UNIVERSAL

By Greg Wong

Epilogue: Forward

"Sayaka," I heard a faint voice murmur.

I heard myself grumble something.

"Sayaka, they're here."

Grumble.

Poke to my ribs.

Gah!

I twitched as my eyes shot open. For a brief moment of disorientation, the world looked upside down. Blinking, I had the pleasure of seeing Janev's grinning face over mine. Hey, wait. Why was he standing sideways and...?

I felt my cheeks get blazing, burning hot when I realized I had my head on his lap. I jerked myself upright, hopefully before the Xori'an saw my face go red.

"Good nap?" I heard him ask me.

"Not bad," I said, teasing. "Had better." I scooted over to sit next to him.

Janev looked dejected for a few moments before his face brightened. "Oh, I know why. My legs are just so muscled and masculine that they don't make good cushions, huh?"

"Pshh. Yeah, keep telling yourself that." I slugged him playfully on his bicep.

"Ow. You know you're stronger than you look, right?"

"You big baby," I said with a snort. I leaned against Janev, laying my head on his shoulder. I felt an arm go around me.

This was kind of nice, really. I—

"You know, if you two start up the tonsil hockey, I'm eating your share," a familiar voice called to us.

I leaned forward, looking past Janev. Past him, half inside the shade of the tree and half out in the sun was a huge blanket set out on the grass. On top the blanket was an equally huge spread of food. And behind that was Kyoko, grinning at us.

"Tonsil what?" Janev asked.

I choked.

"Oh, come on, man," Kyoko snorted. "You two are really clingy, and it would blow my mind if you told me you two haven't smooched yet."

I was about to shout at Janev not to answer that, but he opened his mouth to quickly. "Well, yeah, we have. What do tonsils have to do with it?"

Kyoko blinked. She bounded past the blanket and crouched in front of Janev. "Wait, just so I've got everything straight." Kyoko pointed at Janev. "You." Finger at me. "Kissed her. Right?"

"Yup."

"Oh. So you're telling me there was no tongue involved."

Oh God. I wanted to melt into the ground

I didn't want to, but I looked at the Xori'an. He honestly looked confused. "What does tongue have to do... with...?"

I saw the wheels spinning in his brain right up until he got it. Blinking, Janev turned his head, slowly, to look at me. "Wait, so that's how you're supposed to do it?"

If I thought my face couldn't get any redder, boy I was dead wrong. I leaped to my feet.

"Okay, no, no, no, no. Not dealing with this!"

I stepped quickly away from the two of them to the picnic spread a few meters away. Kyoko was bawling with laughter.

"Um. Did something happen?" Mami, who'd been sitting on one corner, asked.

"Yeah. Kyoko happened," I grumbled sitting down hard on an unoccupied area. Then, sighing, I shrugged. "Just messing with me. Janev's playing along."

"Ah," Mami said, apparently understanding. Which I don't think she did, but whatever.

I'd woken up a couple of weeks after the fight with the thing Madoka had called the "Nothing," after having been in a coma for all that time.

Fast forward a few weeks after that, and things were going smoothly. Started connecting with more of the Puellae Magi, the Xori'ans, and the centipedes and space dragons. You know, just networking or whatever.

And spending more time with my boyfriend. Yes, I considered Janev my boyfriend. No, there hadn't been any tongue involved yet. I just don't think I was quite ready for that, you know? And, honestly, I was going to find a way to prank Kyoko good after this. Just you watch.

Anyway, news had filtered down to me that my friends were going to have a picnic when school was let out for summer vacation, and I was invited. Madoka had her nigh-omniscence thing, I guess. But here I was, at a nice park, on a gorgeous day, with Kyoko, Mami, Homura, and some other normal Puellae Magi from nearby cities that Mami had decided to invite. From what I heard Mami had managed to stake a claim to a nice spot, but the park was starting to get busy with people with similar ideas.

Oh, yeah, and obviously Janev had tagged along. Kyoko had sent me an email—and I didn't even try to figure out how email worked with me—insisting that I bring him along.

I looked over to where the redhead and Janev were laughing over something. At least the two of them got along well. Not that I needed Kyoko's approval, or whatever, but it was nice to have all the same.

"It's too bad more of your friends couldn't come," Mami said to me as she started unwrapping one of the boxes. I recognized it as the one containing a cake Charlotte had baked and insisted I bring along.

"Yeah," I replied. "I invited them, but they told me too many of us in one spot wouldn't work out." Actually, I think Joan, Charlotte, Annie, and the rest had declined just so I could spend some time alone with my Earth friends.

Dang. Had I really thought "Earth friends"? How dorky was that. Man.

I helped Mami get the food ready. Homura showed up halfway through with more bags of stuff. I helped with those too.

When everything was ready, Mami called everyone over, and we dug in.

"You know, I think these things could be Earth's best invention," Janev said after he finished chewing.

"You said that about the tempura, the sashimi, the rice balls, and the wasabi," I said to him in a deadpan.

"I know, but I'm totally serious this time!"

"You said that about the ice cream, the soda, the sesame balls, and the mochi." I put on a look of horrified realization. "Wait, I get it now. You're a closet sugar fiend. You just got to know me so I could lead you to desert."

With an injured expression on his face Janev put the half-finished crepe down on his empty plate and took my hands in his.

"Sayaka. I vow to you that I will never, ever choose sugary sweets over you. You have my word." Then, in a stage whisper, "Unless they're chocolate-filled crepes, then there might be a problem."

He looked completely serious, except for a tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth. It was taking all my self control to not break out into laughter. As it was I think my lips were quivering, just on the verge of—

Kyoko snorted.

Aaaand then none of us could hold it in anymore. I swear it took a good minute for us to quit giggling, and by then my sides were hurting. Heh. I could faceplant into concrete after a hundred meter fall and come out completely fine, but laughing at something silly like this made my ribs ache. Ah, life.

"You could have imported them, or something," I heard Kyoko say to Janev. I'd given them a real brief explanation during lunch for what the Xori'ans were—aliens that had made contracts with the Incubators—but I did leave out the fact that they looked like ferrets, their homeworld had been destroyed, and they were basically extinct. Kyoko and the others had been treated to so much weird lately that the revelation of aliens didn't faze them.

"Well, maybe," Janev said as he popped the last piece of crepe into his mouth. "Then again the average Xori'an would be super allergic to the almonds and I think the whipped cream and chocolate would be poisonous. The horror."

We helped clean up, throwing the trash out and getting leftovers packed. Honestly, if Janev and I had one it ourselves it would have been done in a third of the time, considering our speed and powers, but this was a group thing.

But it got done all the same, and we started saying our goodbyes. As we started to leave Janev stopped me and told me he was going to the crepe stand.

"Again?" I asked incredulously.

My boyfriend gave me the best puppy dog face I'd ever seen. I rolled my eyes and shrugged. Grinning, Janev jogged off to the stand.

"Sayaka," I head someone say from behind me. I looked over my shoulder. Homura.

"Yes, Homura?"

The brunette pointed past me. I turned to look. Halfway across the park was another picnic blanket with two people beside it. One was a pretty girl with pale green hair, and next to her was a good looking boy with silvery hair. My heart thumped a bit faster for a moment. Hitomi and Kyousuke.

I watched the two of them for a few moments, not saying anything. Behind me, Homura was also silent. Kyousuke said something, and Hitomi started giggling.

I also noticed something else, something significant.

"What happened to his hand?" I asked softly.

Kyousuke's right hand—the opposite of the one I'd healed with my wish—was gone. With my vision, I could see that it had been replaced with a complex-looking prosthetic.

"There was a reception after one of his violin recitals," Homura answered. "A fire broke out halfway through. Kyousuke, Hitomi and a few others were trapped. Kyousuke got them to safety, but he suffered bad burns to his right hand. They had to amputate it."

"How did he take the loss of his hand?" I almost didn't want to know. When he'd injured his left hand he'd practically been in a state of a depression over it."

"From what I heard he was in shock over it for a while, but he got it over it quickly." Homura walked up to stand next to me. "Since he can't actually play anymore he's started composing music. People are making a lot of noise over it, so I suppose it's very good."

I said nothing

"It was a big story, the fire." Homura continued. "They called him a hero for saving the people the way he did."

I smiled to myself. "I guess Kyousuke does deserve a girl as cool as Hitomi."

"What was that?" I hear Homura ask me.

"Oh, nothing," I replied.

I was watching their body language. When I'd been alone with Kyousuke, he'd always seemed a bit... stiff. Tense. Seeing him now, with Hitomi, he seemed relaxed, at ease. Good. They seemed happy together. I wished them luck.

I sensed Janev's aura approaching, so I shifted a bit so I could catch sight of him. The Xori'an was approaching, juggling, I kid you not, four crepes. Okay, this was just silly. "Oh, come on..."

"Well, I hope to see you around, Sayaka," Homura said to me before the fireworks started. "Tell her I said hi."

I smiled. "Of course I will."

The brunette gave me a rare smile and started to head out.

Okay, now that Homura wasn't here...

I stomped over to my boyfriend.

"Okay, Janev, this is just ridic—"

"They're not all for me!" he said quickly. He held out an arm. "See? One of them's for you."

I cocked an eyebrow. "This one's the smallest one."

"Um. Aren't girls always obsessed with their weight?"

I gave him a look.

"Um. I'll go back and get another one?"

I dropped the seriousness and grinned. "No, it's all right. You remembered that I like the strawberry one, so it's fine." I took the offered desert and took a bite out of it. Chewing, I noticed Janev hadn't touched the other ones.

"So... are you going to eat those?" I asked. "I mean, it'd be really neurotic of you to buy them and just stare at them."

"Well, two of them aren't for me," he said. He pointed with his chin towards a bench set next to the walkway. There were two people on it that I didn't recognize.

We made out way towards the bench and the two occupants. One was a stunningly beautiful Caucasian girl with hair that seemed equal portions gold and copper. The man next to her had short reddish hair and an unassuming, average face. He did have a nice, welcoming smile, though.

I blinked as it suddenly came to me. I didn't know these faces, yeah, but I knew who they were.

"Try these," Janev said, offering the crepes to the couple. "They're really good."

"Thank you, Master Ssree'ten," said Rahkanael as she accepted the pastry. T!k!k just nodded as he received his.

The four of us ate together. We didn't say anything. I wasn't sure what kind of conversation to make, anyway. "My, you look quite different without wings and scales!" Yeah, right.

When we finished Rahanael and T!k!k stood up.

"This a very beautiful planet," the dragon said to me.

"I'm pleased to say I had a hand in helping saving it," the centipede added.

"Thank you," I said to them. Rahkanael and T!k!k gave me a respectful nod before they departed.

Janev and I watched the two of them go. I scratched my head.

"That was kind of unexpected," I said.

Janev just shrugged. Then turning to me, he asked "Ready to go?"

"Sure."

We stared at a wall of fire.

Well, it was actually a sphere, but since the sun was so frigging huge it just looked like a wall.

It brought back memories, for sure, and not just the ones involving Oktavia.

It also made me think about what the future was going to hold. I mean, Madoka and the other Existences had fought of a creature from outside the universe. Were there others?

Who knew. I'd just have to hit the ground running if something came.

I leaned against Janev, and I felt his arm go around my waist. Heh. If something ever happened, I'd have Madoka, and Janev. I wouldn't be alone. They wouldn't be alone, either. I'd be there for them.

I knew I was blushing, but I could just say it was the sun causing it.

"Let's dance," I said to Janev, stepping in front of him.

"What?" He blinked. "Really?"

"I'm the girlfriend. Don't ask questions." I pursed my lips. "It just seems like it would be... romantic, you know?"

Janev just answered with a wide grin.

He took my left hand in his right, and I rested my right on his shoulder. His left arm looped around my waist.

And then we started dancing.

To be honest, I don't think either us knew what the heck we were doing, but when we both goofed it somehow didn't matter.

So with the sun next to us, we danced. Dancing together. Dancing, remembering.

Dancing towards the future.