Note: More than any other, this story destroyed my enjoyment of writing.

Notes from the Silver Garden
Act VI – The Girl Who Sold The World, Part Three

"Back up... Stop! Now left. Other left!"

If looks could kill, the one Homura shoots at Sayaka would wipe out half the arcade. "Stop helping."

The digits on the big red LED counter keep ticking down. Homura suspects the game is rigged, its motions loose and uneven compared to her input, but she's not letting a pile of witless circuits stop her now. With seconds to go, she gives the crane one more nudge and presses the action button. The claw descends with an electric hum, closes, and comes up grasping a plush toy between its pincer tips.

"Hey, you got something!" Sayaka leans closer to the glass. "It's a pig."

Homura cares not what it is, just it's not what she wanted. She retrieves her porcine prize from the delivery chute and presents it to the blue-headed spectator. "Enjoy."

"Uh." Sayaka raises an eyebrow as the devil feeds another token into the machine. "...Thanks?"

The scarlet numbers begin a new countdown. This time Homura undershoots, letting the overhead trolley coast into position. Though it still takes some fine tuning, she finishes ahead of the clock. The claw dips and catches a white rabbit. Success.

Sayaka watches it drop into the chute. "That's not bad. Gonna try again?"

"No." Homura's one objective was to get that bunny before Kyouko and Madoka return from the restroom. She hands Sayaka the rest of her tokens. "You're welcome to it."

"I don't really need any stuffed animals... Oh, they're back."

Homura turns, quickly hiding the rabbit behind herself. Madoka isn't looking her way yet, still chatting with Kyouko as they pass by other customers. Just a couple of teenagers having fun on a Sunday afternoon.

"...And that's why I don't drink Fanta," the redhead concludes. "Hey, guys! You're not gonna believe what happened!"

Sayaka's brow arches again. "You had to wait in line?"

"Nah, nah. Some girl tried to answer her phone while she was washing her hands, and she dropped it in the sink. This goody-two-shoes wouldn't leave until we made sure it still worked."

"It was a new phone," Madoka protests. "She saved up for months to buy it."

"Then she shoulda been more careful." Kyouko's eyes fall on the plush pig. "What's that?"

"Oh, um." Sayaka holds it up, pocketing the tokens in her other hand. "I thought maybe, you know..."

Kyouko points at herself. "For me?"

"Well, yeah... I mean, if you want—"

Kyouko all but rips the pig from Sayaka's grip. "It's so cute!" she squeals, practically rubbing her face on the toy. "Sayaka, you're the best!"

"Aren't I?" Sayaka laughs, though her eyes are looking elsewhere. "Hey, the dance machine's free. Why don't you show me some moves? I mean, unless you guys have something else in mind."

Homura does. "I'd like to take it easy for a little while. Would that be all right, Madoka?"

"Of course," Madoka replies. "We can meet up again when Sayaka-chan and Kyouko-chan are finished."

Kyouko's already inching towards the Dog Drug Reinforcement pavilion. "Great," she says."C'mon, Sayaka, let's go before someone takes our spot."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." The angel lets herself be led away, but she throws a knowing glance back at Homura. "You got this, transfer student."

"Your confidence is noted." The devil looks around, wanting to make sure no one else is watching. This moment is for her beloved alone. "Madoka..."

"Yes, Homura-chan?"

"I..." This is it. Homura holds out the bunny in both hands. "I saw this and thought of you."