Sayaka has been busy over the last month or two, hunting desparately for witches, finding nothing anywhere. Ever the brash heroine, that had not stopped her from fighting other youma and protecting the innocent, even though it had meant she had to flee the scene more often than not. Rather rapidly, her precious supply of grief seeds had dwindled to zero and she was growing ever more desperate by the day..
Now, as many times before, Sayaka has henshined even though deep down she knows she should be conserving energy. But she MUST find a witch, and quickly! The evening finds her leaping from roof top to roof top, keeping an eye on her jewelseed as she searches for any sign of witches but of course finds none.
Of course, she could have done this in civilian form, but it would have taken much longer. Sayaka has always been a bit dramatic that way..
Kyouko has just left Mamoru's new apartment, where she had gone at once after returning from her scouting trip, and shared the news of her distressing findings with Mamoru and Kunzite. She had then left with the purpose of finding Sayaka, and was currently walking down the street on her way to do that- figuring she'll check the girl's house first, as it's the evening.
She doesn't even have to go that far, though- her finely tuned senses catch wind of a Puella in the area, that hidden predator's sense which tingles in the back of her consciousness and lets her know she has company. She turns slowly in place on the sidewalk.. and catches a flash of blue high overhead as Sayaka leaps across a nearby rooftop.
<<Saya-chan!>> She calls out, using telepathy, as she turns and starts hurrying after the direction she saw the other girl going. She does not henshin herself. <<Saya-chan, wait! It's me!>>
Sayaka is pretty darn focused on the objective at hand. But she's also desperate and running blindly. She might not have paid attention had Kyouko just called up at her, but it's a mite bit harder to ignore someone calling you in your mind..And it's not just someone, but a very important someone! Her eyes widen, not having heard that beloved voice in a very long time!
<<K-Kyou-chan...Is that you!? Where are you!?>>
Of course, she pauses as she reaches the edge of the next roof top, peering down over the edge and catches a flash of red hair. Her smile broadens, eyes widenning in longing, but she hesitates.
<<I...I dont know if it's safe..I..>>
She backs away, shaking her head, uncertain of how close she is to the 'edge', how much time she has before she might become a witch. Hey, she's never done this before, but Sayaka is already starting to lose it a little.
<<Kyou-chan...I'm all outta grief seeds! I dunno how much time I have left..>>
Kyouko runs up to the bottom of the building.. then scowls slightly as she hears the words that Sayaka broadcasts down to her. She henshins in a flash of red light, then leaps up to the edge of the rooftop in a series of bounds, bouncing from one wall to the other until she reaches the top, landing in front of Sayaka. "Saya-chan.. ugh.. I'm sorry I left for so long, but you gotta take better care of yourself!" She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a Grief Seed.. one of just six she has left. That might seem like a lot, but when you're not sure when you're going to get another one, each one is precious..
She doesn't move closer to Sayaka, apparently taking the other girl's warning seriously, but she tosses the Grief Seed to her. "Here. Use this. No arguments." She says, putting her hands on her hips and waiting for the other girl to do so before approaching..
When Kyouko henshins and joins her on the rooftop, Sayaka takes a step back, a wild look in her eyes. She's certainly not about to change into a witch in the next few seconds, but she certainly looks like she is rapidly running out of time. She actually takes a step back as Kyouko joins her, even though deep down, she would have wanted Kyouko to kill her before she could witch out.
However, rapid relief washes over her, once the red headed girl tosses her a grief seed. Hungrily, she reaches for it, touching it to her badly tainted soulgem..It's enough that it drains a little less than half of the grief seed and she tucks the rest away for later before looking back at Kyouko, somewhat abashedly at her admonishment.
"Kyou-chan......" suddenly she runs towards the other girl, hugging her tightly, "I missed you! Where've you been? I'm so sorry I haven't taken better care of myself..I've been an idiot, thinking I'd find another witch around the corner...Dammit! If it werent for you, I'd have lost it..Literally.."
Kyouko sighs with relief as Sayaka uses the Grief Seed.. then oomphs as she's hugged, laughing and wrapping her arms around Sayaka in turn, squeezing her tightly and pressing her face into the other girl's blue hair briefly, closing her eyes and just soaking in the sensation for few moments.. "Tadaima.. I'm home." She says, with a breath, before pulling back slightly.. "It's okay Saya-chan.. you couldn't have known, but.. we need to be more careful from now on."
Still keeping her arms around Sayaka, but leaning back so she can look into her face, Kyouko's expression turns serious. "I went around to all the towns within a few hours train ride of here.. every one of 'em.. and there's no Witches anywhere. I talked to a bunch o' the local Puella, and it was the same story everywhere.. no Witches, and no Grief Seeds.. whatever we got now, that's gonna have to last us 'till.. well, 'till we figure out why and what we can do about it."
She sighs.. "I got a few left.. and of course I'll share with you. But we need to be real careful with using our magic for now, cause I don't think we're gonna find any more Witches." She smiles then slightly, meeting Sayaka's gaze. "But don't worry, Saya-chan.. I'll always be here to look out for you. S'long as you do the same for me."
"What.." She frowns, still nuzzling agains the red head, but unable to comprehend what she's saying, "No witches..Anywhere? What does this mean? Is it because of Madoka's cleansing..Or WPS? I dont understand..How can we survive for much longer?"
Sayaka sighs as she feels the grief seed in her pocket. She doesnt want to share with Kyouko, but would rather sacrifice herself first and let Kyouko live a little longer, not that she'd let Kyouko in on her secret.
"Then, we need to talk to Kyubey! Surely he knows what's going on! I...Just dont know what else to do..."
She continues to press against Kyouko, seeming closer than before emotionally. "I'm sorry, I feel like I've pushed everyone away, and I havent lived life to the fullest..Now, if my time is limited..I..."
Kyouko doesn't try to push Sayaka away, letting the other girl cuddle close to her for as long as she needs to, resting one of her arms around Sayaka's waist as she frowns at her slightly.. "Listen, Saya-chan, it's too early for that kinda talk. If we are careful about how we use our magic, we can keep on for weeks yet. Remember when I lost my powers? I still had to keep my Soul Gem clean, and I went for months usin' just one or two, because I wasn't using my powers. This is a big problem, I admit, but it's too early to panic."
Kyouko knows that Sayaka would sacrifice herself to let Kyouko survive.. she knows because she would do the same for Sayaka, but she's determined that both of them will survive, which means sharing for now.
"I saw Kyubey at the train station.. he made some weird comments. I dunno. I just talked to Mamoru and nii-chan, and nii-chan thinks that Kyubey might be behind it somehow, but I'm not sure.. well, it's an obvious conclusion but I don' think we should jump to conclusions. We gotta figure out why this is happening.. then maybe we can figure out what to do about it."
She leans her forehead forward against Sayaka's. "Listen, though, Saya-chan. I don't want you gettin' depressed or panicking, that's almost as bad as usin' up all your magic. We still got some time.. let's try to figure out a plan before we surrender." Kyouko doesn't know the meaning of the words 'give up'.
Sayaka frowns softly as she studies Kyouko's features intently, twisting a strand of her fiery hair around her finger thoughtfully. She's never had to do this before, so she's not entirely sure how long she could last without without a grief seed. But, she trusts Kyouko, knowing that she's survived years as a Puella. Certainly there must have been similar boom and bust times in the past..
"Alright, I'll sit tight, I wonder...If my connections with WPS could shed some light on this? I'll talk to Miss White, afterall, I'm practically a member of their group..."
Oh right, she didnt mention that to Kyouko before, did she? "But, I know if anyone can survive this, you can..." and realizing her slip up, she pulls her close suddenly, kissing her passionately on the lips! "Sorry....Mm.."
Kyouko blinks as Sayaka mentions 'connections' to WPS, her brows drawing to gether and her lips turning down into a frown as she opens her mouth to question what the heck Sayaka is talking about.. only to have the other girl suddenly kiss her.
Kyouko goes rigid in shock, because she absolutely was not expecting that! Also it's her firsto kiss, and she probably doesn't do a very good job of it considering the fact that she suddenly gets very flustered at the feel of lips against her own, turning bright red.. and pulling away after a moment, looking to the side, her cheeks bright red.
"Ah.. um.. heh.." She's smiling even though she's trying to look serious, and casting glances at Sayaka out of the corner of her eye as she tries to regain control of herself. "Wow.. um.. Saya-chan.." Well, it looks like the tactic of distracting her from asking questions worked!
Once she's finished, Sayaka pulls back herself, blushing profusely. Seems she just acted a bit too rashly - yet again, and didnt quite anticipate the reaction received.
"Aahh!! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have..." She pulls away, suddenly feeling self-conscious and, maybe a bit silly. Maybe that's not what Kyouko wanted, or expected of her. "I just...You know.."
No, maybe she doesn't know all the craziness going on in Sayaka's head right now. And Sayaka begins to pace nervously now, dehenshining down, now that there is no reason to hunt for witches. Her heart's still pounding a hundred miles an hour, but at least the grief seed helped calm her nerves, even if she's no idea what she'll do when that seed runs out.
"I mean, I know I've always been kind of distant, but with things as they are, a truly uncertain future, I guess..I just want to live life to the fullest, and not wait or ponder or think 'What if' anymore, you know?"
"N-no, Saya-chan.." Kyouko says, still blushing but suddenly looking slightly concerned, as if maybe her own reaction wasn't the correct one. As Sayaka de-henshins and starts pacing, she moves forward and grabs the blue-haired girl's hand, squeezing it tightly. "It's not.. I'm glad." She finally says, sucking in a breath and then letting out a small laugh.
"I'm sorry if I.. you just caught me by surprise." She says, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, pulling it to one side slightly as she looks at Sayaka, not letting go of her hand. "I've never been very good at.. at the mushy stuff." Never had much of a reason to be, so that makes sense. "It was.. probably about time, crisis or not."
She pulls Sayaka to face her, and then, visibly gathering her courage, leans up and presses a very quick kiss to Sayaka's lips in return.. not a long or wild one, just a small, quick smooch.. but enough to show that she is not against the idea.. even if it was a bit startling.
Then she glances away again, and her voice is suddenly more serious. "We'll figure out a way to get through this, Saya-chan. I promise. You and me both."
She glances back at the red head, realizing that her own confusion and feelings of uncertainty are well-reflected in the other girl's eyes. Perhaps they do understand each other more than they let on, even if they arent as good as expressing themselves as Homura and Madoka.
When Kyouko grabs her hand, she smiles, pulling in closer. "Thanks, that means a lot to me. Guess we're both kinda awkward with this kinda thing, but I'm glad we're on the same page."
She doesnt even resist when she's kissed again, closing her eyes as she leans in, pressing into the kiss - that lasts just a second too short, but doesnt break away this time, feeling a soft, warm feeling in the pit of her stomach - and a slow, sly smile creeps up her face.
"I know..You're a survivor! If anyone can figure this out, you can! So..Where do we start?" Oh right, the WPS thing. "Listen..What I said about WPS? I...Well, I really have been meaning to join Miss White's group..Not because I agree with what she says - heck, I saw firsthand some of the bad stuff she does, y'know, stealing innocent peoples' hearts and selling them off to the highest bidder or whatever she did."
She sighs, "But, that's exactly why I need to be there, to make a difference. Because I know there's good in her too, just like I believed there was good in you, back when you were being brainwashed, and even when you were a lot rougher than you are now, so..Please trust me on this.."
Kyouko stays close to Sayaka even as the other girl talks about WPS, although her expression grows serious, even a bit distressed. She doesn't get angry though- she might have, ordinarily, but it seems kissing her nipped that fuse, at least for the moment, whether or not that was the intent.
She doesn't say anything for a few moments, and then looks away, out over the rooftops around them. "Listen, Saya-chan," She says, her voice quiet. "You see the good in people all the time. I love that about you.. it's the only reason we're together now. Because you saw the good in me when no one else would. But just like I need you to keep me thinking positive.. I think I need to be the one to offer you caution. I think it's how I can pay you back.. because when I look at people, I see all the selfishness and greed and anger. I know it's there, because I've felt it myself."
She looks back, meeting Sayaka's gaze. "Miss White is not a good person. What she did to me.. I can never forgive her for that. Even Homura left her side because she was tired of the shady crap she was pullin'."
She pauses a moment more, and then goes on, "But just because someone isn't a good person.. I guess that doesn't mean they couldn't be, someday. I won't.. stop you from doing what you feel you need to do, Saya-chan. Just promise me you'll be careful.. and remember what I said. Maybe between the two of us, we can view the world close to how it actually might be."
Sayaka bites her lip as she listens a bit anxiously. She already knows the history between Kyouko and Miss White of course, and she is expecting this reaction. Afterall, it's the same reaction she's received from the girl pretty much any and every time she mentions Miss White's name, but..
Sayaka breathes a sigh of relief when she realizes that Kyouko is not being totally stubborn for once. Who knows, perhaps she managed to break through after 'softening' her up a bit. In fact, it causes her to smile, an almost sneaky smile.
"Heey, I know how she hurt you, but she DID apologize. And yeah, I still dont know her as well as you, or Homura-san..But I do believe she can become a good person one day. Maybe I'm a fool for feeling that way, but I was thinking: Maybe a true hero is someone who never gives up on those who need their help. What kinda hero would I be if I gave up on her without giving her a chance?"
She smiles and nods, "Of course I'll be careful, dont worry about me! I'm a little concerned that Shinobu-chan had revealed our little 'secret' about the ultimate fate of Puella Magi with Miss White..But so far, she doesn't seem to be hunting us down either, so that's good, right? More importantly, with her brains, her financial backing and her resources, maybe she'd be more willing to help us find a solution to our little problem.."
Kyouko gets a bit of a cold look in her eyes at the talk of finding a solution to their 'problem'. Finally she does pull away from Sayaka, slipping free from the other girl and walking to the edge of the rooftop, looking down over the city with the wind blowing her long henshin coat's ruffled tail out to one side.
"Maybe.. but I ain't gonna sit around waiting for that, Saya-chan. I won't accept help from Miss White, not after all she's done. You say you want to be a hero.. well, I ain't no hero. But I like to think I have my honor.. my pride. I'd rather die than be saved by her.. and that's the truth."
She looks over her shoulder, and offers a slight smile. "Not that I plan on dyin'. Anyway.. it's kinda a moot point unless we find some other way to get Grief Seeds, or we figure out why there aren't any more Witches. Could be someone figured out how to stop Puella from turning into Witches.. and that's why we're starving." She shakes her head slightly. "There's no perfect solution.. every answer just causes more problems."
She sighs, turning around again. "But that's life, ain't it?" She walks back across to where Sayaka stands. "Only thing I know for sure, Saya-chan, is that if we stick together, we'll figure something out." She smiles again, a more genuine one. "There's a way through this. For all of us. An' I mean to find out what it is."
Sayaka frowns, staying where she is, watching after the flame-haired girl. "Heh, you've always been a stubborn one, haven't you. Stubborn and so damned proud. But maybe that's why I like you so much."
She grins and winks as she says that, even if deep down, she feels just a little uncertain..If Miss White DID find a solution, would Kyouko refuse, simply because of her pride?
"Dont think I'd allow you to die either, if by chance WPS were the only ones with a solution to our little 'problem'." she frowns, again, and sighs, "I mean, heck, I hate depending on other people for help, but in desperate times...I dunno, hopefully it wont get to that."
Still, that just leaves them back at square one. "Sooo, what do we do now?"
Kyouko shrugs her shoulders. "Well, first things first.. we need to conserve energy. Look, I personally confirmed there ain't a Witch within 100 miles of Tokyo right now, so no more hunting, alright? Conserve your energy. I have a few more Grief Seeds saved up, enough to last us a couple weeks if we're careful, even sharing them between us. But only if we don't waste magic."
As if to prove her point, she de-henshins, returning to her normal street clothes as well. "I told Mamoru and Kunzite about the situation, and they'll try to help too, although.. they have their own problems, at the moment." She sighs. "That alien guy, Fiore, is causing a lot of trouble. Seems like we may need to stop him before we do anything else, cause if he has his way it'll be 'kaboom Earth' and if that happens, whether we have Grief Seeds or not doesn't really matter that much. I told 'em though, we only help in an emergency, cause we have to save our strength."
"Anyway, assuming that gets taken care of, then they'll help look for an answer as well. I suppose.." She sighs again, sounding reluctant. "I suppose I should go talk to Homura, as well. This effects her and Madoka-chan as much as us, and as much as I hate to admit it, she often has 'ways' of finding things out I wouldn't have access to.."
Sayaka nods, "Right. So I guess we just have to not do any heroics for a while, huh.." she sighs, knowing how difficult it'll be to just close her eyes, now that she is aware of everything going on all around her. "But, I guess I DO have my kendo! I suppose we can always help out with our combat skills in our dehenshined state, if need be, right?"
She smiles, sounding hopeful..But that smile quickly fades at the mention of Fiore. "Sooo, Fiore's that alien guy who's obsessed with Mamoru-san, or something? I guess I dont really know much about him, and, what do you mean, 'kaboom earth?'"
Sayaka makes a face, "Geez, I feel so out of the loop. I didn't even realize this Fiore guy was on the level of global threat." She sighs "I REALLY need to touch base with Mamoru-san and Kunzite-san soon, it'd be good to get to know them a bit better too.."
But, that gives her another idea, "Oh heey! Sailormoon has the power to purify negative energy, right? Like, when she cleansed the evil energy from you when you were Apatite? I wonder if she can use that magic to cleanse our soul gems at least a little? It'd be woth trying, but only in an emergency..."
As for Madoka and Homura, she nods. "Yeah, we need to have a meeting with those two as well..And I'll bet Kyubey knows a bunch about what's going on too, although whether he'll be willing to volunteer that information is another story.."
"Well.." Kyouko says, shaking her head slightly. "Don't do anything dangerous, Saya-chan. Remember, I do have a few Grief Seeds left, so if it's a life-threatening situation, you're better off to henshin and use your powers.. but only if you really need to. Don't get yourseld killed 'cause you don't wanna use your magic, that'd be counterproductive.."
She smiles. "Don't feel too out of the loop. I didn't know he was that big a problem until tonight when I talked with them, either. Before I thought he was just your average alien stalker.. but apparently he works for some energy-draining alien plant monster that's gonna suck Earth dry unless he gets stopped.." She sighs. "Y'know, another week, another possible apocalypse.. but I trust those guys. I think they'll be able to handle it. But we should be ready, just in case."
As for Sailor Moon, she quirks her lips to the side, thoughtful. "Mamoru said the same thing.. I'm not sure it works that way. BUt I guess we don't have anything to lose by trying."
She shakes her head again, reaching out to give Sayaka another quick hug. "Anyway.. we got a list of stuff to do, at least. One thing at a time.. and we'll figure it out. I'm gonna head home.. I haven't slept in my own bed in two weeks, an' I'm tired as hell."