The sun shone brightly on the streets.
The normal sounds of pedestrian movement were overshadowed by the rush of teenagers happy about being let out of school.
Surrounded by this, a group of girls sat at the outdoor tables of a cafe.
Amidst this group, two girls, one a tall and obviously foreign teenager, the other one a much younger yet strikingly serious girl, regarded each other, and only each other.
On one side of the table, Yuki's eyes shone with barely contained excitement. The girl could barely believe she had met none other than the amazing Tomoe Mami, or that she was in the middle of a negotiation which could change the course of the world itself, forever.
Beyond those green orbs, plans and contigencies were being thought up and discarded just as quickly, the professional demeanor she clung onto demanded an intense back and forth, for her opponent to see through her thinly veiled deceptions, for none could possibly overlook how quickly she had tried to dismiss the danger possed by the enemies she had collected throughout her career.
It was lonely at the top. But not in the sense of being isolated from the world. Rather, in the sense that, standing atop a pile consisting of the broken hopes and dreams of other magical girls, she very much felt the need to isolate herself, less those girls managed to reach out and poke her. Violently.
A single thought troubled Yuki then and there. By what she had seen of Sabrina so far, the girl was just as likely to accept her words at face value, and close the defense pact then and there.
A part of her mind was giddy, knowing she could control the negotiations into her favour so easily, yet another part of her raged, demanding the clearly powerful girl not accept her terms, that she haggled, made counter proposals, made her own demands, something.
On the other side of the table, Sabrina's blue eyes scrutinized Yuki.
She wanted to hug the girl.
An eternal moment passed in a blink. Plans were decided on in each girl's mind, and were then set in motion.
"I have a demand to make," said Sabrina.
A purple eyebrow rose. "Oh?"
The white haired girl grinned.
She knew if she demanded hugs from Yuki, the girl would refuse.
"For the purposes of improving cooperation, and maybe fostering friendship between our teams..." her eyes narrowed, cunningly regarding the suddenly breathless Yuki, "I propose, every time our groups meet, we shall, at the very least once at the start, during, or at the end of the meeting, partake in hugs, every single one of us."
Stares were drawn to Sabrina at her proclamation, stares of disbelief, of confusion, of doubt, of consternation... but she only observed her target.
She didn't miss how Yuki stood on the edge of her seat, how her eyes widened... how they flickered for the shortest instant to the blonde girl held in Sabrina's arm.
A breath later, Tsuruya Yuki grinned dismissively. The quirk of her lips managed to convey the deep, old seated derision she had carried with her for so long, the derisive feelings that gnawed ever stronger at her whenever she met yet another presumptuous girl -or boy- who thought they could hug her just because she looked young.
Only, in this case, it was faked.
The purple haired girl trembled with giddiness. She couldn't help it. She knew she was being played, she understood then that everything up to this point had been nothing else than a trick, a farse.
She had understimated Sabrina.
There she was, taking the tall, powerful girl for a fool, but the same girl who played at being a fool had caught her in her until now hidden claws.
How could she pass up a chance to get a hug from Tomoe Mami?
Only a fraction of these thoughts reflected themselves on Yuki's facade. A fraction she was certain Sabrina had caught, her scrutinizing blue eyes couldn't have missed, as those orbs seemed to stare into her very soul.
"A peculiar proposal," she practically sneered, "but I'm certain you aren't quite so naive as to believe such a simple gesture would make us friends?" she almost-laughed right in Sabrina's face.
The tall girl sighed, sadly. Yuki's thoughts ground to a halt.
"I guess you're right, Miss Yuki," Sabrina's tone was nothing if not despondent, "please don't mind that proposal, it's probably just my brain damage acting up again..."
"Now, now, don't be so hasty," Yuki instantly back-tracked, filling away the brain damage comment for later, "you obviously believe there is some worth in your proposal, else you wouldn't have, well, proposed it, right?"
But Sabrina shook her head. "No, no, you're right, it probably would be a waste of time, nevermind disrespectful to force everyone to hug each other..."
Yuki's teeth clenched together. She couldn't lose this chance!
Help arrived from the unlikeliest source.
"Each girl should give at least one hug to someone in the other group."
Yuki and Sabrina -and everyone else- turned to stare at one Homura Akemi.
Sabrina's eyes were wide with surprise, for certainly Homura wouldn't- violet eyes stared back, a delicate eyebrow raised slightly.
Sabrina smiled, nodding in understanding. Obviously, Homura would simply not attend any meeting with the Fukushima girls were this motion to pass.
As the Grief controller started -not seriously- plotting ways to have the time traveller 'accidentally' attend such meetings, Yuki's thoughts whirled.
This was it. Her chance. She had refused Sabrina's first offer, which was obviously set too high, and she kicked herself for not recognizing that. In her excitement and following extreme disappointment and fear a losing the chance to hug Tomoe Mami, she almost let it slip.
But here she had it, a middle ground. A deal that would allow her to get what she wanted without making it look like it, and the chance had been dropped in her lap as if by god... or a devil.
"Very well," she stated, not letting a hint of her emotions seep into her voice, "I accept Mitakihara's proposal."
'WHAT?' exploded Sasami's voice inside her head, followed by yelling and murmurs as her teammates complained or trying to keep each other calm.
'It's not that bad!'
'She cut your arm off!'
'I'm fine, ain't I?'
'Don't we have a say in this?'
Yuki ignored it all. The opportunity was just too big to let it pass by.
"Is there anything else you wish to add?" she asked to the Mitakihara group at large.
Looks were shared, the phone remained conspicously silent.
Sabrina shrugged.
"Proactively making peace with your enemies instead of waiting for them to attack you, for which we offer help, and spreading Clear Seeds to other groups, for which we ask your help."
"Deal," nodded Yuki.
"Deal," nodded Sabrina, standing up, Mami following the action by virtue of their arms around each other's hips.
Yuki mirrored the action withuot thinking, extending her hand.
Sabrina took it-
Then she pulled.
Yuki eep'd as she was pulled over and across the table with magical strength, her hand twitching towards her hidden blade- to stop as she found herself engulfed in an embrace in Sabrina's and Mami's arms.
"Ah, you see, Yuki..." drawled Sabrina as she held the girl tightly alongside Mami, "you just agreed each girl in each group should give a hug to at least one in the other group and, well, you're the only representative of the Fukushima group available..."
Sabrina blinked, looking around.
"Wait, where's Homura?"
Mami and Yuki followed her eyes, to find the spot the quite girl had occupied, empty.
Sayaka shrugged. "Said there was an emergency and disappeared."
Sabrina blinked.
A cough from the smallest Magical Girl at the table, and Mami and Sabrina carefully deposited Yuki back on firm ground. The purple haired girl couldn't help a smile, looking for all the world like she had accomplished a life goal.
Then she proceeded to complete her part of the deal, or rather, to allow the bleunette to fulfill hers, as she offered Sayaka a hug.
'Homura...' thought Sabrina.
'I left before the agreement was made,' explained the time traveller.
Sabrina smirked. 'Let me guess, the emergency was the quickly approaching certainty of hugs?'
'... Yes.'
The tall girl chuckled, pulling Mami closer, the blonde happily melting into her embrace.
'You're so precious Homura, you know that?'
'... OK?'
'Can we talk, later?'
A few seconds passed in silence.
'About hugs?'
'And other things, too!'
'... Pants?'
'You're so getting hugged for that one.'
Homura's answer was just a mental shrug.
