, Nagisa started to move in that direction. "Wait! Don't leave me here!" Amai called out before falling into step.
Amai tried her best to feel out what Nagisa was sensing. Even after a few days her magic didn't feel any different from how it felt before. She struggled to feel for an energy signature at the end of the road. Something did linger in the direction Nagisa pointed towards earlier. She tried to put a name to those energies; they did feel familiar somewhat...
Her head snapped to the right when another magical signature appeared on her fuzzy radar. This one DEFINITELY felt familiar, and it didn't take long for her to put a name on it.
'Mami.' She felt the blonde heading their way – no, to where the disturbance lingered.
Now that she drew closer, Amai started feeling the tingling sensation that was Kyoko's presence. The two other presences started to build up in pressure, and she discovered that one of them was another Magical Girl, and a hostile one at that.
'That does feel like Flatbread...' Aside from the pang of irritation that went through her, Amai found she was also curious to see how the bluette looked in her Magical Girl form. Considering Mami was going out of her way to train her, Amai wanted to see for herself just how much Sayaka measured up right now.
Amai landed not far from the location, taking her first few steps towards them. "Hey, Nagisa, things might get a little rough so be sure to stay behind me, okay?"
No answer. Amai turned around. "Nagisa?"
The whitette wasn't there.
Amai's heart pounded against her chest as she looked around for the younger girl, calling her name. In her frantic search, she wound up catching the attention of Kyoko and Sayaka, breaking away their glare contest.
"You!"
"Oh, hey!" Sayaka stared wide-eyed as the redhead casually leaned against her weapon. "Decided to come join me in handling this problem?"
Amai blinked. "What problem?"
Kyoko jabbed her thumb towards the blunette. "This girl's being difficult and all. I think between the two of us, we can teach her a lesson!"
Amai didn't know what to say. Sayaka's look slowly turned into a hard glare.
"You're... with her?"
In response, Sayaka growled, pointing an accusing finger at Amai. "You're allowing innocent people to get hurt because you want the stupid Grief Seed!"
Nothing could prepare Amai for the feeling of heart dropping in her chest. Sayaka's words left her without breathe and widen eyes. She switched her gaze between the blunette and Kyoko.
The redhead shrugged. "I'm just stating facts; we need Grief Seeds to keep our magic going, and Minions don't give us any. We might as well give it time to make one so we can swoop in and take our reward, right?"
A heaviness descended on Amai. "And what exactly does a Minion do in order to make a Grief Seed?"
Across from her, Sayaka took on a look – one torn between disbelief and outrage. "Are you serious? You have to be lying."
"I don't get it; what does a Minion do?" Amai yelled, her eyes widening further. If this girl continued to avoid the subject, she didn't know what she'd do. "Kyoko, what is she talking about?"
Kyoko looked over her shoulder. "A Minion must continue preying on humans in order to form its own Grief Seed."
Amai's heart stopped.
~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~
Juudai looked out over the balcony, chin in her hand. A part of her insisted she returned downstairs and ask Mrs. Asurito if she needed any help with anything, but for once she wanted to be selfish and just keep to herself.
She made sure she left Xavier doing his homework in his room before she made her way to the upstairs balcony. Opening one of the table parasols, she pulled out a chair and took a seat. With a sigh, she continued gazing listlessly.
It took her a moment to learn someone had joined her; the scrapping of a chair's leg snapped her out of her trance. Juudai's eyes shifted to the right to see the long-haired raven sit next to her.
"How are you doing today?" The girl's voice was neutral but her eyes, settled on Juudai, conveyed her concern.
"Could be better, I suppose, but I could be worse, too."
The girl nodded her head. "That's good." The two remained silent for a while, watching the scenery. "If I may be so bold..." She started after a while. At Juudai's noise of affirmation, she continued. "As of right now, your friend is confronting Sayaka Miki."
Juudai sat up straighter. She recalled the last time Mami and Amai were together. "Are... they fighting?"
"Possibly."
"Then why are you telling me this instead of stopping them?" Juudai rose from her seat, anger on her figure.
"Because I know they will not listen to me. One of the Magical Girls present near them might, but considering Sayaka Miki's volatile nature, she might not. Amai Asurito is not familiar with me, therefore I feel you should head over there."
Juudai thought about it for a moment, before asking the first question she had in mind. "What about Nagisa Momoe?"
"She was close to your friend when I last saw her."
"And Mami Tomoe?"
The girl stayed quiet for a bit. "She's heading their way. I'm assuming she felt the disturbance, or..." Her purple eyes widen. "Kaname-san."
Juudai looked at her strangely. "Madoka?"
"Yes. She must have contacted her."
"That would make sense..." After taking a moment to process everything, she turned towards the door. "Will me being there actually make a difference?"
"I'm not sure. I suppose what I should be saying is if you wish to be there with your friend?"
Juudai didn't need to think about it twice. "I do. I want to be there to help Amai whenever she needs it. I don't know what I can do for her now, but I'll do what I can."
The girl rose to her feet; Juudai looked over her shoulder to her. "Good." She stepped towards the orangette, one hand going to the back of her knees while the other rested on her shoulder. Juudai's eyes widen when the girl took off into the air afterwards. She resisted the urge to scream, a dropping sensation in her belly as they descended to the ground quickly. Her arms wrapped around the girl's neck, face hidden in the crook of her neck and shoulder.
"It's all right." The raven-haired girl muttered gently.
Their momentum stopped, as if the girl landed on something before they took off into the air again. Juudai pulled her face away, looking at the sky in wonder as they continued to soar across it. When the fell again, Juudai looked down – a mistake that caused her body to seize up with fear. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to look away as they quickly approached the city below.
They quickly approached a building; instead of splatting against its surface, a soft purple glow surrounded the girl as she landed delicately on the roof. The next moment, she took off into the air again. Juudai's mouth gaped open.
A slight smirk passed over the girl's face, one Juudai caught a second before it fell.
~ Mitakihara City: Downtown Alleyway ~
The scene Mami arrived to was one she was not expecting.
Considering Madoka had called her, alerting her of a problem, Mami tried to prepare for the worst. Donning her Magical Girl uniform, she rushed from her apartment to the alleyway she felt Sayaka's signature.
What she wasn't expecting was the feel of another.
Madoka, yes; she was the one who called her after all.
Amai; her heart at dropped at that. Whether she was ready or not, Mami would be facing her childhood friend after all this time.
Nagisa; from what Mami could gather, the whitette had taken to Witch Hunts along with Amai.
The last magic signature, however...
'Impossible... After all this time, she comes back...' A whole slew of emotions went through Mami; longing, anger, concern, disappointment. She put a bit more magic into her dash as she rushed to her destination.
She arrived, skidding against the concrete as she rushed to Madoka's side. Barely remembering to call out a greeting to the pinklette, her gold eyes went in search for the one person she thought she never see again. Red eyes met hers.
Mami gasped. "Kyoko..." She whispered.
Sayaka looked over her shoulder, eyes wide and mouth agape. But Amai was the one who said the words she desperately wanted to say. "You two... know each other?!"
Kyoko scowled before the expression quickly shifted to a grin. "Long time no see, Mami! I see you're still alive and kicking. I would have thought you'd be Witch food by this point, considering you've been watching the town by yourself for so long."
Mami walked up towards Sayaka, placing a calming hand on her shoulder when the blonde noticed the look of rage pass over her features. Her eyes turned to focus on Kyoko. "And I see you are doing well yourself." Gold flickered in the direction of a certain brunette, the person in question hanging behind the redhead. "It's funny; I recall you saying you weren't going to team up with other Magical Girls anymore."
"This isn't a team up; I'm just teaching her the ropes on how to be a kick ass Magical Girl!" Kyoko grinned in response.
The frown appeared on Mami's face before she could stop it. "Is that so?" Although her expression wasn't focused on her, Mami noticed how Amai took a retreating step back.
"Yeah! Since you apparently weren't up for the job, someone's gotta make sure she's up for it! Knowing you, you probably were teaching her some useless stuff, anyway."
"Define 'useless'." Mami growled.
"Like helping others when they need it." Kyoko burst out laughing at the notion. "Why would she do that without getting something in exchange?"
From behind the redhead, Amai began to stutter. Mami watched as she lifted a hand in her direction. "I-I-I wouldn't do that..." When Mami tilted her head in confusion, Amai clarified with a step forward. "I wouldn't turn my back to someone in need!"
Kyoko looked over her shoulder. "Aw, come on. Think about it. If you go spending your magic on every single person you see, you'll end up drained. You can't say I'm wrong."
"But you aren't right!" Amai screamed. "I can't just turn my back on civilians for my own benefit! It goes against the reason I became a Magical Girl!"
Mami felt her heart soar.
Kyoko turned around fully, her face grim. "And what do people ever do for ya, huh? What about your wish? What did you wish for?"
Amai froze. "Well-"
"You don't need to answer her, Amai." Mami spoke up. When the brunette looked at her, Mami gave her a soft smile. "That's your business and yours alone. Fighting for Mitakihara – that is a wonderful purpose."
Amai smiled.
Kyoko sighed. "Well, whatever. It doesn't change the fact that this girl over here is a dumbass going after nothing but prey who don't relinquish anything. You need to be at the top of your game, and she's anything but that."
Mami noticed too late when Sayaka moved again – the blunette was surprisingly agile. Kyoko, however, wasn't new to the attack and blocked it easily.
"That's all you got?" Kyoko grinned.
"Not even close!" Sayaka snapped. She jumped back, putting some distance between them before preparing for the next strike. Before she could do anything, however, a streak of green swept past Kyoko towards the blunette.
"Stop!" Amai yelled, holding her arms out.
"Asurito! Get the hell out of my way before I cut you down!" Sayaka held her sword to reinforce her threat.
"Can't we just stop this?" Amai pleaded. "There's no need to fight! We're all Magical Girls, fighting for the same cause! Even if our reasons for becoming one is different, we... should stick together!"
Sayaka's glare chilled, and instead of lowering her weapon, she aimed a thrust towards Amai's side. The brunette barely managed to dodge by jumping back. "Sayaka!"
"Shut up!" A circle of swords floated behind her. "I'm going to cut her, and if you don't move out of the way, you will, too!"
Amai's face set into a hard glare, staring down at the attack. Her weapons appeared in a blaze at the ends of her hands, and she set them in front of her. Mami looked on in horror as Sayaka swung her arm down, the blades rushing towards the brunette.
Before she could even see the result of the attack, the hairs of her neck began to stand in warning, and she managed to jump to avoid a spear-ended whip from binding her. She landed in a crouch from the spot the weapon emerged. "Kyoko!"
The redhead landed not too far from her with a wild grin. "What? If Amai and the newbie are going to fight, we might as well do the same! Let's see how far we've progressed in the past year!"
Mami narrowed her eyes with a growl.
Amai vs. Sayaka
At the incoming blades, Amai lifted the chakrams up as a shield. She released them into the air, the circles spinning in place and redirecting the blades away from Amai.
Sayaka growled at her failure, mind shifting through another possible move.
Amai didn't give her time to recover, though. The brunette grabbed her weapons, twirling in place before she threw them at the blunette. Sayaka managed to parry one of the discs before sidestepping the other. When she turned to glare at her opponent, however, her eyes widen in shock at the smug look on Amai's face.
Sayaka cried out when she felt metal dig into the skin of her left arm. With a hiss, she turned around in time to ward off the second disc before it made contact with her.
"What, you thought I was just going to lose them after throwing them?" Amai mocked once her weapons returned to her side.
The frown on Sayaka's face delivered her displeasure well enough. "Shut up! I'm not going down that easily!"
It was Amai's turn to frown. "You know we don't have to fight, right? I'm only going up against you because you attacked me first. But we can just put our weapons down and pretend this didn't happen."
"Well, I won't do that. I can't just pretend you just tell me to ignore people for a GRIEF SEED!"
"I wasn't the one who said that! I didn't even know about any of that!"
"You're still guilty! How can you turn away from people who need help like that?!"
"I didn't!" Amai looked at her in disbelief. "Are you honestly trying to tell me that because Kyoko did what she did that I'm responsible too?"
Sayaka's glare was harsh as she hissed. "Yes."
Amai met the look with one of hers. "Damn. Talk about judgmental."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you're a pretty shallow person if you're looking down at me without even knowing me."
With a quick intake of breathe, Sayaka ended the conversation with a dash forward. Amai didn't have time to do anything else but block the attack, pushing back and keeping the blade as far from her as she could. Amai lifted her foot and made to step forward but in reality she swept her leg forward and caught Sayaka's legs.
Sayaka fell back with a shriek, but she thrust her sword forward, swiping at the air in order to keep Amai away. The brunette took a step back, giving the blunette enough space to roll away. Back on her feet, Sayaka pushed forward, sword tip in Amai's direction.
A moment passed, and in that time Amai held one chakram out, hooking Sayaka's sword into one of the loops. With a twist of her hand, she wretched the blade from Sayaka's grip. The blunette was left wide-eyed as Amai brought her elbow down on the back of Sayaka's neck, the girl going down with a yelp.
"Sayaka!" As the blunette struggled to her feet, she heard Madoka call her name. 'Damn, she's still here...' And from the sounds of it, she was watching everything unfolding in horror. Sayaka knew her best friend of all people wanted them to get along, but Sayaka could not bring herself to believe that the pervert and the redhead could have good intentions – not after everything they've done.
'But what have the pervert done? Aside from an unsavory behavior, had she really done anything bad? The other girl was one thing; she had specifically stated to let innocent people burn, but Amai...'
The blunette lifted her head, glancing at Madoka's direction, checking to see if the pinklette held any injuries. Seeing none, Sayaka stood tall and turned towards Amai. The brunette glanced at her uncertainly, the entire time standing away from her.
'She didn't attack me...' Sayaka summoned another blade.
Amai sighed. "We're seriously going to continue this?"
Mami vs. Kyoko
Two muskets emerged at Mami's will, the blonde taking hold of them and pointing one in Kyoko's direction. The redhead tilted her head, bemused. "I'm willing to bet you can't pull the trigger."
Mami's eyes narrowed. "You're not really much of a betting person, then."
A boom pierced the air; Kyoko managed to move out of the way from the shot in time. She huffed. "Yeah, I would be broke at this rate."
"And we wouldn't want that, would we?"
Kyoko's equipped a smirk. "And how about yourself? How much would you bet on hitting me?"
Instead of answering, Mami summoned a total of eight muskets, pulling the trigger and shooting them all at once towards the redhead. It didn't come to much of a surprise when the redhead appeared a few feet away the next second.
"You need to work on your aim." Kyoko mocked.
"My aim isn't the problem; my target won't sit still." Mami coolly retorted.
"Funny, I don't think that's how that works."
"How would you know if you haven't tried it?"
Kyoko twirled her spear around in place before tightening her grip; the first portion of her spear detached and extended towards Mami. The blonde brought one of her empty muskets forward, using the gun to block the blade end of the incoming weapon before pushing it away from her.
"Something like that, you mean?" Kyoko commented.
"Exactly."
"I think bullets are harder to block than a blade."
"How would you know if you haven't tried it?" Mami repeated. "I'm willing to bet you can't block it."
Once her face distorted into a glare, Kyoko snapped, "Well, I'm willing to bet I can!"
From there, both girls stood their ground as they readied their weapons. Mami's arsenal appeared around her and she grabbed a rifle, one after the other, as she aimed each shot towards her opponent.
Kyoko's spear elongated; parts of the spear's staff blocked some projectiles while the rest were cut down by purposeful strikes. The two of them remained locked in a standstill before, at last, one bullet swept past the redhead's defense and cut her on the cheek.
The wound was the stoplight for the standoff, both girls meeting the other's gaze.
Mami smirk. "Looks like I did manage to hit you."
Kyoko managed a smile before it dropped into a grimace, her wound throbbing. "Yeah, but the bet was on whether I can block it or not."
"I will concede; you managed it."
"If we're still talking about hitting targets, how about we do a switcheroo?" Kyoko grinned through the pain. "Your turn, Mami."
In the blink of an eye, Kyoko brandished her spear. The weapon snaked around her form before thrusting at Mami.
The blonde stood her ground, rifle already poised and ready. The explosive sound resonated through the alleyway as the bullet hit the blade with enough force to redirect its trajectory. Kyoko pulled the lance back and continued her attempts to hit Mami, the blonde successfully parrying the blade at each advance.
Once Mami ran out of rifles in the immediate vicinity – that, Kyoko realized was her moment to attack. The split moment it took for Mami to summon more weaponry, the redhead gave a shout, gathering her spear into its standard form and springing towards the other Magical Girl. In the last second, the blonde stepped aside, causing Kyoko to just barely miss her target. The redhead quickly recovered, however, going for another slice. Mami brought up her newly summon rifle, blocking the strike.
As they glared at one another, Kyoko spoke up between gasps. "Seems you do a great job at not getting hit."
"It's the name of the game."
"Guess there was no point in switching things up, huh?"
Mami smiled grimly. "I suppose not."
'Please stop.' Madoka was torn between both of the fight occurring in the tight space. She held on tightly to Kyubey, the white critter still cradled against her chest.
"If this continues, someone will get really hurt." He noted. Madoka nodded her head in agreement.
"But they keep doing this! Why do they keep doing this?!"
Kyubey shook his head with a sigh. "It's just one of those human things. This won't be the first or last time Magical Girls fight among themselves for whatever reason. We will admit that it is a bit of problem. They're wasting valuable magical reserves on insignificant matters."
"How do we get them to stop?"
"We're not certain. They appear to be unwilling to hear you out." Kyubey hummed thoughtfully before jumping in her grasp. "Perhaps there is a way to stop them."
"What is it?"
Kyubey looked straight into her eyes. "Make a contract with us, and become a Magical Girl!"
His words gave Madoka pause. Would she really become a Magical Girl to stop this? A part of her wanted to say 'Yes'; her friends were doing something foolish, and if Kyubey said that becoming a Magical Girl would give her the power to stop them... then she would do.
And yet another part of her hesitated. What would her wish be? How exactly would she stop them once she attained Magical status? How would her friends react to her decision? This couldn't be a bad decision, right?
Madoka swallowed, making her choice. "Kyubey, I-"
"Madoka!"
Juudai ran down the alleyway, per the raven's directions. She saw the pink hair in all the gloom of the corridor and picked up the pace. "I'm glad I found you!"
"Juudai-chan!" Madoka turned to the orangette, her eyes wide in panic. Juudai's eyes averted to her arms, where the pinklette clutched Kyubey to her chest. Her heart leaped in her chest as she beheld the cuteness of the critter.
"I see you're here, too."
"Juudai, how did you know to find us here?"
"A little birdie told me." And she left it at that. It wasn't just for a lack of an answer. Her eyes caught onto something happening in the background. Horror reflected on her face.
"LOOK OUT!"
Juudai threw herself at Madoka, pushing herself, Kyubey and the pinklette to the ground – in time to avoid a wayward bladed disc coming their way. Her heart pounded against her chest as Juudai's eyes laid over where the chakram remained embedded on the wall. A second later rage began to burn in her chest. She scrambled to her feet and turned around to face the Magical Girls. Taking a deep breathe, she gathered her voice.
"WOULD THE FOUR OF YOU JUST STOP!"
To her surprise – and pleasure – her voice did carry enough weight to interrupt the fights. Amai fully turned around to look at her.
"Judy, what are you do-?"
"Shut up." Juudai pointed a finger accusingly at her, orange eyes settling on the chakram in one of the brunette's hands. "You nearly hit Madoka just now."
Amai then turned her gaze to the pinklette in horror. Her mouth remained agape as it fell on the chakram still stuck on the wall, her question on her actions falling dead on her lips. "Oh, God..."
"I honestly don't know why the four of you are wasting your time on this. Shouldn't you be spending your time finding those awful monsters instead of attacking each other?! And where's Nagisa?!"
"I'm right here..." The whitette slowly walked around the corner behind Amai and the other Magical Girls. "I'm sorry, Juudai-neechan. I didn't do anything to stop them..."
Mami looked at the girl before her gaze fell on Kyoko. In the end, she turned to look at Madoka, walking up to her. "...Madoka, I'm so sorry. Miss Naosoroshii is right; I let all of this cloud my judgment. You could've gotten hurt..."
Madoka shook her head. "Mami, I didn't get hurt. Juudai-chan watched over me. Besides..." The pinklette turned her gaze towards Kyoko. The redhead looked away, walking towards Amai.
"...I'm out of here." She informed the brunette before leaping away.
Amai watched her depart with uncertainty, her gaze slowly turning to Juudai and the others. She eventually took a step back before running past Nagisa and turning around the corner.
Sayaka remained in the same spot, a haunted look on her face. Madoka took a step towards her, causing the blunette to snap out of her trance. She flinched away like a frighten animal. Madoka stopped, giving her a concerned look. "Sayaka, are you all right?"
Juudai looked at the girl closely; she noticed the blunette was shivering slightly.
"I... could have hurt you." Sayaka finally answered.
"Well, duh. The four of you just started fighting in a tight space with a regular person in the vicinity." Juudai admonished. For once, Sayaka had no response, merely flinching slightly at her words.
The orangette wasn't done; she aimed her glare at Mami, the blonde jumping slightly. "You, too. And out of everyone here, I thought you were the least likely to do something as stupid as get into a fight with someone. Or at the very least, keep Madoka safe so she isn't at risk of getting hurt!"
Mami avoided her gaze. "You're correct; my behavior was uncalled for."
"In more ways than one."
At those words, Mami looked up, eyes wide and wondering. Juudai rolled her eyes. "Amai; aren't you going to talk to her?" When the blonde seized up, she pushed on. "Hey, Amai's looked really upset, and that's not even counting your fight from earlier, so go! Talk to her!"
If the situation wasn't so serious, Juudai probably would have laughed at the dumbfounded look on Mami's face. Her mouth remained gaping for a moment before she returned to her normal civilian clothes and ran in the direction Amai took off.
Only four girls remained in the alleyway; Juudai crossed her arms and gave the other two Magical Girls a pointed look. Nagisa immediately dispelled her Magical attire before running towards Juudai. Sayaka took a moment before returning to her normal outfit.
Nagisa looked up at the orangette. Juudai's look soften at the concern she saw. "You're worried about Amai and Tomoe?"
"Do you think they'll be fine, Juudai-neechan?"
"I think they will, but to be on the safe side, why don't you go after them?"
Nagisa nodded her head and ran off in the same direction.
It just left the three of them; Juudai regarded the pinklette and blunette as they looked at one another. She sighed, turning away. "I'm out."
Kyubey looked in the direction Juudai left. He squirmed in Madoka's grip before jumping off and following Juudai out.
"So that happened," Madoka started with a nervous giggle. Sayaka didn't follow through with her comment, which left her to squirm nervously at the side.
Sayaka eventually mumbled something. Madoka leaned forward trying to hear.
"What was that?"
"...Are you hurt?"
Madoka looked up in surprise. "N-no, I'm fine."
Sayaka met her gaze, her eyes empty. "It's just like you to say that."
"Huh?"
"Don't act like this is all right!" Sayaka snapped at her. "You could've gotten hurt!"
"But I didn't!" Madoka threw back. Both of them appeared shock at Madoka's rebellion, but the pinklette shook her head and pushed the conversation forward. "You were angry, and I get that. You're at least right about one thing; it isn't right to make people suffer for our selfishness, especially since you have the power to protect them."
Madoka took a breather in before continuing. "But I do agree with Juudai; you shouldn't have fought. You could've gotten hurt."
Sayaka snapped her head towards her. "Look who's talking! I was worried about you, Madoka!"
"I was worried about you, too! And it's not just that! Sayaka, there has to be another way to convince her to stop doing that, something that doesn't involve fighting or hurting anyone..." Madoka desperately tried to reign in her tears, her shoulders shaking after letting it all out of her chest.
Sayaka approached Madoka slowly, wrapping her arms around her friend. She gently rubbed circles on her back.
"I'm sorry." Sayaka whispered.
Sayaka tightened her grip on Madoka. She didn't know what she was apologizing for; for hurting her best friend or for refusing to let her resentment towards the redhead go.
~ Mitakihara City: Park ~
If she focused enough, Mami could feel Amai's Magical presence not far from her. The brunette must have burnt out running from her, otherwise she would have gone further and far away from her.
Eventually, she saw her ahead and ran up to catch up. Amai was sitting on a bench, head down. Mami took a seat next to her.
The two of them lapsed into silence. Mami looked around her for a bit, waiting to see if Amai was going to speak up. When she didn't, Mami took it upon herself to start the conversation.
"If you look at it from one perspective, it looks like the two of us just came from a date."
As she expected, Amai twitched at her suggestion. Mami managed a giggle.
"As a matter of a fact, there is a cafe just down the street that I love to visit. The atmosphere is incredible and the food is delicious. ...I wouldn't mind going there one day with you."
Amai hiccupped, finally looking at Mami. The blonde met her gaze, her eyes golden eyes sad.
"That is if you'll let me, Amai." Mami's face fell, tears prickling the edges of her eyes. "I missed you. And I apologize for what I said to you. It was utterly uncalled for. You did what you could do for your family, and I completely disrespected your decision. It was your choice; I had no right to judge it."
Taking a deep breathe, Amai spoke. "What exactly did you wish to become a Magical Girl, Mami?"
It took a moment before Mami could prepare herself to respond to that. "...I wished for my life to be saved."
Amai's eyes widen. "Because of the accident."
Mami nodded her head, tears beginning to fall. "It was the spur of the moment, when Kyubey appeared at the car crash. I didn't – it never occurred to me to wish for all of us to be saved..."
A breathe hissed past Amai's teeth, heart pounding in empathy for the blonde. "Damn, Mami, I didn't know..."
The blonde shook her head. "It isn't something I went around telling everyone. But it wasn't until recently that I realized how much of a grip that incident had on me."
"I can't blame you, though. That sounds awful... I don't know what I would do if I were in your shoes, if I'd lost my mother, my father, Jayden and Little Brother..."
"I think one of the reasons why I was so upset is because I was jealous." At Amai's incredulous look, Mami elaborated. "It sounds awful, I know, but hear me out. My being upset stems from the fact that you managed to save your family with your wish. I... didn't. And it still hurts till this day. I miss my parents." Mami sniffed.
Without words, Amai brought Mami into her embrace. "You have a family with me, my family, too. Can you quit pushing me away?"
Mami nodded her head, tightening her hold. "Yes."
"...I'm sorry. I need to apologize, too. I have to understand that you were just trying to look out for me. But I honest to God felt like you were telling me I should have let my mom and Jayden go."
"No, of course not, Amai."
"I know it was stupid of me to think so; that's not like you. But I just couldn't look past that." Amai struggled to keep her own tears in. "I guess, aside from that, it also felt like you were telling me I couldn't when I clearly could. It was my choice to make, and I didn't appreciate you were telling me no."
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to keep you safe, Amai. But you're right. It's your decision." Mami smiled softly. "It's nice to have you on the team, Amai."
The brunette's eyes sparkled. "REALLY?!"
Mami giggled. "Really." She huffed when Amai hugged her tightly, then laughed afterwards while returning the hug.
"Amai-neechan!"
The two of them looked up to see Nagisa running towards them, waving. She threw herself onto the girls, all three erupting to further laughter as they brought Nagisa into the embrace.
"So~ when are we going to have an actual date?" Amai asked Mami a moment later, fluttering her eyes. Mami scoffed and hit her on the shoulder.