Chapter 47

Benefits of sleep

Kyoko awoke with a start, heart pounding as she felt the bed bounce underneath her. Something was wrong, something was strange-

A moment later the redhead realized where she was. She was pressed up against something hot and damp; she felt flushed and sweaty and suddenly uncomfortable. Disentangling herself from the damp sheet twisted around her legs, she sat up, throwing the covers off violently.

The sky was dark, but the ambient street lighting from below gave her enough illumination to see by. Stalking over to the window that had served as her entrance, she unlatched the lock and pushed it all the way up. A soothing blast of frosty night air rolled across her sweat-soaked skin, and she shook her hair in irritation at the way it clung to her neck.

She stood before the window, taking deep breaths of the fresh, chilly gusts of air, sweat disappearing as the hair on her forearms began to rise. Shivering, she continued to focus on taking one big breath after another, trying desperately not to focus on what she'd been dreaming about-

Kyoko had nightmares, sometimes. Sleep came with difficulty, unless she was exhausted. She'd long ago learned the trick of not remembering, of letting the vivid images at play within her subconscious to fade in those first crucial minutes after waking up, horror and detail bleeding away until only the fuzziest of memories remained. As long as she didn't think about them...

Usually it worked.

But she couldn't get that voice out of her head. Bestest sista evah!

No! Ashamed, feeling as always like she was betraying the most precious person in the world to her, Kyoko tried to think about something else, anything else, instead of remembering...

Shivering, Kyoko approached the one thing she knew would be able to distract her. Standing for a moment at the foot of the bed, she admired the soft, curvy outline of her sleeping blunette, disheveled hair spread every which way over her pillow, her mouth partly open, breaths soft and deep and regular.

The redhead shivered again, clutching her arms across her chest. She slid back into bed, leaving the blanket folded back. Sayaka was radiating heat like a furnace, and she shimmied up against the girl, pressing up against the damp t-shirt, her bare legs sliding across the blunette's. Closing her eyes, she tried to find a comfortable position for her arm, eventually draping it right across the girl's bountiful chest.

For a month, the ribbon-wrapped tissue had sat in Kyoko's top dresser drawer, and she found herself looking forward to that first glimpse of it every morning as she got ready to begin her day. She couldn't bring herself to open it, for some reason. It felt wrong, somehow. She'd long since figured out what lay inside; the tissue incapable of masking the feel of the sphere with the spiky point sticking out of it.

Kyoko spent nearly every night patrolling her city, vigilant for the presence of any of the Devil's spawn. Six months into her new life, she had developed something of a routine. She'd learned a few hot-spots, and how to tell the difference between Familiars and Witches. There was plenty of prey, and aside from one altercation, she hadn't had problems with other Puella Magi. She made a point of hunting down Familiars, honing her skills and saving herself the future trouble of having to confront a full-blown Witch. Kyubey hadn't bothered to explain much to her, and that was fine with Kyoko. Seeing the creature brought to mind the Contract, and every time she thought about the deal she'd made, she had to wonder.

Am I damned?

If so, it was a small price to pay. And she didn't think it was so. Not really. She was good, everything she did was in God's name. She saved people. Saved children.

Still, the thought refused to go away.

Then, when the dreams started, she began to wonder if she wasn't damned in a completely other way.

Waking up in the middle of the night, her whole body on fire. The echoing memory of eyes shimmering like liquid gold, luscious curls and soft, full lips would throb in her mind, and before the self-loathing could take a hold of her, she found herself soaked in a desperate need of something to ease the ache, the pain-

So soft. Round. Full. The images would not cease tormenting her.

Lying in bed, listening to the sounds of her sister's soft breathing, Kyoko would stare at the ceiling, blinking back tears of frustration and disgust. What is wrong with me? The shame was amplified by her sister's presence; the sweet, innocent girl a mocking parallel to the twisted thing her older sister was turning into.

She'd vow to throw away the stupid present, or use it and be done with it. Get that girl out of her mind once and for all. Resolved, she'd fall back asleep.

Somehow, she never remembered to follow through when she woke.

"Ahhh… excuse me?" Mami, for once, found herself speechless. Suddenly-nervous fingers played with the elaborate curls twisting down past her shoulders. It had been months since she'd seen this girl, and weeks since she'd even bothered to think about her… and now, at her doorstep, and without so much as a greeting-

"Let's go hunting," the girl said, sounding a little more impatient than the first time, fidgeting in the doorway. The redhead's cheeks were rosy, even though summer was hardly over, and her eyes darted around everywhere but at Mami. "This time, I can show you around Kasamino."

With an intense look, Mami's molten gold gaze took in the state of Sakura Kyoko. Concern quickly grew to alarm. The shorter girl looked absolutely haggard. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, circles nearly as dark as bruises hovering below them. She seemed to sag within her clothes, a collared white blouse and a pair of long black slacks. There was something about her voice as well, something desperate, that made Mami pause. She glanced back, the material she was studying in preparation for next semester seeming vastly less important than it had minutes before.

"Okay, Sakura-san. Just let me get my keys."

"Thanks. For the seed, I mean."

Mami smiled. "Glad you found a use for it. I was afraid you'd toss it away." She kept her eyes focused on the window, feeling rather than seeing the other girl giving her a strange look. The bus was practically empty; it was a worrying measure of the redhead's exhaustion, or whatever was wrong with her, that she'd allowed Mami to pay her fare. It hummed along through the darkening evening, electric engine silent. Leaves caught in the vortex of the bus's passage danced past the window, fluttering behind in the slipstream like butterflies until they slowly settled to the pavement, to be run over and destroyed, or perhaps hurled up to begin it all again…

Mami sighed. When Kyoko looked at her this time, she turned to catch the girl's dark eyes with her own. Flustered, the redhead turned away. "Sakura-san, is there… something you'd like to, ah… tell me?"

Kyoko gave up. Eyes brimming, stinging as badly as her own sense of self-worth, the redhead tried to explain. Things had been going well, all summer long. Until, a week ago, when Kyoko had tracked down a Witch to an old abandoned mall.

Wiping her eyes in frustration, Kyoko recalled how confident she'd felt. How invincible. She didn't bother explaining that to the blonde, focusing instead on her near escape the first time. And the second…

"I was lying there for three days before I could get up." What she didn't say, the worst of it, was that only her sister had been concerned at her absence. She'd been gone overnight before, and her parents were busy with all the preparations, but still...

"Sakura-san, that's horrible!" Mami said, placing a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder, giving a sympathetic squeeze. A long moment later Kyoko jerked back with what the gunslinger could have sworn was a snarl.

"It's what happened. What matters now is… will you…" Why is it so hard to ask?

"Of course!" Mami said quickly, trying to smile as reassuringly as possible. "We'll fight this one together. After all, we're both Magical Girls, and we're here to make the world a safer place, right?" She scooted back in the seat, giving the other girl some space.

She turned to look back out the window, seeing the skyline of Mitakihara slowly diminishing. Kasamino was a larger city, although not, in her humble opinion, nearly as beautiful… Something crashed into her shoulder, and she nearly gasped, or jumped, before realizing that she mustn't move a muscle.

Carefully, she leaned into the snoring girl, letting her shoulder be the comfortable resting place of that cute head. Gently, Mami sighed. Even if she is hopelessly crushing the curl out of my drill.

It certainly looks foreboding enough to be a Witch's haunt. Mami stared at the abandoned structure with a grim expression. Not that it mattered, really. A Witch could appear almost anywhere. But this one felt… appropriate. Many Witch's haunts did.

Kyoko looked angry and impatient. "Come on! What are we waiting for?" She'd been too drowsy to be embarrassed when she awoke with her face planted firmly in the blonde's bosom, but had acted uneasy ever since they'd gotten off the bus.

Mami smiled patiently. "Don't worry, we'll take care of it. But, my impetuous friend, sometimes it saves time to look before you leap." She was worried; the other girl's Soul Gem, displayed at her chest, was a dull, clouded maroon, and the look she was giving was, of all things, suspicious. Suspicious! After she'd basically come to me, asking for help!

Kyoko grunted. Friends? We'll see. She'd already transformed, and didn't understand why the blonde was still in that elegant outfit she'd been wearing. Not that she was dressed to go to a ball, the redhead acknowledged, but the look and style of her clothing gave them an expensive, designer feel. Now is the time to get our hands dirty, not stand around looking pretty!

"Alright, I'm ready." Mami cupped her hands, her ring seeming to flow and melt until she was holding a luminous golden crystal. Holding it out before her, she allowed herself to gaze into it, trying to feel for something dark, wicked, dangerous-

She felt it, shuddering as she imagined the thing feeling her as well. That sense of resonance… it was disturbing. Shaking the thoughts from her head, one curl bouncing while the other flailed limply, she put on a wide smile for the redhead that continued to stare at her impatiently. At least now, there was a spark of eagerness in those dull, exhausted eyes. Doing a few dance steps out of sheer joy, Mami summoned her outfit, feeling it cinch up the front, comfortingly snug and supportive.

She began walking toward the derelict building, pausing as she realized the redhead wasn't following. "Coming?" she asked lightly, glancing back at her strange new friend. Maybe friend is a stretch, she cautioned herself. Peer, at the very least.

Kyoko seemed to come alive again, frowning exaggeratedly and stomping off after the blonde into the ruins.

"Alright, Sakura-san, here's the plan-"

"Plan?" Kyoko looked baffled. "Why do we need a plan? Let's go in there and annihilate this thing!"

Mami tsked to herself. "You were very clear; the Witch is powerful. And too fast." She paused, thinking. "Just because there's two of us… that doesn't make us somehow miraculously win. We need to find a way to deal with its advantages. A way that compliments us both…"

Kyoko waited impatiently for several moments. "I need to get in close."

"But you said it was too fast to hit-"

"I'll, well, distract it, and you can hopefully get a shot at it."

"Hmm. I don't know. It's the whole hopefully part that worries me." Mami peered at Kyoko through squinted eyes. "Awful trusting of you to let me take shots at a thing you'll be right next to…"

The redhead stopped, giving the girl a look. "Shouldn't I trust you?"

Caught off guard, Mami's mouth opened and closed several times, making her feel like a fish for a moment. "Well," she said, finding herself blushing and looking at the ground, "I am a pretty good shot."

"Alright, then there's our plan."

Unconvinced, the blonde followed Kyoko up a flight of dilapidated stairs. Immaculate boots crunched their way through refuse and rubble, the abandoned building slowly succumbing to age and disuse.

And possibly, something more sinister.

"Think about it. You said the thing seemed to blink in and out of existence, that you'd swing and it would be gone, appearing behind you. The only time you even felt it was when it was slashed you so badly, right?" Kyoko shrugged, looking less confident. "We have to neutralize that, not hope for a lucky shot." Mami nodded to herself, increasingly certain of her own plan. "Here's what I think we should do…"

Roaring, the creature that thought of itself as Marrow Lynn leapt at the foul beings that had invaded her domain. One of the auras was familiar, and with renewed fury, the thing recognized the scent of the one that had gotten away. The beings shone with a harsh psychic radiance, seething and painful, almost like a memory of some great thing that was now long lost, forever beyond her reach…

She hated that feeling most of all. The ones who had come before, the weaklings, she had hungered for. These powerful, painful ones, she simply wanted to destroy.

Her worthless minions lay scattered and torn, her much-needed slumber interrupted by the incessant banging cacophony of explosions that refused to end, bombarding her, ending the brief oblivion she'd so desperately nurtured. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone?

Lynn fell from the brilliant light where she lived, high in the sky, hurtling down. Clearly, she heard the voice call out, but the words slipped through her mind's grasp.

"Kyoko, watch out!"

The Witch slammed into the ground, feeling the familiar prey flee beyond her grasp. Roaring, Lynn rose to her full height, reels of dark ribbon seeming to materialize around her, encompassing the entire chamber, ghostly and transparent.

She felt the hated foe nearby, snarling with triumph as she reached out, bending herself to grasp at the approaching redhead. The burning, painful radiance the being emanated was horrendous, a feeling not unlike nauseous revulsion coursing through her incorporeal body. Lynn reached out, grasping with both pincers at the girl that was an insult to her very existence.

Mami watched keenly, the creature unlike any she'd seen before. That was unsurprising, given the varied nature of these strange enemies. The way it moved, though…

Giving her skirt a shake, she rearmed, bending down to recover one of the dozen ornately filigreed flintlock rifles, the intuitive connection she felt with her weapons letting her fire from the hip with perfect accuracy. She hurled the silver and wood firearm at the thing, her other hand already clasped around the reassuring grip of the next, bringing it up and steeling herself not to blink as she pulled the trigger.

BLAM BLAM BLAM. The first thrown weapon missed the thing just as she made her fourth shot, two other firearms already spinning through the air on their way to the creature.

Kyoko snaked to the side, barely avoiding the monster's grabbing claw, like some kind of giant crab, or scorpion. She felt the impact of the immense appendage as it hit the ground where she'd been standing, bullets were whizzing through the air and rifles spinning over her head-and then it was gone. For a single instant it had seemed to lose all of its depth, the platinum white spikes along the back of its head converging to a line of nothing, followed by it's slavering maw and overdeveloped claw-arms.

Knowing what was coming next, Kyoko was already in motion, vaulting straight up as the claws suddenly seemed to reach out of nothing and converge right where she'd been. She spun her spear, propelling herself off of the wall back at the thing, hearing the blasting of her temporary ally but watching the bullets explode harmlessly against the masonry while the Witch seemed to bend and twist itself, partially disappearing at impossible angles.

BLAM BLAM BLAM

Mami watched with tense eyes, waiting as Kyoko bounded away unscathed once again. She leapt backwards as the thing seemed to turn its attention toward her for a second, then suddenly it was right where she'd been.

A dozen rifles fired simultaneously at her side from ten meters up, the bullets ripping neat craters into the worn cement floor. The creature reached up, untouched, grasping at the blonde-

Kyoko was ready. Her spear cut through the creature, the gleaming red blade piercing the insubstantial thinness of the thing's limb with a tearing sound. The creature roared, turning in on itself until nothing was there. An arm reached out from nowhere from someplace completely different, the crab-like claw clamping down around the redhead's waist.

Mami watched her companion tried to dodge backwards from the grasping claw, letting out her breath and clapping her hands together-

The knobbly, serrated pincer clamped down around the hated prey, barbs finding purchase in the soft, delicious flesh. She was furious at these beings for disturbing her, for making her remember the things she had once had, now long lost, impossible dreams and… it was too much. She needed to end these thoughts, and eagerly anticipated cracking the bones and feasting on the succulent marrow inside.

The claw snapped shut, neatly slicing the being it held in two.

Smiling, Mami watched as the ground seemed to erupt with hundreds of golden lines. As the creature's claw scissored around the redhead, it became fully three-dimensional once more, physical and real. The smile turned more grim as the ribbons began to flail through the air, latching on and entwining around the limp, and with a little mental nod she gave the thing a yank.

The screaming, wailing cries that suddenly reverberated through the air didn't phase Kyoko. Watching the halves of her double fade to nothing, she'd hurled herself forward the second Mami's cords had wrapped around it. As she approached, more of the thing became visible, including that great mandibled head with the white-gold spiky crest.

Landing on the ground, Mami twirled around twice, picking up one of the thirty-something guns that lay hovering, barrel-down, around her. BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM

Watching the bullets begin to rip into the creature, Kyoko allowed herself a cruel smile. Oh no you don't, she thought, competitive adrenaline coursing through her whole body. She thrust out with her spear, watching it burst apart into segments that were pushed forward by the long connecting chain between them. It pierced the thing right between its ugly mouth-parts, and Kyoko felt the thing's deafening moan seem to shake her bones.

Mami lined up her next shot, holding both barrels at the ready, but waited.

Kyoko continued her assault, the thing writhing helplessly inside the entwining net of metallic ribbon. She jerked the imbedded spear-head out, relishing the feel of the chain's barbs and blades severing cords and cutting tendons inside the thing's body… If it even has those things, the redhead thought grimly, stabbing at the prone creature with an overhand grip.

She didn't stop until the ribbons collapsed and she felt the barrier collapse around her. She fell to her knees, bowing her head.

"Ky- Sakura-san?" Mami asked, approaching hesitantly. Was something wrong? But after another step, the girl's head snapped up, a wide smile playing across her face as she unclasped her hands and got up, slamming herself into the other girl. Surprised, Mami only took a moment to begin returning the hug. A tight hug, at that. "Ah, Sakura-san," she began rather breathlessly a minute later.

Kyoko stood back, flustered. "That was incredible! Thank you, Tomoe Mami. You really know your stuff." The redhead's beaming grin was infectious, and Mami did have reason to feel proud. More innocent life saved, and equally important-

"Sakura-san," she said playfully, "don't forget your winnings!" She jerked a thumb at the nearby seed. It felt like that, sometimes. Like the Grief Seeds were the prize they got, the reward for destroying yet another dangerous monster. It was kind of fitting. Almost like a video game.

After a brief argument involving who owed who what, and a good-natured lecture on the difference between gifts and obligations, Mami convinced Kyoko to keep the seed, using it now and keeping the rest for later. "I have enough for myself," Mami assured the other girl, amazed at what might have been concern hidden inside the crimson eyes. "It's our blessing and our curse, I suppose. There's always so many more Witches than Puella Magi, there's usually plenty of seeds for the taking."

With reluctance, but just the briefest flash of greed, the redhead used it, letting out a long, satisfied sigh.

As they walked out of the shadowy, ruined structure, the sun was low in an orange sky. Mami had begun to contemplate the journey home, and the studying she still had to do in order to keep on schedule when Kyoko interrupted her thoughts.

"That's twice now, that I owe you for."

"What?" Mami was taken aback. "You don't owe me anything, we just… helped each other."

Kyoko blew a raspberry, and Mami was suddenly in giggles. It was the most, well, childish thing she'd ever seen the the redhead do. So serious, with those bouts of flaring emotion… it was refreshing to see this different side. Even if it was at her expense. "That's crap, and you know it." Kyoko waited for the blonde to argue, but she remained thankfully silent. "See? The thing is, I don't like owing anyone anything. So, I was wondering… maybe, to, you know, pay you back… I could, um, help you out sometime?" Looking at the girl out of the corner of her eye, Kyoko was disappointed by the lack of response, like the blonde's face was a frozen mask, or she was too dumb to realize what she was offering. She held her breath, trying not to think about how much she wanted to learn from the girl, this veteran who fought so… competently.

No. Amazingly. Intelligently. Effectively.

Mami picked up a little on what Kyoko was saying. She felt a little empathic spark between them, a sense of a connection. Even if it was just the simple fact of their circumstances… wasn't that enough? There were things she didn't care for about the redhead, but there were admirable qualities she had as well. And, to be sure, Kyoko had been so much less abrasive on this, their second encounter, she was willing to consider...

"You know," Mami began, trying to be careful with her answer. "I could use some help. And, well, it makes sense to work together; things would be so much safer…" She paused, on a whim adding, "And I'm sure there's a lot we have to learn from each other."

"So…?" Kyoko's voice was oddly hopeful. Mami's brilliant smile was distractingly comforting as the tall girl nodded, holding out a hand. Feeling the tension seem to drain out of her, the redhead clasped the offered fingers tightly.

They talked the whole way to Kyoko's house, a four mile journey that was extended by the slow pace the redhead set. At first, Mami had felt a stabbing sense of impatience, a need to get back to her studying. But as she relaxed in the girl's presence, she was surprised as Kyoko began to tell her a little of her circumstances. The blonde, under the slightly demanding eyes of the other girl, reciprocated with some stories of her own, the biggest and most difficult already out of the way.

"Well, here's where I have to leave," Kyoko muttered, the look on her face torn. Mami kept her own expression carefully blank, having assumed she would be invited in, perhaps, to meet the girl's family. Suddenly, the redhead was looking worried. "How can I… um…get in touch with you?"

Mami giggled. "Are you asking me for my number, Sakura-san?" Seeing the furious flush come over the girl's face, Mami regretted the joke instantly. "Here," she said quickly, digging around in her small purse. The slip of paper she handed the fuming redhead looked like calligraphy, the characters perfect and elaborate. She extended her hands, offering Kyoko the pen and some paper. "Would you write-"

"No, I'll call you," the girl interrupted shortly, turning abruptly and walking away. She stopped, half-turning back but not meeting the blonde's eyes. "Thanks, again. I'll… be in touch."

"~Make sure that you do~!" Mami sang, before turning away. She was a strange one, that's for sure. Humming to herself, Mami began to mentally re-organize her study schedule. She wouldn't be getting much done tonight.

Autumn matured quickly. Mami zipped up her dufflebag, slipping into her light jacket before shouldering the heavy backpack. She shut her locker with an elbow, turning to head out into the already-dark Mitakihara evening.

Exiting the school, she shivered pleasantly. The air was so crisp, the sound the breeze made through the bare branches… tilting her head back, the blonde took a deep breath through her nose.

Her eyes popped open as she heard a familiar but completely unexpected voice.

"Hey, Mami!" Kyoko approached the girl she had begun to unknowingly consider something between a mentor and an older sister. "My family is busy at the Church tonight, so I thought…" the redhead smirked, eager for another night out hunting.

Mami bit back a sigh. She had so much to do… but the flutter in her stomach didn't give her much of a choice in the matter. "Sakura-san, what a pleasant surprise!" And, for the most part, it was.

They'd stepped up their "practice sessions," this past month, mostly because of Mami's willingness to do just about anything to distract herself from the increasingly ever-present worry that had begun to dominate her thoughts. It had been a month, then two… and still no word from Senpai. She'd gone to university this year, and undoubtedly was busy, but…

"Yes," Mami said with sudden determination. "I've got the night free myself. But before we go, could I convince you to drop by my place, first? This bag is heav-"

Kyoko darted up, snatching the bag from the girl's hands and slinging it over her shoulder with one of those mesmerizing half-grins. "Thanks! Oh, and I'm famished," the blonde continued, merrily noting the gleam of interest in her visitor's crimson eyes. "I hope you don't mind if I make something to eat. You're welcome to join me, of course…"

"Well..." the redhead muttered with fake reluctance, appearing to consider the proposal. Mami smiled behind her hand.

Mami watched, amazed at the furious assault of the redheaded warrior. Kyoko darted here and there, never resting as her immense spear flicked out again and again, piercing the insectile familiars clean through and sending them to oblivion.

The Barrier was strangely warm after the mid-winter trek through the darkened city streets. Kyoko, focusing her righteous anger, channeled her power down the length of her spear, the tip glowing violently crimson. She's come a long way, Mami admitted, impressed as the girl swung the length of her spear through the encroaching horde of disgusting, cockroach-beetle things. The fiery trail of destruction swung around, creating a circle of flaming desolation as the familiars burst apart into ashes that faded to nothing.

She followed the redhead, content to annihilate the occasional familiar they came across. Kyoko's face was that scary look of feral concentration, the hunter in her element. With a disbelieving smile, Mami shook her head. I almost feel sorry for the Witch.

Not really, though. She felt an eagerness building up inside her, a sense of anticipation. It was, in a way, like watching a dancer. An artist. Who wielded a deadly weapon instead of a brush, and painted her pictures in the viscera of her enemies. Mami chuckled to herself ruefully; That girl's rubbing off on me too much!

With a trace of color spreading across her cheeks at that particular thought, Mami focused on the redhead as she bounded forward to meet the Witch head-on. Clicking her tongue in exasperation, Mami saw the girl burst apart, suddenly there were four beautiful, red pony-tailed girls in crimson, ruffled dresses whirling through the air, and a quartet of spears scythed across the Witch in deadly unison, spinning trails of flame behind them, corkscrewing as they met together-

The Witch howled, flailing limbs bursting apart, consumed in an eruption of flame.

Cockily, Kyoko gave Mami a lazy wave as the monster slowly faded behind her, snatching the Grief Seed that hovered momentarily in the air. With a smug smile, she bounced the jet-black sphere in the palm of her hand.

"Impressive." If anything, the girl's grin got even cockier. Mami rolled her eyes. "Don't fall in love with yourself too much. I have to say, that special move of yours… a special move deserves a special name-"

"Not that again!" Kyoko snarled mutinously, the smirk replaced by annoyance. The frown only deepened at the sound of the blonde's musical laugh.

Kyoko was instantly awake. Something important… she didn't want to remember this stuff, anymore. It was too vivid, things she hadn't thought about in nearly a year. And just ahead lay-

Still, she couldn't help feeling there was something important about this dream. Something Mami had said… something… something she'd…

Yawning, Kyoko blinked several times, trying to stay awake. Something was bothering her, it was just there… on the edge… of…

Sayaka woke up, terrified and disoriented for a heartbeat without knowing why. Sitting up, she realized where she was, then who she was with. Why was it so cold? Mustering up all her fortitude, she slipped out of the covers to cross the room, grunting as her ankle caught something as she got out of bed. Stumbling over, she fumbled around, finally closing the window that seemed to be blasting cold air directly up her shirt. Feet freezing, she padded back into bed.

Kyoko lay on her side, the soft ridge of her spine traceable by fingers, if not visible in the dim pre-dawn. Wiggling her toes, which felt distinctly numb and probably frostbitten, Sayaka couldn't keep a mischievous grin off of her face as she squirmed up next to the older girl, pressing her freezing feet directly against the warm skin of the veteran's legs. Kyoko seemed to shift once, and might have sighed, but Sayaka was disappointed in the lack of a response. She pressed herself up against the delightfully warm body, carefully shifting the redhead's wild hair out of the way, an act that quickly morphed into the blunette sleepily running her fingers along Kyoko's scalp and through the long, untangled mane. Face pressed against her girlfriend's shoulder, Sayaka's dimly glowing blue eyes closed, one arm draped across the lithe redhead's belly.

Delicious reviews, sweeter than the most succulent marrow sucked up through freshly cracked bone. I've never had, but humans eat it with little forks. Dogs just bite through the bone.

Done with Mami for a little while, but she'll probably be back. Before, you know, sniff, she gets her head bitten off and everything. Whoops, spoiler.