Madoka's funeral was four days ago, and adults still won't stop asking about it. Surely you know something about what happened, don't you? They're worried. The whole city is. The autopsy said she was stabbed, and between her and Mami, everybody thinks that there's a serial killer on the loose. You can't exactly say that you don't know anything, since you're the one who 'found' the body.

You also can't find a good way to tell them that you know. That you failed to protect Madoka, like you'd promised yourself when this all started, and that you were there when a witch speared your best friend through the chest. Sometimes, you can still hear her blood splattering to the ground in your head.

You can't face your parents like this.

So, here you are in Kyoko's hotel room. The balcony looks out over the nicest parts of the city, the room is bigger than your entire family's apartment, the bathtub's big enough to float in, and it has a grand piano. It's that kinda place... not that you've been in any mood to enjoy it. You're still laying face-down in the impossibly plush bed when Kyoko returns, and you hear the rustle of shopping bags behind you. "Here!" She says. "Dinner." Something smacks against your back with a crinkling of plastic, and reluctantly, you roll over.

You eye the candy bar that has now slid to the bed next to you. "You call this dinner?"

"Yeah, well..." Kyoko piles the bags onto the desk, then takes a seat next to them and starts unloading. You see a lot of sweets and junk food in there. "It's a special occasion! It's not every day you fight a Walpurgisnacht, so we oughta celebrate, you know?"

"Usually people celebrate after they've won," you say, and toss the candy bar back. Kyoko rips open an expensive-looking box of chocolates, and the smell wafts over. Almost instantly, you realize that you're starving. You've spent most of the past two days scouring the city for any sign of Homura. You've barely even thought about food. Maybe that's why you're so tired...

With a sigh, you step over and dig through the bags. Like you expected, it's nothing but junk food, but you'll eat anything right now. You grab a box of cookies and carry it back to bed, and you've eaten five or six of them before you even have a second thought. "... how did you pay for all of this?"

"Are you really going to start with that again? We're gonna save the city tomorrow! I think it at least owes us a free meal, don't you?"

"So you stole it." You sit the cookies aside.

"Hey, listen. This Walpurgisnacht thing... it's not some normal witch. Half these stores probably won't even be standing tomorrow. They're evacuating for a reason!" Kyoko takes a loud bite of a candy bar, then waggles the end at you. "If we don't take it now, it'll just go to waste."

"Uh-huh." You don't care about the stupid food. You know you probably should, but compared to everything that's happened over the past few weeks? Something like a few stolen candy bars doesn't even matter. That still doesn't mean you touch any. Leaving the cookies where they are, you flop back on the bed again.

"Eh, suit yourself!" You can hear the rustling as Kyoko keeps right on eating. Your stomach grumbles again, but at this point, you're not going to back down. After quite a while, Kyoko leaps onto the bed. She lands next to you with enough force to leave her bouncing for a few seconds, then crosses her arms beneath her chin. "So, what should we do now?"

"What is this, a sleepover?"

"Well, we've gotta do something, right? This whole place is empty, with the evacuation and all. We can do whatever we want!" Under the circumstances, you're not even going to ask where she got a key to the most expensive suite in the city. "You weren't just gonna lay around all evening, were ya? You'll probably feel pretty stupid if you waste your time tonight and then get killed tomorrow."

"If you're so sure we're going to die, why are you sticking around? You can go back to Kazamino if you want. Nobody's making you stay here."

For the first time since the conversation started, Kyoko looks a bit taken aback by your words, but recovers quickly. She rolls over onto her back and tilts her head to stare up at the ceiling as she speaks. "Dunno. Me and Mami always promised each other that we'd fight a Walpurgisnacht if we ever got a chance. I'd just... feel like a loser if I ran away now, y'know?"

"I guess."

"C'mon, you're not gonna spend the whole night moping around, are you?"

You kind of want to. Even if it is your last night on Earth. It somehow feels like you deserve it. Like there's some karmic debt that you can only pay off by laying here and being miserable.

After waiting a few seconds for a response, Kyoko pushes herself up to her feet in the middle of the bed, then stretches. "This place will probably be hit tomorrow, too. You know what I've always wanted to do?"

"Mmh?" You're barely paying attention.

"... this!" Kyoko crouches down and leaps into the air. When she sticks her landing in the middle of the other bed, she sinks a good half-meter into its plush surface, and half a dozen throw pillows launch into the air. She cackles. "If this place is gonna get blown down tomorrow..." She turns and leaps back, and lands right near your head, with enough force to bounce you a few centimeters into the air. "... it doesn't matter if we trash it, right?"

"What are you, five?" You give a tired smirk.

"Hah! I got you to smile."

It's probably the first time you've smiled since... Madoka. It's kinda nice, but it makes you feel a bit guilty, too. Why should you have any right to be happy at a time like this? "Why's it matter?"

Without answering, Kyoko kneels down over you. Her upside-down face looks at you from above, and she holds out a hand. "Hey. Show me your soul gem."

"Why?"

"Just do it, c'mon!"

You sigh. "Fine." It only takes a simple wave of your hand to summon it into your palm. You try not to look at it. It's dark. Really dark. There hasn't really been a lot of time for hunting witches, and your fighting style's been pretty sloppy lately. You lift your hand up...

... and Kyoko grabs it. Before you can recover enough to say anything, her other hand presses a grief seed to your soul gem. The only sound in the entire suite is the soft tink of metal on glass. A cloud of greasy darkness flows out of your soul gem, and for the first time in days, you actually detect a hint of blue in here. "H-huh...?"

"I knew it. You never keep it clean. I know we fought a lot, but... You've gotta start taking care of yourself. I don't want you to die tomorrow, okay?" She turns to look away from you and chuckles under her breath. "Guess I'm goin' soft."

You feel a rush of blood to your cheeks, and a hot spike of anxiety and embarrassment through your chest. Your pulse pounds in your ears. "I-I don't plan on it."

"Heh. Good." She bends down, moving her face closer to yours until it feels like she's probably bent double... and she just keeps slowly drawing nearer. You can smell the bittersweet hint of stolen chocolate on her breath. The tip of her ponytail tickles your cheek. I-is she going to kiss you? More importantly, why aren't you pushing her away? "... so do you wanna try having fun tonight, or are you just gonna keep being stubborn?"

"You're the one who won't leave me alone," you say, but it doesn't sound like such a terrible idea now. Your fingers close around your soul gem as you consider your options. It's a long enough pause that Kyoko is completely unprepared when you reach up and shove her onto her back.

"W-what're you...?!" While she's still too stunned to react, you hurry to the far side of the room. Sprinting as fast as you can, you leap onto the other bed, bounce off it like a trampoline, and hug your knees up to your chest in a cannonball. You catch just a glimpse of Kyoko's wide-eyed terror before you slam into the bed, launching her half a meter into the air.

You need to be well-rested tomorrow, but you still didn't go to bed until midnight. By that point, the entire suite was splattered in complimentary shaving cream, there was a broken wire on the piano, half a dozen rolls of toilet paper laying in the parking lot below your balcony, and the scattered remains of a pillow fort in the living room. Maybe you really are both five. Once you started, it just kinda kept going. You felt a lot better afterward, somehow.

Howling wind wakes you up in the middle of the night. It really is going to be a hell of a storm, just like Homura said it would. It's freezing cold, but the central air isn't making any noise, so apparently the power's already out. You tug another comforter over yourself and try to fall back to sleep.

Before you manage it, Kyoko slides into bed behind you, hooks one arm around your waist, and pulls you back against her. You know you should yell at her to go back to her own bed or something, but you don't. You even stay still, pretending to be asleep until she settles down.

It is a lot warmer like this.

The entire building shudders, and you tense up. Did Walpurgisnacht already come? But, no, it was just a strong gust of wind.

That's when you realize: For the first time in the past week, you care whether you live or die tomorrow.

The wind settles down, and you roll over to tell Kyoko. She's already fast asleep, though, with her mouth hanging open. Looks like she's not going to be leaving your bed tonight.

"Idiot," you mumble under your breath. After leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead, you pull the covers tighter, slide closer to Kyoko, and drift off to sleep.