Chapter Text
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Saturday, June 9th, 2035.
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Hitomi ran up the stairs. She was crying.
Hitomi ran down the hallway. She was sobbing.
Hitomi ran into her room. She was breaking down.
She placed the lizard in her tank, gently.
"A-at least.. you are safe, Anko-chan.." She said, choked with tears.
It felt like a nightmare.
Sayaka, her and Madoka Kaname had been friends, inseparable since the day they met, on the first day of kindergarten.
And now her beloved trio was down to a duo.
God, she regretted it.
Her last words to Sayaka were "Girls can't love girls! Girls can't love girls!"
She looked at her childhood photo album, full of pictures of the three girls.
She remembered something Sayaka had said to her and Madoka when they were not more than 12;
"We're gonna be friends right up until we die, and then after that we'll be ghost friends and haunt the everloving crap outta people."
This was a joke. She didn't think it would be so soon.
She grabbed her cellphone.
Maybe call Madoka? No.
She was too deep in grief to do that at the moment.
She hobbled over to the desk.
Oh, God, no.
She opened one of the drawers impulsively.
Oh, God, no.
She saw that little mauve box cutter. She should have thrown it away.
Oh, God, no.
She grabbed the little mauve box cutter. But, then again, she shouldn't have said those vile things to Sayaka. Even if it was just supposed to be a joke.
Oh, God, no.
She noticed Sayaka being bone tired some days or coming to school very late or even just being absent within the past week or two. She should have checked in on Sayaka.
What a horrible friend, she thought. She drove her childhood friend to suicide, she thought.
She looked at her upper arms and shoulders.
Oh, God, no.
She knew what lied under those sleeves.
The deeper it would go, the more she would have deserved it.
Oh, God, no.
She was breathing heavily. She had a lump in her throat, choking her. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears.
She probably deserved it even more now.
Oh, God, no.
She put the mauve box cutter in the trash bin next to her desk.
Oh, God, no, no. No.
She shook her head.
She had not used that box cutter since last year, and she would never use it again.
Sayaka and Madoka were the only ones who knew.
She made a promise to them.
Breaking it would make her more guilty than she already was.
She then walked to her bed, and just flopped there.
Blubbering, crying.
It wasn't until hours later that she finally regained the strength to do something other than wail and sob in grief.
She sat up and she got on her knees.
She was raised atheistic, and she was personally an atheist herself, but she just couldn't help it.
She clasped her hands together.
"God.. If you are out there, somehow.."
"I have sinned, greatly. I don't know if I can repent. I have blood on my hands."
"All I ask, is that Madoka not die in this way..."
"And maybe..maybe one other thing."
"I want to apologize to Sayaka.."
"Some things cannot be apologized for, some sins cannot be atoned for."
"But I want her to know how much, how deeply I regretted it.. And everything.."
She kept praying for a bit, on and on.
Deep inside, she was hoping it somehow would work out like it did in days of old.
She just was not ready to admit it.
Maybe, somehow, against all logic, Sayaka came back from the dead.
Maybe, somehow, against all logic, a miracle like that could happen.
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Sunday, June 10th, 2035.
The Funeral.
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It was not rainy, like in the movies.
It was actually quite sunny. Sayaka would have liked that.
At most, there were only about 50 people or so. Almost everyone wore black, including Hitomi herself.
No food. No events. No special rituals or prayers. of The Miki family was too poor to afford much, so it was at a small, cheap funeral parlor.
There were a few police officers, but they were not there to mourn.
Of course they weren't.
They were just there to ask a few questions of those close to Sayaka for her case investigation.
It was quiet, which was surprising.
You don't expect the funeral of a 14 year old girl who was seemingly full of life found killed by herself or someone else, held recently after the incident to be quiet.
You would expect anyone and everyone bawling and screaming
The only ones who were actually doing that were her parents. She guessed that she wasn't the only one to have a quiet breakdown yesterday.
It was almost all silent, except for the speeches people gave, the minor rituals, the crying of Mr. and Mrs. Miki, et cetera.
The speech her father and mother gave was exceptionally long.
She respected them, but did not like them, not really.
They loved their dear daughter, clearly, but she didn't believe they loved her true daughter.
Hitomi probably knew more about what went on in Sayaka Miki's head more than they did.
Still, she was doubting that. How could she not notice that one of her two dearest and closest friends was about to commit suicide?
She quietly excused herself to go to the ladies' restroom.
It was more of a crying room, however.
Most people who go to the restrooms at funerals don't go there to actually use the restroom, usually they just go in there to have a breakdown discreetly.
About four or so people who she barely could remember(probably distant cousins or something like that) were situated on the toilets or at the sinks and sobbing.
She simply looked at her face in the mirror at one of the sinks. At her vile face.
That face that drove a poor girl to kill herself.
Did she even deserve to be here?
She liked wearing makeup, she almost never went out without at least a little bit on.
She didn't do it for anybody(okay, maybe a little bit for Kyousuke). She just liked the activity of putting makeup on herself.
But this was a funeral, so she was barefaced today.
She took a few deep breaths.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
And then a few more.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.
Catharsis, catharsis, catharsis.
She saw a stall door open behind her in the mirror, and out stepped a pink-haired girl.
She was wearing a black funeral dress like all the other ladies, and her rose-colored hair was set in low pigtails tied in her usual berry red ribbons.
Madoka Kaname.
She walked over to Hitomi. "Hitomi-chan.."
"Hi, Madoka." Hitomi turned over to meet her friend.
Madoka immediately entered into a hug with Hitomi and started sobbing into her friend's shoulder.
Hitomi hugged her back and Madoka melted into the embrace.
"S- Sayaka.."
When Madoka was ready to let go, Hitomi questioned.
"I am just curious.. Do you know anything else about how Sayaka died?"
"It's just.. it feels like she just.. dropped dead. No rhyme or reason.."
Madoka looked at her, and simply said, "No.."
Although she did look like she was lying, Hitomi decided not to press her on it. She might do it next time they see each other at school.
Madoka then said, wishing for more time to talk; "We should probably get back.."
Hitomi nodded, and they both proceeded out of the ladies' room.
Hitomi went over to Sayaka's coffin.
She saw her best friend, peacefully sleeping.
Hitomi went through the pockets in her dress.
She gently grabbed something that she made for Sayaka.
It was a small paper ghost, smaller than the palm of her hand.
Hitomi solemnly slipped it into Sayaka's dress, where nobody could see it.
There wasn't much to the funeral after that.
As she walked out of the venue, police officers questioned her about Sayaka's death.
She thought it disrespectful to do so right at the funeral, but she couldn't do much and simply answered their questions.
The drive home was also uneventful.
As she walked into the Shizuki household, she tried not to disturb anyone. She didn't wanna talk right now.
Her room was as it always was.
Comfy bed, good desk, everything.
But something just felt.. off.
Hitomi took no mind of it.
She went to her dresser to change out of her funeral dress, and noticed a picture stood on the dresser.
The picture showed Sayaka Miki, herself and Madoka Kaname when they were about 8 at a festival.
She stopped to look at it.
She was so sorry. So, so sorry.
But her reverie would not last for long.
A childlike voice called out from behind her.
"Hitomi Shizuki."
She was startled, turning to where it came from.
Behind her was a white fluffy creature with beady, berry red eyes.
"H-how do you know my name..?"
The creature simply responded;
"Would you like to make a contract with me and become a Magical Girl?"