"You want me to what?" Kyouko asked incredulously, almost dropping her spear.

"Hey what, you deaf, too?" I retorted, folding my arms. I didn't much appreciate her reaction. "I said that I want you to train me."

"Yeah, but… What? Why?" She returned, apparently bewildered by my proposition. We stood atop the boom of a huge red tower crane that jutted tall and proud out of the largely unpopulated industrial sector, one of about twenty such cranes that dominated the crowded skyline stretching out before us, the city behind and the docks way out ahead.

"Well, you're always complaining about what a lousy Magical Girl I am, and how you're so much better than me… Help me get better, then?" Personally, I thought my idea (Well, technically my idea. Just because my mother inspired me, doesn't mean it wasn't technically my idea…) was inspired. Doing this, I'd get way more time in private with Kyouko, and we wouldn't have any of the distractions that arcades or the movies have, which keeps Kyouko away from me. And hey, if nothing else, I might get to admire her in a sports kit.

"Ahh… Pass." Kyouko replied with a shrug, turning away and hefting her spear up onto her shoulders, hanging both arms lazily off it.

"H-hey!" I cried, stepping toward her. She wasn't supposed to say that!

"Get Mami to teach ya. That's what she does, right?" She replied, glancing back at me.

"Now, c'mon, don't be stupid. I graduated Mami's boot camp months ago, and you know it. She's a musketeer, she hasn't got much to teach me." I argued, grabbing her spear and spinning her around. Yeah, we were balanced on a few metal poles a couple hundred feet above solid concrete, but Kyouko could balance like a cat. Or one of those goats, I don't know.

"Doesn't mean I'd teach any better." The lithe Magical girl huffed in reply, stepping beyond the spin I put her in and whirling back away to face away.

"Of course you would!" I retorted, walking up behind her. The height we were at was somewhat forgotten at the time – I was so close to her, but she turned away from me! "You're a close combat specialist! You're better than nearly any of us here!"

"Yeah, but I don't teach!" She replied firmly, standing her ground.

"Why are you being so damn stubborn about this?" I asked, glaring at her back. "It's not that much of a big deal!"

"Isn't it?" Kyouko asked, looking back at me. Her long ponytail flickered and waved in the high-altitude breeze. It was cold up there, but I didn't feel it. "What if I taught you something wrong, and you messed up because of it? What if it got you killed? I can't take that on my conscience, Sayaka. You know why I don't help people."

"Is that what this is about?" I asked incredulously. "Kyou, I thought you were over that! That's not what you're like, anymore."

"I only use magic for myself, Sayaka! You know that." The spear-wielding maiden stated, staring back at me with frustrated eyes.

"C'mon, you use your magic to help us all out all the time!" I returned, sure to catch her off-guard. "Especially me!" This was a certain truth, and not something Kyouko could argue with.

"Yeah, but… I am helping you, but it's because I care about you, so I don't wanna lose you. It's for me that I'm doing it!" Kyouko shot back, jabbing at herself with her thumb.

"That's such a stupid excuse to help you pretend you're not selfish anymore." I replied flatly, taking a step closer. "If you're scared of taking responsibility for my health just say, but don't pretend that our partnership hasn't involved exactly that this whole time."

I could feel myself starting to lose my patience with Kyouko's attitude. When the idea first came to me, I thought it was a perfect solution to so many problems! For instance, while my healing factor does give me a huge advantage in battle, I'm really only better at fighting than Nagisa, since Madoka got all those extra lessons from Mami and the transfer student (Because they're all ranged specialists). Learning from Kyouko might finally give me the boost I need to properly be one of the skilled Magical girls, and might help me develop a fighting style of my own.

And then of course, there's the matter of intimacy. I mean, it's not like we don't already spend hours at a time together, and we sleep in the same room (And in the same bed, on one occasion!) and I feed her when my parents aren't home, and now we go to school together, but there's something far more private about personal tuition, entrusting my development as a warrior of justice to my senior, getting close to her and fighting side by side, our bodies flowing around each other without the irritating distractions of an actual Witch fight. I actually felt kind of weak at the knees at the idea of getting all hot and sweaty with Kyouko in a particularly intense training session. I mean, isn't that sort of thing the perfect opportunity to practice my flirting with the object of my affections herself? When we're already so close, and out of breath, I can lean against her warm, strong body, damp with perspiration, take her hand comfortingly in mine as she holds me, and our lips ultimately find themselves drawn, almost as if by some higher purpose toward each oth-

Y-you get my point, anyway. And now, Kyouko's just shutting me off, because she somehow believes I might get killed because of what she's taught me? I mean, not only is that total crap because she survived alone for more than a year, so she knows more than most about keeping alive in a Witch fight, but she's literally the only one capable of helping me progress without forcing me against overwhelming odds in real Witch fights. I was starting to wonder what kinds of tricks I could pull to get her to give in. I'd probably do anything!

"It's not stupid, and it's not an excuse!" Kyouko shot back, whirling back to face me and swinging her spear down off her shoulders. "I don't wanna lose you, you're my best friend!" Those last two words seemed to give her just a fraction of a second of trouble for some reason, and they cut me surprisingly deep, making me grimace slightly at the way she used them. If only she could have said 'lover'! But I'm getting ahead of myself. We are just friends, even if we are best friends.

"W-well… Well…" I stammered, scanning my (largely empty) mind for a retort. "Well, what if I died because you didn't help me?" I shot back, before I even knew the thoughts I wanted to convey. But now I'd started, there was no stopping me. "What if, because you refused to teach me, I was too slow, too weak, and too inexperienced? What if this Wala-whatever came along, and killed me because you hadn't taught me to be the best I can be?" Bringing up Walpurgisnacht really didn't have much of an effect on anyone without Homura in the vicinity (Who often twitched at the name when caught off-guard) but I felt it was a pretty good example of something that could kill a Magical girl.

Even so, Kyouko paused for a moment, red-faced and angry-looking. If things didn't de-escalate quickly, this would be a genuine argument for both of us.

"Are you trying to threaten me?" Kyouko accused, glaring at me.

"What? No! I'm trying to convince you, here!" I returned in exasperation. At this stage, the cute and exciting conversation I had hoped for was lost forever. My only option left now was to push this plan of mine as hard as I could, and hope that she didn't do it begrudgingly.

"Well, stop threatening to die, then! I can't win anymore, now that you've suggested this!" the shorter Magical girl replied angrily, pointing her spear at me. "No matter what I do, it's my fault if you get hurt, now!"

"Now, you stop that!" I retorted, scowling at her. She just slung her weapon back up onto her shoulders and turned away. Not to be ignored so easily, I stepped forward and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her toward me a little. Or rather, with her strength, I really pulled myself toward her. "What is your problem with this?"

"I don't wanna think about you getting hurt!" Kyouko shot back, resisting my hand.

"Kyouko, just listen to me…" I said with a frown, tugging at her shoulder. "Who are you?"

"What?" Kyouko replied in an annoyed tone.

"Who are you? You're Sakura Kyouko!" I insisted, shaking her shoulder. "You know, the Sakura Kyouko! The ruler of Kazamino city that survived alone for an entire year, and did it well! Only Mami can boast about that sort of thing, aside from you! You're a master of combat and survival, and making do without stuff. And I have to make do without a lot, Kyou! I'm not naturally talented like you guys all were, and my potential is really low! I need your help, and you can't teach wrong!"

At last, that coaxed a smile out of her, and she turned to face me. "You know… You're really not as bad as you keep saying you are…"

"What?" I blurted in surprise, genuinely surprised to hear a compliment, and at the drastic change in both subject and tone. "You're always talking about how bad I am!"

"Well, yeah, but that's only compared to me…" Kyouko stated as fact, turning to face me at last and shrugging. I didn't know why, but her demeanour had changed completely – she didn't even seem that angry, anymore! "I mean, you're a bit sloppy, but you really just need practice, 'cos you don't take to it natural like we do."

"Which is exactly why you should teach me…?" I prompted, nodding encouragingly.

"But what if you get hurt…" Kyouko countered in return, but she sounded unsure.

"C'mon Kyou, what's happened to you?" I asked, placing my hands on her shoulders. She let her spear drop away, ignoring the loud metallic clang as it hit the thick steel framework. Her shoulders were already slumped in defeat, I just needed to deliver the final blow. "You're strong, and brave, and to hell with everyone else! You're normally so carefree, and happy… I don't want you to be responsible for me, I just wanna suck less when I'm fighting Witches! And the only other way to get better is through experience, and you know that's a lousy idea…"

"A… Alright, fine…" Kyouko replied at last, relenting to my superior logic (And flattery). "But if we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it my way, alright? No arguments, no complaints."

"Yeah, of course!" I answered quickly, my heart soaring as I released her. "That was the plan!" I continued hastily, trying to sound as reassuring and enthusiastic as possible. Of course, there was a tiny, doubtful corner in the back of my mind that was saying 'You have no idea what you're getting yourself into…'

"Really, now?" Kyouko replied with a sly grin, reaching into a pocket that I couldn't quite see from where I was standing and retrieving a whole taiyaki. "In that case, we start now. First rule of training under the Kyouko is that you're going to be doing a lot more exercise. And exercise needs fuel, so you're going to have to eat more." As she spoke, she held the treat out to me.

"What?" I complained, pouting. "I eat enough as it is, without you giving me sweets all the time."

"Not for me you don't." Kyouko replied firmly, shaking the treat a couple times. It did look inviting… "And it's not just sweets, alright? You need… Uhh… More protein! That's it! And carbs and stuff…"

"I'm not eating that!" I replied, crossing my arms. I wasn't like her! We go out Witch hunting nearly five nights a week, and I eat plenty enough for that! I'd start putting on weight again, if I ate like her!

"You don't have a choice! No arguments, no complaints." Kyouko replied triumphantly, grabbing my hand (I couldn't help but notice how soft and gentle her grip was, even through my glove – in fact, it was so disarmingly sweet, I didn't even resist) and dropping the treat onto my palm.

"Y-you…" I stuttered, glaring at her. Already I was starting to wonder if giving so much power to Kyouko was a good idea. "B-but I already do loads of exercise, and-"

"No arguments!" Was Kyouko's only response.

I looked down at the baked fish-like sweet as it sat in my hand, clearly begging to be eaten. It wasn't warm anymore, but it was still fresh, and it had been a very long time since I last let myself have one…

"But what about you-" I began, looking back up at her. But in the time it had taken me to glance down at the food in my hand, Kyouko had already produced a box of pocky and had one in her mouth.

"What about me?" She asked through teeth gritted to hold the snack.

"Never mind…." I muttered, tightening my grip around the taiyaki and biting its head off.

Okay, I have to admit, it was pretty delicious. And I should also admit that I didn't even realise how hungry I was until I started eating. The batter was just the perfect side of crunchy, it gave way between my teeth and melted in my mouth, and it opened the door to the sweet bean paste, and… Alright, it's been ages since I last had one.

Kyouko watched me with a pretty predatory grin as I ate, waiting patiently for me to finish (Which, if I'm honest, didn't take as long as I'd like to admit).

"There! Ain't that better?" She asked, her box of pocky almost half empty already.

"Y…Yeah, I guess…" I admitted. I probably couldn't get away with lying, given how much it made my mouth water.

"Now, c'mon! There's plenty more where that came from, but we've got work to do!" She cried, straightening up heroically.

"C'mon where?" I asked, confused. "We're not starting tonight, are we?"

"Sure we are!" Kyouko continued, suddenly the enthusiastic streak I knew and loved. She bolted for the cabin of the crane. "Now hurry up, we've got things to do!"

"Hey, no! Not tonight!" I yelled back, forcing myself to jog after her. She leapt off the side of the boom, hooking the head of her spear on one of the criss-crossing beams that made up the massive tower of the crane itself. "We're on duty tonight, remember!" I bellowed, sprinting along the boom and looking down at her as she prepared to drop. It didn't do my knees much good to look down…

"Huh?" I heard her yell back, and she paused for a moment. And then, slowly, begrudgingly, she hauled herself back up to my level.

"Yeah, I forget that you're so obsessed about that 'duty' stuff…" She grumbled as she stood, sounding genuinely downcast. Why was she suddenly so keen to train me? I swear I'll never understand this girl.

"Of course!" I replied proudly. "We're heroes of justice, Kyou. Remember?"

"We're teenagers, not superheroes." Kyouko taunted in reply, but I knew she didn't mean anything by it. "And you're the only one who ever talks about justice and stuff…" Then she made rings with her forefingers and thumbs, folded her baby fingers inward and pointed the other fingers straight up, placing them over my face to give me a kind of 'batman mask' made of hands.

"I'm Miki Batman…" She said in a mockery of the signature gravelly voice, kicking my cape to make it 'billow in the wind'.

"Yeah, yeah, knock it off…" I replied, feeling a bit stupid as I shoved her away. "There's nothing wrong with a personal philosophy, is there?"

"There is when it's stupid." Kyouko retorted, and I could tell she was goading me. But this time, I would not be pushed so easily!

"Yeah, yeah. At least I'm happy to help people." I said, blowing her off and looking around, killing the argument before it could start. "Now c'mon! We're up here to find witches!" I reminded her, peering out into the twilight.

Mitakihara's Industrial sector was a bit of a maze when it came down to it. Theoretically, it should be empty of Witches, as it's supposed to be almost entirely unpopulated at night. However, as I've said before, vagrants and criminals do like to seek refuge among the titanic machinery and giant warehouses. In fact, me and Kyouko met here once, before we were true friends, and when I was close to death. She watched me fight a Witch alone, then saved my life when she thought I needed it. I don't think I ever properly thanked her, for that. You know, for a mortal enemy, she sure did look out for me a lot, even in those early days when-

"Hey! People." Kyouko called out suddenly, grabbing my shoulder and killing my train of thought. I blinked a couple times to return to the present, and turned to see Kyouko pointing more or less underneath us, to a trio of dark figures wandering down the edge of a wide, arrow-straight road that, during the day, supported convoy after convoy of trucks and the like carrying cargo to the port on the horizon.

"Think they're of use to us?" I asked, glancing her way. She was perched precariously over the edge of the boom, the stick of pocky in her mouth twitching a little as she thought. Quickly, she snapped it up, and it disappeared almost instantly inside her fanged mouth. She grabbed another stick and stuck it between her soft little lips as she turned toward me, and flashed a daredevil grin.

"Only one way to find out." She replied, teeth gritted to hold the pocky, and darted for the cabin once again. "Come on!"

Feeling a stupid grin stretch across my face, I bounded after her, magically augmented legs leaping and gliding ten feet or more with a single stride. Of course, I was nothing compared to Kyouko's stellar elegance and athleticism, but it was fun to feel the wind whipping through my hair, and my heart racing as we pounced like cats, grabbing steel bars at the last moment and carrying on our way. I felt unstoppable, even though I knew I was slowing the red-haired beauty down. But still, if just for a moment, I felt free, free of my worries, of our potential doom almost every night, of our battles, of the Incubators, of love and hate and all things else besides putting one foot in front of the other at just the right time. It was all I could do to stop myself from whooping with joy. Together, we descended to the ground in a hundred steps, dropping twenty feet or more without a second thought.

Tonight was a bad night to be a Witch in Mitakihara.

.0.

I stretched out my shoulders for what must have been the fifth time as Kyouko and I reached my home at last. Or rather, we reached the apartment block where I lived, and the little courtyard outside it. I glanced up at the building, now absent of lights, and back down the street we had walked up. Unlike Madoka, who lives in a beautiful and modern little detached house in Mitakihara's rapidly shrinking suburbs, our apartment was a little more old-fashioned and just generally less pretty. Which wasn't to say it wasn't without its charms, it just… Wasn't in as nice a community, though it was still way better than most other cities, and there was definitely style to be seen in the exterior. It was split in half down the middle, by both the big double doors that lead inside and then a glass 'connecting' area that made the building look a lot more open.

"Man, after all that build-up, tonight was a bit of a disappointment, huh?" I asked Kyouko with a smile, to break the silence that had settled on us in the last few minutes or so. Mami had suggested to us that the Industrial sector might be a good place to try, as none of us had patrolled there in about a week and Witches (Unsurprisingly) tend to avoid getting into fights when they can just harvest humans easily. However, despite giving it our all, we'd only managed to find a familiar and a single 'four', which paled in comparison even to the 'five' that me, Madoka and Homura had slain the night before, and even that hadn't presented much of a challenge, with Homura around. You know, speaking of which, as chummy as we are, now, I can't help but feel she doesn't put nearly so much effort into my welfare as she does to Madoka's. I find myself really close to some of her unexpected explosions, and I know it's not always necessary…

Of course, she's not actually trying to hurt me. I just think it's her way of telling me I'm in the way, and that she doesn't want me around. Still, it was pretty great to fight alongside Madoka again, and to actually talk to my childhood best friend, though my mind did keep wandering to Kyouko, sitting all alone in her hotel room, with no company… I wonder if she worries about me, when she's not on duty with me? I know I worry about her when it's the other way around.

"Yeah, I didn't even break a sweat." Kyouko replied proudly. "Probably would have been better off if we'd been someplace else."

I nodded truthfully, letting out a sigh. We'd be going our separate ways in a moment, and I was starting to really dislike time spent apart. My breath condensed and coiled in the cold night air, and I paused for a moment, looking at Kyouko. True to form, she had finally decided to wear warmer clothes, opting for a thicker jacket and a pair of woollen tights under her denim shorts to keep herself warm. I thought she looked great. I, on the other hand, was wearing a rather stylish denim skirt (not because it matched Kyouko, I swear) and a really nice white cardigan that kept my arms warm.

"Guess I'd better get going, huh?" Kyouko asked, sounding suddenly crestfallen. I glanced over at her, and she shrugged at me with a non-committal smile.

"Guess so?" I replied, returning the shrug. "We don't wanna be late for school on a Monday morning, do we?"

"Nope. I've never been late to middle school, yet." Kyouko replied, looking a little more cheerful. "Bet you have."

"Yeah, yeah…" I dismissed, nudging her shoulder with my own. "Don't try and make me hate you before I go to bed."

"Oh, alright." Kyouko relented with a pretend huff, nudging me back.

And then, weirdly, neither of us said or did anything for a few seconds. I dunno if that's weird between most people, but me and Kyouko are pretty dynamic in conversation, if I do say so myself. Even if we aren't talking, we're walking, or smiling at each other, or something. But this time, Kyouko just sort of looked down a bit, and I found myself unable to put her in my gaze. I bit my lip awkwardly as a few leaves rustled their way past us in the midnight breeze.

"Are you gonna be lonely?" I asked eventually, feeling uncomfortable and weird in my own skin.

"I… Yeah." Kyouko replied. She sounded just as small and alone as I did.

"Yeah, sorry about that…" I mumbled weakly, scratching the back of my head. Somehow I'd managed to make things feel even more awkward.

"S'alright. Not your fault that your mum's back, is it?" the redhead said simply.

If I'd felt awkward before, I felt genuinely awful now. Of course, it was impossible to say if she'd meant anything by that comment without asking, but I couldn't ask without making it worse either way.

"Hey, can I actually meet your mum at some point?" She asked suddenly, and I started.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I asked, trying to sound innocent, like it was a coincidence that they had never met.

"She's come back like twenty times since we became friends, but you've never once let me see her."

"I don't stop you! Why do you want to anyway?" I asked quickly. I don't think she had bought into my lie.

"Because you're my friend, and she's your family?" She asked disparagingly. "I see Madoka's mum all the time."

"Yeah, but… But… Not tonight, okay?" I replied. "Or anytime too soon. I kinda totally forgot to tell her about you, or Mami, or the Transfer student until Friday night, so I don't wanna rush things, okay?"

"Seriously? Rude." Kyouko stated, frowning and folding her arms.

"Hey, don't give me that!" I returned, my breath coiling like mist in the air before me.

"What? It didn't take long for me to introduce Mami to my family, back in the day."

"Wait, really?" I asked, surprised. Kyouko wasn't ever that open and straightforward with anyone, was she?

"No lie! Ask her, if you want." My crush replied, and I couldn't help but feel kind of bad about hiding my friends from my family.

"W-well… It's different for me, alright?" I shot back quickly, not all that keen on giving in and sounding like the bad guy. "My family's never around, so I forget what I have and haven't told them a lot." It felt like an excuse, and I only hoped it sounded convincing.

"Alright, alright… Just saying." She replied, shrugging.

"It's not like I don't want to introduce you to them, or anything…" I continued, at least with some honesty. I mean, yes, I don't want her to meet any of my relatives yet, but I certainly want her to meet them all sooner or later, once I've sorted everything out, and we're dating…

Okay, maybe that's a bit of a stretch. But at the very least, I would like to know Kyouko would be on her best behaviour, because while Tatsuya is immensely fond of her for her childish and energetic nature, I'm not fully certain that Junko trusts her completely. And who can blame her? I know what she's like better than anyone… Almost.

"I know, Sayaka, okay? I just feel a little bit left out at times, okay? My flat is really lonely…" Kyouko whined, and she seemed to lose a little bit of her lustre, like a puppy drooping its ears.

"Aww, Kyouko… Need a hug?" I asked, feeling my heart of stone melt like butter in a frying pan.

"If you're gonna take the piss, then I'll just go now." The redhead replied grumpily, and I opened my arms with a smile.

"Does that mean you don't want one?" I asked, trying to sound tempting.

Muttering under her breath such that I couldn't hear, she stepped over to me in a single brisk step, her hair fluttering in the breeze as she wrapped both arms around my middle, pressing me tight to her chest. My breath caught in my throat in astonishment, and it took every scattered remainder of my mind to close my arms around her.

As she always likes to tell me, Kyouko's pretty buff. She's not exactly bulky, but she's really quite toned, and though she rarely reveals more of her midriff than her tank-top shows off, I know there are a set of abs under there that most teenaged boys would kill for. But what always astonishes me, on the rare occasions that we actually hug, is just how soft she is. I mean, somehow, when she cuddles up to me, and my mind goes completely fuzzy, the one thing that sticks in my mind is how nice she is to hug. She looks kind of bony and hard, from an objective viewpoint, but she really isn't. And the fact that she's just a little bit shorter than me is somehow wonderful… Though her hair does tickle my face a bit.

"Th-there, happy now?" Kyouko asked, in a weird kind of voice that suggested irritation, but also really didn't sound like it. She pushed me away in a non-committal kind of way, and as I looked upon her downturned face and faint blush, I could feel my own face heating up.

"You actually did what I asked?" I replied, feeling a bit giddy. "So, you know… Now when you're lonely, remember my hug, okay?" I suddenly continued, the words coming out before I could stop them. I felt stupid and corny, and like I was spectating in my own story.

"U-umm… Yeah, alright..." She mumbled in reply, sounding small and confused, a rarity for the self-assured Magical girl.

Time paused between us for a moment, and to be honest, I'm not sure how much time passed, thinking about it. It was probably supposed to be pretty awkward, but to be quite honest, all I could think about was how much I'd like her to hug me again. And for once, just once in my life… I had a feeling me and Kyouko were on the same page.

There was, of course, also the fairly sizeable portion of me that'd like to hug her instead, or better yet, even kiss her. Not for the first time, I imagined how soft and sweet those two little lips of hers must be, how tenderly she'd hold me, and call me the one she loved, and all the things we'd do as lovers… Damn, I'm such a cursed pervert.

"A-anyway, I guess you wanna get in out of the cold, huh?" Kyouko asked suddenly, still sounding small and feminine.

"W-well, if you want me to walk you home, that's fine?" I offered, despite myself. I didn't want to be apart from her, yet!

"Don't be stupid, you're home, now… I-I'll just see you tomorrow, 'kay?" Kyouko said hurriedly, already making her move.

"Oh… Uhh, alright, then…" I replied, sounding stupid and more than a little disappointed that she was leaving.

"See you!" She called out, hurrying away without looking back. I found myself staring at her retreating form for quite some time as she jammed her hands in the pockets of her jacket and hurried away, her hot breath swirling in the darkness and her long hair swaying in the breeze. In fact I stayed, even after Kyouko had rounded a corner and disappeared from view, for a few minutes more, still dumbstruck by the willingness Kyouko had to hug me. It wasn't like her at all, to give in to something like that. Normally, even if she'd wanted to, she'd have lied and pretended she didn't for far longer than she did, and she's never affectionate or sweet like that. She's also never admitted to being lonely without me around.

I-I mean, I'm probably getting ahead of myself, here. I thought quickly. It doesn't have to mean anything, she probably just misses my presence because we spend so much time together these days. And as nice as that hug was for me, there's no proof that there was anything romantic to it.

But still… I couldn't get it out of my head. It wasn't even a big deal or anything! It was just a hug, and it's hardly like it was the first one we've ever shared, and I'm sure it won't be the last. But it did kind of feel… Cherishing? Or something like that.

A stiff breeze chilled me to my bones, howling a little as it whipped through the streets, and I shivered, finally returning to the present and hurrying across the courtyard to my apartment block. But still, even as the front doors opened for me, and I hurried up to my flat, and sent nearly five minutes unlocking the front door with utter silence, and sneaked across our apartment in pitch darkness to avoid waking my mother, I still couldn't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be something wrong with me. My heart starts hammering in my chest every time my mind drifts back to how close we were back then, enveloped in each other's warmth…

I sighed, standing in my bedroom at last. Now was the time for me to sleep, and dream a dream of sweet, red-haired angels with soft hugs and tender hearts…

.0.

"Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting." I called out to Madoka, trying to sound conversational as I stepped over to her in the hospital foyer.

"Oh? You didn't get to see him?" Madoka asked, sounding a little concerned. She looked up at me from one of the benches that lined the entrance to the hospital.

"No, sounds like he isn't doing very well, today." I replied, shaking my head. I tried not to sound disappointed. I looked around for Kyubey, but he wasn't where we left him, sitting next to Madoka's bag on the bench. My shorter friend noticed my puzzled look, and gave me a silent shrug. Apparently she didn't know where he was either.

"Took us ages to get here, too. Pretty rude if you ask me." I continued as we made our way out of the huge sliding door, and back out into the late afternoon sunshine. I wasn't really saying anything of any real value or importance. I liked to pretend I was angry with him back then, when he ignored my (non-existent) advances, or was rude, or didn't appreciate something I did for him, but in all honesty I couldn't feel much animosity toward him. Guess I've always been a bit of a sap.

Madoka said nothing, gazing out silently on the world before us. It was a beautiful day for early spring, and the sun was still up this late. "H-hey wait, is that Kyubey?" She asked, pointing, upwards, toward one of the windows in the hospital.

"Huh?" I asked, catching up with the change in conversation. I followed the line of my pink-haired friend's finger, and sure enough, there he was, sitting on a second-floor windowsill. I frowned. "Yeah, it is… What's he doing?"

"I don't…" Madoka mumbled as we wandered closer. I could hear something faint on the outer limits of the weak telepathy that Kyubey lent us, but it was far too distant to make anything out. Like people talking quietly in another room.

Then we saw the flash of light. It was a bright, almost peachy-orange, and lasted for a fraction of a second, before fading into a gentle glow for a while. We stopped in our tracks.

"Do you think that was…" Madoka began.

"A contract being signed?" I finished, my heart rate increasing. Of course, we weren't the only subjects of Kyubey's interest. In a city as big as Mitakihara, it would be ludicrous to assume that we were the only ones eligible.

"W-we should get Mami!" Madoka cried, looking at me. "B-but I don't have her number!"

"Me neither!" I said, my heart racing. "I-I'll go find her, okay? You keep an eye on… Whatever's going on here." It seemed like the logical choice. I was far more athletic than my shorter friend, so I would be able to get to her flat and back quicker.

"O-okay. Leave your bag here, then." Madoka said, sounding worried. Looking back, I don't even know why we thought it was such a bad thing, at the time. This was long before we found out the truth. But Mami had said specifically to come and get her the second anything went wrong, so that was what we did.

I slung my bag off my shoulder, uncaring of the contents, and took off down the street. I ran at full tilt without warming up, daring my muscles to cramp up at a time as important as this.

The run was… Fleeting, exhausting and desperate. And that was just the way there. I pride myself on my athletic ability, but I had never sprinted so far so fast in my life, and my lungs were crying out for any kind of respite by the time I reached the stairs. Those really were murder. I wanted to stop every second, at every stair, but I knew something terrible might happen if I didn't. I don't know if I was just paranoid or if I genuinely suspected something was wrong even back then, but I ran with determination I didn't know I contained all the same.

I hammered on Mami's door with frantic strength, my chest heaving as I slammed both fists against the wooden door. A few moments passed, before there was a click, and the door began to open. I almost fell over backwards to get myself to stop.

"Sayaka?" Mami asked, looking concerned. "What's wrong? Where's-"

"Hospital!" I cried, panting weakly. "Someone. Kyubey. Contracted! We think. Hurry!"

Mami's whole demeanour suddenly changed. This wasn't the mature upperclassman that we normally saw. This wasn't even the calm, collected Magical girl that kept us safe. This was a whole new league of grim determination. "He didn't… Sayaka, we have to hurry. Can you trust me?" She looked about, as if scanning the area for anyone watching.

"H-huh?" I asked, still breathless and weak. But we didn't have time for indecision. "uhh… Y-yeah?"

"Good." She said, grabbing me tightly. For the briefest of moments, I had just enough time to notice that she was comfortingly soft. Then, still holding me, she leapt forward, straight off the edge of the balcony. I didn't even have time to scream.

Then there was a flash, a curious sensation of warmth flowing through me, and we touched down lightly, rolling forward as Mami propped me back up onto my feet.

"Come on, there's no time to waste." Mami said, her soul gem still glowing as she held it in her left hand. She grabbed my own hand with her right, running forwards before I could even bring the world the right way up in my head. I thought I would collapse and die from exhaustion, but Mami's magic flowed into me through her hand, and guided my muscles forward in a hazy kind of trance. I don't remember much of the run back, only that it was much quicker than getting to Mami's in the first place. I think I might have briefly passed out, at one point. But Mami kept me going.

Madoka was waiting for us when we got back. She looked terrified and alone, but relieved when we arrived. Or rather, when Mami arrived. I was mostly just useless baggage by that point.

Mami tried to greet our pink-haired friend, but Madoka hushed her as politely as she could, pointing towards the window. On the verge of collapse by this point, I still managed to force my head up too.

The window was still wide open, but Kyubey was long gone. Faintly though, ebbing slowly out of the hospital, was the sound of someone crying. Instantly, Mami swung into action. She sprinted straight past Madoka and into the hospital, paying no heed to anything around her. Madoka hurried after her, and I wheezed along after her, taking up a distant last place.

Even though the sounds of crying were easily audible, nobody was near the room as I reached it. My best guess is that the doctors already knew what was happening, and were giving the occupants of the room some space. Of course, they could never have known this was the worst possible thing they could have done, and it was weeks before we realised how bad it could have been ourselves.

I pushed the door open just as Mami rushed over to the newly contracted Magical girl. Madoka just stood in the doorway, so I fell to my knees beside her, exhausted. All eyes were on the pale, white-haired girl that Mami was slowly turning around, and the lifeless woman in the bed by her side.

The first thing that astonished me was just how young the girl was. She couldn't even have been ten years old, and she was tiny. She was also crying hysterically, tears flowing like rivers down her cheeks. Mami dropped to her knees to bring herself level with the tiny Magical girl, holding out her soul gem in the palm of her hand. Even without words, it was clear what she was saying: "You are not alone."

"Y-you're…" The little girl said, astonished enough to briefly stop crying, pointing with a shaking, tear-soaked hand at Mami's gem. The blonde veteran just nodded, before closing her hand and pulling the stranger in close, hugging her tightly. The tears that had momentarily stopped began anew, and the tiny girl shook violently as she hugged Mami back with desperate fear.

"Sh-she's… She's… My Mummy's…" The little girl sobbed, clutching handfuls of Mami's blouse.

"Shh… I know, dear. I know…" Mami said gently, stroking the girl's long, white hair. "What's your name?"

"M-my name?" She sobbed quietly, pausing to sniff.

"Yes, dear."

"N-Nagisa…. Momoe Nagisa…"

"My name's Tomoe Mami... It's nice to meet you, Nagisa…" Mami said, her personality changed once again. She wasn't a senior this time, or a Magical girl, or a spirit of determination. She was almost as if a mother, now, holding the little girl tightly and stroking her hair. I remembered feeling a fleeting memory of a long-forgotten sensation, of being soothed by my own mother, when I was Nagisa's age or younger. Mami really was a perfect human being, there was no denying it.

"I-it's all my fault, Mami…" Nagisa mumbled, still shaking and struggling to breathe through her own sobs. "It's all my fault…" The way she said 'Mami' almost sounded like 'Mummy', through the little girl's sobs and gasps.

A plate caught my attention, sitting on the bedside table between Nagisa and the bed. It was a strange looking plate, far too old-fashioned and ornate for anything you'd see at a hospital. The half-eaten cake sitting atop it too was unusual, far too tall and magnificent. It looked almost fake, it was so grand. In fact, it almost looked like something you might see in… A witch's barrier. I looked over at Madoka, whose gaze was locked on the same thing. There was no mistaking it – this is what she had wished for. One last cake to share with her mother.

"It's not your fault at all, dear…" Mami said, pulling Nagisa away gently to look her in the eye. "Don't ever blame yourself for that."

"B-but it's… I… I could have wished to…" Nagisa mumbled, a fresh torrent of sadness threatening to overwhelm her. That was when I saw the gem next to the cake, and how impure it looked. I didn't even know if Mami had seen it, yet.

"No." Mami said, and her voice was so firm that it shook all three of us. "No, you couldn't. You can't… You can't wish for that. That's not how it works, okay? Kyubey might have said anything, but… There are things beyond even his powers. There was nothing you could do, and… it was kind of you to share with her like that, before it was all over."

It wasn't until much later, when I was talking to Mami far out of Nagisa's earshot, that Mami admitted to me that she had lied. There were things that Kyubey couldn't do, but that would have been well within his ability. Mami knew herself exactly what Nagisa was going through, with the nature of her own wish, but she had decided it was better for Nagisa to never know that she had wasted her wish. It would have been far too much for anyone of her age to handle.

Surprisingly, it was fairly easy for Mami to take her in. As it turned out, Nagisa's mother had always been single, and both her grandparents had died a few years before. And as someone who was very much used to forging personal information, Mami already legally appeared as two people: A fifteen year-old girl, and a twenty year-old woman. Mami had tentatively made Nagisa the offer to stay with her, and the little girl had eagerly accepted the chance. Given that Nagisa was now the only Momoe alive, it hadn't been hard for her to claim that Mami was an old family friend, which made it far easier to transfer legal guardianship.

.0.

I awoke pretty tiredly, and without the kindest of moods. My dreams had been lonely and wasteful, and I lay alone in both my bed and my room, with school in less than an hour and my hair a typical mess. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, rolling gracelessly out of bed. At least I didn't have anyone to impress until I was on the way to school…

A faint clattering from outside my room suggested that Mum was already awake, and a cursory sniff told me that bacon was being prepared. Well, that was something to be pleased about, at least.

*Hey! You up yet, dumbass?* A familiar voice invaded my mind.

*Kyouko?*I asked, staggering over to the window.

*Yeah, c'mon! Fancy a morning jog?* She asked, as I drew the curtains. There she was, standing just outside of the courtyard, fully dressed in school uniform and waving. I scowled and closed the curtains again.

*At least wait until after school…* I grumbled, heading for my bedroom door. It was too early to deal with exercise.

.0.

"Right!" Kyouko barked, and I stood to attention. I was in my sports kit, standing up straight (Shoulders back, chest forward, chin high – all that) and Kyouko (sadly) wasn't. She'd opted for her standard tank top, teal jacket and denim shorts, with those same boots as always on her feet, and a paper bag full of (bought) apples. I wish she'd wear something different, on occasion. It was a quiet Sunday night, and after what felt like years of duty, we finally had a night off together. "As you can see, I've taken you out to a very secure location, in which we can perform our training in total secrecy!"

"Yeah, where are we, exactly?" I asked, looking about. We were at the end of some dark alleyway, where it opened out into a sort of unused 'courtyard' type area, surrounded on all sides by tall, imposing buildings. Unusually for an area like this, there didn't seem to be any signs of permanent or even temporary residence, though it still was far from clean down here, filled with dirt, and moss, and weeds and all sorts of evidence that nobody had been around in months.

"Hey! Hush up! We're doing things my way, and that means you speak when you're asked to!" Kyouko cried like a drill sergeant, pointing at me. As serious as she was obviously trying to look, I couldn't help but find her amusing as she played at a military officer, and I had to suppress a giggle so as not to get her angry and waste the whole evening laughing at her fury. And besides, it'd be polite to do as she asked, she was helping me out.

"Alright, alright." I said humbly, nodding.

"Good! Now, as I was saying: The location I have taken you to is a perfect one – nobody goes here, and it's an open space that people can't see from the outside. So, it's where all of your future training will take place!"

Mindful that I didn't have permission to speak, I nodded obediently, and she smiled in return. Have I mentioned how comforting her smile is? I don't know if it's because of the Witch fights, but when I see her smile, I just feel as if everything's gonna be okay now, and I get a little warm swelling in the bottom of my chest.

"Right! So, first things first – limbering up! You've gotta be loose, if you wanna be a proper Magical girl. Taking loads of strong, distracting emotions into battle is just carrying baggage onto a lake with thin ice, and being all up-tight is the same. So you're gonna do some stretches."

"C'mon, what?" I asked, disobeying my orders. "We already ran all the way here."

"Do as you're told!" Kyouko cried fiercely. "This fitness session is for your benefit, not mine!"

"Fitness session!?"

"What did I just say?" Kyouko asked, and I hung my head in submission. I didn't particularly enjoy being told what to do, though.

"Alright…" I relented, smiling weakly. "What first?"

"Push-ups! Drop and give me fifty." Kyouko said eagerly, folding her arms.

"What? I can't do fifty!" I cried, staring at her in disbelief. "My arms will fall off!"

"Oh, come on. You spend all night fighting Witches with swords, you can do a few measly push-ups." My 'coach' replied, unyielding.

I sighed. "Alright, fine. But you have to do them with me, okay?"

This, as it happened, turned out to be a mistake. As I struggled to push out my thirtieth, Kyouko was already finished, standing over me and making such helpful comments as 'Man, you really are bad at this, huh?' and 'Oh, come on, it's not that hard. Do I need to do it twice, to show you how it's done?' but to my credit, I did eventually pull it off, and rolled over onto my back, biceps aching.

"There. Happy?" I groaned, slowly flexing the burn out of my muscles.

"Happy? No. Fifty sit-ups, now." Coach Kyouko replied strictly, and I gave her an extra-loud groan to make sure she knew what a slave-driver she was.

"Aww, what? A couple sit-ups too much for baby Saya-chan?" Kyouko asked, leaning over me with a smug grin, and my blood boiled.

With a strength born of humiliation, I forced out the first thirty at what I considered to be a record pace, and then suffered through the last twenty as breathing got harder and harder, while Kyouko looked on with a look that spoke of neither approval nor disapproval.

Finally, I fell back, panting and defeated, my chest heaving and sweat already matting the hair on my forehead.

"Tuckered out already, princess?" Kyouko asked, frowning down at me, hands on her hips.

"Shut up…" I growled as defiantly as I could, my right eye twitching a little as a particularly large bead of sweat trickled down my eyebrow, and down the side of my head to my ear.

"C'mon, Sayaka. Up you get." My drill Sergeant urged gently, holding out a hand to me. Tiredly, I managed to force my arm up to meet hers, and she dragged me almost single-handedly to my feet.

"Alright, are we done yet?" I asked desperately, once my feet were back under me.

"What? 'course not." The redhead replied, shaking her head. "We're just starting."

"You can't be serious." I begged, sagging.

"I'm deadly serious! Look, wanna know why my soul gem is always brighter than yours?" Kyouko asked, opening her hand palm-up before me and forming her soul gem from its 'ring form'.

"I don't know, 'cos you're better than me?" I asked grumpily.

"I am, but that isn't why." She replied haughtily. "There are two reasons, as it happens."

"Go on…" I grumbled. Kyouko's one fault was her pride in how much better than me she was…

"Well, one is obviously emotional control. When you're always giving yourself reasons to mope about, you're never gonna stay as bright as the rest of us."

"Oh, and you're happy all the time, are you?" I argued, my arms and abs throbbing.

"Well, I've got nothing to be sad about, do I?" She returned, shrugging. "Why would I be sad? I got a house, something to eat three times a day when I'm with you, an education, and some really good friends… And you." The way I'd have liked her to say that was 'all my normal friends, and then my super special friend (Who I have a crush on) Sayaka!', but how she really said it was more of a 'all my friends, and then you, who I've been lumped with and I have to deal with it'. I mean, it was pretty clear from her tone that she was just joking, but even so…

"Well, I guess… Is that really all you want out of life?" I asked, partly just because the more we talked, the less she tortured me.

"It's a pretty good start." She replied, sniffing. "I mean, once you stop needing things, you can start wanting stuff, I guess? But I haven't really put too much thought into long term stuff, 'cos… Well, you know. No such thing as forever, and all that."

"So you're all about instant gratification, then?" I asked. I didn't want to hear that.

"Not… Not like that, no!" Kyouko replied hastily, and I couldn't help but feel a little more pleased inside, though I couldn't place why. "I mean, I just don't plan ahead too far… Once I get something good, I don't let it go."

"I see what you're sayin-" I began, but Kyouko cut across me.

"Hey, wait! You're just stallin'! Anyways, the second thing is all about efficiency. Mami knows a bit, but you gotta take it further. All that stuff she does puts on a pretty brilliant show, and it sure gets the job done, but it's a bit wasteful, as well as she does it…"

"Oh yeah? What would you suggest, then?" I asked, countering her argument. As much as I respected Kyouko's opinion, she was herself taught by Mami back in the day, as was… Well, all of us, really. Except the Transfer student.

"Well, it wouldn't much work for her, but… I mean, it's a matter of how much of the fight you can do without magic."

"What's that even supposed to mean?" I asked with a frown, but apparently Kyouko was way ahead of me.

"Which is why I'm strong, and why I'm making you do all this to get strong, as well." She continued, ignoring my question. And with that, she drew her spear, and cast it out horizontally at head height, so that it stretched out across the courtyard and embedded itself in the wall on either side. "Now, give me twenty pull-ups. And no magic, remember."

And as I groaned, and stumbled my way over to the spear, I finally realised that nothing that we were doing could even remotely be considered 'stretches' like she had said, and I also began to realise what I was getting myself into…

And thus ends another chapter, one far to long in waiting! Hope you guys all like Sayaka's proposition! And before you ask, the whole 'stretches' thing wasn't a mistake, Kyouko's just not too smart and gets really carried away in this story...

Oh! Before I forget - I know that people don't really have flashbacks every time they go to sleep, but for me, it's an easy way to explain why things are the way they are, and to show the big deviations between the final timeline and this 'special' timeline.

Hope you guys liked it, and that you won't have to wait nearly so long for the next one! And of course, a big shout-out to my latest beta reader, Shadowspectre87! Long may he correct my spelling, and remind me to put in words when I totally forget to write them at all! As always, I love to chat about this story, or Madoka Magica in general! So please, send me a message or drop me a review!