"Ha! Piece of cake!" Kyouko cried, as waves of magic and dark energy shattered around her, revealing an empty car park in the dead of night. There were a few cars dotted about, but nobody was about to bother her, dressed as she was in her Magical girl garb. Or me, dressed in my own. It used to make me feel pretty self-conscious, back when I first started. I'm no stranger to a short skirt of course, but the flashes of midriff and a strapless top did make me feel awfully… exposed. Especially given our current method of witch hunting, which can be easily summed up by the phrase 'wandering around the scuddiest, darkest dead-ends in the city wearing what appeared to be cosplay in the dead of night'. I admired Kyouko for the ease with which she pulled it off. Sure, she'd been at it for a good year longer than me, but it just seemed so… Natural to her. She was born to be a Magical girl, I suppose. Lithe and athletic, naturally talented… I feel clumsy next to her. She's so poised, so graceful… so beautiful, even.

That was a strange realisation, the first time I noticed. Scared me slightly, even. But I've given this some thought, and… I'm okay with it. I think.

"Hey, Sayaka? Wanna go get something to eat, before we call it a night?" The childish redhead asked me, flashing me a playful grin. I loved it when she did that. When we first met, it felt… I dunno, predatory. Like a crocodile smiling before it kills you. But now, I guess I found it pretty cute. She was like a puppy sometimes, so pleased to see you and more playful than anyone could keep up with. The fangs probably didn't help much. They're a bit weird, I think, but they've really grown on me over the last few months.

"Huh? Jeez, Kyouko, we can't just go out and eat at this time, we'll get indigestion. Let's just go home." I said, frowning at her.

"Pssh, whatever." The fiery delinquent replied, balancing her spear over one shoulder and pulling out a box of pocky. "I never get indigestion, anyway."

"Well, I do, and I'm not gonna push my luck for you, dumbass." I replied, sighing and reverting to my 'human' form. It was a strange sensation, dropping back. There was an appreciable drop in power, even though we still have most of our abilities without our costume, there's some kind of limit that holds us back. Once you've spent a while with that kind of power, being without it makes you feel rather delicate. And even without it, everyone else feels really delicate, too. I mean, even though I'm nowhere near as powerful as Kyouko. She's a master of the art, a real veteran with bags of experience and a soul gem that glows like a lighthouse. I'm clumsy and useless compared to her, and I still feel it. I guess it's why Magical girls don't have much to do with normal people. As Kyouko said, there really is nobody like us.

"If we're gonna go, then let's go," Kyouko said, breaking my chain of thought. "I don't wanna stand around here all night." And with a spark of red like a flame, Kyouko was changing back, her spear vanishing to nothing and her garb burning away to reveal her signature hoodie, tank top and denim shorts. She never let me wash any of it, so I bet it was filthy. She walked past me in the rough direction of my house, grabbing me forcefully by the wrist and dragging me a couple steps to get me going. She'd probably noticed that I was feeling a bit spaced out at the moment. She wasn't angry of course, that's just the way she was. Kyouko was a whirlwind, racing along at two hundred miles an hour, and I just struggled to keep up. So I jogged a few paces, bringing myself up level with her, walking by her side. It's nice that we can have these times together, I think.

Of course, when I say 'home', I don't mean 'our home', or even the place where we both live. Technically it's my home, or my parents' home, and it's where I live. But my parents are away on business trips so often these days, and the house is nearly empty so often, that I let her stay over a lot. Not that I'm really allowed to, but I don't really need to ask if they'll never find out, right?

We walked in silence for a while. That was odd, because we almost always had something to talk about, even if it was just about how Kyouko was such a slob, or how I was completely useless, or something. But something was wrong with the fiery-haired girl, I could tell. She clammed up when something was eating her, and avoided eye contact. She was usually so passionate, so social… I don't like her when she's like that. I prefer to see her smile.

"Hey, Sayaka?" She asked, once again breaking my train of thought. Her voice was quiet, something that almost never happened.

"Huh? What do you want?" I asked, trying not to sound tense. It probably didn't work.

"You weren't focussed on the fight, just now." She said simply, and looked up at me. I am slightly taller than her, as much as she hates to admit it.

"Yeah, I was!" I shot back, trying to sound confident, even indignant. I just sounded like I was lying.

"You know you weren't. What's up?"

"Nothing's wrong, Kyouko. Promise I'm fine." I replied, smiling.

"Don't lie to me, stupid." She grunted, punching me lightly on the arm. Well, lightly for Kyouko. "You know it's dangerous in there, and I get worried when you aren't focussed."

That part hurt more than any punch could. But I really couldn't tell her what was wrong.

"I know, Kyouko. I'm sorry, okay? I won't do it again."

"You always say that! And then you go and do it all over again!" She began loudly, as we walked through dark and empty streets. Then she started talking again, only much quieter. But the words felt louder in my head. "Ever since then, I've always been worried when you act odd, Sayaka. When you get all… Moody, or quiet, or distant, and stuff like that, I get scared that you're gonna go again…"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm fine, now?" I asked, but my voice was gentler this time. I had to be, for her. "It's been months. I've got you, and Madoka, and The Transfe-and Homura, and Mami… A-and my family too. Can't you just trust me, here? That's why we fight together, right?"

Kyouko nodded, looking like I had said something that stabbed just as deep as what she had said herself. I want to hug her, when I see her that way. At the very least, I want to hold her hand, like she did to me that night… But she's too complicated for things like that. I know her better than anyone alive, and I still feel like she's a stranger to me. She hides so much, but that's just the way she is. Wild and free, and full of mystery. I envy her for that. I'm far too open, too obvious and too easily-read. That Homura girl seemed to know me from the moment she met me.

"I guess… Promise you won't go all crazy again?" Kyouko's choice of language implied that everything was alright again.

"Promise." I replied, nodding.

"Alright! Now come on, if we're going home, can we please hurry?" She said, completely changed. That was Kyouko, alright. She was a hurricane of emotion, here one moment and then whirling away the next. She was like fire, a glorious burst of passion that was at the same time beautiful and dangerous, liable to burn you if you got too close, but warm and comforting to a fault. I mean, I'm no poet, but I can talk about Kyouko in my head all day.

"Alright, alright! Cold or something?" I asked, laughing as I picked up the pace to keep up with her.

"No!" She replied indignantly. "Well… It's easy for you, your uniform is pretty warm…"

"Aww, poor Kyouko… Maybe if you wore something a little less summery?" I asked, noting as my breath condensed around my mouth. She must have been colder than she let on. It was Winter, for crying out loud.

"Hey, shut up… I'm fine, okay? Let's just hurry up."

"Sure, sure, but if you need ol' Sayaka to keep you warm on the way home…"

"I do not!"

"Fine…"

It was past midnight when we finally got 'home'. Even I was pretty cold, so I imagine Kyouko must have been freezing. Of course, Kyouko being Kyouko, she refused to show it, and adamantly maintained that she was fine until we got inside. But even she couldn't hide the sigh of satisfaction when the warmth hit her.

"Man, remind me to get changed into some warmer clothes for the witch-hunt, next time…" I muttered, stretching out my shoulders.

"Psh. I'm not your mother, remember yourself." Kyouko replied with just enough bite to be friendly, and show that she was still ticked off. When she got like that, she was either hungry, cold, or both.

"Oh, just get in the bath." I said to the obnoxious redhead, shoving her gently. She huffed playfully, but headed for the bathroom all the same.

It would save a lot of time and water if we both went in together of course, and my bath could easily take the two of us. But I just couldn't… Not with Kyouko, at least. Madoka maybe, because we're like sisters, but… The thought of being naked with Kyouko for an extended period of time is rather more than I can bear. I wonder if Kyouko ever thinks about that kind of stuff? She grew up in a church, so I guess not. But then, it's not like she acts like a Christian. I mean, she says grace before meals a lot, but she's rude and violent and certainly doesn't 'love her neighbours' or anything like that. It'd be rude to ask her about it, though.

I sighed loudly, wandering into the living room and flopping down on the sofa. I know I love her and all, but do I have to think about her all the time? I wonder how much she thinks about me. I bet she doesn't. I don't even know if her mind works like that, or if she's interested in girls. Perhaps I'll ask Mami? She knew Kyouko back in the day. But I felt too tired to think right now…

"Hey!" A voice suddenly called, cutting through my mind like a knife. "I'm done in the bath now!"

I was lying on my back on the sofa, bleary-eyed and confused.

"Sayaka? What are you doing?" Kyouko asked, looming over me. Her hair was down, and she had a towel draped over her shoulders. I stared up at her stupidly for a second, looking her over. She'd put her black tank top back on, but not her jacket. She looked really beautiful, standing over me.

Trying to hide my blush, I grunted, rolling off the sofa and getting to my feet. "Guess I'm more tired than I thought… It's pretty late, after all." I said, stretching and making to go in the bath myself.

"Well, be quick in the bath, then. I don't want to have to break the door down if you pass out." Kyouko replied with a smirk, straightening up to watch me.

"As if you'd bother." I shot back, heading for the bathroom. "You'd happily let me drown."

"Hey! Someone's gotta look after you, you know." Kyouko replied indignantly, and I looked back at her as I walked. She was only wearing her top and her panties. I coughed, stumbling away.

"A-anyway, I'll see you in a bit." I said hastily, locking myself in the bathroom.

How unfair is that? I thought to myself. Does she not realise what she's doing? I put my hand to my heart. It was beating like in a witch fight! I scowled, crossing the bathroom and poking my hand into the water. It was still pretty hot.

I mean, I know I'm hiding my feelings from her, but still… doesn't she have any shame? I thought to myself, quickly undressing and slipping into the bath. The hot water soothed me a lot, I shan't deny. It really gets in through your skin, and the steam really slows everything down… Makes the world seem a little less intense. Mami says that time for relaxation is important when you're a magical girl. Too much stress leads to soul corruption, and I've gone too far down that route to try it again.

I sighed, leaning over the edge of the bath. Relaxation time was good and all, but it gave me a lot of time to dwell on things I wasn't too keen on dwelling on. How I stood with Kyouko was a particular favourite. Sure, I'd like the idea of going out with her, in principle, but it seems really awkward and tricky to think about. It's also impossible to gauge how Kyouko thinks about the whole idea. I mean, she always seems happy and enthusiastic to see me, but I do get the feeling that she'd do a better job of killing witches without my help. And I do insist on killing Familiars too, which she sees as a waste of time.

Do I annoy her? That's a strange thought. We're at each other's throats a lot these days, even if it's just playful. And what she says does annoy me a lot, but she herself doesn't. I used to hate her, but now I can scarcely imagine disliking her.

And then… Where does Kyousuke fit into this? The thought sent a shiver down my spine and made my gut lurch painfully. I didn't like to think about him. It felt weird, almost. Like cheating on Kyouko or something.

In an attempt to vent my anger a little, I groaned, punching the side of the bath. But as I did, something curious happened. There came a thud from the door, and a muffled curse that could only have been Kyouko.

"Kyouko?" I called out, the peaceful silence of the bathtime shattered. "Kyouko, was that you?"

"U-uh, yeah!" Came a hesitant response from the door.

"What the hell did you just do?"

"What do you mean, 'what did I do?'" Was Kyouko's hesitant response.

"I mean, what was that noise?" I replied, trying to sound impatient.

"Well, it's just… I was just… Walking by, right, and I heard something in the bathroom and it surprised me, s-so I slipped into the door… B-because the floor's wet! Yeah!"

"Why were you walking past the door?" I asked suspiciously.

"I was… Going to get a snack from the kitchen!" She said hurriedly.

"H-hey! You could ask before you eat my food!" I shot back angrily. "My parents pay for that!"

"W-well, I didn't think you'd find out, see…"

"You're unbelievable, Kyouko." I said, lying back in the bath.

A few seconds went by in silence.

"Does that mean I can have some, then?" Kyouko asked brightly.

I rolled my eyes. "Go on then."

"Thanks, Sayaka!" Kyouko said cheerfully, and I heard her footsteps pad faintly away from the door. Which is odd, because I don't remember hearing them before she fell over.

Thinking nothing of it, I managed to keep myself awake long enough to wash up (Which doesn't take nearly as long when your hair's as short and rubbish as mine) and stagger back out of the bath, leaning against the sink for stability as I dried myself one-handed. It was only then that I remembered something pretty important that I should have remembered before I got in the bath.

I'd forgotten my pyjamas.

I wrapped the towel around myself instead, trying not to blush as I considered the idea of Kyouko seeing me wearing so little. It's not like this is the first time, either! I swear I'm getting worse.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled the door open, greeting the wave of cool air with a wince. It was almost like a physical force. Of course, as an ally of justice, I'm far above that kind of thing and opted to just push through it.

"What's up, Sayaka? You look really intense." Kyouko said, shattering my confidence. She was sat on the couch, one leg crossed elegantly over the other and a chocolate bar in her mouth. Her head was cocked to one side curiously.

"It's colder than I thought." I muttered, shivering a little. I was all too aware how much skin I was showing, standing in front of her. To be honest, it was less than Kyouko was showing herself, but I felt really exposed. "A-anyway, I'm gonna go and get my pyjamas on, and then go to bed. You can come in in a few minutes…" I said, turning and hurrying away before she could say anything back. I didn't particularly like being short with her, but if I had to look at that cute expression, those long legs, that soft skin and longer… Gah, it didn't pay to think about things like that. What would she think if she knew about me? I'd probably really freak her out…

That's something else I try not to think about. The possibility of her being uninterested in me genuinely makes me feel queasy. We had to work for so long just to become the friend that the other needed, that messing it all up by confessing to her might convince her to move back to Kazamino.

I stopped in my tracks, just as I was pulling my pyjama top on. I'd started getting dressed without even thinking about it. But the idea of rejection again was so jarring, so horrid…

I blinked a couple of times, shaking my head. Maybe I'm not okay, really? They say these things leave mental scars, and even I can't fix those.

I scowled, yanking on by pyjama bottoms and stalking toward the door. I wish I could just stop thinking and be all carefree like Kyouko.

I pulled the door open and nearly had a heart attack when I found Kyouko standing right outside, looking just as surprised as me.

"Kyouko!" I blurted stupidly.

"S-sayaka!" Kyouko replied, looking just as stupid but with a slightly redder face. "I-I was… Just gonna see if you were finished!"

"W-well, come in, then…" I said, turning away. It did seem weird that she was right outside, but it made sense. I did tell her to come in after a few minutes. Incidentally, I loved the way she said my name. I can't quite place it, but the way she says it, with her brash, energetic voice… It scrambles my insides.

Kyouko nodded, bounding in after me. I'll be honest, she didn't look tired in the slightest.

"You'd better not keep me up, tonight. I have school in the morning, you know." I said, climbing slowly into bed.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be good." She replied dismissively, climbing into her sleeping bag. There was no way I'd let her stay in the same bed as me!

"Goodnight, Kyouko…" I mumbled, snuggling down under the covers. My bed was great. Feather pillows, thick duvet… It made me feel pretty bad that Kyouko was sleeping on the floor, but she didn't have to stay here, right? She had a four-star hotel she'd swindled herself into.

"Nunight, Sayaka!" Kyouko said childishly, as I closed my eyes. I smiled a little. She really was like two different people, sometimes – In battle, she was deadly serious. Sometimes boastful, and often flamboyant, but far more mature than I ever thought I'd see from her. But when you got her alone, she was just like a kid! Obsessed with sweet things, and messing around, and running about… I'd come to love both sides of her, but as secure as I feel by her side in battle, I can never escape the feeling that something terrible might happen to her. It's the life we chose, really – A short one and a cold one. That's what Kyubey had wanted from us all along. But magical girls are supposed to be alone, I think. It gets to them faster, if they are. Together, we can support each other, and keep ourselves alive and such. It's a pretty great life that we lead.

Slowly, secretly, I opened my eyes a crack to get one last look at Kyouko before I went to sleep. She wasn't lying down like I suspected, instead she was sat up, hunched over with her hands clasped tightly before her. I kept forgetting that Kyouko liked to pray. It seemed strange, to me. After all she suffered thanks to her father's faith, she never lost her own. I smiled a little as I watched her whisper silent prayers into the night. I often wonder what she wishes for.

But as much as I wanted to stay awake and watch her gentle movements as she prepared for bed, my eyelids were simply too heavy to stay awake.

.0.

Thank you, dear readers, for finishing chapter 1! I've got a huge amount of appreciation for you. While I've been on the fic-writing scene for a good three years now, this is my first Madoka Magica themed work and my first one set in a first-person perspective! So, obviously, there's always the problem of characterisation and such. And while I've read just about every translated KyouSaya doujin on the internet at least ten times, there's no guarantee that I got it right, or that I didn't miss anything. So, please submit any feedback you have, whether it's good or bad. Because while it's always good to receive constructive criticism now and again, you've got no idea how good it makes a writer feel when you submit a review just saying that you had fun reading it. And that isn't just for me, that's something all writers love. So make somebody happy today! It only takes a couple minutes!

Thanks for reading!