[X] The vote
"Can we even be friends anymore?" Sayaka shudders one final time, and you hear the dam break as she loses the ability to hold back her tears. "Should we even be friends anymore?"
You aren't sure how to approach this situation, aren't sure what words you can say to calm Sayaka's rampaging emotions. Your hand waits, just barely outstretched, for what feels like an eternity as you try to find the right words. You feel Sayaka's hands against your back, only realizing after the fact that you had initiated the hug.
"I would very much like for us to remain friends, if that's okay with you" you say, saying no more until Sayaka can bring herself to stop crying. "All I ask is that you let me explain myself before you make your decision." The shoulder of your uniform is damp with Sayaka's tears, but as they stop and she finds the strength to nod her head you know that they'll dry up soon enough.
Sayaka's eyes are red, and her voice is hoarse when she manages to say to you "Okay." You lead her over to a nearby bench, and the two of you sit down side-by-side.
"I... I hate those two," you say, only to shake your head, correcting yourself. "No, hate doesn't even begin to describe my feelings towards them. The things they have done... The things they would have continued to do if they hadn't been stopped... You were there; you know how close I was to killing them on that day, and if I thought for a second there was any chance of them ever again trying to harm you, or Madoka, or anyone else that I care about..."
"Despite my personal feelings, I've been trying to keep a cordial relationship with them. But they and I are not friends, Sayaka; I cannot stress that enough. At best, I tolerate their continued existence, for as long as they remain useful to me as allies." At this, Sayaka nods her head along to your words, stopping only when a question strikes her.
"What do you mean by that, saying that they're 'useful' to you?" she asks "You're still doing, you know, magical girl things with them, right? Even though you don't like them?"
"That is correct. Mikuni Oriko - the white one - has the ability to see into the future. Even if I hate her, an ability like that is one that I'd prefer to have on my side, rather than used against me. In addition-" You stop, realizing that in order to explain your next point, you have to go back a few steps. "It's not a phenomenon I've ever encountered before, but for whatever reason each of the five puella magi operating in Mitakihara have their own servant. I've told you about them before, right?"
"Yeah, that's what you said Mister Archer was, right? Some kinda magic ghost thing who's supposed to help you out, right?"
"That's the basic gist of it, yes. Archer told me that there are seven different classes of servant, and each of the five of us has a different one."
Sayaka counts off five on her right hand, saying "So, if you've got Archer, Mami-san has..." Sayaka wracks her brain, trying to think back to that day. "Caster, right? And Oriko has Lancer? Am I remembering that right?" You nod. "Then, who do Kyouko and Kirika have?"
"Kyouko has Rider, and Kure Kirika has Berserker; you've met Rider once before, if you remember the man with spiky green hair who would have let you in at the church when you went to pick Kyouko up the other day. He seems easygoing enough, and you'd probably like him if you had the chance to talk to him for a bit."
"But I'm guessing you're only saying that because you know I wouldn't like the last one; Berserker, was it? What're they like?"
"You've met Berserker once before, as well. He was the tall figure shrouded in shadows standing beside Mikuni Oriko and Kure Kirika when they surrendered. The best way I can describe him to you, would be by calling him a typhoon of violence in the shape of a person. He is one of the last things that I would want to have to fight as an enemy, and keeping him on my side is one of my reasons for allowing Kure Kirika to be my ally."
"Even if I don't like having to work alongside them, they each have in their possession useful tools, without which I would be at a severe disadvantage in safeguarding not only this city, but the people that I care about."
So far, Sayaka seems to be with you in regards to your explanation, until that moment when her mind hits a snag. "Wait, you said that there are seven servants, right? I only counted five. Who has the other two?"
"The sixth servant is Assassin, while the seventh is Saber." You hesitate as you speak to Sayaka the name of the servant that awaits her call should she fail to heed your advice and contract. "Saber, as far as I can tell, is not with us; but Assassin..."
You spend the next several minutes trying as best as you can to give Sayaka the clearest and most unambiguous explanation of Assassin that you can. Not only that, but when the opportunity presents itself, you also inform Sayaka of the impeding threat posed by the "Church of the Righteous Sister", courtesy of Hitomi's investigative research and Mikuni Oriko's precognition. "I know it must be hard to accept now that you've had to stare death in the face, but these threats are much greater than the threat posed by Mikuni Oriko and Kure Kirika. If I'm going to be forced to choose between working alongside them, or not, I know that I'm in no position to refuse the tools at their disposal, not if I can use them to save as many lives as possible."
Sayaka's hands are clenched into tight fists by the time you are finished speaking your piece. "Why..." you can hear the anger in her heart bubbling up to the surface. "Why do things like this keep happening? Why do so many people have to keep dying?"
You reach an arm around to Sayaka's shoulder, pulling her in close. "I wish I knew, Sayaka. I wish I could tell you why so many people have to die, but I can't. But I promise you, I'll do everything in my power to keep the people I care about safe. You, Hitomi, Tomoe-san, Kyouko, Madoka... I'll protect you all; even if I have to work with people like Mikuni Oriko and Kure Kirika in order to do it, I won't let anything stop me from keeping you all safe. That's what it means to be a puella magi; we have to make sacrifices in order to protect the ones we love. Skipping a day of school, missing out on time spent with the person that you love, working alongside horrible people, making sacrifices becomes unavoidable to our survival once someone has been in for as long as I have; and as long as there are threats that we have to overcome, there will always be sacrifices that we have to make."
It looks like Sayaka is going to remain in silent contemplation of your words, until a faint "... I'm sorry" finds its way past her lips.
Sayaka's response catches you by surprise, forcing you to ask "What do you have to apologize for?"
"Because, I... When I was little, I always used to watch reruns of Sailor Moon with my mom. I thought being a magical girl - fighting evil in the name of truth, justice, and love - was, like, the coolest thing ever. That night, when you were trying so hard to explain how dangerous being a magical girl is, I just kept brushing you off and joking around like an idiot, because I didn't understand. I didn't realize how dangerous it was for you, or Mami-san, or Kyouko, until it was staring me right in the face." Now, it is Sayaka's turn to comfort you, as she brings her own arm around your shoulder in a mirror of your own gesture. "I'm sorry for brushing you off so carelessly, and I'm sorry that you all have to go through the hell that you do."
Even though you have long since forced yourself to become accustomed to the life you are forced to live, it's always nice to know that you still have people who care for you. That's not something that you've had in a very long time. "Thank you, Sayaka, for being there for me, and for giving me the opportunity to explain myself."
"No problem, Homura," Sayaka says, as a smile finally breaks through. "That's what friends are for, right?"
"Right. But in the future, if something like this is bothering you, I want you to know that you can be upfront with me about it. You are my friend, and if something has you feeling concerned then I'd be more than happy to listen to you and try to work with you to find a solution."
Sayaka smiles, and in silence the two of you are content to sit here atop the roof, watching the city beneath you as it goes about its day.
They're all so blissfully unaware of the horrors that lurk just beneath the surface.
How many more will have to die before the end?
You can't save them all.
Do you
[ ] Sit here with Sayaka until the bell rings
-[ ] Talk to Sayaka (write-in)
[ ] Try to head to lunch, if there's enough time
[ ] Skip to the end of the day
[ ] Other (write-in)
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