Chapter 23

Not Quite a First Date, Part 1.

Sayaka glared at the girl before her, almost snarling with outrage. The insults, the obnoxious comments and veiled threats... she'd had enough. More than enough. And that stuff about Mami-san... oh man, she was going to pay dearly for that.

"Last chance, bitch. Back down before I kick... your... ass." The blunette's voice quivered with rage.

The redhead smiled-oh how she hated that stupid, annoying smirk already! Sayaka swore she'd wipe that arrogant look of her face, all right... dodging a twirling chain that tried to entangle her, she brought up her sword, mentally willing it to extend-

Earlier that night

It had started off well enough. At least until they'd gotten to the bottom of the elevator and stepped out into the large reception area, the arching ceiling extending far above them. There were people, lots of people, milling around.

Sayaka noticed a few things in the moment she had to take it all in; the people were a mixed group, almost like the place was hosting two rival conventions. Many wearing expensive business suits, carrying briefcases and looking important and, well, business-like. The rest seemed more like members of some bosozoku gang, with lots of leather and tatoos and chains and...

Kyoko grabbed her arm firmly and dragged her down the hall. The look on her face was not reassuring to the wondering blunette. "Were some of those guys carrying swords?" The red head put a finger to her lips, frowning and glancing back frequently. They came to a door marked "Staff Only." The older girl tried the handle; locked. Taking out something from within her pockets, she bent over the doorknob. Sayaka watched her rear end wiggle about, wondering what was going on. She was really looking hard at that handle-

Snickt. Kyoko opened the door, pressing on. After a few steps, she realized that her companion wasn't following. She spun around, waving at the blunette to come through the door. Sakaya looked uncomfortable. She stepped across the threshold, still uncertain of anything other than that it would not be fun to get caught trespassing and detained by the police in a city far from home.

"But, it says 'Staff Only'..."

Kyoko heaved a exasperated sigh. "Ah, Sayaka, give it a rest! Its not like we're here to steal something." Even as she said the words, her eyes darted around, looking for money, valuables, or food... not necessarily in that order.

They were in some kind of maintenance room; stacks of towels, row after row of cleaning supplies, linens, plastic cups, and a vast assortment of miniature-sided toiletries. There was another door, and what looked like a hallway leading to where Kyoko thought she remembered the parking lot. As the door shut behind the blunette, Kyoko walked over to the shelves and began filling her pockets.

"Hey, wha-"

"Relax, this stuff is free. They gave it to us in our room, right?" Kyoko did her best to smile winningly, but could see that her partner was about to continue the conversation, so she pulled the old bait-and-switch. "You were right, by the way. Those guys definitely had swords."

It worked. "Who the hell carries around a sword like they're in some kind of manga or something." She realized what she had just said, but considered her own circumstances special. Besides, she didn't exactly walk around brandishing hers. "What was that all about, Kyoko? Who were those people, and why did you want to get away from them so bad?"

Kyoko finished putting the last few bottles of shampoo and mouthwash in her bulging pockets, and turned to regard the younger girl frankly. "Um, I think they may have been, well, yakuza."

Sayaka stared. What was that insidious criminal organization doing here? How did Kyoko recognize who they were? They looked nothing like what I expected from the movies. Why was Kyoko afraid of them seeing us... Why would they want to... oh yeah. That made sense. Oh my god, Kyoko, I'm going to-

"And the swords... well, have you thought about how hard it is to get a gun in Japan? The only ones outside of the police force are illegally imported, or stolen from the police. Or, I suppose, the Americans." Hmm, she thought to herself, remembering Homura's perfectly real, non-magical firearms of destruction. Wonder where she got 'em.

"Confirm my suspicions. Did we just spend the night in some yakuza's room?"

Kyoko shook her head. "Not just some yakuza. Think about it. We were on the top floor... all that stuff..."

"The... oyabun's penthouse?" As the the head of a powerful criminal organization, the oyabun was a figure held in respect and fear... but mostly fear. They were, by the very nature of their professions and success, proud and vengeful... tales of the brutal revenge that famous oyabun's throughout history had inflicted upon their enemies still tickled the imaginations of children across Japan. "How did you... what... what were you thinking?"

Kyoko looked at her, puzzled. "Well, it was bound to be the best room in the place..." stating what she considered obvious.

Sayaka gave up on the topic for now. She wasn't afraid, exactly, although the yakuza had a notorious reputation. But, if they were seen and had to fight their way out... a lot of people could die. Would die. And while her sense of righteousness was inflamed by the presence of a band of thieves and possible killers... she was eager to let the police deal with the human criminals while she dealt with the Witches. Her stomach was still tying itself in knots whenever she thought about the attack on the streets the night before.

She had brought up the subject with Kyoko earlier that day, having brief conversation, a bit awkward at first as the red-head tried to describe her feelings to Sayaka after similar... incidents in the past. The main idea behind her rambling justifications meant to make the blunette feel better boiled down to: Sometimes, it's kill or be killed. And if those are your options, one was definitely preferable to the other.

Reflecting on that bit of wisdom from her fiery-haired friend, Sayaka followed the girl's long swaying ponytail through the hallway, out a door, and into the Motogawa evening.

Dinner... did not go as planned. Kyoko admitted that she should have thought things out a little more, coaxed her blunette into eating first... but Sayaka had seen through her ploy too easily.

Eying the red-head dubiously, the younger girl had asked how they were supposed to eat with no money. She had practically nothing, and didn't want Kyoko using her mind tricks to scam them into a free dinner.

That, of course, was exactly Kyoko's intention. Hastily modifying her plan, she improvised... and had pulled out the wad of bills.

"Uh..." Sayaka looked stunned, she'd never seen a pile of money like that outside of a movie. Kyoko, not exactly knowing how her friend would take the news on how she acquired it, went for her patented mischievous grin, which everyone else insisted was a smirk. Idiots.

"Quit smirking, Kyoko, and lemme see that." The blunette reached out, almost greedily, Kyoko thought. She hefted the bundle of cash. "It's so heavy," she exclaimed in a whisper. Flipping through, she noticed 10,000 yen bill after 10,000 yen bill. "Holy shit, Ky... waaaaait. Where did this come from?"

Kyoko felt foolish for hoping to sidetrack Sayaka's questions by introducing yet another tricky detail into the mix. Dammit, she's got that look on her face, the one whenever she had to wait for more than a few seconds for an answer...

Sayaka glowered at her frequently-infuriating companion, watching the older girl try to make up a story on the fly. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, which would have ruined the effect of her disapproving stare, she marveled at how the veteran had gotten by so long without the ability to lie better.

She didn't know exactly what her feelings were about... well, she wasn't exactly sure about what she'd gotten into, either. Was Kyoko her... girlfriend now?

"Kyoko, are you my girlfriend?"

The abrupt change threw the red-head's entire train of thought into a painful and horrific derailment. She stared, partly open-mouthed. Sayaka gave her time. People, couples and families, had been entering the restaurant, their curious, considering or outright creepy stares failing to have any effect upon the currently-oblivious teenagers.

Kyoko was trying to think fast, think of an answer, but her mind was suddenly, disturbingly blank. "Ahhmmm... are you... mine?" She winced at the response, and since Sayaka saw the wince she decided not to get mad.

"I'm asking if you consider yourself... well, my girlfriend. Should I be asking you to be my girlfriend? Cuz I kinda thought I'd made that clear in the tub-"

Kyoko was blushing, whole face going several shades closer to her hair color. Blushing, and reflecting on how much she hated blushing, and further, ruminating on the correlation between time spent around Sayaka and incidents of herself being forced to blush... there was definitely something there. A young couple and their small child walked past, into the restaurant. The lady was dressed up, fancy, giving Kyoko the odd and completely uncharacteristic desire to get something new to wear for a night on the town. A dress, maybe. Or a very short skirt. Something... classy. Her thoughts were interrupted when the kid pointed and started saying something about the "red lady with red face." Kyoko turned on the family, snarling, and all three froze at the sight of the cute, pony-tailed and athletic-looking young lady turning on them with such a hideously contorted face... seeming almost to bare her fangs like some primitive monster, or vampire.

The little boy began crying. The parents, rushing inside, cast backwards glances at the girl, as if worried she would follow them. The mother spent the meal, and part of the evening, complaining about that "evil-looking thug of a girl." The father saw those fangs in his dreams for nights to come, one of two details he'd observe that evening that would be remembered fondly for years to come.

"Feel better?" Sayaka asked, mockingly but with just the right amount of ironic commiseration that Kyoko didn't feel like punching her much at all. "Follow me," the younger girl said, taking Kyoko's strong hand in her own, and dragging the girl around the block until they found an alley to shelter in. "Away from prying eyes... and distractions," Sayaka commented, obviously pleased.

"Okay, Saya, let me... first, I... uh..." The blunette absolutely adored the flustered version of Kyoko, and resolved to try and inspire her to come out and play more often. She tried to maintain her calm, but a lot was riding on the answer her once and hopefully future partner gave her.

After a few moments, Sayaka started to feel even less confident. "If you don't wanna talk about it," she began, but Kyoko looked up, recognizing the "hurt but still brave" voice she admired so much. As long as she wasn't causing the hurt. "I'm trying to think of a better way of saying... telling you how I feel. I'm... a little outta practice. But, here goes..."

Taking a deep breath, Kyoko began. "The first time we met, I so absolutely hated you at the end of our little duel. I know, I know," she amended, acknowledging the blunette's raised eyebrows. "It got to be a little... more than a duel. You really pissed me off, Saya, and I'll tell you why. You were doing something you thought was right, even though I didn't, and you didn't bend or break... you stood up to me. You got in my face and threw what I was saying right back at me." She looked around the alley, but saw nothing, her thoughts focused on translating her feelings to a language her companion would understand.

"Now, I'm not saying I agree with your ideals or whatever... I was just impressed by your... I dunno. Tenacity." Kyoko shrugged, feeling less than eloquent.

"Do you try so hard to kill everyone who 'impresses' you?" Sayaka asked, half-seriously... and half-deadly-serious. "And isn't tenacity another word for stubborn?"

"Stubbornness," Kyoko corrected. "And... no. I don't try to kill anyone. Or at least, not unless they give me a reason to." Sayaka knew that Kyoko was not joking in the least, despite her bravado... she had little doubt the older girl had killed before, after recent events... the thought was not as horrifying as she would have expected, and it even made her feel better, somehow. There was even a certain dark appeal to it...

"Have... have you ever... killed someone?" Sayaka held her breath; it had just kind of slipped out. Kyoko gave her a level stare.

"We're getting off topic, but since I'm gonna to tell you something anyway, I'll start by answering your question. Yes." She paused, knowing the other girl would have to struggle to contain her urge to dig for further details. After a few moments, watching her adorable blunette's too-casual face begin to reveal her inner turmoil, Kyoko elaborated. "I don't really want to talk about it, but I will say this: he had it coming."

Sayaka felt chilled. Whoa! Careful what you ask for, you might just get an answer. "Was it... for revenge?"

"You could say that," Kyoko said vaguely... choosing to leave out some details at this time that, even now, were raw and festering scabs she was terrified of ripping off again, exposing the nasty wound underneath. "Do... do you think worse of me? Am I...bad, now?" Kyoko meant to be mocking, but felt herself hanging on the answer.

"No." Sayaka had thought a moment before answering. "You're not a monster. You're, like, the most amazing person I've ever known..." Sorry Madoka... you're still the nicest and sweetest, though! "I... the reason I asked you the question you still haven't answered, is... uh. Dammit. I'm kinda new to all this stuff, so I don't really... I'm not sure..."

The blunette's attempt to put her partner at ease sputtered out, Sayaka finding herself unable to convey the exact nature of her confusion, or wonderment, or baffled misunderstanding, or whatever the hell it was she was questioning right now. She felt like she did in math class, when suddenly she was called on to answer a question she didn't even begin to understand, the formula and variables foreign and unknowable, which made any attempt to answer the problem impossible. She lacked the foundation upon which that knowledge was built.

Kyoko understood her companion's distress all too well. She remembered back, during the early days of a tempestuous relationship with a certain drill-haired blond. She'd often felt lost, wondering what exactly it was she felt... and what she wanted for the future. "Sayaka. Miki Sayaka. I can't believe you're going to make me come out and say this... its so not my style. I have thought about... only myself. For years. And then, along comes this plucky blunette-"

Plucky? What the hell does that mean? Sayaka continued listening, but made a note to look it up. It sounded... unflattering.

"-who had the nerve to prevent me from kicking her butt, and taught me something. Or reminded me. About myself. About... who I used to be. Who I wanted to be. Something I'd... run away from, I guess. Hidden from. For... for years." Kyoko gazed into the blue eyes of her friend, dark in the shadowy alleyway, gazing with rapt attention. "I'm not the same person I was two years ago. I can't go back. But... I feel like I'm not the same person I was two days ago, either. And totally different from a week ago. We've... been through a lot, together. Already. All that shit inside that crazy barrier... and before that, when we talked at the train station. Even before that, when I talked to you after the... second time we tried to fight."

She grasped Sayaka's hands in her own, the strong, tough fingers squeezing their softer counterparts. With the contact, Kyoko watched those blue eyes burn, a pair of icy azure circles staring into her soul, brimming with expectation. "I hope you can believe me, trust me... when I say this. I... can't stop thinking about you. You... you inspire me, Sayaka. Like I want to be better, just because you're around. You've already made a difference to me, in my life... you made me confront some things I'd put off for far too long. You helped me remember what it's like to be a person, and a good person at that... not just some Witch-killing, Grief Seed hoarding... machine."

Kyoko looked a little bashful by her monologue, but continued. "So, in answer to your question... if you want me, I am yours... I am definitely your girlfriend, girlfriend!"

Somehow, Sayaka felt like crying, even though she felt a thrilling explosion of happiness. A new understanding of the world around her, and her place within it. It was an intoxicating feeling: validation. Someone she really, really... really liked, and who returned that feeling with interest.

The blunette tightened her grip on the older girl's fingers, Kyoko exclaiming in surprise for a brief instant as she was slammed into the alley wall. Pinning the red-head, Sayaka leaned in, her lips meeting Kyoko's mid-yelp, warm tongue slipping in between. Kyoko's shock seemed to melt... her whole body seemed to melt, as her gorgeous, busty blunette pressed her body into her own. Feeling the heat that seemed to draw her inward, she feverishly began groping everything she could lay her hands on, her own soft but growing moans mixing with those of her partner.

Suddenly, a scream rent the air, echoing off the sides of the alley. Jerking apart, Kyoko was instantly ready for danger and scanning for threats, Sayaka instantly ready to kick the shit out of whatever had just interrupted her moment, looking for a target. I mean, come on! she complained to the universe at large.

"Mommy mommy!"

The couple from before, having enjoyed a fine dinner at the establishment, began to walk home. Their night had been pleasant, with a minimum of fuss from their four year old son, and an alternate target for the woman's ire, for which her husband was thoroughly grateful for. Then, the kid had begun screaming, and they turned.

"See what day did? Day was kissin!"

Looking into the dimly lit opening the alleyway, two figures appeared to struggle just a few feet off the sidewalk. They seemed to break apart after the shout, turning in the direction of the street. A passing car illuminated the alley for a brief moment, and the woman thought with shocked horror as the man thought with shocked amazement: they were two girls! Young girls!

Sayaka reluctantly postponed her revenge; it was hardly heroic beating up a little kid, or even a parent or two in front of a little kid. Even if that old cow had muttered something suspiciously like "degenerate" and "pervert" in her whining voice, while her husband seemed to nod absently, a strange blank look on his face. Besides... maybe it was for the best. She tried to shake herself back to reality. Trapped in an unfamiliar city until morning. Without a place to spend the night. With a wad of money stolen from a crime lord. Not a time to get all... touchy-feely with her girlfriend. Girlfriend! It was an invigorating thought.

Kyoko peeled herself off the wall, adjusting her shirt and other parts of her outfit. She was trying to take long, slow, deep breaths... but couldn't shake the urge to pant. Whew! she thought, somewhat at a loss for words. That had been quite a surprise, up until that damn kid had started screaming.

"So, can we go to dinner now?"

Sayaka, although grinning foolishly from the endorphins coursing through her brain, messing with her chemistry necessary for rational thought, did not fall it. Still glowing with this new feeling, she shook her head. "You can, of course. Just like I said before." She paused, trying to control her now-aching smile and failing. "But you need to understand... see that I am not, in any way, interested in theft or stealing or using other people or their things for my own benefit. Period." She hoped she sounded forceful enough with this ridiculous grin plastered to her face.

"Fine," the red-head answered. "Well, then..." There were only two things Kyoko could think about right now, both a kind of hunger, but only one alleviated by something as mundane as food.

"Let's go see if we can find a Witch or two," Sayaka said, throwing the suggestion out into the uncertain silence. "You said we need more Grief Seeds... Whoa! Dammit, I completely forgot. We can't get into the room again, what are we going to do about the Soul Gems...?"

Kyoko fished around in her shorts pocket... the one without the big hole in it. "I've got them. I've got them and the Grief Seed." She held out the three egg-shaped gems, the three appearing an almost uniform black, broken only by tiny slivers of color. "I couldn't just leave them on a table or something... they're Magical Girls..."

"Oh... good. The Grief Seed..." Sayaka still felt a nervous about the idea of looking into that thing's thoughts and perceptions. Kyoko was well aware of that, and to a certain extent shared the same worry.

"We need to figure out what to do with these," Kyoko began, but Sayaka waved her hands as if to dispel her words.

"We will, but not right now. Let's go hunt a bit," Sayaka said, feeling a dangerous energy flowing through her, an energy that needed proper channeling. Such as, by battling an evil magical monster in a demonic pocket-realm of nonsensical symbolism. She had a plan for the Soul Gems... but didn't think Kyoko would necessarily approve.

Taking her friend's hand... her girlfriend's hand, Sayaka walked into the night, confident that she could spend the rest of forever with her companion, wanting nothing about the way she felt at that moment to change, ever.

But of course, the universe doesn't allow anything to last forever. Or even for very long. Entropy is always there, breaking down all this highly ordered matter, patiently grinding away at the solidity of reality, seeking to turn everything back into atomic dust. As above, so below. Mirrors between the macrocosm and microcosm.

I should be a poet, Kyubey thought to itself. Its pink eyes, glossy in the streetlamp, following the pair as they walked into the city. Ah well. Time to get to work.

Kenichi Shinobi, oyabun of the Rikkimaru-gumi syndicate, stared around his lavish penthouse in disbelief. A shaking, gnarled but well-manicured hand ran through his greying, thinning hair.

Security had informed him about a possible intrusion... his minions had cleared the room minutes ago, but found no sign of the perpetrators of this... monstrous crime.

His flat, steely gaze wandered around the room, taking in the stained counter top, a crusting of dried... sauces or something, Kenichi-sama wasn't much of a cook. Walking, he noticed that several of his favorite decorative animals were missing from a table near the entryway. Pillows littered the floor, cushions ripped up from the seating and strewn about the room. Pausing by the counter, he looked without expression at the sink, filled to the brim with dirty water and floating gobbets of... something. An aged fist clenched.

His bed... he stared at the rumpled sheets, soiled by the unwashed body or bodies that had dared to lay in his bed! The feathers... several his extremely expensive Norwegian goose-feather hypoallergenic pillows lay scattered about the room, some showing evidence of rips and tears along the seams, and the soft down covered the area like a blanket of freshly fallen snow. Looking at the scene, a little bit of his self-pride seemed to wither and die.

The bathroom... his lieutenant had come to him with the only physical evidence that they had discovered. Long strands of hair, clumped around the drain. Red, and blue...

And worst of all... the safe, hidden under the floorboards, underneath the bed... had been opened. The documents appeared untouched, but the thieves had made off with his money. If someone, anyone, stole something from Kenichi Shinobi, then everyone would think they could steal from him. It was his duty, to himself, his legacy, and his organization, to right this wrong in the only satisfactory way to attain retribution.

Vowing silently to his ancestors that he would avenge this indignity that had been inflicted upon him, his honor, and thus his entire organization, Kenichi Shinobi called for his phone. His assistant provided it promptly, just like everything else the oyabun asked for.

Kenichi-sama began making a series of calls.

Long wait this time.

One apology I have to make, the intro bit isn't resolved by the end of the chapter, so you're going to have to wait for it. And the lack of action, that all got shuffled to part two.

Very late, so I'll try to be more detailed in my responses next time. As always, thanks ever so much for keeping me informed and motivated with your fantastic feedback. I do appreciate it immensely.