975/Secrets Unkept

Secrets Unkept
Date of Scene:	03 February 2016
Location:	Pikarigaoka - Clover Tower
Synopsis:	Both Sayaka and Shinobu had a secret that the other didn't know. Not anymore.
Cast of Characters:	Sayaka Miki, Shinobu Kimura

---

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka is standing on the top of clover tower which is completely empty on a cool dark night. After all the excitement over the past few days, and the victory that the Puella and other Mahou celebrated over the defeat of a supposedly unbeatable witch, you'd think that Sayaka was in a chipper mood.

    However, she seems to be very, deeply disturbed about something as she stands on the edge of the tower's clover top, a little too precariously on the edge, peering down at the busy mall below..

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
School was lengthy today both because Kabudo club and also because of the events of last night. Its safe to say that Shinobu has spent the majority of her day clinging to the dangling thread of hope that is the Cherry Blossom Festival. That was her goal. Her Mission. She was going to survive that long if it killed her. This didn't stop her from feeling a little stressed though.

After her homework was completed, Shinobu decided to go for a walk. She wasn't planning on hunting. No. She was planning on just taking a walk. Still, Everytime her eyes closed to blink, she found herself looking around, making sure there wasn't anything nearby that could be viewed as a threat. Her stride is less that of a teenage girl and more that of a shell shocked warrior who has been shaken to their core by the heat of battle. Every step is with caution. Every sound is checked. Someone is getting paranoid.

As she moves near the tower, She finds herself a place to rest. She really doesn't need to rest but she is just hoping to clear her mind a little. She is completely unaware of Sayaka's presence. "You're going to make it Shinobu. You will do this. You are strong and capable. You aren't dead yet."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka sighs softly, not even noticing the cold wind blowing, ruffling her hair and swishing the short plaid skirt of her school uniform. How long's she been out here tonight? Even she's lost track of that.

    It's only when she hears a familiar voice from somewhere nearby that she snaps back to reality, spinning around to face Shinobu. "Shinobu-chan? Oh...." That's right. She wasn't there. Did she already know? Did anyone tell her? Sayaka sighs again, hand clenched into a fist around her ring finger.

    She remembers how angry she was when Homura didn't tell her, how she felt she had a right to know. But now, Sayaka realizes how Homura must have felt, having to keep such a secret, not only for the safety of the Puella, but because it was such a hard and painful truth to reveal.

    "Um..What are you doing up here?"

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
Shinobu hears a familiar voice coming from above her. She quickly glances up then stands to get a better view. "Sayaka-san? What are YOU doing up THERE!? She asks curiously before giving a sigh and starting.

"I've been having a rough couple of days. One of my friends is in the hospital after Fighting with Walpurgisnact. I went to visit her but, Its that feeling that when I go in there I am stareing at the end of the road. I am probably over reacting. Then Yesterday I did my first solo hunt. Had a close call. The witch got the upper hand on me, had me tied up and... get this. It tried to EAT me! I'm talking big teeth and everything. I got away and finished her off but. I guess the close encounter is messing with me."

She frowns a little as she glances up, "So how about you? Not with your Gal Pal tonight and hanging out on top of a tower? Sounds like a rough night to me."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka listens to Shinobu's story, which is both tragic, and kinda...Well humourous. At least, the idea of a witch that was all 'big teeth', at the right angle, IS kinda amusing.

    Unfortunately, Sayaka's not really in an amused or relaxed state at the moment. In fact, she looks like she might have been crying not too long ago. Her eyes are kinda red and puffy looking, and she keeps sniffling as if she had a cold.

    When Shinobu's finished telling her story, Sayaka just stares blankly at her, or maybe through her, her fist tightenning around her ring.

    "Hah. Another witch." She says emotionlessly, "What a waste of time..What's the point? Why do we bother fighting witches? It's all so very hopeless...If only I'd known...Maybe I'd never have made the contract..."

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
Shinobu Kimura blinks a few times. "Are you alright Sayaka-san?" She glances around looking for a way up to join the blue haired girl on the tower. Not finding one she gives a little sigh. Viridian light flares around her ring and then around her whole form.Her clothing shifts and changes, turning to her more common Puella Magi look. Her bo even forms in her hands.

Using a trace bit of magic she works her way up to join her friend. It takes a moment or so but when she gets up there, she quickly finds a place to rest. "Last I checked, We take out the witches so they don't take out innocent people. I seen about thirty people yesterday who were quite happy that the witch was dead even if they didn't realize the danger they were in. She had em all lined up and ready to lemming off into the ocean."

She frowns a little bit. "I said something similar last night. I regret making the contract but the alternative would have been death. So which is better? Living with the knowledge that one way or another I'm going to die, either by my gem going dark or being killed by a witch. Or just being dead already? At least this way I have a chance at seeing something beautiful one more time."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Sayaka sighs, "I dunno, Shinobu, I really dont know..Sometimes, there are things worse than death, you know?" Finally, the bluenette turns to look at Shinobu, once she joins her on the tower, a grave expression on her face.

    "Tell me something, Shinobu-chan..If there were a secret that people were hiding from you about a terrible truth, would you prefer to know that secret, no matter how terrible it is, no matter how much pain and despair it gives you? Or..Would you be happier living your life having never known that secret, until it's too late?"

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
Shinobu Kimura frowns, "It depends on the secret. Sometimes a secret being known will only serve to harm a person with no benefit to them. That sort of secret, it would be better not to know. If a secret's knowledge will benefit, even if it hurts, I think you got a responsibility to let that secret out." She lets out a sight.

Shinobu lets out a soft sigh. "I was clued into one such secret before I made my wish. I accidentally blurted it without thinking at the party before you showed up. I dunno if you know about it or not."

She looks at Sayaka and frowns. "What do you know about the soul gems?"

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    "Well see, sometimes a secret can cause you a lot of pain short-term, but in the long run, if you'd known before, then it would have affected your decision making, maybe even prevented you from making a life changing decision.."

    She laughs at the irony of her own words. Did Shinobu know what she was getting at? "However, even after the fact, knowing what can still happen can at least prepare you for the consequences..Cuz if you dont know, then you might just seal your fate a little quicker.."

    Sayaka pauses, peering intently at Shinobu, "They are the source of our power as Puella. They're basically magical artefacts, that can grant us power..But I suspect they are somehow connected to our soul too. Cuz when Kyouko lost the will to fight, she was unable to transform for a while..Why? Do you already know, what Homura's been hiding from us all this time?"

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
Shinobu Kimura blinks a few times, "Homura's been hiding something from us? I mean it would make sense given her whole temporal thing. I deal in time different then she does. If I know something is coming I have just enough time to act on it and thats about it. But I honestly haven't an idea what you are talking about."

She frowns. Oh boy she doesn't know yet. Quietly she rubs her temples for a moment. "Sayaka-chan, I don't want to be the one to tell you this but you have a right to know. I know I probably going to catch flak for this. I found out because I could see it. I mentioned it in front of Madoka-chan and it hurt her. I don't want to do the same to you." She sighs and takes a deep breath

"Sayaka The soul gem isn't connected to your soul. The soul gem IS your soul. When we make a contract its pulled out and turned into a gem. When we use magic and stuff. The cloudy and darkness to it... Its because it corrupts our soul." She tears up having dreaded telling any other Puella this.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    Actually, Sayaka's not entirely sure of how Shinobu's powers work. Hopefully she's not a time traveller like Homura. Well, to begin with, this is her first time making a contract so that rules out that possibility. "Oh..You have temporal powers too? Hmm..."

    Then she braces herself for whatever Shinobu has to tell her, half-expecting her to tell her exactly what she already learned when that other Puella girl witched out on her.

    But what she hears next is yet another shocker!

    "What!? What on earth are you saying? You mean this...." She holds out her hand, summoning the soulgem to appear out of her ring, staring at it intently, trying to figure it out. "THIS is my...My soul? That's not...But.." She shakes her head in disbelief, before staring at Shinobu in both sadness, anger and hurt.

    "Are you saying I'm a ZOMBIE!?!"

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
Shinobu Kimura frowns, "Dammit. When I see Kyubey again I swear to gods I'm slicing his ass in two!" She snaps and just starts crying. She didn't want to have to tell. She isn't exactly thinking highly of Homura at the moment either. She looks at Sayaka and frowns.

"Listen or a moment. You are not a zombie. You never died. Your body is alive. Put your hand over your heart. Its still beating. Your mind is still working as it should everything is functioning because you are alive. The word would be a lich I guess. Our souls are kept somewhere that isn't inside our bodies. In this case, We keep them on us close." She just hangs her head for a moment.

She looks up, "I don't quite understand why we are like this but it doesn't make us less human."

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    "You're wrong, Shinobu-chan! We're zombies! My soul...My life, is in this stupid soulgem..I'm just an empty vessel, and..And worse than that, once that soulgem becomes too dark, too corrupted for any grief seed to cleanse, we become full blooded Witches! We're monsters, Shinobu-chan..This is the huge secret that Homura kept from us. Homura and Kyubey too, I suppose..."

    She hangs her head, looking away as she clenches her fist around her soulgem, "If I had known this wish would make me a monster, instead of a hero, I....I dont know..." Sayaka is trying very hard not to cry, although she is trembling. Heck, she's cried far too much already, and she hates crying, crying is weak afterall.

    "Not a zombie, huh? If that's the case, then it doesnt really matter...If I do this!?"

    And impulsively, Sayaka hurls her soulgem over the edge of the tower. It's a good throw and a decent distance downward; moments after it hits the ground, Sayaka's eyes suddenly stare blankly, and she keels over, stumbling to the ground - her body unmoving, not even breathing, as if she had lost consciousness, or, as if she were nothing more than a puppet..

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
"SAYAKA NO!" Shinobu takes off, diving off of the tower. She is quickly after the gem. "This is going to hurt." She states as the ground and her body have a rather nasty meeting. She gets up and grabs the blue gem. "Dammit."

Quickly she makesh er way back up the tower. She's bleeding but not too terribly hurt. The second she is up there she hits the button on her staff. Time accelerates a few seconds. If She tries that again, Shinobu will be ready to intercede before having to take a swan dive.

She carefully puts the soulgem back in Sayaka's hands and just waits, hoping there was no damage done. "Dammit if you killed yourself in front of me I am going to forgo being a witch, turn into a damn ghost and haunt you!"

She will be freaking out more once the shock wears off. Right now, a friend tossing her soul off a building is a bit more important.

Sayaka Miki has posed:
    A few heart stopping minutes pass, before Sayaka begins to breathe, and eventually stir again, blinking slowly at Shinobu, then staring down at the soulgem in her hand with a soft frown. Clenching her hand around it, it looks like she might just hurl it away again, but it's pretty pointless. Afterall, she's even more useless without the soulgem.

    "You see? We're just zombies anyway. And eventually..We'll all become monsters..." Sighing raggedly, she climbs slowly to her feet, stepping on the edge of the rooftop again, "It's...It's hopeless, Shinobu! This isn't what I asked for! I wanted to help people, not hurt them! Ugh...Forget this!"

    This time, Sayaka leaps off the rooftop herself, transforming halfway down so that the impact below is not so painful. Of course, it doesn't really matter now, as she's more than capable of taking the pain more than other Puella thanks to her accelerated healing ability.

    She doesn't even look behind her or say goodbye to Shinobu, but quickly leaps off, darting from building to building, until she's out of sight. It's hard not to predict that she might just be planning something crazy..

Shinobu Kimura has posed:
Shinobu catches her breath when Sayaka starts breathing again. She frowns and shakes her head, "Its only hopeless if we let ourselves believe that." And then... Off the building she goes. Quickly she looks down over the ledge, making sure she's alright.

A moment or so later she makes her own journey down and promptly unhenshins. Pulling out her phone, she makes a call. She made sure she had gotten a few phone numbers. One of them being Madoka. She calls quickly and leaves a message. "Madoka-chan, I just had a talk with Sayaka. She told me something and honestly I am in a serious state of shock. We both revealed some secrets. After she threw her soul gem off the tower and I got it back for her, she decided to take off. Oh and if you see Kyubey, Tell him he's a jerk."