Walking back was hard. I spent most of it leaning against Kyouko as we staggered, step by step, back along the tracks toward the city. I wanted to get home and sleep, but I wanted to just crumple down on the floor and pass out too. But Kyouko knew better, and wouldn't let me fall. I don't know if I've ever thanked her enough for what she did that night.
Then… Madoka was just there. With the Transfer student, walking up the tracks toward us. Madoka looked scared, and worried. I must have looked wretched. Homura looked… Like she always does, I suppose. But I scarcely noticed her, at first. I needed to apologise to Madoka for what I'd said. It had made sense at the time, but now, looking back… It had been horrible of me to ask that of her. I felt like a monster.
Madoka stopped about ten feet away from us, her hands clasped against her chest. We walked together, Kyouko and I, stumbling toward her. I managed a small smile, even. I never even noticed Homura as she strode forward, that same expression of blank indifference on her face. We stopped as she came close, Kyouko halting me gently as she stared with curiosity at the black-haired girl.
Almost faster than we could make out, Homura extended her arm and slapped me across the face – hard. Fire sparked across my cheek and I crumbled to the floor, Kyouko releasing me in her surprise.
At the time, I didn't realise why Homura did it. I didn't realise that she was angry at me for upsetting Madoka, and trying to bring me back to my senses. Not for my own sake of course, but for Madoka's. At the time, I didn't realise much. All I saw was Madoka's face as she gasped, and Kyouko's reaction half a second later through eyes blurred by tears.
That… Beautiful, graceful red-head took one look at me, down on the ground, and did something so fast, so unexpected, that even Homura was surprised. It's the only time I've ever seen her surprised. Without hesitation, Kyouko punched Homura square in the face.
Kyouko's strong. Scarily strong, even in 'human' form. And Homura's pretty frail, for all her magic. She's had open heart surgery, after all. And she fell straight down on her back like she'd been shot, utterly blown away by Kyouko's anger. Kyouko glanced back at me as I stumbled to my feet – her face was like fire.
"Here." She said firmly, steadying me with a deceptively gentle hand. I just blinked stupidly at her, swaying a little as she walked over to Homura and held out a hand. Hesitantly, Homura took it, holding her other hand over the blood that was trickling from her nose, but Kyouko just helped her to her feet as if nothing had happened. But her expression was still that of pain and fury.
"Don't you ever touch Sayaka again…" She said softly, before returning to my side. Madoka and I were just too dumbstruck to do anything. Kyouko was a flame, most of the time. Exciting and quick. But she could only be pushed so far before that flame burned well out of control… and when she was like an inferno, she scared even me.
That morning, I woke a lot easier than I had done in the past. Despite the… Less than pleasant day I'd had, I felt pretty good in myself, and better rested than I had in weeks. Everything felt so bright, so warm! I didn't even know my bed could be this comfortable. Fleetingly, I wondered what could have me in such a good mood for no real reason, but I dismissed it as quickly as I could. Why question it when I felt so warm, and cuddly?
It was only when I tried to roll over that I realised that something wasn't quite as it should be. For a start, I couldn't move. Something heavy was holding me in place, and my legs were tangled up. Whatever it was, it was clearly the source of the warmth and the softness I'd experienced earlier, and I couldn't help but shift a tiny little bit closer as I opened my eyes.
To my utter disbelief, my vision was filled by Kyouko's forehead as I opened my eyes. Looking more like a sweet, defenceless little creature than I ever thought possible, the fiery redhead was harmlessly slumbering, one arm draped lazily over my chest and both legs locked tightly around one of mine. Her soft little chest was pressed up against my shoulder, and her head was nestled into my collar. I'd forgotten she'd fallen asleep next to me! My heart ached at the sight, and I felt compelled to stroke her untidy fringe. She groaned softly and shifted as I touched her, but to my fortune, she didn't stir.
I could stay like this for a while, I thought. Grades suddenly didn't feel quite so important, with Kyouko lying against me, her slow and gentle breathing filling my ears.
"S-Saya…" The fiery Magical girl burbled softly, and I felt my heart leap. Why would she be saying my name in her sleep? I could feel a familiar hotness spreading across my face as she cuddled right into me, a contented little smile on her face. So, of course, being stupid, I just had to cuddle her back. Kyouko was heavy in my arms, but didn't seem to object to me pulling her a little closer, resting my cheek on the top of her head. This was the life…
Suddenly, Kyouko grunted, stretching out a little like a cat. She pressed her belly against my side, and I soon came face-to-face with the slumbering pest, her eyes closed and her nose brushing against mine. My cheeks now felt as if they were on fire, and I could even feel the tips of my ears heating up too. I wanted to get closer to her, but this was a little too much! How could I resist myself when she was right here, like this?
I let out a shaky breath I didn't know I was holding, feeling light-headed and clumsy. Kyouko wrinkled her nose as she felt my breath against her face, and to my horror, I saw her eyelids flutter as she started to stir.
As quickly as I could, I snapped my eyes shut, relaxing as much as my thrumming heart would allow. Provided I got away with it, it would probably be best if I pretended to still be asleep.
I listened with all my might as I heard Kyouko stir, felt her shift in my arms as she returned to consciousness.
"Huh…" Kyouko grunted softly, and I could almost see her with my mind's eye, those warm, red eyes of hers slowly opening to find my face. "Wha… Whoa!" She cried with alarm, flailing wildly and kicking out. I didn't need to pretend to wake up, here. I was all too aware that my bed wasn't very wide.
"Ky-Kyou!" I started, reaching out as she slipped off the bed backwards, her expression of alarm turning into one of terror as the world disappeared out from under her, and she dragged half the blankets down with her. There was a crash, followed by a curious silence. Trying to hold in my laughter, I peeked over the edge of the bed.
Kyouko was sprawled out on the floor like some kind of helpless kitten, rubbing her head slowly.
"Uhh… Morning, Sayaka…" She mumbled, dazed.
"H-hey there, Kyouko." I replied, snorting a little. It was easy to laugh, when life was this good.
"Hey… Uhh, sorry about that." Kyouko said, sitting up and itching her head, her immaculate hair shimmering in the half-light of morning.
"Sorry? What for?" I asked, cocking my head to one side.
"I-I didn't mean to be… You know, all over you like that." She replied, looking away. It was almost as if… Was she blushing?
"Oh, I don't mind. I asked you to come up, remember?" I said softly, slipping off my bed and kneeling beside her. "Besides, you kept me nice and warm."
"Guess I did, huh…" She mumbled, leaning against me for a moment. "A-anyway, it's Friday, so I guess I'd better turn out for the weekend, right?" She continued, suddenly changing the subject and scrambling away.
"What? Why?" I asked, blinking with surprise as she started rolling up her sleeping bag.
"Your Mum's back this weekend, isn't she?" Kyouko asked, looking over at me.
"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed, my eyes going wide. "I'd forgotten!"
"Sounds about right." The wild redhead replied smugly, bundling her sleeping back into a backpack that sat in the corner of my room so often I'd started to think it was my own. "But I should probably get all my stuff and bug out before we go to school, so I don't drop you in it or anything."
"Uhh, thanks…" I said, pushing myself to my feet. "Which reminds me, I left one of the grief seeds Mami and I collected last night in my uniform. Some of it was for you."
"Really? Hey, thanks, Sayaka!" Kyouko replied, beaming. She whipped out her gem, holding it out on her open palm. "This one could do with being a touch brighter…"
"Bah, it's fine." I mocked lightly, heading for the bedroom door. "Though it's nice to finally be the one with the brighter gem…"
"Well, maybe if you weren't such a misery-guts…" She huffed, snapping her hand closed in a flash, the ring forming on her finger in an instant.
"Am not!" I shot back, tuning to face her as I pulled the door open. Her ring sparked warmly in the peaceful morning light. A dim flicker of memory sputtered into my mind – wasn't there supposed to be something I was going to ask Kyouko about? Something about Magical girls… Her gem? No…
"Hey, c'mon. I'm famished over here." The explosive redhead urged, suddenly past me and halfway down the stairs.
"Huh? Yeah, whatever." I said, trying to pass my lapse in concentration off as best I could. I didn't sound particularly genuine. What was it? I'm sure it was something Mami said, but after that wake-up, my mind was still a little jumbled. It was something… No, it wasn't Magical girls, it was magic… Wish magic!
"H-hey, Kyouko!" I blurted, so surprised that I finally got some rational thought out that I spoke up before I could stop myself.
"Huh? What is it?" Kyouko grunted in response, looking back at me. She was at the bottom of the stairs, now.
"O-oh, I was…" I stuttered, looking desperately for the least offensive phrasing. "I-I just remembered something, when I was talking to Mami last night."
"Go on…" Kyouko replied suspiciously, her eyes narrowing a little. That wasn't really the sort of response I was aiming for, but I kept going. Damnit Kyouko, I want you to let me in!
"I-it was, well… She was telling me… You lost your wish magic?"
Kyouko made a face like she'd just been punched. "Let's not talk about that." She growled, making to turn away.
"N-no – Hey, wait!" I pleaded, and she paused. "L-look, I… I know it's a subject you don't like talking about, but… We fight alongside each other, a lot. You know me inside out, and… I didn't even know you had wish magic, Kyou… I feel like I don't know you at all."
If she looked like she'd been punched by what I said before, then that last sentence looked like I'd stabbed her.
"S-Saya…" She breathed, turning back to me. "I-I… Sayaka, I don't wanna talk about that, but… Look, can we talk over breakfast? I'm not saying anything on an empty stomach."
"Sure, Kyouko." I replied, my expression of worry turning into a small smile. "Sorry about this…"
"It's…. It's alright, I guess. You're right that I don't share much, of course…" She replied softly, stretching. I just nodded dumbly in response, hurrying down the stairs to catch up with her, and we walked to the kitchen together.
Kyouko is a bit of an enigma, as I'm sure I've noted a hundred times already. Sure, she can make a new friend as fast as I can say 'hello', but she's just so slow to trust. She's a real sweetheart, and you can trust her with your life in a heartbeat. But as easy as it is to open up to her, she refuses to open up at all in return.
That said, she did share her wish story with me, and the tragedy that followed it, something that only Mami and I know the first thing about. Partly because Mami was actually there. But then, with almost anything else, she's just a closed book. She'll disappear sometimes for a full day without a word about it, and won't ever give you a straight answer as to where she's been. Not to mention the fact that I still don't know where she gets the money to buy anything. She tells me she has a job, but I've never seen her working.
Regardless, we made our way into the kitchen together. Kyouko made to walk over to the counter, but I eased her to the table instead. I made her breakfast a lot of the time anyway, and if she was actually going to be open with me, I might as well make her breakfast.
"I, uhh… Thanks, Saya…" She mumbled, sliding onto a chair.
"S'okay." I replied, opening a cupboard. "I'm gonna get myself some cereal, what do you fancy?"
"Oh, I'll have the same, thanks." She returned gratefully. In response, I fetched the biggest bowl I could find.
"And some toast?" I asked, glancing back at her.
"Really?" She returned, her eyes sparkling for a moment.
"Kyouko, I cooked you three omelettes, yesterday. Two slices?"
"Please." She answered with a nod. "That was really kind of you, by the way. I need to pay you back for all this."
"Ah, the company is enough, really." I replied, even if I wasn't entirely truthful when I said it. She gives me money in apology occasionally, but it's hardly enough to outweigh the mountains of food she gets through.
"Pfft." Kyouko snorted, slapping the table lightly. "Yeah, yeah. You sound like Mami, you know."
I sniggered in response. "Oh, you've got me. Turns out I hate having you in my house."
"Oh, woe is me!" She lamented mockingly as I poured out the cereal. Seriously, the sheer volume of food she eats is staggering. Her bowl had almost twice as much in it as mine. "Whatever shall I do?"
"Go back to eating crisps and chocolate bars in that pit you called home?" I asked sarcastically, heading over to the fridge for milk. I put the toaster on too as I passed it. Kyouko would eat me out of house and home if I was paying for all of this.
"It wasn't a bad life." She replied in a mock huff, leaning back in her chair. "I love crisps and chocolate."
"Wanna go back?" I asked, topping our bowls off with milk.
"Hmm… Nah. It's way easier to be looked after…" The childish redhead returned, smiling.
"Like a little kid?" I asked with one brow raised, smiling over at her.
"Pssh. Call it what you like, you're still doing my dirty work for me…"She said with a smile as I set her enormous bowl down in front of her. "Ah! Thanks!"
"You're avoiding the topic, though…" I replied before basic social skills could stop me. I sat down opposite her feeling uncomfortable as the cheerful atmosphere we built up crumbled. I kind of wish I hadn't said that, but she did agree to tell me, and she clearly wouldn't without prompting.
"Yeah, yeah… I know." Kyouko replied, her smile vanishing. "I just don't like talking about it…"
"I-I know you don't…" I replied gently, trying to sound reassuring. I think it just came off as awkward.
"But… You wanna get to know me, right?" She asked, and I nodded. She nodded as well, and shovelled a couple mouthfuls of cereal in.
"Alright, then." She said at last. "But this is just between you and me. It's embarrassing, and… I don't like people taking pity on me…"
"I promise, Kyouko." I replied, trying to look tactful. "It's okay to have weaknesses, though. I've got enough myself."
"Yeah, it's fine for you." Kyouko grumbled. "But I don't do mistakes. You know that. I do my best, and then I move on. But I can't move on from this, Sayaka. It's impossible."
"It's okay, I won't tell a soul, Kyouko." I soothed to the best of my ability. "I won't let Nagisa know you're not as cool as the rest of us." I smiled a little as I spoke – Kyouko appreciated the injection of a little humour most of the time.
Yeah, thanks." She replied with a small chuckle, her bowl nearly half-empty already. I didn't even notice her eating. "Alright, well… It started off… Well, you know when. After I spoke to my dad about everything, I briefly thought things were gonna be okay. I was a pretty good kid, back then, believe it or not. But I did some bad stuff in the past, and I'd made him angry before. So I reckoned, in a couple days, he'd forgive me, and things would go back to normal. Like they always did." She paused here for a moment, staring down at her bowl.
I don't know why, but I think my mind sometimes assumes I'm some kind of heroine from an action movie or something. Because my first thought when I saw her like that was to leap over the table, sweep her off her feet and comfort her like we were living in a romance novel. Perhaps even finish it off with some kind of passionate kiss with waves crashing behind us or something.
Of course, I didn't. Instead, I sat still like a fruit while my mind conjured such uncomfortable images. Aside from the obvious matter of alarming my energetic crush, I couldn't have done it anyway because with her compact muscles, there's no way I could even attempt to sweep her off her feet in my 'human' form without my back giving out. Despite being slim and agile, Kyouko was pretty hefty.
I sighed softly, forcing myself to concentrate on what she was saying, rather than what she looked like.
"But they didn't." She stated, not looking up from the bowl. "And he… You know. With the rest of them."
I nodded, looking as sympathetic as I could. I am sympathetic, of course, but it's really hard to get across how you feel without actually talking.
"I guess I first felt something was wrong the next time I transformed. I'd been really sad anyway, but… I knew something was missing. And every time I tried to use my powers, I… I could get a little way, but then it felt like I was hitting some kind of wall. I just… Couldn't anymore. I couldn't make people see things, I couldn't vanish, or duplicate, or anything like that anymore. I was… stuck. And weak. I hated it, you know? But I couldn't tell Mami. She found out herself anyway. Kyubey told me it's not something that happens often, but when a Magical girl rejects her wish, whether they mean to or not, well… they lose it."
Can you not… Get it back?" I asked hopefully. I'd like to be able to help her, at least. Perhaps, if I could help her get her magic back, she might-
"Nah." She said simply, shaking her head. "S'gone for good, now. Kyubey said."
"Oh…" I replied despondently, both for her sake and (selfishly) my own.
"Look, see? You're pitying me again. Stop it." Kyouko stated loudly, jabbing at me with her spoon.
"Sorry!" I replied, putting my hands up in surrender. "I'm just being honest! What would you like me to say, 'good'?"
"Well, no!" She returned angrily. "You don't have to say anything at all, you know…"
"I'm hardly gonna sit here like a vegetable, am I?" I shot back, returning to my breakfast. I was aware that time was still passing, and we'd have to leave soon.
"I'm just saying." She grumbled sullenly, looking down.
"Kyouko, look…" I said, after a moment's silence, giving me time to soften my tone a little. "I'm only talking for the same reason that I bothered to ask you in the first place. Because I really care about you! We're probably gonna spend the rest of our lives together, and I want to get to know you as well as I can."
Kyouko chuckled softly, her expression totally changed already. "Heh. Sounds like we're married or something." She replied, returning to her near-empty bowl. I don't even know why I bother trying to be emotional with her sometimes.
"Is that really such a bad thing?" I asked, my mouth working before my mind could stop it for what must have been the millionth time. I really need to work on my self-control.
In response, Kyouko started, snorting loudly. As an appealing aside, milk burst out of her nose and splashed on the table. "Wh-what?" She stammered, wiping her face with her sleeve.
"I'm just messing with you!" I laughed, unable to hide my mirth at Kyouko's bizarre reaction. At that moment, the toast popped up and I got to my feet, chuckling as I crossed the room to the toaster.
"Yeah, whatever…" Kyouko muttered, annoyed to be the butt of the joke. "My nose feels weird, now."
"Well, I didn't ask you to be blowing your milky snot all over my table. You'd better clean that up, by the way." I added, looking back at her. She blew her nose with some kitchen paper, uncrumpling it to inspect the contents. "And don't do that! It's disgusting!" I continued, pointing at the tissue.
"I was just making sure I'd got it all out." The fiery-haired maiden returned sulkily, using some more paper to wipe down the table as I spread an extraordinarily generous helping of jam onto her toast.
"See? Not a shred of femininity to you, is there?" I continued, heading back to the table. I noted that my bowl was still at least half full, while hers was now more or less empty.
"I'm plenty feminine!" She huffed, as I set the plate down in front of her. "And thanks."
"Are not! Give me one piece of evidence."
"Well, I'm… I've… Ha! I've got long hair! Unlike some. Not to mention, it's freshly washed."
"That's hardly enough. And besides, I've said before that my hair doesn't work when it's long. Gets all thin and stringy. And doesn't yours get in the way?"
"Nah, s'fine. And it's better than cutting it every few days. Cheaper, too. And besides! You said you liked my hair!" She finished defensively, finishing off the first slice as she spoke.
"Ah, well… I do, but that's not the point. Having long hair doesn't make you feminine, it just makes you noticeable. My hair's blue. I'm noticeable enough as it is."
"Yeah, there aren't that many of you lot about, are there…" She said thoughtfully as she munched on the second slice. I, meanwhile, finally finished off my comparatively meagre breakfast. Then she blinked, followed immediately with a frown, as if she'd just remembered something. "Hey, hold on, that reminds me. Mami's not the only one that said stuff last night…" She said thoughtfully.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, already realising she was going to bring up something I'd said.
"Well, you said… You said I was gorgeous…" She mumbled quietly, blushing.
"A-ah, well, I…" I stammered, rather taken aback. I'd forgotten that had slipped out! "W-well, I was still traumatised! I thought you'd died!"
"Y-yeah, but… Does that mean you didn't mean it?" She asked, looking up at me. Sometimes, you can see someone's expression entirely through the look in their eyes. Usually, Kyouko's not that simple. She's got a huge amount of presence, especially so given that she's smaller than me, and pretty slender-looking. Her eyes usually burn with this sort of passionate flame regardless of her actual emotion, and you get used to her gaze. This time, though, I got a unique look into Kyouko's heart. She looked hopeful, but resigned. What on earth was going on with her?
"Well, I- I mean, 'gorgeous isn't a word I normally- Uhh… Well, you're really pretty, Kyouko…" I finally managed to push out, after no small amount of stammering. "So I guess I kind of meant it…"
"You did?" Kyouko asked, looking bewildered.
"Yeah, sure." I replied starting to feel slightly more comfortable. Were we having a genuine conversation about how good Kyouko looked? "You've got really nice skin, and your hair looks nice, when it's finally been washed. Your legs are really long, too. I'm quite jealous."
Kyouko paused for a moment, looking at me with an expression I didn't recognise for a good few seconds before she finally spoke.
"Yeah, I guess I am pretty great, huh." She said at last, returning to her food.
"I suppose if nobody tells you, you've gotta tell yourself, huh?" I asked with a smirk, sitting down again.
"When do you tell yourself, then?" Kyouko asked nonchalantly, digging into a slice of bread.
"Hey! I don't need telling!" I shot back, as she smirked. "I know I'm gorgeous."
"yeah, yeah…" She dismissed, licking jam off her fingers.
"Wh-what, would you say I'm not?" I asked, scowling at her.
"Me? I'm not saying anything." Kyouko replied quickly, getting to her feet. "Now, are we gonna get ready for school, or what?"
"Fine, fine… Don't want to be late for your second day, huh?" I asked, picking up my bowl.
"Well, what's wrong with that? Shows I care, unlike the girl that sleeps through her classes."
"Not that you'd know anything about that. You weren't even there, 'till yesterday!"
"I hear enough from Madoka." Kyouko replied simply, taking her bowl over to the sink.
"Well, you're not allowed to say anything about my school ethic, because you've got a year-and-a-half gap in your attendance record." I returned, following her.
"You can't blame me for that…" Kyouko grumbled, dumping her crockery down on the draining board. "Not everyone can forge papers as well as Mami can."
"Whatever." I dismissed in truly Kyouko fashion, placing my bowl next to hers. "Now, you want that grief seed?"
"Oh, yeah! That'd be nice." The redhead replied, turning back to face me. "I'll wash up, 'kay?"
"Really?" I asked, almost incredulous. "You'd do that?"
"Hey, what's that s'posed to mean?" She scowled at me. "I'm gonna do stuff for you, you just fed me."
"That'd make a change." I chuckled, happy to be the one goading her for once.
"I repay hospitality, thank you very much!" Kyouko shot back, huffing angrily. "And just you watch!"
In that way, I managed to trick her into actually helping me out for once as we did the dishes and did a general quick tidy-up of the flat so that I wouldn't get told off when my mother got home. We also taunted each other in that way we so often did as we worked, bouncing the odd insult and prod off each other with good-natured smiles and razor-sharp wit (In my case, at least). I even remembered to lend Kyouko the Grief Seed to clean up her soul with, which was impressive on my part. It must have been from the 'seven', because not only was it slightly spinier and more ornate than most, but it managed to take Kyouko's small amount of corruption without any indication of being full. And given that it had been used to save both of our lives the night before, its grief intake was pretty astonishing. Homura would probably like a look at it later.
After that, we had to get ready in a bit of a hurry. Kyouko hadn't bothered to unpack her schoolbag yesterday, so that was easy enough, but she struggled a bit with her bow and I had to help her out. How she didn't notice my blush, I'll never know. Anyway, seeing as how I'm up to date with my classwork at the moment, I didn't have any outstanding homework either so I didn't need to do much preparing either. So, only five minutes later than usual, we hurried out of my flat and off to school.
I think I can get used to this, I decided, stealing what must have been the fiftieth glance in Kyouko's direction that morning. This whole schooling business had gotten pretty tiresome, especially given that four or five nights a week we were out until the small hours saving lives, but with Kyouko about, things looked a lot brighter. It's not like it made me want to sing and dance or anything, but I couldn't help but smile as I felt her running alongside me.
"What are you smiling at?" Kyouko suddenly asked, as we slowed to a jog, and finally a hasty walk. With our powers, it was pretty easy to make up for lost time without getting too out of breath. It wasn't a particularly efficient use of our valuable powers, but it didn't exactly cost us much to do it.
"Oh, so I'm not allowed to smile now?" I replied, frowning. We were now heading cheerfully down the cobble pathway to school, the bright sun and bubbling streams making for a pretty relaxed atmosphere. Or at least, it would have done, had Kyouko not been about.
We chatted a little, but frankly Kyouko seemed unusually preoccupied as we walked. Normally, Kyouko wasn't the sort to be daydreaming, but she was certainly doing just that this morning. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she chewed absent-mindedly on stick after stick of pocky, her brow furrowed ever so slightly in thought. She hadn't replied to the last three things I'd said.
Now, I won't call myself some kind of master of patience, because I'm really not. I'm hasty and impulsive at the best of times, and I'm a real idiot because of it. And adorable as she was with that cute little expression, it's not fun to be ignored, especially by Kyouko.
"Hey, earth to Kyouko!" I scolded, poking her cheek. "You're spacing out."
"H-huh? Wha?" Kyouko stammered in response, suddenly blushing.
"You were ignoring me." I stated, leaning in a little closer.
"Ah, sorry…" She replied, scratching the back of her head. "I had something on my mind."
"Really? Everything okay?" I asked, trying to sound mature.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it, okay?" She said in return, trying to pass it off like it was nothing. Or, maybe it was nothing.
"Yeah, whatever…" I replied sceptically. I looked around as we walked, enjoying the morning sun on my skin. The average person just didn't take enough time to enjoy the stupid little things that make your day brighter without you even knowing it.
"Hey wait, is that-" Kyouko began quietly, before suddenly stopping herself. Brought back to my senses, I blinked, looking ahead.
"What's what, Kyou?" I asked, frowning. But before she could even answer, I saw.
A girl, walking alone. In her Mitakihara uniform, she was very familiar. Taller even than me and with cascading green hair, she was instantly recognisable as Hitomi, my (ex) love rival and one of my oldest friends.
I picked up the pace to catch up with her, smiling a little.
"Wait, you're going to see her?" Kyouko asked quietly, tugging at my arm.
"Well, yeah! She's my friend, and I haven't seen her in ages." I replied, frowning.
Kyouko pouted in response, but I ignored her, cute as it was. Instead, I jogged a little, raising my arm.
"Hey, Hitomi!" I called out to my slightly taller friend, waving energetically.
"Hmm?" The softly-spoken girl replied, turning around. Her expression of polite confusion quickly spread into a warm smile as she saw me saunter over to her, still waving.
"Hey, Hitomi." I repeated as I drew level with her, slowing to a walk.
"Sayaka! My, it's been a while since I've had the pleasure of walking to school with you… I was starting to think you'd forgotten me!"
"Ah, sorry!" I replied, scratching my head. She'd spoken in good humour of course, but it still made me feel pretty bad that I hadn't much spoken to her lately. "Things have been really hectic these last couple months."
"Oh, I'm sure. All these new friends of yours… Speaking of which, are you alone today? Don't you normally have-"
"I'm right here, you know." Kyouko said flatly, directly behind us. Hitomi damn near leapt out of her skin, and I was hard pushed not to join her.
"M-my! K-Kyouko!" Hitomi cried, putting one hand to her heart. "I didn't see you there!"
"Oh, I'm easily missed." Kyouko replied, without much humour. She was hardly indistinct.
"I-I am sorry, Kyouko. I can't have been looking hard…"
"S'okay." The graceful redhead dismissed, pulling up beside me and as far from Hitomi as possible. Kyouko had a special kind of dislike for the 'traitor'.
"You could try being more friendly, Kyouko." I scolded, frowning good-naturedly at her. Or, as good-naturedly as I could. Then I returned my attention to Hitomi. "Sorry about her, by the way. She's not really house-trained yet, and we're still trying to teach her not to bite strangers." As emphasis to my point, I gave Kyouko a firm but playful punch to the shoulder.
"Really, it's alright…" Hitomi replied with a smile. "I suppose we really don't know each other all that well. It's nice to see you, Kyouko." Yeah, that's Hitomi alright. Always to the point and ever the diplomat.
"S'nice to see you too." Kyouko said with a little more enthusiasm, but she still didn't sound overjoyed. A few uncomfortable moments passed, before Hitomi spoke again, this time to me.
"So, Sayaka… Where's Madoka? Doesn't she normally get here around this time?"
"Ah, yeah, but she's not in town today. Visiting her Grandparents, 'cos her grandma had a fall a couple days back and they realised they hadn't visited in a while."
"Oh my, is she alright?" Hitomi asked. It wasn't exactly a secret that Madoka's Grandmother was a pretty frail old woman.
"Oh yeah, she's fine." I replied, as Kyouko looked about her indifferently. She'd already heard all this. "Just a bit shaken up, is all."
"Understandable, I suppose…" Hitomi replied, ushering in another extended silence. We walked side by side, but not feeling particularly close-knit as we headed for school, looking all for the world like three individuals that had accidentally stood too close to each other and were too polite to pull away. At a loss for conversation, I waited in discomfort, desperately hoping that someone else had something worth saying.
"So, Hitomi…" Kyouko began uncertainly. "What sort of things do you like doing outside of school?" Pretty surprising that she'd bother with conversation. I don't know why, but she must have been making an effort.
"Outside? Well, I… Mostly, I'm in a lot of clubs. Calligraphy, traditional dance, that sort of thing. It takes up most of my time during the week."
"Uhh… Sounds exciting?" Was Kyouko's reply. She wasn't very civilised.
"O-oh, well, it's mother's idea primarily, but I enjoy it enough…" Said Hitomi, who was probably feeling a little victimised by Kyouko's attitude. "What about you?"
"Me? Uhh… Well, I hang out at Sayaka's place mostly. We don't normally do all that much, occasionally listen to her crappy music, maybe go out to the arcade, stuff like that. I don't really have any hobbies."
Well, at least she was being honest. At this rate, they might even make friends.
"Are… You not a fan of classical, then?" Hitomi asked. She knew my preferences as well as anyone.
"Oh, it's all so slow and depressing!" Kyouko replied with a grimace. "There's never any substance!"
"Well, what kinds of music do you like, then?" Hitomi asked, cocking her head to one side.
Kyouko shrugged dismissively in return. "Dunno." She said defensively.
"Umm… I see…" Hitomi replied awkwardly, a little put off by Kyouko's lack of input. I suspect that Kyouko just didn't want us to ridicule her own taste in music. "So… How is it that you two know each other? You only enrolled here yesterday, but I've seen you together almost since you met… Mami, was it?"
"Mhm." Kyouko confirmed with a nod. "I'm an old friend of Mami's, so when they started meeting up, I kind of tagged along."
Surprisingly truthful from Kyouko, there. Twisting words with almost the skill of an Incubator. Of course, she omitted the fact that her and Mami weren't friends at the time, and that we'd almost fought to the death twice.
"Oh, I see, so… How was it that you and Madoka came to meet Mami, then?" Hitomi asked, and I realised that Kyouko hadn't kindly lied away the question, she'd just handed me the baton to avoid saying anything that might come back to bite her later.
"W-well, I'm not too sure…" I lied weakly, trying to sound convincing. "I just, uhh… Well, she met Madoka first, and that's kind of how I met her… I'm not really sure how they knew each other." I forced out the lie with a smile, happily passing the baton on to Madoka. It was okay, she wasn't even here.
"That does sound like Madoka…" Hitomi replied with a smile, taken in by my white lie. I just hoped we wouldn't mess up in the future. I'd rather not have to explain why we all go out late at night to do… Something. "Always making the most unlikely of friends. Homura seems to have taken to her quite well, don't you think?"
"More's the pity." I replied. "She's a misery, that one…"
"She does seem a bit morose…" Hitomi replied softly, and I nodded in agreement. And then, we were plunged back into silence. Conversation didn't flow so easily with Hitomi around than it used to. And it's really not her fault, this time. Sure, the whole Kyousuke thing (Which I have forgiven her for, even if Kyouko hasn't) made things pretty tense between us for a while, but it's mostly the fact that we all changed, and she remained the same. Despite her own run-in with a Witch (Which she's entirely forgotten, now) she's still the same, happy, innocent middle-schooler that Madoka and I were a few months back. And we're… Really not. We've seen horrible, terrible things, and it's changed us. For better or for worse is hard to say (I'd like to think better), but the fact of the matter is that we aren't the same anymore, and Hitomi still expects us to be the same. Not to mention that she's still human, and we're Magical girls now, which sort of makes her seem a bit… shallow, and frail by comparison. I know I've said it before, but the knowledge that Hitomi is just so easy to damage compared to us is really quite off-putting. I mean, if we were to cross the road at the wrong time, and the three of us were to be sideswiped by a truck, Kyouko and I would probably make it out okay, so long as our gems weren't damaged. Hitomi would just… die.
I shivered, dispelling such dark thoughts. I wish I wasn't so morbid, when given time to think to myself. I heard something rustling from Kyouko's direction, and I looked her way, to see her produce a packet of crisps from her schoolbag. My crisps again, obviously. She tore open the packet and held them out across me, to Hitomi.
"Want one?" She asked, giving the packet a little shake.
"Oh, thank you." Hitomi said kindly, taking one. Then, Kyouko moved on to me, rattling the bag under my nose.
"Go on… Don't be the one person not eating…" She said, trying to tempt me.
"Ah, I'd rather not…" I replied. "Crisps are really bad for you, and we ate loads at Mami's last night."
"Aww, c'mon, Sayaka. You've lost enough weight as it is, and you're starting to waste away, over here." Kyouko whined, prodding my side.
*Shut up!* I hissed telepathically. I didn't want to look like I was dieting in front of Hitomi!
"You're trying to lose weight, Sayaka?" Hitomi asked, causing me to wince. "You really don't look like you need to, you know."
"Uhh, thanks…" I said awkwardly, as Kyouko still shook the packet in front of me, apparently opting to ignore my extrasensory scolding.
"And you do realise that girls tend to lose weight at the bust first, right?" She continued, and I paused, letting her words filter in.
"Gimmie those bloody crisps." I growled, grabbing the packet and taking a handful. Kyouko seemed to find this hilarious, and even Hitomi laughed politely at my expense.
"I don't see why you're laughing, Kyouko!" I said defensively, feeling my face start to heat up. "You're a year older than me, and look at you!"
"Oh, just because I don't look like Mami now that I'm fifteen, must mean I'm gonna look like a child forever?" Kyouko retorted with surprising force. "I'm just a late bloomer."
"Yeah, sure…" I said sarcastically, popping a crisp into my mouth. As much as she hated to admit it, Kyouko would probably never be all that curvy. Tall, sure. She'd probably end up taller than me when we got older, but she'd never have my figure. No, she'd be slight. Lithe, maybe, athletic and strong, graceful and slender and- Never mind. I'm just being weird, now. I opted to change the subject instead, to keep my mind off Kyouko.
"So, uhh… How's Kyousuke doing?" I asked, trying to sound casual. I saw Kyouko glance my way out of the corner of my eye, but I don't know what sort of expression she had across her face.
"Oh, he's well, at the moment…" Hitomi replied, immediately taken with that dreamy smile that had enraged me just a few short months ago. "His violin playing has come along leaps and bounds over the last few months, and we really think he has the standing to perform all over the world someday."
"Hey, that's great!" I replied with genuine enthusiasm. "I'm really glad he got back into it so quickly."
"So's he." Hitomi replied with a smile, while Kyouko snorted irritably to my right. I couldn't tell if she was irritated because we were talking about Kyousuke, or because we weren't talking about her. "Though he says it's a shame he really doesn't see you at all anymore. You hardly even speak to him these days."
"Ah, well! Sorry about that, I'm just really busy lately, like I said…"
"You did… Still, it'd be nice to see you again more often… Say, Kyouko, have you and Kyousuke ever met?"
"Nah, never." The redhead returned, noticeably more subdued than usual. "Sayaka's told me all about him, though." Her tone lacked the usual friendliness that implied good things had been said.
"A-ah, that…" Hitomi replied softly. Obviously, she had noticed the link between when Kyouko and I met and what had happened between Kyousuke, Hitomi and I. "Well, I was… Really, I didn't want things that way, and it's…" She trailed off, looking extremely uncomfortable. Kyouko probably thought of that as a good thing, but for the first time in a while I kind of felt like defending Kyouko's victim.
"Hey, don't sweat it." Kyouko replied, to my surprise. "Look, Sayaka's my best friend, and I won't say things were fine at the time, but… Look, if she's cool with it all, then so am I."
"I-I… Thank you, Kyouko…" Hitomi replied, as bewildered by my crush's mysterious windows of wisdom and maturity as the rest of us.
"S'alright." The redhead replied with a graceful (in my mind) flick of her waist-length ponytail. A pretty awkward silence followed, while I felt increasingly uncomfortable with Kyouko having spoken on my behalf when I was actually closer to Hitomi than she was.
"Really, I am cool with it, Hitomi." I said quietly, even though it had been said half a dozen times before. I guess I still feel the need to reassure her, given how badly I got because of it. I've never actually asked her how much she knows about what happened, to be honest. I mean, she doesn't know anything about the train station of course, because that's between Kyouko and myself. The other Magical girls only know enough to understand just how close I was. But she can't have missed that I suspiciously took about a week off school just after she confessed to Kyousuke, and even after that, I wasn't exactly myself for a while. Even Kyousuke asked if I was alright, so I must have looked like death! He probably doesn't even know what happened between the three of us back there.
"I-I know, Sayaka…" Hitomi replied in a pained tone. "And I'm glad I did it. I-in the end, it worked out for the best, but it scared me a lot how badly you took it at the time…"
"Really, it wasn't just that." I said truthfully. "I had a lot of other stuff going on at the time, and it kind of felt like I was falling apart." Again, entirely truthful, even if I wasn't about to admit what was 'going on at the time'. "And besides! I had Kyouko on hand to get me through it, and she made everything okay!" To emphasise my point, I turned to my right and gave Kyouko a surprise hug. She squawked loudly in shock and protest, but didn't shake me off like I suspected. Instead, she gave me a brief, bone-crushing hug in return, almost taking me off my feet as we walked.
"Ky-Kyou?" I asked breathlessly, patting her shoulder as I nearly lost my footing altogether.
"Alright, alright…" She replied with a smile, letting me go. I saw her giving Hitomi an incredibly pointed stare as I regained my balance. Out of curiosity, I looked at her out the corner of my eye, trying to look indifferent and unaware. I doubt I did well, but she wasn't really focussing on me.
As I secretly watched her, I swear I saw her mouth a silent message to my childhood friend – one that looked suspiciously like 'I forgive you, but if you ever hurt her again…'
I turned my attention to Hitomi, who had become suspiciously pale.
"A-anyway, is that Homura, there?" She said quickly, glancing behind us. "I-I'll leave you three to it." And with that she hurried ahead, likely to go meet Kyousuke and talk to him or whatever. I wasn't really that interested. As she made her exit, I took my chance to give Kyouko a good thump to the shoulder.
"Ow! Hey! What was that for?" she demanded, rubbing her shoulder and scowling at me.
"Are you threatening my friends, now?" I shot back, glaring at her.
"No! Well, yes. It was just a warning!" Kyouko returned defensively. Clearly she hadn't planned to get seen.
"What for? You're supposed to be making friends, Damnit!" I shouted as loudly as I could without being socially impolite, making to punch her again.
"Oh, well I'm very sorry that I care about you, and what she did to you back then." Kyouko returned angrily, as if it was Hitomi's fault and not hers.
"She didn't do anything!" I replied with as much exasperation as I could get across, lowering my fist. Of course, at the time, I had believed very differently. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm over all that, and I'm over him!"
"Are you over him though, or have you just not seen him in a while?" the angry redhead shot back, suddenly glaring. Not at me as such, but just… Generally.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" I demanded, caught slightly off-guard by her comment.
"How would you know? Have you ever been in love with anyone else?"
"Wh-wha… I… Y-yes!" I spluttered, feeling a certain heat spread across my cheeks. "I have!"
Kyouko just snorted, flicking her hair again. "Whatever."
"What, you don't believe me?" I demanded, beginning to realise that if things got any worse, I'd be making a scene.
"Hmm, well… Not really." Kyouko replied with a shrug.
"What?" I blurted, exasperated. It's you I'm talking about, you great stupid red-haired, flat-chested, gluttonous, block-headed, dim-witted beautiful half-wit!
It was somewhere around that time, at the peak of my hostility toward Kyouko, that I saw a certain black-haired shadow silently approaching us. Not that she was sneaking up on us or anything, she was just alternately 'invisible' and 'unnecessarily melodramatic' in her appearances, and apparently Madoka's absence had rather taken the wind out of her sails. At any rate, it looked like Hitomi hadn't just been lying to get away from Kyouko.
"Kyouko, Sayaka." Homura greeted us as if stating a fact, drawing level with us.
"Hey, Homura. Kyouko replied with a small wave.
"H-hey." I joined in, struggling to change pace and attitude quickly enough. She didn't look any different from usual, but that was hardly unexpected. I hoped I looked a little more calm as I greeted her, though if I didn't, Homura didn't tell me I looked flustered.
*This isn't over.* I sent Kyouko privately.
"How was last night?" Homura asked, but it sounded more automatic, less curious than someone that actually cared. Or maybe I'm biased against her.
*Look, can you just give it a rest?* Kyouko replied, her voice echoing inside my mind. *Yeah, I threatened her, because you're my best friend and I care. If that makes me the bad guy, fine.*
"Oh, it was-" I began on autopilot, stopping myself when I actually paid attention to the physical conversation, rather than the one in my head. Really, it was quite confusing. "W-well, actually it was pretty bad… I thought Mami would have called you, actually. She knows you don't sleep, right?"
"Mami? What was- What happened?" Homura asked, immediately serious and ignoring my 'sleepless' quip.
"W-well, I don't want to sound like I'm exaggerating…" I began, but I knew Homura would trust my judgement here because it was backed by Mami. "But we think we encountered a seven."
Homura stopped in her tracks. "A seven?" She looked genuinely distraught for a moment. "Really?"
"Mami thought so, too. Said the power levels matched up." Kyouko added, still by my side.
*O-okay, I… I'm sorry for snapping, okay? But she's my friend too, and I kinda want you and her to get on, despite everything. And what's the deal anyway? You seem to be able to let anything go except for that.*
"N-no, but the maths doesn't make sense." Homura insisted, sounding less like the cold, collected statue she normally was and more like some kind of introvert standing in front of the class for the first time. "It goes against everything we know about Witches. Nothing should be that powerful."
"You've been wrong before, Homura. It happens." I noted, looking over at the flustered girl as she caught us up again. "And besides, what about that Wala-whatever you always talk about?"
*It's different when it's you, Sayaka.* Kyouko stated, her mental tone sounding ever so slightly soft. Very unlike her, I noticed. *And I don't like how she came out of this so well, when you only just came out of it at all.*
"Walpurgisnacht." Homura corrected me firmly, her tone edged with just the smallest hint of a bite. "It's a German Witch festival."
"Why do we call it that, then? And isn't she a ten?" I asked, starting to feel like Homura was, intentionally or otherwise, confusing me with facts that didn't add up. Of course, it might have been because I was having two conversations, or possibly just because I'm not very bright.
*Well, that might be true, but it's no reason to hold it against her.* I insisted. *And besides, had things been different, we'd probably not be this close.* I added, feeling my cheeks heat up a little, though not in anger this time. I don't know why I've started saying that kind of thing. I mean, I know what I'm gonna say before I say it, but… Am I trying to subtly confess to Kyouko to gauge her reaction? Yeah, that sounds good.
"She is, yes, but she's unique." Homura replied, her usual personality sliding back into place. "And that's just the name Magical girls have given her, in memory of her manifesting itself on Walpurgisnacht itself, or April the 30th."
"I… Alright, I just don't see the problem with it existing. It almost killed Kyouko, though."
Homura blinked with surprise. "Really?"
"Could you not, Sayaka?" Kyouko grumbled at me, before leaning forward to look over at Homura. "But yeah… Got me good." She said, patting her stomach as we walked.
*That's true…* The redhead sent simply, and apparently that was that.
"That's… Well, we're going to have to go over all of this at our next meeting…" Homura said, but it sounded like some kind of warning.
"You know how much I adore that kind of meeting, right?" I asked sarcastically.
"Only too well…" Homura replied with a sigh, as if I was being unreasonable.
"Ah, good morning, girls!" Mami cried behind us, cutting our conversation short.
"Hey, Mami!" I called back, as we collectively turned to face our senior.
She ran slightly to catch up to us, her gait light and elegant. Majestic was a good word, if possibly a bit strong. I'm not obsessed with her or anything, I just admire her.
"Sayaka, Homura. It's nice to see you two getting on, at last." She said with a gentle smile as she came level with us, nodding to the way we were walking side by side.
"Like a house on fire, us." I replied with a grin, throwing an arm around Homura's narrow shoulders. She didn't seem pleased with my exuberant display of affection however, and I let my arm slide off pretty quickly. Kyouko and Mami (Now standing beside each other) gave a light chuckle in response.
"How are you feeling this morning then, Kyouko?" Mami asked, her tone suddenly slightly serious.
"Jeez, Mami. Why are you so paranoid, anyway?" The fanged Magical girl asked, stretching. "It's not like we haven't had worse over the last few months."
"The situation was rather unique, Kyouko. At least let me care about your well-being."
"Damn, does everyone have to do that, now?" Kyouko asked with an irritated frown. "If something was wrong, I'd say."
"Caring is what friends do, Kyou." I said flatly, punching her shoulder playfully. "You trying to say you don't care about us?"
"That's different!" She retorted, looking my way. "You lot need looking after." And with that, she returned the 'playful' punch, catching me rather off balance.
Thing is, Kyouko's strong. I say it a lot, I know, because it's really quite startling from someone as slight-looking as her. But she is, and I think it startles her a lot too sometimes, because I get the feeling that she tends to use a lot more of what she has than she plans to.
So, ultimately, I won't say I was surprised to find myself sprawled on the floor with a deadened arm, but I was pretty shocked by it as it happened, and I don't reckon Homura saw it coming either, because I fell into her, and it took both of us right off our feet.
I groaned, more with discomfort and irritation than any actual pain, pushing myself up onto my knees and looking about for my bag.
"O-oh shit! I didn't mean-" Kyouko started, suddenly by my side. Finding my bag, I grabbed it and stood up, not looking her way. "Little warning next time, Kyouko?" I grumbled, more embarrassed than actually hurt. Someone might have seen up my skirt!
"I'd appreciate you didn't do that again, Kyouko." Homura growled with all her usual open friendliness. Her bag had opened up and spilled out, and her hair was now something of a mess.
"A-are you okay?" Kyouko asked us, but it was clearly directed mainly at me.
"I'm fine." I muttered, trying to patch the hole in my pride. It's a shame I can only heal physical wounds with ease.
"Oh, you've ripped a hole in my tights, Kyouko." Homura stated almost mournfully, having more or less sorted herself out and hooking a finger despondently through the hole.
"H-heh, sorry…" Kyouko mumbled, trying to laugh it off. "I really don't mean it, I guess I don't know my own strength…"
"Well, you'd better learn it!" I replied indignantly, but I tried not to sound too angry at her. "My skirt could have flown up, falling over like that!"
"W-well, it kind of did, for a moment…" the normally brash and energetic girl mumbled quietly, looking away.
"Wh-what? We're in public!" I cried in reply, though there weren't many people actually near us. "Someone might have seen!"
"Really, Kyouko," Homura continued, as if our conversation didn't exist. "I know these tights aren't that expensive, but it is a pain and I'm going to have to look like this all day now."
"Oh, relax." I replied in Kyouko's stead, as she was still staring off into the distance. "It's not like Madoka's there to see anyway. Who are you trying to impress?"
"I'm aware of that, Sayaka." Homura stated, in the voice of someone who doesn't realise that their friend is just trying to make a joke. "We don't all dress to impress others."
*She's blushing, you know.* That was Mami's voice, echoing through my head. She'd been watching the whole event with that look of quiet, responsible concern she had mastered so well. *Quite badly.*
*Huh?* I responded, as we started off again. I couldn't really handle so many conversations at once.
*Kyouko. I just thought I'd let you know.*
*I, uhh… Thanks.* I replied uncertainly, unsure of how to react to this information. What would she have to be blushing about?
There was a short while in which an awkward silence descended, but it wasn't anything like as bad as it had been with Hitomi. As Magical girls that aren't currently trying to kill each other, there's always that certain level of kinship we all share from having been through pretty awful stuff that normal humans can't comprehend. That base level of companionship exists even between me and Homura, as hard as I find it to actually trust her.
"Seriously though, I'm fine." Kyouko said at last, as if trying to wrap up the previous conversation and put it behind us.
"Alright, alright…" Mami replied with a smile, shifting her bag on her shoulder. "Though, speaking of which… Who should go on tonight?"
"Good point." I replied, more to include myself in the discussion than anything else. Technically, it should have been Nagisa, Homura and myself, but this would be my third night in a row, and that's not how we usually did things. Mami said it was important to have at least one night in three off, in order to keep your life on track and catch up on sleep.
"Hey, I'll do it." Kyouko said, putting her arm up as if she might somehow escape notice.
"I don't know if that's wise, Kyouko…" Mami replied. "It would be your third night."
"Third night?" the wild Magical girl snorted. "I was only on duty for about half an hour."
"It was more about what happened in that half-hour…" Mami replied, frowning.
"Yeah, come on, Kyou." I said, patting her shoulder this time instead of punching it. I'd learned my lesson. "We know you're tough, so quiet down."
"Oh, shut up…" Kyouko grumbled light-heartedly, shaking me off. "I was just offering."
"Really though, I think I should be the one taking Sayaka's place." Mami spoke above us, and we listened. It sounded perfectly reasonable. "But it means that I shan't be able to cover tomorrow night. Sayaka, would you like to go on duty with Homura and Madoka?"
"Like nothing else on earth." I said with a slightly forced smile. But I wasn't about to complain, as it wasn't really fair on the others. "What about you, Transfer student? Looking forward to having me on your team?"
"More than my next breath." She replied, giving me the barest glimmer of a smile.
"Well, it's settled then." I said, with a great deal more enthusiasm than I felt. "Madoka will go with it, I'm sure. It's been a while since I've got to spend any real time with her, since the Transfer student stole her away."
"I have done no such thing." The black-haired introvert replied with just a hint of force.
"At least it's stopped you following her around the whole time…" I continued loftily. I won't lie, I was trying to goad her.
"And all this time, you've spent with Kyouko in your house? Have you started using the same bed, yet?" Homura remarked with surprising wit.
"O-of course not!" I spluttered, objecting much more defensively than I intended, feeling that all-too-familiar traitorous heat threaten to spread across my face.
"A-anyway, we really should hurry, girls. School will be starting, soon." Mami said after a quick check of her watch, breaking the spell of our little argument and driving away the thoughts of what had been said.
That was disturbingly accurate of Homura, though… I remarked internally, as we hurried along, joining the throng of fellow students heading into school. She's not still spying on people, is she?
I noticed that Kyouko hadn't said a word since she offered to be on duty, so she probably would have been listening to everything that was just said. Would she think badly of what I'd said? I didn't want her to regret sleeping in my bed in the slightest, as hard as it was to let her know. I kind of wanted her to do it again in the near future, so making it sound like something I regretted… Bah, I don't know! I just don't want to tell Homura that I'm all gooey over Kyouko. And not just because it's a weakness, and I don't want Homura exploiting that, but… I don't know. I mean, obviously, if I'm too shy to admit it to the girl herself, I'm hardly going to be open about it to everyone else, but that's not quite it… I just feel like I don't want to jinx it again, or something.
I think I've gotta do something about it fairly soon, though. It's fairly common knowledge that negative emotions are really bad for us Magical girls, and I know that better than most. And while unrequited love might be tough to swallow, not knowing is harder still. And I really don't know. It's a new sensation for me, being in love with another girl, but at the very least, you'd think I would know how another girl might act when they're in love with someone. Especially someone like me, who spent so long pining after Kyousuke… But Kyouko's kind of strange. She can be way too personal about some things, and then really distant about things I'd consider to be pretty mundane. And she can be such a hypocrite! I mean, she'll hug me when the mood takes her, and pick me up bodily and swing me round like I'm not the same size as her (well, slightly taller, actually). But if I was to hug her, nine times out of ten she'll get all weird and shake me off. I just want to know where I stand, Damnit!
Not that I haven't said exactly that a thousand times, now. I guess open-ness and transparency would help, but I just can't bring myself to it.
What I need, I decided, the thought coming into my mind with a rush of nervous excitement, is a strategy. A plan of action. That sounded like me. I am kind of an action hero, after all. All six of us are, of course, but I take the attitude to heart better.
But what kind of plan? I asked myself, looking about to make sure I hadn't missed anything interesting or important while I zoned out. Luckily, I hadn't missed much. I'd lagged behind a bit, because I tend to meander when I'm unfocussed, but not by a lot, which was good because we were now all but caught up in the thousand-strong morning march to school. The others weren't really talking about anything in particular, by the look of it. Mostly because, whether they're listening or not, it's hard to talk about Magical girl stuff when surrounded by strangers.
But, try as I might, I couldn't come up with anything satisfactory. Of course, best case scenario would be to just declare my love for her and hope for her to go along with it, but even I'm not stupid enough to run with that. On the other end of the spectrum would just be to sit back and hope for the best as well, but somehow I can't see that working. I mean, Kyouko may be weird, but if she was putting the moves on me already, I'm sure I'd notice.
*Sayaka, are you alright? You're falling behind.* I blinked in surprise, starting – that was Mami's voice! I hoped she sent that to me alone.
*Yeah, I'm fine.* I blew it off privately, looking up to give her a smile. The three of them were a good six feet ahead now, and I had to hurry to catch up with them as we were hemmed in by fellow students. I didn't recognise any of them. *Just thinking.*
*Are you sure it's nothing?* Mami pressed, sounding concerned. *I know it's not my place to pry, but does it have anything to do with… You know?* She asked, inclining her head in Kyouko's direction. The brash redhead was trying to make vague small-talk with a non-committal Homura.
*It… Might.* I sent back, frowning a little.
*Does it have anything to do with what Homura said a couple minutes ago?* She asked kindly, and I cursed my transparency. Why was it so easy to read me?
*I… Yeah, it does.* I grumbled in reply, making sure that my tone was easily detectable in my thoughts.
*Might I ask why? You don't share a bed with her, do you?*
*No!* I lied quickly. *No, we don't… But, you know, I'd kind of like to, sooner or later. And I don't want her to think I don't…*
*Well… Okay.* Mami replied, sounding sceptical. *But remember, you did confide in me, so you can ask me for anything.*
*I know, I know… I just…* I paused for a moment, as we passed through the gate and into the school grounds themselves. *But this whole… 'wait and see' idea of yours just isn't working.*
*Sayaka, it's been a day.* Mami said, her tone firm. *In fact, not even that.*
*Yeah, since I told you!* I replied, realising with sudden clarity how stupid and needy I must sound. *It's been months since I've known!*
*Alright, well… If that's the case, what are you going to do about it?* Mami asked, and she had every right to. It didn't feel like it, though. It almost felt like she was implying that it was my fault I wasn't doing anything.
*Well, if I knew, I'd be doing it already…* I replied, trying not to sound too angry.
*Good point. And I imagine you want my help?*
*Well, I do kind of want to do this under my own steam,* I explained, finally catching up with them. *Because it means more to me if it's me doing the seducing. Or her, I suppose. But… I need advice. Kyouko's just so weird and hard to understand… And you know about the ways of the heart, right?*
*Umm, well… I wouldn't consider myself an expert in the field…* Mami said evasively. *But I'll give you all the advice I can. Perhaps we should talk at length another time? We're about to go our separate ways for the day, and I'd rather not speak with telepathy. It just feels impersonal.*
*Yeah, alright…* I replied reluctantly. I had to agree, it didn't have the same appeal as real conversation, even if it was more private and convenient.
There were a lot of things like that, though. Things that we could do much more easily now we were incredibly powerful entities of magic, but just felt that much more… secure to do the normal way. I mean, we could all get to school in about two minutes by leaping across buildings, or secretly hitching a ride on the side of a train or truck as it passed, but we just wouldn't do it. Nor would we use our abilities to avoid paying for things, even though we quite easily could (With the exception of Kyouko, who spent a year doing just that, and quite possibly Homura. I mean, I'm not saying she does or doesn't, but that shield can apparently store anything, and I don't know anything about her parents).
"Well, I've got to get to class." Mami announced, to the surprise of Kyouko and Homura. To me, it just sounded like we were closing a conversation, but to them, it must have sounded pretty sudden.
"Huh? Oh, okay." Kyouko replied, glancing over at her.
"Guess we'd better get going too, huh?" I asked, looking over at my classmates.
Homura nodded. "If we don't then we'll get stuck behind all of the first-years."
I nodded in agreement, while Kyouko just went with the flow. Feeling incredibly normal, we hurried upstairs to our classroom, just a few students hurrying to get to class on time…
.0.
Apologies are in order, I think! Sorry for taking so long, everyone. And even still, not much happened! All leading up to something interesting, I promise. Sooner or later, at least…
The 'Seven' does actually have a name, by the way – I made up some story for her, so I decided to share. She's called 'Konstanze', and her nature is that of control.
'A magical girl who wished to be in complete control of her own life, Konstanze can now control every aspect of the world she built around herself, but it lacks the colour of variety, and her desire for control has forced her into solitude. She doesn't even have any familiars for company, but don't think of her as any less dangerous because of it. As one of the strongest Witches around, she is more than a match for most Magical girls.'