453/Reunion

Reunion
Date of Scene:	15 October 2015
Location:	Mitakihara - Infinity University
Synopsis:	Madoka and Sayaka spend some friendship time together.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Madoka Kaname

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Sayaka Miki has posed:
    It had been hard to focus in class when Sayaka was missing three people she cared about. She hasn't seen Madoka in ages - either because she spends way too much time volunteering at that creepy hospital, or because they have very few classes together this semester. Kyousuke was still in the hospital, seriously injured..And Kyouko was still MIA.

    Frankly she was tired, tired of feeling helpless, powerless to protect those she cared about, and every day brought her closer to making a contract with Kyubey.

    However, right now, she's having trouble focusing on this exam..And she's more than thankful when the bell finally rings, even if she didnt manage to finish the exam before handing it in..

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's a study in contrasts. Madoka had recently made several new friends, has been given multiple offers from upperclassmen to help tutor her and join study groups, and one of those friends has recently been released from that very same Hosptial.

    She is thus in a fairly good mood today. School lets out and she's starts heading for the exit, pulling her phone out to begin sending a text message to Mamoru. Just as she opens the app she blinks in surprise, seeing a familiar face. She sends the text, but with a different message than she'd originally intended.

    Then comes the sound of fast moving footsteps as she raises one arm high above her head, the other holding onto a large bento box, and rushes towards her childhood friend.

    How could it be that she's gone this long without reintroducing herself?

    "Sayakaaaaaa!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka is pretty distracted with her thoughts right now, and so it totally caught unawares when Madoka rushes at her, calling out her name. She blinks in surprise, catching something very familiar about that voice..and that pink hair...! Could it be..?

    "Madoka-chan!! It's really you!!" Sayaka's practically laughing and crying as she runs towards the pink haired girl, attempting to hug her tightly, totally unmindful of her bento box.

    Hey, she's just been through some hefty trauma, go figure..

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka had the same idea as Sayaka did, so she's actually ready to hold her cloth-wrapped bento box to the side as she's hugged, her free arm wrapping tightly around her friend. "Sayaka-chan! I'm so happy to see you again!"

    She does laugh happily as she hugs her friend, a wave of joy and relief washing over her as Sayaka seems just as happy to meet again as she is. "I'm sorry I didn't write to you more while I was away."

    She moves to put her head over her friends shoulder, only to find that Sayaka has grown faster than she has, instead having to opt for turning her head a bit instead. "I... I really missed you, Sayaka-chan!" A tinge of bittersweet amongst that pure joy, now.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    "Madoka.." She sniffs, doing her best to look tougher than she feels. "I'm so glad you're alright..I thought I'd never see you again! I heard there were so many people after you, and then I lost sight of you in the hospital, and then Kyousuke got hurt, then Kyouko got hurt, and I thought....."

    Yeah, she's rambling now, and oddly enough, Sayaka gives out a little relieved laugh. Madoka's alright. She's back! "Hah! How long have you been back now? I guess we must not have a whole lotta classes together...How've you been, anyway!? So much has happened.."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "I'm fine, Sayaka-chan!" she quickly reassures, "I know it's been a long time, but I couldn't possibly go without seeing you again!" Then Madoka tenses for a moment. People after her..? Hospital..? Oh. ...oh.

    She hugs onto Sayaka a bit more fervently when she realizes her friend has seen some of the same strange, terrifying sights she has over the last few months. "No, it's okay. I've gotten scared a few times, but I haven't been hurt. I promise!"

    Madoka blushes deeply, suddenly feeling awful, "Since July. I've been spending most of my time trying to catch back up with school; I told you how much further ahead our schools are than the one's in America, didn't I? Coming back it was the other way around, and Infinity is such a difficult school." She stops there, suddenly shaking her head, "But I made you worry for all that time for no reason! I'm sorry, Sayaka-chan, I should have called you the first week I got back! I don't know why I didn't..."

    It's a lie, and easy to recognize from someone who knows her so well, unless she's so overwhelmed she misses it.

    The truth is? She was worried Sayaka had moved on and wouldn't even want to be her friend anymore.

    She bites her bottom lip a little and looks embarrassedly to her best friend, "Ahh... umm... who are Kyousuke and Kyouko?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka blinks, slowing down a bit. "Ahh...Sorry!" She laughs, letting go of Madoka after awhile, once she realizes she might just be strangling her or something with all that hugging. Besides, she's tough, no need to throw her emotions around like that so easily. "Yeah..."

    The blue-haired girl breathes a sigh of relief, stretching her arms behind her head. "Ahh, I'm just really relieved is all. I guess...Now that you're caught up in...'Talking cats' and all that stuff, I kept hearing that a lot of people were targetting you and stuff. And when I couldn't find you..." But all is well now. Madoka is safe. And Sayaka is determined to make sure she stays safe.

    "Hmmm, I guess I never introduced you to Kyousuke-kun. He's a really talented violinist that I..." She reddens a bit, "But he was seriously injured in an....Accident..Recently, and he's in the hospital now. As for Kyouko-chan..She's a really nice girl I met and befriended, real tough girl, long red ponytail, pointy teeth..Likes to act tough on the outside..But now that she's just a 'normal' girl, she's more vulnerable than before, and...And she's gone missing.."

    She does notice something odd about Madoka's words, and it does cause her to frown a bit. "Yeah...Why didn't you call? Did something happen..?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka doesn't start fully pulling away until Sayaka does, shifting a bit uneasily on her feet in front of her friend. She wants to change the subject, and multiple times. Sad things and scary things are not what she wants to think about right now.

    "I got into a bit of trouble a couple times after I first got back, but it wasn't a whole bunch of people coming after me." Only two. That's not a whole lot, right? At the mention of not being able to find her she quickly shakes her head, "No, I wasn't hurt! If I'd have known you were looking for me, I'd have come and talked to you right away!"

    Which brings up the sad question. Madoka looks down at her shoes, clearly feeling bad about herself, and for so many reasons. "I... didn't want to intrude. We had stopped mailing each other and... I didn't really have many friends in America. You've always been so outgoing though, I thought you must have replaced me three times over already, and wouldn't want a nervous, dumb transfer student embarrassing you in front of all your amazing new Infinity friends." It's so outlandish... and yet it's just exactly the type of thing she could get herself into thinking, isn't it?

    "You mean... the boy that was in the newspaper the other day, he's your friend? Oh, Sayaka-chan, I'm so sorry!" Any worries that Madoka was upset by the hugging go out the window as she steps forward to hug her friend again. Kyouko... she knows someone with that name. That fits that description too. For a second her mind grinds.... but the pieces simply will not fit. Henshin magic- it works in mysterious ways. "A friend in the hospital, and another missing?!" Bento box be darned, she's squeezing Sayaka as tightly as she can!

    "Whatever you need, I'm here for you now, Sayaka-chan!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    "Madoka-chan..." Sayaka stares long and hard at her childhood friend, shaking her head slowly. Unlike Madoka, she does not suffer from confidence issues. Sure, she'd bonded a lot with Kyouko lately, but... "I could never, ever replace you. You've always been my closest friend and, c'mon, we've known each other since childhood!"

    She smiles, "And I'd never just..Forget about you, unless I was mad at you, and even then, I'd try and work things out and stuff! So...Don't ever think that way, okay? You're a really great girl, and a good friend."

    But then, maybe, Sayaka's a little at fault too. "I'm sorry, Madoka-chan, I guess I should have tried harder to find you, to keep in touch. Going off on a cruise a few months before you returned is no excuse." she shrugs, "But it's alright, cuz you're here now, and we've got lots to catch up on!"

    Probably best not to scare her with details right about now though. "Yeah...But, I'm sure they'll be fine. C'mon, let's go for a walk in the park or something, get some ice cream! I wanna hear about your travels in America! And your other adventures.."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    "Sayaka-chan! I'm sorry I ever doubted you. You're not the kind of person to act that way at all, and you're my best friend. It was just... a little hard to remember, having been away from you for so long." Even saying that now feels a little hollow to Madoka, but with her friend smiling she wants to make the most of that good feeling.

    Her head shakes as she pulls away after when Sayaka apologizes, "It's alright. Let's just move forward from now on!" At the mention of ice cream she plays a bit coy, "Ice cream would be good but..." she holds up the large Bento box she'd been holding onto. "It's been a long time since you've had any of my father's cooking hasn't it, Sayaka-chan? I have some leftovers from an amazing lunch he made me, if you want some."

    She smiles brightly, "I'll be happy to tell you all about it but it really wasn't all that exciting."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka smiles. She's already forgiven her of course. Afterall, she's probably a bit guilty of the same. "Ahh, don't worry about it, Mado-chan! Afterall, I'm a little guilty too..But, what matters is what's happening right now. You're back now, and we're reuinited. So I'm happy! At least..It's one less person to worry about..."

    On that note, she seems a bit gloomy again, remember Kyousuke, and Kyouko. "Umm, heey, I'd love to help you with your left over bento!" a small smile creeps up on her lips, "Would you mind coming to the hospital with me afterwards? I've been visiting Kyousuke every day. Just bought him a new CD to listen to.."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka's bright smile is slightly subdued as her friends mood shifts again. It's hard for her to be extra excited when it's clear Sayaka has been having a rough time without her. "Of course I'd be happy to come with you. I can go in and meet him if you want if you think it would cheer him up, or wait for you while you visit." She's at the hospital so often due to her volunteering it's not like she wouldn't know where the waiting rooms were.

    After a little bit of looking around she finds a place for the two to sit and eat, opening up the bento box. There's a surprising amount left despite the fact she'd already shared it with Mamoru earlier in the day for lunch. "Go ahead and take first pick! I've already had a bunch today already," she offers to her friend.

    The bento has a freshly harvested rice with ginko nuts, a bunch of fresh fruits pieces cut into bite sized pieces, salt grilled Sanma fish, and a pair of triangle shaped rice balls. It's not as fresh as it was during lunch but it still smells delicious when the bento is opened. "Eat up, Sayaka-chan!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka smiles, following Madoka to a nice grassy spot outside. There are lots of picnic benches here and there around the school court yard, and the sun is shining brightly. Always nice when its still warm and bright after school. Too bad winter's just around the corner.

    Once they're settled, she stares hungrily at Madoka's delicious looking and smelling lunch, only too eager to dig into her share. "Hmmm, did you make this yourself, Madoka? It's perfecT! I wish I was half the cook you are!" It actually brings a smile to her face, remembering how Madoka could always cheer her up.

    "Hmmm, that exam was pretty hard...And I didn't study for it. I guess I got lazy since my carribean cruise trip a few months ago..Ahh, but it was sooo worth it! That ship was amazing! It was huge, and they had a full orchestra playing, a swimming pool, tennis court...Ahh, I miss it already! Sailing for months through this clear water, feeling the warm ocean breeze on your skin..Hmm, that was the good life."

    Ah, what a carefree life that was, a life free of youma and magical girls, and contracts and what not...With a tired sigh, she pulls out her CD player, inserting the latest classical album she recently acquired from the local music store, and offers one of her earbuds to Madoka to listen to. "Here, do you think he'll like this?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka stretches a bit in the sun after she sits down and opens up the bento, only to stop halfway through and blink. She blushes and shakes her head, "No, not me! My father made it for me. I've tried helping him a few times but usually I just rinse things off and clean up after he's done."

    She laughs a little nervously at the mention of a difficult exam, "I've been struggling to catch up ever since I got back. I even took summer classes, but I still feel like a bit of a dunce compared to everyone else. There are a lot of neat things about America, but transferring into a school like Infinity after going to theirs is crazy!" She's not being down on herself about it this time though, but rather just helping catch her friend up on how her life has been going.

    "That cruise ship sounds like it must have been a lot of fun. Maybe if you ever go again I can convince my parents we should go... and Hitomi-chan's too!" After eating a few bites of food she leans closer in conspiratorial fashion, "If the orchestra had a dance floor imagine the look on her face if we danced together for even just a minute." She giggles a little.

    Then the earbud is handed to her and she scoots closer to Sayaka and listens to the music CD, closing her eyes. A few moments pass and she gets s quizzical look on her face, followed by a little blush, only to eventually just looking down embarrassedly at her hands. When the song is finished she comments after choosing her words carefully, "The song is very nice, but I don't really know very much about that kind of music, Sayaka-chan. I think you probably know what kind of music he'd enjoy better than I would anyway!"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka chuckles, "Heh, American schools sound like they'd be easier to pass exams in at least. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to finish the rest of my schooling over there, hey? Except then I'd miss my friends here too much." She makes a face, "Yeah, I know! I mean, I was just gone for the beginning of summer, but I wasn't taking classes aboard that ship at all! I've been taking summer school too, but I guess I've never been as smart as Hitomi-chan. Maybe she can give us special tutorial sessions or something!" Well, if she wasnt so busy with cram school and music lessons.

    "Yeah, it was a lot of fun, but I guess it's good to be reunited with all my old friends..And new ones too. I would like to take you with me next time I go on a cruise..Of course that might not be for a while. It's pretty expensive afterall. Of course my parents are pretty wealthy but, they dont wanna spoil me too much either.."

    Sayaka closes her eyes as she listens to the music, drifting away into the world of the string quartet that so delicately plays an upbeat, rythmical tune so eloquently. One of Kyousuke's favorite composers, Bach, playing a popular Concerto.

    "Hmm yeah, I'm sure he'll love it. I'm sure it'll lift his spirits. I keep telling him not to give up. They're running tests today to see what's wrong with his hands, why he cant move 'em. It's a slow process, but listenning to this music, I'm sure it'll inspire him for sure!"

    She glances over at Madoka, "How about you? Have you made some good friends since you came back? That Homura girl seems pretty fond of you. She's a little mysterious too though. I'm sure she has many answers to my questions.."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka laughs a little, "It's a lot easier transferring over there because of the schools, which is nice because there's so much else to get used to. Well... except that everything is taught in English, anyway. At least it means I won't have any trouble on my English exams from now on, right? Ehehe." Then at the mention of studying she considers, "I've been invited to some a couple study groups by people I've met. If you want I could ask them if it'd be okay to bring you along too; I'm sure they'd love to meet you, Sayaka-chan!"

    Then there's a long suffering sigh at the comment of parents not wanting to spoil their children, "I know what you mean. Mama is still only giving me 2000 yen a month as an allowance..." It's not like Junko Kaname wouldn't know the cost of things either, so it's clearly intentional.

    She looks very relieved when Sayaka isn't offended by her lack of knowledge when it comes to classical music. She always was the type of girl to stick to the popular stuff. "I hope they find out what it is so they can help him heal quickly. It's good he lives in Mitakihara; our hospital is one of the best in the nation." And she isn't just saying that because she volunteers there, it really is state of the art.

    When asked about new friends she looks up towards the sky for a moment, "I've met a lot of nice people since I've moved back. Mamoru-kun was very kind and helped me a lot with school work; he's in one of the study groups I told you about. Ikiko-chan and Haruna-chan are nice, and-" pause. She suddenly realizes something, "Oh right! I met Hannah-chan too, she's the President of our Kickboxing Club. They're going to nationals and she gave me a pair of tickets. Do you want to come with me, Sayaka-chan? I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun!"

    The mention of Homura makes her fret a little, suddenly rather nervous. "I've met her a few times, and I'm really not sure what she wants with me. She's very mysterious just like you said." Looking even more confused she adds, "She invited me to go to a concert with her, but I have no idea why."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka chuckles, "Yeah, it sure was hard coming back, but maybe it's good to get back into old routines again. still.." She sighs, "It feels like so much has happened since I left, like I'm in a whole new world.."

    She glances curiously at Madoka, "Soo, when did you start volunteering at the hospital? Maybe youl'l get to meet Kyousuke there. He's a very sweet and caring person. I just wish I knew how he felt about me. Do you think maybe you could...Find out?" Her face reddens a bit as she says that. Clearly she's got a crush on the guy!

    As for meeting new people, Sayaka smiles at the mention of Mamoru, "Yes, he's a really nice person, and very knowledgable too. I've met a few other people too, but I guess I've been so busy trying to catch up with school work that I haven't had a lot of free time to socialize. As for Homura..Hmm, she seems like a nice person, she seems to know a lot of stuff too. But I think she can be trusted. I'm sure she just wants to be friends.." Still, Sayaka couldn't help but wonder if there's more to her than that..