Soot [Souls Beyond Time Bonus 1]

~Author's Note~

Welp, here's the very first of the bonus chapters that will join the rest of Souls Beyond Time's short stories for adaptation into my original work Forged Within Fire. Patrons get super exclusive viewing access, so I hope you all enjoy!

For those of you unfamiliar with Souls Beyond Time, my long-running Madoka Magica fanfic, check it out here at Archive of Our Own (https://archiveofourown.org/series/461107) or Fanfiction.net (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1524378/)!

This takes place in the middle of the four leap year, so any fans of the overarching plot are finally getting a stronger glimpse into to those mysterious years!

Those who are interested in my video works, got one in the pipeline for Friday and I've been busy trying to get the very first Patreon request video done! For those of you who haven't seen it yet, start suggesting ideas for me to consider for the broad-scope Patron requests on my earlier post!

That's all for now! Enjoy! :D

O/o\O

"Stop picking at it."

Small, gentle pincers ran along her scalp, latching quickly onto another offending object and removing it with the utmost efficiency.

"I said stop it!" 

Nagisa swatted at the invasive appendage, frowning as her hands swept through air. A second later and the pincers returned, darting into the bushel of pink locks before jumping back out with a new trophy.

"Mami, I said stoooop!" the girl whined squeezing her eyes shut and stomping her foot.

Mami chuckled as she leaned back, flicking the grain of dandruff to the wind, "I can't Nagisa. I never knew your scalp was this dry; we're gonna need to get you some different shampoo."

Nagisa frowned and shook her head, pigtails waving to and fro, "No, what I have now is supposed to stop the dye from bleaching!"

"Yes, well, that's all very good, but those bright pink hairs of yours are only serving to highlight how poor your skincare is," the blonde smiled, patting the shorter girl.

The formerly platinum girl pouted, crossing her arms as Mami's palm bobbed along her crown. The sleeves of her long brown shirt flopped over each other, leading the chipmunk-like girl to appear like she were trapped in a straight jacket, a pose that Kyoko and Sayaka had collectively dubbed the 'most adorable asylum escapee' pout.

"Fine..." the teen mumbled, sinking into the collar of her shirt, "we'll pick something up on the way home."

Mami smiled and removed her hand, "I'm glad you came to your senses." The chef leaned down, grinning and whispering as though conferring a secret," And maybe we'll pick up some cheese sticks too when we do."

Nagisa perked, suddenly hopping on her toes with anticipation, "You're the best, Mami!"

The blonde grinned and the faux-pinkette's body was awash with warmth from that genuinely happy smile. It was so rare for Mami to give a heartfelt smile, so the mousey girl had to savor each and every single one, especially when the reason was because of her.

A series of footsteps broke the two from their banter.

"Oi, if you gorillas are done picking at fleas, we were thinking of hitting the shooting gallery next," Kyoko's lackidasical grin melded out from the crowd, messy nest of red hair trailing behind her like a comet’s tail. Three other girls followed behind her, bobs of blue, pink and an inky streak of black all tightly huddled together as they wormed their way back from the bathrooms.

The blonde furrowed her brow as the four girls merged back with the errant two, "Kyoko, don't call Nagisa a gorilla; girls her age have enough to deal with beyond juvenile insults."

The troublemaker smirked, crossing her arms behind her head, "Why, of course Mami..." Her lips pursed and her words dipped with their widening tips, "But does that mean you like being called a gorilla?"

"Of course I don't mind being called a gorilla," Mami smiled, not an ounce of pleasantry in her voice, "Because it means I could easily break you in two."

Kyoko paused, eyes constricting with sudden, barely restrained panic. Nagisa had seen this side of her guardian only a couple of times and each time she did it left her awestruck. By all accounts Mami was the ideal traditional femme figure; a cook with looks who was delicate by the books. But beneath that façade the younger girl knew her mentor was possessive and almost insanely protective. If she took a shine to someone or something, well... Kyoko's reaction spoke more than volumes.

"Sheesh, do you want an early grave?" Sayaka groaned, bopping the delinquent across her dome.

Kyoko rubbed her skull, growling, "Look, I already got the death stare, I don't need you giving me a concussion."

The blunette rolled her eyes, "Like there's enough in there to get bruised to begin with."

"Don't test me Meeks," Kyoko snapped.

"'Testing' you would require some sign of intelligence in the first place, Miss Sakura."

Eyes fell to the tall ghost of a girl standing just behind Sayaka, her fingers gently curled around the group's second pinkette and with a playful grin brightening her otherwise gahstly features.

Kyoko shrunk into herself, wrapping her arms closed as a comeback died in her throat. She turned away, grumbling, "Fine, guess it's 'everyone pick on the ginger' day..."

Madoka frowned at her beau, giving Homura's shoulder a gentle slap, "Homura, be nice..."

The raven girl gave her girlfriend a sidelong glance, mumbling a very quiet 'sorry' as recompense.

Sayaka sighed and sidled over to the shorter girl, leveraging a hand on the bushel of red locks, "Don't dish what you can't take, Kyo. Didn't you tell me that?" The redhead's lips tightened and she turned away from her taller friend. However the bluenette didn't let her weasel away, wrapping an arm around Kyoko's neck and nuzzling into the hothead, "Awww, don't be like that Kyoko. We luuuuuuvvv yoooouuu!"

Kyoko relaxed in the embrace, her features still clearly distressed but her cheeks slowly pinking. After a few seconds her cheeks went from rosy to crimson and she hastily detached herself from the student, "Awright, awright, don't push it."

Smile evening out just a bit, Sayaka stepped back and appraised the other girl. She nodded, giving a quiet 'okay', following which Kyoko’s shoulders sagged and her hung lips recovered a fraction. Nagisa watched the interaction carefully, cataloguing each little touch, every fine intonation between the two. 

It was no secret in the group that Kyoko had a more than passing attraction to Sayaka and ever since she'd first seen them both together shed been fascinated by their dynamic. A constant influx of highs and lows, the two felt like a walking contradiction yet they stuck together like glue. This was especially head scratching to Nagisa because Sayaka had apparently made it pretty clear that she didn't reciprocate Kyoko's feelings... while also sharing an almost uncomfortable amount of skinship with the redhead. This nebulous relationship had maintained itself for the last two years, utterly baffling the poor high school student the entire time.

"Let's just get to the damn shooting gallery..." Kyoko coughed, throwing her hands behind her head and waltzing off down the pier.

"Sounds like a plan!" Sayaka chirped, skipping behind her.

Mami chuckled and waved the rest of the group to follow the bipolar duo. The four shuffled behind them with the intrepid blonde leading them and Homura bringing up the rear, ardent hand threatening to drag Madoka back with her by proxy.

"I don't know how she puts up with that..." Nagisa muttered.

"Kyoko or Sayaka? 'She' isn't very descriptive," Madoka chuckled.

Nagisa swished her lips, shooting Madoka a glare, "Either of them." She shot her arms towards the confounding pair, "I mean, how does Kyoko keep her cool with that kind of teasing? How is Sayaka so casual about it? It just... It doesn't make sense..."

Madoka blinked, briefly throwing a distant look to Mami while tightening her hold on Homura's hand. She tossed Nagisa a smile, "Everyone's got their own way of loving each other. Kyoko and Sayaka have something that works for them; it doesn't necessarily need to 'make sense'."

"Go through enough together and none of the petty things matter," Homura added coolly. Out of everyone the girl's monotone carried the most authority, despite how quietly the words were spoken. Nagisa had heard stories about what Homura used to be like, but it was hard to imagine those amethyst eyes being any less analytical and piercing.

Madoka grinned and slid into Homura's side, resting her head on the taller girl's shoulder. Nagisa's heart clenched, her eyes flipping to and from the couplet of couples. An ice bucket teetered in her stomach and which way her eyes faced only looked to decide which way it would finally tip; either she was staring at the couples among her friends or the happy couples dotting the boardwalk. Sweat beat her brow as she doubled her step to catch up with Mami, reflexively reaching out and taking the taller girl's hand.

Mami looked down and craned an eyebrow, "You okay Nagisa?"

"Yeah!" Nagisa perked, skipping in line with the blonde, "I was just thinking that we should probably grab some funnel cake while we're here. It isnt a trip to the pier without it!"

The blonde' brow stayed furrowed only for a moment before she relaxed, smiling, "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Let's just not overdo it so you can enjoy those cheese sticks when we get home, you little glutton."

The faux-pinkette hopped in place, arm swinging gleefully entwined with Mami's, the shadow over her soul shrinking away if only for a moment.

O/o\O

Pop! Chaulk. Pop! Chaulk. Pop!

A wave of groans deafened the group as three perfectly good shots pingged off their targets. Mami frowned, standing back and lifting the BB rifle towards the air.

"Ooh, too bad little miss," the stall merchant chimed, his frown every bit as gaudy as the bright pink shirt he wore, "Here's hoping you have better aim next time!"

A fist slammed down on the counter, a snarly redhead popping up behind it. "Bullshit you scam artist, those shots were perfect. You weighted those prizes!"

The man shook his head, his scowl becoming deeper and patently more sarcastic. Without stopping the rock of his chin he lifted one of the prizes that had been hit, revealing not a single tether and a quick drop displayed no manipulation of weight. This did not deter the growling redhead, though it did prompt her blue companion to reel her back, gripping her by the collar like a puppy at its scruff.

While she maintained a modicum of self control, Nagisa had an unhealthy amount of empathy for the fiery girl; that disheartened scowl on Mami's face had her blood boiling, especially considering how dead-on each shot had been. She knew better the anyone how much of a crack shot the blonde was at carnival games, so if she had failed to topple a prize there was little hope for the typical bystander.

There was an expectation for Mami to demurely shrug off the failure, to quietly lay down the rifle and secede to the wills of the universe; she could even see the painful twist in Mami's feature slowly priming her to gracefully bow out. But before the blonde could say a word Homura stepped up to the podium, proffering her own small wad of yen and plucking the gun from Mami's fingers.

"Homura...?" Madoka asked, voice warbling with concern.

"It's okay, Madoka," Homura said calmly, examining the weapon. She folded out a number of bills and slid them to the attended, who in turn gave her the three bbs the gun would need in order to function, his brow laden with curiosity. She loaded the ammunition herself, giving the lever a solid cock before aiming it down range.

Pop! Chaulk. Pop! Chaulk. Pop!

Three more shots, more rapid than Mami’s and only a hair less accurate.

Chaulk. Chaulk. Chaulk.

Homura cranked the lever a few more times, eyes peeling apart the mechanism as it moved. After a moment her lips parted and a pleased 'ahah' escaped into the coming night.

"I think I know the issue," she started. Without a second thought the gaunt girl reached into her pocket and fished out a small muti-tool, a gift from Madoka that had scarcely ever left her possession while outside the house. It seemed to dawn on the stall owner exactly what Homura was about to do a second too late, as by the time he reached out for the gun she had popped the casing open and exposed its guts to the world. She pointed to a lose coil of metal, "The spring's been loosened." Nagisa, as well as the other girls, nodded and awed over the survivor's observation, though their appreciation was overshadowed by a lack of knowledge on the subject. 

The stall owner gave a half-baked smile, beady red eyes quietly glaring daggers at the ghostly woman, "It was loosened for the kiddies; they have such a hard time pulling the lever. Everyone should be able to enjoy this game..."

Homura reached into the guts of the weapon with the tool, quickly fidgeting with the spring before closing the toy rifle back up. She looked at him, not a single ounce of disdain restrained, "And I suppose making it too weak to actually knock a prize down was just a side-benefit? No matter, I've fixed your gun for you." She divvied out another wad of bills, "I'd like another round, if you please."

More of a scowl than a smile, the man swiped the yen, slamming down the corresponding pellets in response. Homura, stoic as ever, loaded the gun, took aim, and fired.

Pop! Chaulk. Pop! Chaulk. Pop!

Three shots, three hits, and three plushies all hit the floor.

"That was amazing Homura!" Madoka chirped, jumping in place as the stall owner begrudgingly handed the plushies to Homura. The gaunt girl blushed, taking the white cat and rabbit plushies and shoving them into Madoka's arms, saving a black lizard for herself. Madoka squeed into the fluffy toys, nuzzling into them just before nuzzling into her girlfriend. 

Mami let out a frustrated sigh, gripping her nose, "You know what? I feel like singing. Let's see if they're still running that outdoor karaoke thing."

"Ooh, that sounds fun!" Sayaka grinned.

And with the rambunctious girl's declaration, the group began to middle their way down the pier once more, though one member elected to drag behind.

As the stall owner cleaned up his work station his hand reached for the newly disposed weapon, only for its retrieval to be stopped by an iron grip.

Nagisa looked the man dead in the eyes and raised a fist full of bills, "Before you go scamming more people, give me one round with the gun."

O/o\O

"So, little miss Rambo," Kyoko started, ignoring the pointed glare that Homura shot her, "I know you're like the master of guns and everything, but where'd'ya pick up that crap about BB guns?"

"Dogs," she responded smoothly.

"Dogs?" Madoka asked.

"Dogs," Homura reiterated, her tone never wavering. The discussion was somewhat hard to make out over the pier's crowd, and on top of that the public karaoke booth was only making it more difficult. She managed to get her word in edgewise, though only in spite of the rather impressive performance Mami was managing to put on in front of the crowd. "Maybe they were coyotes, but there was a farming family in... I want to say India, but it could have been Khashmir. Their stock was getting attacked and I'd been living in their barn without them knowing. I... thought it would only be right if I helped them out, so I stole their BB gun and worked on it so I could scare off the dogs quietly. I think I ended up killing one or two."

"Of the dogs?" Sayaka asked, managing to draw her eyes away from the rather entertaining blonde.

"Of the family," Homura smiled, eyes distant.

"Ehhh?!" Madoka whined, mouth drooping.

The vision returned to the gaunt girl's eyes and she chuckled, "I'm joking Madoka."

That earned her a pillowy thwap to her shoulder from the pinkette, "Don't be so mean, Homu."

"Wow, Homura's got some bite to her jokes, no wonder they're so few and far between," Sayaka chimmed.

Homura frowned at the jab, but a rebuttal died in her throat as the music beating around them faded and a frazzled blond stepped her way down off the small, elevated platform attached to the booth, bangs glued to her forehead. She wormed her way towards them through a still clapping crowd, frowning at the bantering girls.

"Glad to know I had an attentive audience," Mami coughed, pulling a loose bang behind her ear.

"I was listening Mami!" Nagisa hopped, "You sounded beautiful up there!"

The smaller girl's enthusiasm was met with a pat to her head, dyed pink curls folding and looping under Mami's delicate fingers. Nagisa pouted, throwing the scalp ministrations to the side as her cheeks filled with color.

"I was listening, for the most part, but I mean when Homura actually tries to tell a joke, you just gotta listen," Sayaka defended.

"Oh, really now? Embarking on a new career path are we, Miss Akemi?" the blonde chuckled.

Homura's eye began to twitch, crests of her cheeks powdering like Madoka's hair.

"Guys..." the pinkette whined, bobbing on Homura's arm.

The survivalist sighed, patting Madoka on the arm as she looked the other two in the eyes once more, "It's okay Madoka, they're just having fun."

Sayaka leaned back, still allowing a few snickers to slip through her teeth, "Yeah, yeah, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, either of you... But speaking of fun..." The blunette reached forward and grabbed Homura's wrist, pulling her backwards towards the stage.

"M-Miki, what the hell are you doing?!" the gaunt girl snapped. There was a moment of panic trapped beneath her eyes, fingers instinctively curling over Sayaka's wrist, against the grain of the palm over her own, breath sharpening to a near-fevered pitch. Everyone, even Sayaka, paused, having seen the symptoms before. This night on the town was very quickly and accidentally accelerating down a far more dangerous route.

Sayaka released the girl’s hand, letting her own wrist go limp in lieu of the nails against her skin.

"I... I'm sorry Homura, I forgot, I totally forgot, I-!" she scrambled.

Luckily for her the worry in her voice was drowned out by a gentle hand resting over Homura's steely grip. "Homura, please let Sayaka go..." Madoka hummed, carefully prying at each finger one by one to prevent the nails from drawing blood.

Homura steadied and dropped her hold, pulling back to cradle the arm protectively. Stillness dropped over them all. Amethysts darted to Sayaka, seeking an apology, or maybe an explanation.

"I'm sorry, really," Sayaka started, listing on her toes, "I just... Remember we did kareoke that time at... Uh... Hitomi's place. I remember you getting really into it, so I was hoping that maybe... I don't know, it'd make you happy? I got overzealous, sorry about that..."

"It's... okay. Just please don't do that again..."

"I... I'll try not to... I just thought it'd be nice to bond with my sister's girlfriend..." the bluenette replied, scratching her cheek.

"'Sister'?" Madoka asked.

"'Sister'?" Kyoko perked, confused.

"Like, I mean, yeah, you're all like family to me..." Sayaka sighed, waving her hand dismissively. "I just feel like I've done a pretty crap job bringing you into that, Homura, so I saw my chance with a duet or something..." she scratched her cheek, scraping away a touch of midsummer perspiration, "It's a stupid idea though, so sorry for the fuss."

"It's not a stupid idea," Homura stated, her shoulders slumping and her arms reflexively crossing, "I was surprised, but it's all very... you, Miki. I'm not opposed to doing karaoke with you..."

Madoka squeezed her hand, eyebrows knit, "Are you sure, Homura? The crowd, though..."

Homura tucked a lock of hair behind her pinkening ear, "What crowd...? There's only one person I'm going to sing to tonight." She gave Madoka a knowing look and smiled, earning a warbling, teary smile in return.

"Alright Casanova," Sayaka sighed, reaching out for the girl. She paused mid reach, crossing her brow before flipping her hand over to present her palm to the prodigal girl, smiling, "Shall we? I know a few good duets we can ask if they have."

Homura took the hand, other palm attached to her chest as she nodded, "L-lead the way, Miki..."

"Wait, wait," Madoka cried, jumping to Homura's side. Puckered lips pressed to Homura's cheek and a gentle hand squeezed her bicep. The pinkette leaned back and smiled, "Good luck up there, and don't be embarrassed to quit if it's too much."

"Geez, fuss over her enough and it'll be dark by the time we get on stage," Sayaka quipped, giving Homura a gentle tug, "I'll take good care of your Girlfriend, I promise."

Madoka nodded and let the two slip away into the crowd towards the line of eager customers.

"Well," Nagisa breathed, "This is going to be interesting..." She looked over at her partner-in-pink, "Are you sure she'll be okay? This is a bigger crowd than some of her book signings..."

Madoka chuckled and scratched the back of her neck, "Honestly? I'm more worried about how well they'll end up singing... Neither of them were exactly the best at karaoke..."

"Yeah, believe me, I've got first hand experience with Sayaka's singing..." Kyoko grumbled.

"And I can't imagine the time away made Homura any better at it..." Madoka observed sheepishly.

"So you're just going to let her embarrass herself?" the smaller girl asked, a stoked flame boiling up behind her ribs.

"Mhhnn," the older girl responded, "I'm going to let her have some fun. Even if it might embarrass her in the end, it's rare she has fun without me... I wouldn't be a good girlfriend if I didn't try to help her find a way to have fun on her own again." The flame died out as Nagisa watched the ink trail of hair meld into line. "I'd be selfish," Madoka mused, sighing, "And I wouldn't deserve her if I didn't hold myself back when she needs her distance, even if she doesn't realize it."

O/o\O

"I can see why Americans like to do this in bars instead of at parlors, the crowd is really enthralling..." Sayaka huffed, wiping her bangs over the part in her hair.

“Mhhm…” Homura nodded, pressing closer into Madoka’s side.

She’d been in a strange, almost catatonic state ever since coming down off that stage with the bluenette, Nagisa observed. Poor Madokas arm was probably bluing from the lack of oxygen with how tightly she was being gripped and Homura seemed unable to stop herself from rocking to-and-fro on her heels, an energy reflected only by the constantly fluctuating smile on her face, one that simultaneously threatened shouts of joy and tears of relief. Madoka, for her part, only managed to chuckle with an almost pained grin, her fingers trying to quietly tug Homuras death hold a little looser.

“You done getting all of that stupidity out of your system yet?” Kyoko asked, patting her winded friend on the back.

Sayaka flashed her pearly whites and shook her head, “Nope! In fact, while we were up there I totally figured out where we should head next!”

Kyoko raised her hands to block some of the sweat droplets zipping off of Sayakas scattering locks, frowning, “Oh really? And who made you the defacto leader of our little gang?”

“Wha…?” the student blinked. She looked to all the other girls, face slowly falling before she arched back up and rubbed the back of her head, “Well… uh… no one. I didnt really think we had a leader… Do friends groups even need a leader?”

“Of course they do,” the redhead nodded, closing her eyes and officiously raising a finger, “As a matter of fact, Mami is our leader. I thought everyone had noticed this by now.”

The blonde perked at her name, blinking in time with Sayaka, “Eh? I… I mean, I’m not sure where you’re pulling that from, Sakura…”

Kyoko raised half a lid to peek at the chef, “Of course you are. You’re arguably the most stable of any of us; a good job, a good apartment, even a little attaché servant following you around.” Nagisa jumped at the insinuation, letting out a snarled ‘Hey!’, but was ultimately overlooked as the redhead continued, “Not to mention it was your idea to come out tonight; don’t leaders usually come up with the plans?”

“Ah, well, you see,” Mami fidgeted. She turned and waved her hand gracefully towards her smaller companion, “It was actually Nagisas plan to come out today. I shouldnt get all the credit just because I got everyone together…”

Nagisa, for her part, bit her tongue. She adored the other girls, she really did, but Mami was too dense to realize that Nagisa had wanted to come out to the pier with just Mami when shed made the suggestion. It… hurt to hear Mamis words.

“Not seein much of a difference there,” Kyoko popped. “Sides, Sayaka already got to choose.”

“Oh… I see… well, I…” Mami stuttered. “I already got to pick. Kyoko, why dont you choose an attraction for us?”

The redhead froze, hand mid-draw on a piece of pocky. Slowly, deliberately, she placed the confection between her teeth and began to chew. It took a moment, but eventually she shook the box in the other girls’ general direction.

“Awright,” she mumbled, “Hey, Piglet, think your BFF there can take a few scares?”

“Ugh, the Haunted House, really?” Sayaka groaned.

“I… I don’t know Kyoko…” Madoka muttered, shifting on her toes. Either she was nervous or Homuras hand was finally cutting off enough blood flow to matter.

However, the subject in question stood forward, untangling herself from the natural pinkette. Homura looked into Kyokos eyes, unsettled eyes coming to a rest to beat down at the scruffy ginger, “I have seen men, women and children die. I have been shot at, stabbed and beaten. I’ve even been blown up, if you count the cars I’ve been in.” She stepped forward again, her taller frame towering over Kyokos stockier form, lavender gaze beating down on her friend like a laser, “The cheap scares of ghosts and goblins are nothing compared to the phantoms and devils I’ve seen.”

Kyokos eyes remained locked with Homuras the whole way, the taller girl never blinking, always imposing. The redhead nodded, gulping, “Right. Got it. Devils, ghosts.” She turned on her heel and started off down the pier, her movements robotic and stiff.

Sayaka watched briefly before speaking up, “…The haunted house is the other direction…”

The redhead stopped, turned, and restarted her route unperturbed, “Right, right. I knew that.”

O/o\O

“…I made a mistake. This idea was a mistake…” Kyoko growled, her hands in her pocket.

Nagisa looked up at her, easily meeting the redheads eyes, “So then why did you suggest it?”

“I… Well, I was kinda hoping Sayaka would be the one hanging off my shoulder. Not… this…” she replied, motioning at the two intertwined figures ahead of them. Sayaka and Madoka stood at the front of the group, locked tight in each others’ arms as the group progressed through the haunted house.  Kyoko and Homura held back, standing just behind Mami and Nagisa, their glares never once leaving the brightly colored duo at the front.

The attraction itself was rather unimpressive, even to Nagisas younger eyes. It was pretty clear where corners had been cut, where walls needed patching and where pieces of different animatronics needed replacing, and it all lead to an underwhelming amount of scares. Not that there weren’t any there to be had or that there hadn’t been some effort thrown into making the damages and wear look like part of the attraction, but there were just some spots that it was impossible for the truth to be twisted. Heck, some of the areas were brighter lit than they probably should be just so that people wouldn’t trip over the uneven flooring.

Of course, none of this bothered Madoka and Sayaka, who had latched together at the very beginning of the haunted tour and seemed to overreact at every twist and turn, letting their shouts echo through the halls at a rate that left the small girl more annoyed than horrified with the house. The lacking story didn’t help, all focused around some hag that had died there years prior who decided to haunt the rest of her family and slowly kill them off so they could join her in torturing the living. If anything, just being in the house was more torturous than any of the actual haunts. Thankfully it was looking like they were coming up on the exit, as the scares had gotten far more numerous and the path less winding, all seemingly building to some sort of climax.

Of course, then again, she could have been wrong. The six exited into a rather dim but wide room layered with damp tatami mats. Nagisa lifted her shoe and flicked at the soggy mush that clung to it, her nose curling.

“If this is part of the attraction, they owe me a new pair of shoes,” she huffed, “This crap is going to take forever to dig out…”

“Hmm?” Mami hummed, looking down at her own feet, “I supposed it would have been nice to get some kind of forewarning.”

Kyoko scoffed as she leaned against one of the walls, kicking out her foot and trying to place it down somewhere dry, “Maybe it’s not intentional; rest of this place is shot to shit, wouldn’t be surprised if they had a leaky pipe somewhere.” She chewed on her cheek, whipping her ponytail over her shoulder to avoid the undusted wall. She frowned, “Hey guys… where’s the door we came in through?”

The other five turned and found said path gone, blocked by a wall that sat flush with the others in the room.

“…I’ll give them that one, I didn’t even realize it was gone…” Nagisa muttered under her breath.

“Uh… s-so… where’s the exit then…?” Madoka asked, eyes flinging to different edges of the room.

Nagisa caught Sayaka looking back at Kyoko out of the corner of her eye, a stare that immediately averted itself the minute the redhead looked anywhere remotely near them.

“I don’t know, Madoka…” Sayaka muttered. She tightened her hold around the girl, “But we’ll be fine. Remember, it’s only a show for us, nothing bad is going to happen, okay?”

The natural pinkette nodded, burying herself deeper in the blunette’s hold. 

Homura, knuckles plastered white, blinked and lifted a hand to her face, “Is it… raining in here?”

Everyone looked to the ceiling, the actual space blackened by lack of light. Nagisa felt the first few specks of water land on her cheeks before the room darkened further. A loud beating began to resound through the chamber, the thin, paper-like walls shaking as the sound increased in depth and intensity.

“Great, and now I’m all wet,” Kyoko snarled, pulling at her windbreaker, “This place really knows how to piss me of-”

Her voice was choked as she was thrust forward, the wall behind her exploding open. A twisted old crone with a wreath of thorns and roses stared out from the hole, her teeth brazen and eyes bugged wide.

“Fools, fools of all, to enter my house and seek to be spared! Brothers, sisters, children of mine, feast!”

Nagisa yelped as a figure landed at her side from the ceiling, a cherubic body weighed by a head shaped as an old television set, its screen broken to form a gaping maw with glass shards for teeth. In an instant she jumped away, instantly grabbing to Mami’s waist and burying herself in the other girls form. She felt equally panicked arms latch around her as more abominations dropped from the ceiling; a mass of blackened tendrils, a schoolgirl with only arms and no legs or head, at cat with its skull flayed open for the world to see. Around them the walls and doors began to twist and open, with one horrific sight coming after the last.

Madoka jumped as the floor beside her and Sayaka opened up and a woman with a paintbrush for a hand and a fleshy easel for a head was elevated to her level, a single fleshy, malformed eye staring the brightly color pair down. It moved to attack them with the brush, only for one of the joints in the animatronics shoulders to stall, resulting in a sudden pop as the appendage came down.

And like that there was a blur of movement, ink flowing through the sudden chaos. In what felt like only seconds the robots eye had been completely gouged out, a snarling, huffing Homura holding the multitool that had robbed the attraction of its sight. Before the group had a chance to react to even the monstrous horde around them she had turned around, grabbed Madoka, lifted her into a bridal carry, and sprinted through a passage that had just opened up in the wall at the far end of the room, leaving the other four still trapped behind with the unyielding horde of horrors.

Kyoko stood from where she had fallen on the floor, wiping her hands on her jean short-shorts as she glared at the animatronics. She waltzed past the grotesque displays, grabbing Sayaka’s hand, grabbing Mami’s hand, and dragging the remaining three out the door as they clutched to her for support, muttering death threats to the owner the entire way out.

O/o\O

“It’s okay Homura, it’s not your fault…” Madoka cooed, cradling her curled girlfriend.

“Y-yes it is…” Homura shuddered, “I… I didn’t want you to get hurt. I forgot… that… I’m sorry… You must think I’m crazy…”

“No! Never!” the pinkette pleaded, hugging the girl tighter. “You’re just a little more sensitive. I should’ve known that haunted house was a bad idea…”

Nagisa and Sayaka watched the two fret over each other, both fighting to take the blame for what happened onto themselves.

“God, those two are hopeless…” Sayaka moaned, gripping her temples with one hand.

“I feel all… gooey just looking at them,” Nagisa shuddered.

“I know what you mean. It’s hard to remember that Homuras actually killed people before sometimes…” the blunette nodded. “Then again, no matter who she is now I guess shell always have that soft spot around Madoka. No way that’ll ever change.”

The faux-pinkette hummed in response, crossing her arms. “Speaking of change though,” Nagisa started, looking at the taller girl, “You’ve been acting really weird tonight. Like, more… spunky than normal. Are you okay?”

“Ah, so you noticed, huh?” Sayaka grinned, tussling the girl’s hair. 

Nagisa pushed the hand away, “Yeah. Im pretty sure most of us have noticed.”

“Oh, well… I guess I’m just happy,” she replied, tucking a loose lock of blue behind her ear, “There was something weighing on me for a while. I think I got it figured out, though.” 

The smaller girl scrutinized her gangly friend, making pointed note of the flecks of red across her neck and the fledgling grin that crawled from her lips the minute Kyoko and Mami came back from around the corner, the former still shaking her jacket dry.

“So, did they say anything?” Sayaka asked, standing from the bench.

“It was a new part of the house. The old one wasn’t getting scares so what little cash they had were piled into that shit show,” Kyoko growled, kicking at a lose plank in the piers woodwork. “Bowl me over for a cheap scare why don’t they…”

Mami rested a hand on the scrabbling girls shoulder, looking apologetically out at the other four, “They’ve informed us that they’ll put up some warnings in the future about the water, put up some more barriers and retool the placement of the animatronics, but for the time being they gave us a refund.” She held out a wad of bills that was quickly distributed among those present.

“Doesn’t fix my shoes…” Nagisa frowned, fruitlessly trying to scrape her heels against a jut in the bench.

The blonde wobbled over to the bench, mimicking much of the shorter girls actions, “Unfortunately, no, but I think we’ll just have to set an hour aside to clean these up.”

“Think it’ll actually take that long?” the mousy girl asked.

Mami beamed, stomping her toes so as to send a few more flecks of wet grass flying, “Not if we add hot cocoa to the mix, I’m sure.”

Nagisa chuckled and nodded, a pleasantly warm sensation flittering in through her heart.

“Sheesh, how are you two not fat yet; you’ve been talking about treats all day…” Kyoko whined.

Sayaka tugged on the girls ear, earning a pained yelp from the redhead, “Don’t tease them; you eat more than three nuclear families a day so you shouldn’t be talking.”

“I don’t eat that much!” Kyoko stomped. Another tug at her ear and her more docile side returned.

“We practice moderation, that’s how,” Mami tutted, narrowing her eyes towards the redhead. “For example, getting funnel cake is a treat; we don’t have sweets like that every day. And Nagisa is only allowed to have two cheese sticks a day when we have them… However…” weary eyes trailed over to where her roommate was beginning to fidget, “I do notice and sometimes overlook when an entire package goes missing, which better not happen to the one we buy on the way home…”

Nagisa paled and smiled, nodding vigorously under that threatening stare. Even still, with that laser-focused gaze boring a hole in her soul, she felt that same wonderful warmth and Nagisa swore she would eat a dozen packs of cheese sticks if it meant she could hold onto that feeling.

“Speaking of that, though, I think now would be a capital time to go get that funnel cake. What do you say?” Mami asked, looking precisely at her premier companion.

“Oooh! That sounds great!” Madoka cooed, her and Homura finally joining the group proper after keeping themselves detached. “I was thinking the last place we should go is the Ferris wheel; why don’t Homura and I grab us all spots in line while you four go get funnel cake for all of us.”

“Sounds like a plan if I ever heard it,” Sayaka agreed.

Homura handed out a couple notes of yen, the same yen refunded by the haunted house in fact, “Madoka and I will take strawberry glaze, if that’s alright.”

Mami took the money and bobbed her head, “I kn-I’ll be sure to get that for you, thanks!”

Homura nodded and linked back up with Madoka, the two sharing a brief, quiet conversation before waving to the group and departing towards the looming wheel in the distance.

“Who gets strawberry glaze on funnel cake…” Kyoko muttered.

“I know; I like chocolate on mine,” Nagisa noted lightly.

The redhead gave her a glare, “Buncha heathens, all of ya.”

O/o\O

"This might have been the best idea tonight," Mami moaned, politely listing her palm over her mouth while she chewed. She swallowed, grinning, "Good call, Nagi."

Nagisa beamed, her chocolate-stained teeth brushing against the cool night air.

The two were seated hip to hip with the warm but cooling plate of funnel cake sitting over their legs. Half the desert had been devoured and if Nagisa had anything to say about it that second half wouldn't las much longer either. It was a treat for both of them, sharing a Ferris wheel ride and splitting a delicacy between them; a nice quiet cap to the evening before returning to the ruckus of their friends group for the trip home.

Once the cake had been dwindled to a fourth, Mami leaned back, sighing, content, "This was nice. I wish we could all go out like this more often..."

"Mhhhm," Nagisa agreed. She grinned, leaning into her guardian, "Then we could have funnel cake every day..."

Mami snorted, shaving the small girl, "You'd get sick of it not too long after."

"Says you."

"Knows me."

"Spoilsport."

"Piggy."

The two began to laugh, resting their heads together as the ride gently lifted them towards the crest of the wheel.

"I don't want today to end... It's been too much fun..." Nagisa groaned, rubbing her face in Mami's shoulder.

The blonde gave her a solid pat on the head, "Enjoy it while it lasts and don't regret it; I learned that a while ago."

Nagisa smiled and wrapped her arm around Mami's waist, pulling her warmth closer, "I kinda want to go to sleep like this. Life lessons make me sleepy."

Mami rolled her eyes and peeled Nagisa away, earning a distressed groan in return, "I'm not carrying you, so you better stay awake."

"Drat, you saw through my plan..." the faux-pinkette pouted. The two shared another look and another chuckle, though Nagisa's laugh petered out quickly as Mami's silhouette was layered in the setting sun. Her throat caught seeing beams of gold snared by beams of gold, amber gems backed by gilded streams. She had called Mami 'beautiful' a dozen times before; for the first time in her life she understood what 'beautiful' really meant. She coughed, a fleck of fried dough jamming her wind pipe. Immediately the blonde was upon her, palm slapping her back to dislodge the offending grain of food.

"Be careful Nagisa, you'll kill yourself if you keep gobbling like Kyoko," Mami chided, finger waggling in front of the faux-pinkette's face.

"S-sorry... S-s-sorry..." She hacked, rubbing her chest, "I just... uh... Remembered! I wanted to give you something!"

She reached into her satchel, a worn old aviator's pack that rarely left her shoulders and a moment later a plush pink figure was pulled from its depths. The sproingy doll was quickly passed into Mami's hands, triangular ears flopping over the blonde's knuckles.

"Oh, it's that cartoon mascot... Uh... Ooh, it was something in English, wasn't it?" Mami mused. "Char... Something...?"

"Charlotte, I think," Nagisa nodded.

"Has a nice ring to it... Wait, wasn't this one of the prizes back at that shooting gallery...?"

"Yeah... I thought the guy was being a real jerk with you... I mean, you had to have won at least ONE prize... So I doubled back and won something for you. You deserved it..."

Mami held the plushie close to her chest, cradling it against her sternum, "Aww... Nagisa... You're too sweet..."

Nagisa reddened, scratching her neck, "I... just like being fair..." The blonde pulled her into a hug, leaving her to blush all the more in response.

"You're a good friend, that's what you are," Mami cooed, pulling back just a bit. She flicked Nagisa's nose, "Even if you're a troublemaker sometimes." The faux-pinkette shifted away, rubbing the dinged cartilege, yet still managing to smile. "Now," Mami grinned, leaning back that much further, "How do you say we finish this funnel cake? You can scrape up all the chocolate!"

Nagisa smirked, "I was planning on doing that anyway."

O/o\O

As was natural the ride, and so too their night, wound to an end. Nagisa and Mami were only the second pair off, with Madoka and Homura waiting for them at the exit platform. Kyoko and Sayaka were close behind, only a few minutes apart from the other four, though Nagisa noted that the redhead seemed more incensed than when she'd gotten on.

She stomped past, pushing through the lot with her hands dug into the pockets of her jean shorts. Sayaka was almost passive by comparison, her brow taut and her lips pulled to a crisp line.

"Is everything alright?" Madoka asked, fingers briefly trailing after the spitfire.

"She's... angry," Sayaka said simply.

"What did you say to piss her off?" Nagisa asked, arching a brow. A light swat to her skull made her wince.

"Nagisa don't be rude!" Mami chided.

"No, no," Sayaka interjected, "She's right... Kind of. I've not really been fair to her all day. I guess she was more affected by it than I thought she would..."

Homura stepped forward, mirroring the redhead's path, "Well, it looks like she's heading towards the exit. I suggest we follow."

And with that, quietly, the five girls drifted after the errant orphan, their steps quickly exposing the accumulated wear of the day's excitement. Crossing the pier took only a few minutes, though after that Ferris wheel ride another trip to the bathroom belayed their exit that much more. Because of this, when they finally touched foot on the adjoining wharf, they were met with a grimacing glutton, tapping her foot expectantly.

"Took you guys long enough..." Kyoko glowered, "We ready to get going or what?"

"More than ready," Mami sighed, slumping her shoulders in a rare moment unfettered from decorum, "Though we noticed you've been kind of tense... Are you okay, Kyoko?"

Eyes shifted between the redhead and Sayaka, seeming only to enflame the older girl and cause the younger to shrink.

"I'm... fine..." Kyoko growled, twisting on her heels, "I was just thinking, I live the opposite way so I'll probably catch my own train home. I'll see you guys later."

"But weren't you planning on staying over with us tonight...?" Nagisa asked, her voice quiet, confused and easily drowned out by the confidence-building exhale that erupted behind her.

"Sakura!" Sayaka shouted. 

A dart of blue lashed out from the girls, catching Kyoko just as she turned around. Cobalt and crimson melded as Sayaka wrapped her arms around her friend's neck and pulled her down into a coarse, desperate kiss. Kyoko's eyes widened and would fail to shut long after the embrace would end. Sayaka only kept their lips together for a few seconds before she transitioned to a hug tight enough to almost suffocate Kyoko.

Nagisa strained her ears, catching only the repeated utterance of 'I'm sorry' floating out of bluenette.

The four other girls witnessed Sayaka's brash motions with a mixture of reactions; surprise, elation, confusion and contemplation, all of which were matched with accompanying silence.

After half a minute Sayaka pulled back from her counterpart, "I just needed to say that before you went home."

Kyoko blinked, giving her a moment of pause to digest what had happened. And after that moment she reached out and gripped Sayaka's cheeks, smooshing them under her callused fingers, "What. The hell. Was that. Miki?"

"Uhhh... Uh cuhnpheshion?" the bluenette squeaked.

"That was all way more than a friggen confession," Kyoko snapped, leaning closer. She stopped inches from Sayaka's face, fiery irises scanning her over line-by-line. The redhead pushed forward and engaged Sayaka in an even more heated kiss, causing the two to stumble back a step towards their friends. The fevered onslaught only came to a halt when Sayaka managed to push Kyoko off, an act cursed by a feeble will.

"K-Kyoko... I d-don't... Don't overd-do it..." she piped, cobalt eyes wavering in their sockets.

Kyoko only responded by grabbing Sayaka's wrists and holding them aloft, "Don't start what you can't finish, Miki. Now you're going to take me back to your dorm, you're going to make us some snacks, and you're going to explain every goddamned thought that you had tonight." She tightened her grip, causing Sayaka to wince, "Am. I. Clear?"

Sayaka went a little slack, sighing in the face of a dragon, "Fine, fine... You deserve it..." The bluenette arched her neck to look at the others, "If it's alright with you guys, we'll break off here. There's a lot to talk about..."

Madoka stepped forward, gripping her shirt's collar, "O-Of course! We'll see you guys later!"

Sayaka smiled and waved, deftly worming her arm around Kyoko's and dragging her off towards the train station.

A quiet moment passed after they faded from sight.

"What the shit was that?!" Nagisa asked, waving after the two. Another slap rung to her skull.

"Language," Mami tutted.

Homura stepped up to Madoka, lips curved sharp and deadly. "What you just saw," she began, "were the last steps of the mating dance between a buffoon and an imbecile."

"Homura, I told you to stop being mean!" Madoka crowed.

"Actually," Mami interjected, giving the spot where she hit Nagisa a delicate rub, "I find Homura's observation rather accurate. I think it's about time those two saw some clarity... together."

"She gets to be mean, but I can't swear, even if I'm not being mean; make up your mind, Mami..." Nagisa groaned.

Mami leered at her housemate, "It's all in decorum, Nagisa. To insult someone to their face and have them think it was a compliment is not a skill easily learned."

"But it wasn't to her face!"

"Semantics."

"Plain Japanese!"

"We'll get a second bag of cheese sticks if you stop arguing with me."

"...You can't bribe me to win arguments forever."

"And a danish you can eat on the way home."

"..."

"..."

"You win this round, Mami..."

Mami laughed and plopped a hand on the faux-pinkette's head, doing nothing to reduce the small girl's pout.

Homura pulled Madoka forward, stepping off towards the train station, "I think we've given them enough time. Shall we proceed?"

"I believe so," Mami grinned, "Ready Nagisa?"

Catching Mami's good natured smile prompted Nagisa's pursed lips to melt. She nodded and grabbed an offered hand from the blonde, her heart skipping a beat at the touch of fingers. The quartet began their trek home, sharing bits of chatter along the way.

Once they finally reached the station and worked through the turn style, Mami turned to her, asking, "So, did you have a good time too? I know you weren't exactly thrilled about everyone else joining."

Nagisa's face heated. It was true she wanted this to be a duo escapade, but the more she thought about it, things had wound up for the better. Without Kyoko they never would have gotten the haunted house refund, without Sayaka she wouldn't have heard Mami sing, without Madoka they wouldn't have ridden the ferris wheel and without Homura she wouldn't have won e Charlotte doll for Mami. Peering at the plush, nestled in the crook of Mami's arm, Nagisa smiled.

"Honestly...?" She asked, leaning into Mami's arm, "It was perfect."