Chapter 4

Just Desserts

Kyoko was beginning to regret yet another hasty decision. Perhaps she shouldn't have let Sayaka talk her into taking on this witch-at least not tonight.

Two Hours Ago

After the uncomfortable encounter with Sayaka's little pink-haired pal, and the annoyingly tearful parting that had left her new friend freshly despondent, she pulled the blunette through abandoned streets, finally coming to a stop outside of an all-night corner store. Sayaka was a mess; her school uniform was crumpled, her hair dirty and unkempt. As she led the girl into the restroom, she felt the bespectacled clerk watching from the front of the store with a little too much intensity.

Once inside, she let go of the younger girl to turn on the faucet. There was no way to stop the drain, so she crammed a wad of paper towels into the bottom of the sink. Sayaka had a far-off look in her eyes, and the silence was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

Kyoko glanced in the mirror-and couldn't resist giving the reflection her patented evil grin. Still got it, she thought to herself, smoothing her cut-offs self-indulgently. Can't blame that creep for getting an eyeful... rolling up the sleeves of her threadbare green hoodie, she walked over to her new friend, leading her by the shoulders to the mirror.

"I feel so bad," the blue-haired girl said, almost to herself. "Poor Madoka..."

Biting back a sharp and hurtful retort, Kyoko forced herself to smile at the other girl, prominent canines displayed in a wolfish grin. Sayaka looked ready to collapse: dark circles under her bloodshot eyes and drooping, red-rimmed eyelids were accented by the slumped shoulders and unsteady gait. The girl was dead on her feet.

"Time to clean you up, girl," Kyoko said, putting her hand on the small of Sayaka's back, gently pushing her towards the mirror. Forced to confront her appearance, the blue-haired rookie's eyes flashed with disgust-and widened as she felt strong fingers grab the back of her head and force her face down.

Kyoko held her head underwater for a few seconds, grimacing at the water thrown about by the the thrashing figure she kept pinned. She pulled the girl back, face twisted in distaste as Sayaka shook her head, spraying water everywhere. Worth it, she thought, even though she was now half as wet as the younger girl who was turning around, sputtering and wearing a shocked expression that was quickly morphing into something along the pissed-off spectrum. At least her clothes were mostly dry-the blunette's uniform was pasted to her flesh as if drawn on, water streaming from her head giving her white shirt an almost translucent quality.

"Hey, watch it!" she growled, trying to maintain appearances. Even thought the younger girl had largely recovered from her private pity-party, Kyoko was having a hard time remembering to remain the gruff bad ass that she was.

"What the hell, Kyoko?" Sayaka coughed. She shook her head back and forth, drops of water flung from her whipping hair, reminding the older girl of some kind of shaggy dog.

"You look like a dog," Kyoko teased, adding to herself "Phew! You smell a bit like one as well."

"Hey-" The junior protested, the instant anger replaced by a wounded look flashing in her eyes. Kyoko felt a stab of conscience-then angrily stamped down on that unfamiliar sense of sympathy. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Sayaka, you're a mess. You need to get cleaned up, but most of all, you need to focus." She had been aware of the harm that the parting with Madoka had inflicted upon the junior, but she also didn't want to deal with the infinite reservoir of self-blame and pity that Sayaka seemed capable of drawing from, at least not tonight.

Infinite reservoir of self-blame... Kyoko thought momentarily, feeling uncomfortable at articulating that thought in particular, but she metaphorically shook her head and plowed forward.

"You need to snap out of it. We need to get you home, get you to bed. We're headed toward Mami's apartment building, but you can't walk around looking like this." Awkward questions followed by a police chase was the last thing they needed at this point.

Blue eyes held her own. "How do you know where Mami lived, Kyoko?" Although it was said with curiosity, the red-head couldn't help but feel a hint of accusation beneath the surface.

"Ah..." Words came bubbling out of Kyoko before she had a change to think. "Like I said before, I knew Mami from way back-she helped me out at the beginning, like she tried with you. Even though we weren't on... friendly terms, its pretty standard to know where the local Magical Girls are-keeps you from stepping on each others' toes, and cutting into people's turf..."

"Since when have you been concerned with stepping on someone else's toes?" Sayaka asked suspiciously.

Kyoko was saved from having to answer by a loud knocking on the door. Both girls froze. The knocking continued insistently, and the muffled voice of the attendant asked if everything was all right, sounding more annoyed than worried.

"Almost done," Kyoko hollered, glancing at Sayaka, who's hair was now plastered to her face. She reached over, brushing blue locks out of her friend's eyes.

"I need you to be strong right now, Sayaka. I know you've been through a lot tonight, but you have to keep your feelings in check." She surreptitiously glanced at the Soul Gem-turned-ring adorning the blunette's slim, dirty-nailed finger. "Wash up, then I'll get you home." You can continue saving the city tomorrow, she thought acidly.

Sayaka looked ready to argue, bizarrely, and the older girl found comfort in the ever-increasing stubbornness her friend had begun to show. The wretched creature she had found in the station had been unrecognizable from the spirited pain-in-the-ass she had grown so fond of.

She impulsively snuck a peek as the younger girl peeled off her shirt, but turned away when she caught those blue eyes staring at her from the mirror. About the same, she thought, generous to a fault with her own self-assessment as usual. She leaned against the wall, hoping that the man would come back to harass them again-she felt the need to release the abrupt surge of frustration and energy she was suddenly consumed by on something. With cat-like reflexes, her arm darted back to catch the sodden bundle the younger girl threw at her back. She looked around quizzically, but the blunette had once again turned her back, exposing prominent shoulder-blades as she lowered her face to the sink and put her hands on the counter. "You got me all wet, so you can wring that out."

Water streamed onto the tiled floor as Sayaka dunked her head back into the cold sink. Rubbing her face vigorously, she began kneading the mass of wet, dirty hair that clung uncomfortably to her head. Brownish stains began turning the sink murky.

Kyoko wrung out the shirt, the gentle dripping masked by the louder, staccato sound of the overflowing sink. As her friend ran fingers through her hair, hastily combing out the knots, she unconsciously twisted harder-hearing a distinct ripping sound. Sheepishly, she glanced down, quickly unfolding the less-damp but completely wrinkled and stretched fabric. Holding it up, she noticed a large tear along the seam of the left sleeve... Crap, she thought.

Chin-length hair, dull aqua-green in the bathroom's fluorescent lighting, seemed to hover sideways for a moment as Sayaka spun around at the sound of the door being unlocked and opened. One eye half-shut from water dripping from her bangs, the other intense with disbelief. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she immediately crossed her arms over her chest. "What the hell, Kyoko?" She noticed that the doorway was empty of waiting customers too polite to knock or nosy attendants who were all to eager.

"Here," Kyoko said, tossing the drying, wrinkled and newly ripped shirt back at her counterpart, slipping through the doorway. "I'll be right back, so hurry up." Her expression was, to the younger girl's eyes, slightly shifty.

Kyoko was just finishing up the transaction when the blunette emerged from the restroom, fingering a large rip along the seam of her left sleeve in dismay. "Hurry up," Kyoko muttered, and the man made some beeping noises on the register at the counter. "Come on, baby-we gotta go!" she crowed, grabbing Sayaka's arm and hustling her out the door with a grotesque leer. The younger girl looked confused, resisting enough to turn around to address the attendant. "I'm sorry, sir, but it's pretty wet in there-" She cut off as the door to the shop closed and she found herself back on the street, still being hauled along by the red-head's powerful grip. Through the windowpane, she thought she saw the man's eyes widen, and as just before they crossed the street he had ran towards the back of the store.

"Baby?" Sayaka asked, perplexed and annoyed. Kyoko seemed not to hear. Fine. She noticed a bag bulging with items held in her companion's other hand. "What have you got there?"

"Food!" Kyoko shouted, raising her bag of goodies above her head and shaking it. As they turned a corner, Kyoko continued to haul the blue-haired girl with her, unaware of the storm clouds brewing behind the blue eyes.

Two blocks and several turns away, Kyoko finally slowed down, releasing her grip. The rookie rubbed her arm where she'd been grabbed, expectantly waiting for an explanation. The older girl, in an attempt to collect her thoughts, began rummaging through the bag.

"Kyoko." The red-head stopped shifting around the contents of the sack, hearing the thunder behind the word. She pulled out a container of Yan Yan, holding it out to the other girl.

Sayaka slapped the extended hand, sending the delicious snack flying. Kyoko's blood was instantly up, and dropping her bag, she got ready to pounce on the younger girl, her legs tensing in anticipation.

"Kyoko, how did you get the food?" Sayaka stood her ground, but a slight break in her voice betrayed a little of how intimidatied she was by Kyoko's ire. "Look, I know I owe you a lot..." She paused. "Perhaps everything. But I won't use people-or abandon them. That includes stealing. I'm prepared," she continued with a tone of long-suffering, "to accept you for who you are... but one thing I absolutely require is that you offer me the same respect.

"I need to help people. That is what you made me to realize, back at the station. The world can be a wicked and cruel place, but there are reasons to fight for it. To fight for people. The good ones," she added, wincing in anticipation of what effect her upcoming emotional low blow was about to have. "Like Madoka. Like your sister."

Kyoko felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She dropped her aggressive stance, shoulders slumping and head falling forward. It took a moment for her thoughts to begin working again.

She used my own sister against me? To prove her point? Kyoko's insides were icy at the perceived betrayal of her most tender secret, someone she'd never shared with anyone else since the tragedy.

"You... bitch."

&$#%, thought Sakaya in panic.

"i sh-should... never haf tolb you abow 'er," the red-head snuffled from behind her arm, talking to the street at her feet. She stood there, her universe at a standstill as the stars continued to move across the sky.

"Kyoko, you did tell me about her. You saved me, and you had your sister's help! She helped get through this famously thick head of mine," she added, knocking her forehead with a fist. Still no response from Kyoko. Warily, like she would have approached a sleeping tiger, she inched forward. "I think... I know that you are good, too! You would protect the ones you love, without regard for your own safety-don't try and deny it! You came and saved me. We can be a force for good in this world-I'm begging you," she finished lamely.

Kyoko brought a green sleeve across her face, and looked up at her new companion. Hadn't she herself admitted that what drew her to Sayaka in the first place was the very fire that she was now so stubbornly showing? Naive, and ready to save the world. She couldn't quite trust herself to address the idea head on, so she went with:

"I didn't steal the damn things."

Sayaka blinked, blue eyes dilating in confusion.

"That perv back there thought we were being naughty girls in the bathroom," Kyoko whispered conspiratorially, relishing the color blossoming on the blunette's pale cheeks. Heh. Such a prude! "I only indulged his fantasies a little bit with some vivid descriptive imagery and innuendo. He gave us a nice discount," she added, thoroughly satisfied with herself.

"Vivid descriptive... imagery?" Sayaka's face was on fire! Kyoko congratulated herself.

"And innuendo."

Sayaka narrowed her eyes. She cocked her head, holding her chin with her hand. "Those are some fancy words there, Kyoko."

"?! What, I can't use interesting words ever?"

"I just can't remember you using words I'd hear in, I dunno, school or something. Literature class."

Kyoko glowered. "I'm not stupid, you know. I went to school, too. If I choose not to sound pretentious, that's my business."

"Oh, wow, pretentious," the blue haired girl sighed wonderingly.

It was time to change the subject. "Just so you know, that creep was especially interested in my "blue-haired fox.'"

"Who even talks like that?" Suddenly, a look flashed across Sayaka's face. "So when I said that it was-"

"Yep."

"Did he think-"

"Yeah."

"Gross!"

"Yeah." Kyoko nodded wisely. "Men are gross."

Sayaka walked over to where her Yan Yan cup had fallen. Picking it up, she nodded her thanks and peeled back the top. Drawing out the first stick, she glanced at the quote printed along its side. Kyoko, busy digging out some lychee jelly sticks from the bottom of her bag, was startled as she heard her companion let out a cry-this time of surprise and joy.

"I got the golden egg!" She screeched, jumping up and down. A few of the remaining sticks were shaken out of the package, dropping to the pavement.

"Watch it!" Kyoko snarled.

"Oops. Still, though," the blue hair girl continued as she bent over to pick up what Kyoko would no doubt consider "wasted food." "Isn't it amazing that tonight, of all nights, I finally get a golden egg? Good luck is on the way!" She dipped the stick in the chocolate frosting, loading it with a generous scoop before popping it into her mouth. "Yum." It had been nearly a day and a half since she'd eaten anything, and the sweet flavor caused her mouth erupt with saliva.

Kyoko opened her own pack of Yan Yan, annoyed that she'd hastily given away the only one with chocolate frosting. She was oddly self-conscious, shielding the act from the girl busily munching beside her. Beetle...? Dammit. Lucky Color: Brown. What the-. In Japan, as in many other nations and cultures, brown tends to bring an unpleasant image to mind. You know this is true if you're thinking about it right now.

Stupid Yan Yan prophecies.

She quickly ate the rest of the cookie sticks, leaving the vanilla largely untouched-Its more a condiment than food. She began digging around for something new, then shrugged and dumped the bag out on the ground. Sayaka stopped stuffing herself with strawberry marshmallows when she heard the distinctive hiss and clinking glass of a ramune bottle dropping its marble. Watching Kyoko take a swig, she held out her hand in a grasping motion, her mouth stuffed with puffy, chewy candy. The red head ignored her to take another sip, then handed it to her imploring friend, who promptly pressed it to her lips and drank the remainder in three long gulps. The red-haired veteran watched the younger girl-and sitting there on the pavement of the side street, cross-legged and eating candy in the middle of the night, she realized that Sayaka was still a young girl. Just as she herself was.

Damn Kyubey, for tricking us.She opened a bag of rice crisps.

Sayaka's mood improved once she got something inside her, and the two began to walk home-feeling fresh and awake thanks to the sugar rush. But it didn't take long before the girls began sensed a dark and lingering presence of violence and destructive chaos. The girls looked at one another.

"Witch," they said in unison.

As always, any suggestions for improving are appreciated. Any sense of depth to the characters, do my attempts at humor get across... et cetera? One line was written through tears of laughter, if you guess it I'll grant you a wish! I really detested the initial title, hence the name change. Sa Ko (Say Ko?)