As the raven haired girl launched her arrow, Usagi concentrated her power to push the arrow with as much force as possible. Pink and red beams followed closely behind the arrow as it sore through the air, and.....Usagi held her breath as it impacted the target. The blonde jumped up and down as the arrow hit the witch on perfect target. The witch screamed before her as everyone else continued to attack soon after. Within moments, a bright light beamed from the witches body before it was destroyed. The Labyrinth around them vanished, and they were back in normal surroundings. 

Usagi looked around, expecting to see excitement in everyone's face, but instead she saw confusion and tiny hints of anger. She went to speak, her mouth just barely open, when she quickly reconsidered her action. The blue haired girl had picked up the soul gem, the one prize that all Magical Girls were after. They could either share it, or allow one of them use it. 

"We can share it....or I can just not use it, and the four of you can share it....if that makes it any easier." Usagi said shyly, speaking up over the tension.

Rei gasped slightly, taken by surprise, as the witch's death released a bright light and something that flung her backwards. She stayed on the ground for a few moments, exhausted. It had taken her nearly everything she had to take down this witch and she didn't even do it alone. There were four other girls giving it all they had as well. What was so different about this witch? Why, or maybe how might of been the better question?, was it so strong? She never felt a witch let off that kind of force when she killed it.

She slowly stood up and looked around at the other girls. What was going to happen now? They all couldn't continue to work together like they just did...could they? If the witches were getting more powerful, then going in alone could result in death. Rei cringed at the thought. But having 'friends' to fight with? That just went against everything Kyubey told her when she signed the contract with him to become a Magical Girl.

If they were to start working together, maybe they could become friends? Even as she thought it, Rei laughed to herself. She never had friends before, so why would she now? Just because they all shared some sort of common bond through their powers didn't make them friends. If anything they should be enemies. There's only one grief seed that a witch will drop. If they're as powerful as this witch was, maybe they could indeed share it like the blondes suggested. But if they were just normal witches, like she had been fighting on her own, the grief seed would never have enough power to cleanse all of their Soul Gems.

"I guess I'm okay with splitting it as well." Rei said to the rest of the group. "We all worked together to defeat this witch, so it seems like the fairest decision."

／人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Kyubey

Watching the girls work together had been amusing, but altogether insignificant compared to the current event. Magical Girls sharing a Grief Seed? Humans were so strange, particularly this adolescent female kind. In other regions and other timelines, trickery and fighting occurred when Magical Girls crossed into each others' territories and Grief Seeds were available. How long would it take, now, before one of them claimed the entire thing and the battle began?

ooc:

Everyone seemed to agree on splitting the Grief Seed. Well, it was the only option they had, and the fairest one. It was such a powerful one too… probably could have kept powering her Soul Gem for a while and cleansing it three or four times. Then again, she could no longer confidently claim that she would have been able to take down that witch alone now that she’d seen exactly how powerful it was. Who knew what could have happened? And she had to admit, there was something beautiful in their teamwork. Her cynical part still refused to believe this wouldn’t just be a one-time only thing, however.

Ami had always had mixed feelings about being a Magical Girl. At first, she hated it, saw it as the curse Kyubey had entrapped her into while messing up her real life at the same time. Everything about the fight reminded her of how the creature had so easily fooled her into giving up her life. And yet… the more she did it, the more she secretly liked it. She liked killing those witches. Every time she neutralized one of them, she felt better sleeping at night knowing that she’d kept the city and its citizens safe. She was doing something good, like it or not. And on top of her guilt for what she’d let happen to her ‘friends’ at school, it made her feel even better knowing she was making up for it in another way.

But she’d thought it was her own cross to bear. A personal punishment. Surely she didn’t deserve comrades in this fight. It was too good to be true, and the last time she believed in something in that nature, everything went to hell.

Sighing, finally she shook the thoughts out of her mind and held up the Grief Seed on one hand. “Alright, everyone hold out your Soul Gems,” she said, holding her own in her other palm. “We’ll share all the magic, but it’s probably only good for one use now. Don’t complain about it later.”

The witch was defeated. They had come together, against all odds, and destroyed the witch alongside one another. It was an amazing feat, both in strength and power, as well as teamwork. It made Makoto feel proud at this accomplishment. The witch had been incredibly powerful. Alone, she didn't think she would have made it, and who knew just how many other magical girls this witch had killed.

But now it was dead, and it would no longer harm another person.

As the conversation turned to the grief seed, Makoto clung to her optimistic feelings. She had feared the aftermath of the battle, since she suspected there would be a fight for ownership of the grief seed. But she was in favor of splitting it. It was only fair, after all, and surely they could all hang on to their sense of teamwork for just a little bit longer. 

Makoto had no interest in fighting against these girls. Not after all the work she had done to try and protect them, to work with them against the witch. If it came to that, she would simply walk away and let the others duke it out.

Surprisingly enough, it seemed the others did not favor fighting each other either. It brought a smile to Makoto's face. At the blue-haired girl's instruction, Makoto held out her Soul Gem, outstretching her arm in order to be near the others.

"One use is okay for now," Makoto replied. "I think we've all equally earned it."

She suddenly felt self conscious for speaking up. During the battle, it was easy to feel confident and certain. But now, she felt herself not quite sure if she should say anything at all. But she tried to push through that feeling. "It was... well, it was fun to fight with you all. Though, I still don't know any of your names." Makoto laughed then, and rubbed nervously at the back of her head. "I'm Makoto, in case you were wondering."

It was strange that this Usagi girl was so willing to give up her claim to the Grief Seed.  Any magical girl would know how vital they are to survival.  Minako's eyes scanned her every movement, trying to find something out-of-place.  Seconds later, Usagi looked at her Soul Gem, and all was revealed.  

Shocked, Minako stepped towards her, getting a closer look at the Soul Gem.  It looked...perfect.  There was not a single blemish on gem, and it shimmered with a radiant light.  Minako looked into Usagi's eyes, reading the expression there, but remaining silent.  How was this even possible?  No magical girl had an unblemished Soul Gem...right?

Minako's eyes did not leave Usagi's as she said, "My name..." she paused, glancing back at Usagi's Soul Gem, "...is Minako."  Her mind was whirling, spinning in all sorts of directions as question after question popped into her head.  Her eyes flickered to the side, immediately spotting Kyubey.  

'Of course," she thought, "Kyubey did this."  She glared at the sneaky creature and turned back to Usagi.  Looking into this girl's pure, blue eyes, Minako suddenly felt very protective over her.  It was like a subconscious instinct to keep her from harm, and protect her at all costs.  She was so young and innocent...seeing someone like that after years of darkness was like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  

"I hope we can continue to work together to salvage the city from malicious threats," Minako stated, smiling slightly.  Despite the multiple emotions running through her body, she forced herself to wear a kind demeanor.  She needed to learn more about this Usagi, and befriending her seemed the best way to do so.

／人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Kyubey

The lithe creature leaped down from his watching place, wrapping himself around Usagi's neck like a scarf.

"Yes, exactly!" he said to the assembled group, nodding his head towards Minako. "Work together!"

He hopped down from his perch, dark fur rippling down his smooth back.

"Did you see how troublesome that witch was? Just one of you could never have destroyed it. That witch is not the only one. Have you felt it in the air, lately, that heaviness of despair? Have you noticed the glimpse of a witch's kiss, but lost sight of it too soon to follow? The witches are active, and they're getting stronger."

Usagi almost regretted making herself friendly towards the brown haired girl. She was taller than her, and Usagi had to look up slightly to meet her eyes. Regrettably, Usagi leaned back against the wall that was behind her, in the area that used to be the labyrinth. Had this girl noticed her pure Soul Gem? Usagi noticed her confused face, conflict running through the girl's mind. Suddenly, the girl looked calm, and introduced herself. 

Suddenly, Usagi's back tensed when she felt the furry creature jump onto her body, curling around her neck. Before Usagi could reply to his first few words, Kyubey had jumped down before her on the ground. The innocent girl smiled, unknowingly of the creatures evil plan. The thought of working together to stopping the witches sent warmth throughout her body.

Ami watched the Grief Seed suck the darkness out of the four Soul Gems, returning them to their unblemished state. The blonde in pigtails had decided to opt out for some reason, which was something she intended to figure out later. The Grief Seed completely fizzled out, leaving no power left in it. It was just as well the blonde gave up her claim, then, because it wouldn’t have been enough for all of them. But why?

She looked up in surprise when the brown-haired girl, who then introduced herself as Makoto, said that it had been fun to fight with them all. She didn’t think anyone would particularly be willing to do this again, especially if they had to share the reward every time. Taking down a witch alone meant more power for you, and just because she could have friends…

Again, that word seemed to mock her. Friends. No, she wasn’t going to fall into the trap of that dream again. Even magic couldn’t win her friends. She was never going to get any.

“I’m Ami,” she found herself saying anyway. Now that the battle was over, she could feel herself retreating back into her shell, distrustful of people and not knowing how she was meant to interact with them. This was why she liked being a solo magical girl. It was much simpler being alone.

She turned to the girl who’d offered not to take the Grief Seed, still suspicious of her intentions. Why would someone give up the chance to replenish their magic? They needed it to continue fighting. And that was when she noticed the girl’s untarnished Soul Gem. Her eyes widening, Ami wondered if that was why she didn’t want the Grief Seed. Because she didn’t need it. She was just about to ask when the girl went to introduce herself excitedly, declaring that they should all be friends.

Just like that?

What a bizarre concept. Friends don’t just… happen. Do they?

She was pulled from her thought by the other blonde’s—Minako’s—words. Kyubey. Ami shivered as the creature casually draped itself around Usagi. No. Anything that got that creature excited was a bad idea. That was how she had gotten in this mess in the first place. Why would it suddenly want them to work together when before it had never been the case? She narrowed her eyes at the explanation about the witches getting stronger, wondering what Kyubey was up to.

The problem was, she couldn’t think of a single logical reason why teaming up would be bad. Aside from the lack of rewards, their chances of survival would be drastically increasing. And yet she still didn’t believe Kyubey had their best interests at heart.

“But what changed? Why are they suddenly getting stronger?” she asked suspiciously, throwing the now useless Grief Seed at the creature to be recycled or whatever it was the creature did with it. “And Usagi-san… how come your Soul Gem is untarnished?”

Was this a trick? The girl seemed really innocent and happy about all this, not jaded or suspicious like most magical girls she’d ever run into. Ami could feel it in her bones.

There was something different about this magical girl.

／人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Kyubey

He bounced the husk of the Grief Seed off his tail, and the golden emblem on his back opened, somehow, suddenly have depth that seemed to defy natural laws. It swallowed the seed, the unmoving vestigial mouth still smiling that same smile.

"There are so many strong Magical Girls... is it really a surprise that there are so many strong witches? Surely you didn't expect this to be easy."

He commented on Ami's question to Usagi with the same nonchalance.

"Usagi-chan made a beautiful wish, and her Soul Gem reflects that."

A beautiful wish? Rei was confused. What did that mean? What type of wish could she have possibly made that was so much better than the wishes any other magical girl had made? What made her so special? She racked her brain to try and figure out some sort of reason for all of this to make sense, but none came to her mind. She wanted to inquire what the blonde wished for, but she knew such things were a bad topic for most people; herself included. She didn't want other people to know what she had wished for. Not that her wish was anything to be ashamed about, but...

Rei let her thoughts trail off and looked at the girls one by one. So the brunette is Makoto, the blue haired girl was Ami, one of the blondes was Minako, and the shorter happier one with the special wish was Usagi. It was nice to actually know them by their names finally, though she knew it wouldn't matter much in the long run. They wouldn't be things she'd need to remember after they all went their separate ways anyway.

"I'm Rei, if any one really cares." Announced Rei to the group. She knew that they were all probably thinking the same way/thing that she was, it wouldn't matter what they're names were soon. But they had all shared their names with her and one another, so she felt it was only fair to do the same for them. "So what happens now?"

Ami bristled as Kyubey spoke, being vague as always. There was something he wasn’t telling them, because there was always something. This night, this witch, this strange magical girl with unblemished Soul Gem, and all the other ones in the same place… it couldn’t all be a coincidence. It almost seemed like a scheme; a ploy to put the pawns all in the right place at the right time. But what ploy was that? That was the one thing she couldn’t figure out. Right now Kyubey’s motives seemed noble, but she knew better to take it on face value.

“We’ve never had to work together with anyone before. And you didn’t warn me things would be changing.” She doubted he warned anyone else, either.

A beautiful wish? she repeated the statement in her mind, looking at Usagi’s Soul Gem. What kind of wish could produce an untarnished Soul Gem? Certainly not one like her selfish, disastrous one. She wondered if perhaps Usagi had made a selfless one. But asking for each other’s wishes was generally kind of a private question, and so she chose not to ask it. Usagi would offer it if she wanted to.

The girl with black hair spoke up then, and asked the question that had been bothering her for some time. But it was also one with an obvious answer, right?

“Well, we go back to wherever we come from, of course,” she shrugged. “I mean, that was pretty great teamwork but… it was a one-time thing, right?”

Surely they couldn’t just all expect to suddenly be friends?

Friends don’t just happen.

As the girls continued to talk around her, Makoto remained quiet. She wasn't quite sure what to say, now that the threat of a witch was gone. She wasn't used to being around others that much, and she always felt awkward around people she didn't know that well.

When talk turned towards Usagi and her beautiful wish, Makoto stepped forward to get a better look, though she still said nothing to contribute to the conversation. Instead, she stared at the unblemished soul gem with surprise, trying to detect even just a hint of darkness within its shining depths. But it was clean, and truly beautiful.

Makoto glanced back up to the owner of the unblemished soul gem, wondering what kind of girl Usagi could be like, to have made such a beautiful wish that resulted in a perfect gem. It was unheard of. It was well known that all magical girls expended their energy, resulting in a darkened soul gem, and that it was necessary to cleanse it as needed. It was how being a magical girl worked.

But Usagi was different somehow.

She wanted to ask questions, but she felt blocked. Why would any of them care about what she had to say anyway? It was better to remain quiet than to bring unwanted attention to herself.

The conversation shifted again, and it felt like their brief meeting was beginning to come to a close. For some reason, that felt sad. It was crazy to think that anything would change due to their impromptu teamwork, but Makoto couldn't help but to feel that they had forged some kind of bond, even in such a short amount of time.

But magical girls were solitary creatures. Everyone knew that. And it wasn't as if her own schedule was all that free to allow others in. Yoichi wouldn't like it if she were to start hanging out with other people, anyway. And to work together as magical girls... it was unheard of. Right?

And yet, she wanted that, more than she wanted to admit it.

As Ami spoke, Makoto glanced at the other girl, a frown on her lips as the words continued to tumble around in her mind. 'A one-time thing, right?'

"Why?" The word came out before Makoto even realized she had spoken it. A slight blush came to her cheeks, suddenly more self conscious than before. But she continued to speak anyway, since it would be even stranger to not say anything else. "Why does it have to be a one-time thing? Just because that's the way it has always been done doesn't mean it's the right way."

Ignoring the rising heat on her cheeks, Makoto glanced over Usagi and her unblemished soul gem. Usagi was the living proof that sometimes there were exceptions to the rules.

Sound why couldn't a group of magical girls who worked together be another exception?

／人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Kyubey

The expressionless face merely turned his joyless smile and unblinking eyes among the group, flicking the thick dark violet tail back and forth behind his petite body. He watched the confusion flutter across each girl's face, every one of them wondering what exactly made a wish "beautiful." There was a certain darkening in the eyes that he noted when they would realize and acknowledge the "ugliness" of their own wishes. Human girls were so strange.

He didn't respond to Ami's accusatory question. Warn them? Why would he inform the contractees when terms and conditions changed? He had never agreed to do such a thing, and certainly he would never do such a thing. Magical girls always thought they needed to be aware of the situation. They never needed to. It was always better when they knew nothing at all. Especially for his kind.

"The witches will continue getting stronger," he cautioned, as the blue-haired skeptic mentioned "one-time" for this joint venture. "You may not be able to defeat them alone."

Kyubey wrote:

"The witches will continue getting stronger," he cautioned, as the blue-haired skeptic mentioned "one-time" for this joint venture. "You may not be able to defeat them alone."

Usagi was aware that all eyes were on her. She didn't know what to say, or if she should disclose what her wish was. Perhaps once she learned more about these girls she would feel more comfortable of telling them what their minds wanted to know. Of course she trusted these girls, but something just didn't sit right at the moment. Sometimes secrets were better kept a secret. Right?

"Perhaps, we should stick together." Usagi Suggested, feeling the stares secretly burning at her from the other Magical Girls. "I don't mean forcing anyone to be friends, but perhaps just watch out for one another. If these witches are going to be growing stronger, then we should help out. I won't be afraid to admit that I would't have been able to defeat that last witch alone, and I am actually happy we met up."

Usagi felt like she was going to cry. She didn't know these girls, and she was just speaking her true feelings. Her face felt hot and she was pretty sure it was noticeable on her face that was she trying to hold back a few tears.

'They could watch eachother's backs? They didn't have to be friends?' Rei couldn't make sense of all of this right now. A lot had happened in such a short time frame. And Kyubey mentioned the witches would be getting stronger. Why did he have to wait til their trying to decide to to do to tell them all that? Why didn't he say that to them long before now?! Rei sighed to herself, trying to clear her mismatched thoughts so she could focus.

Could they be friends? She never had friends before, not many any way, and the ones that she some times talked to weren't really friends. They were just acquaintances or people that worked at her Grandfather's temple. But...maybe they could all be friends? Or at least look out for each other like Usagi and Makoto had mentioned. It was an unheard of thing amongst Magical Girls. You just don't become friends with other ones. A witch only drops one seed, which means both or all of the girls used their soul gems power to fight it and they all needed cleansed. But with only one seed that was hard to pull off. 

But I guess that didn't mean they couldn't change things. It'd be nice to not have to do everything by herself. Even if they weren't actual friends and were just 'work buddies' it would still be helpful. This business was a scary and dark one, so having people look out for you and being their to save your butt wasn't such a bad idea.

"I guess we could all work together and just make sure no one dies..." Rei said quietly to the group. "Kyubey says the witches will just be getting stronger and I for one do not feel like dying, so we could all just watch out for eachother. We don't have to actually be friends to do that.."

ooc:

Ami didn’t honestly expect someone to counter her point, but the brunette—Makoto—did. She seemed surprised by her own decision to speak up, but her question hung in the air nonetheless. ‘Why?’

She… had a point. They had all simply accepted that magical girls were lone warriors and were not meant to team up. There was the competition aspect introduced by the reward system; the Grief Seed. Ami had to admit that they had functioned well despite just meeting each other for the first time, and they had successfully taken a witch that seemed to be too much to handle any of them on their own. She could not confidently say that she would have survived that encounter or not be forced to retreat had the other girls not showed up. And she hated that feeling—the inability to depend on herself.

Because if she couldn’t depend on herself, who else could she rely on?

Kyubey’s warning about the witches getting stronger made her bristle. Ami still couldn’t figure out what the creature was getting out of this. And she knew the Incubator did not do things out of the kindness of its heart. The girls’ best interests wouldn’t be his number one priority. And yet she had no idea what hidden agenda he might have.

There was something about Usagi that made her feel… strange. Comforted, almost. She was so… bright and welcoming and sweet… almost too good to be true. And the last time Ami thought something was too good to be true, it turned out it was. She didn’t know if she could trust this girl, who seemed so naïve and open and wanted to be friends with them all. Whose Soul Gem was untarnished.

Sure, she looked sincere, and something in Ami’s heart yearned to hug her and say yes and let’s be friend always, but she still didn’t dare to believe it.

And what of the Grief Seeds? They had to keep splitting it at least between the four of them, which meant they’d go through those so much quicker. This didn’t seem like an effective use of their powers. Was the outcome worth the sacrifice? Ami’s mind had started running equations, calculating the pros and cons of the situation. Fighting together meant less chance of dying. But in the safety lay less reward. Then again, maybe if they worked together, they wouldn’t have to expend so much magic to defeat the witches. Maybe it would balance out.

When Rei spoke up and said they didn’t have to be friends as long as they watched out for each other, Ami felt like she heard something that made sense for the first time. Thank goodness one of these girls at least was on the same wavelength as she was. Rei seemed to approach the proposal with the same logical manner instead of an emotional one, and Ami appreciated it.

“That sounds fair,” she finally said. “I think I can live with that. A professional arrangement.” She wasn’t ready to trust them, not by a long shot. She didn’t know if she could ever trust anyone ever again.

"Sounds good to me," Minako shrugged. Truth be told, she was exhausted and just wanted to get out of here and go home. Artemis needed to be fed, anyways.

But she couldn't bring herself to leave just yet. She needed to know more, and her curiosity had, as usual, gotten the best of her. Her eyes constantly flicked from Usagi's Soul Gem, and back to Usagi. If someone had an untarnished Soul Gem, did that make them more powerful?

Thinking of power, Minako wondered if the Grief Seeds left by these new, more powerful witches would suck more darkness out of their Soul Gems than usual? It made sense, right? Powerful witches, useful Grief Seeds?

She absentmindedly began to twist a strand of blonde hair around her finger, eyeing Kyubey. What was the little devil hiding? There was some reason behind all of this, and Minako was determined to find out what. But at that moment, her mind was simply too exhausted to take in anything more. She just remained silent, analyzing each new magical girl. She would have to think about all of this later, when she had gotten proper rest.

／人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Kyubey

The creature continued to stay just out of reach from everyone except Usagi. She was the one Magical Girl of the group not yet suspicious of his motives. He couldn't quite trust the others to keep their hands and weapons to themselves. It was simply inconvenient to summon a replacement and consume the dead former shell on a regular basis, so he'd prefer to avoid that scenario.

"Working together will have more advantages than merely defeating Witches with greater safety."

He swished his tail back and forth, red eyes wide and unblinking.

"Usagi-chan's Soul Gem is a dazzling treat for the Witches and their Familiars. Do you know what would happen if a Witch got hold of it?"

He paused for effect, waiting to let that possibility build in their imaginations. He had hinted at all of them about the dreaded Walpurgisnacht, the ultimate Witch that could destroy worlds, but none of them knew how such a creature would be formed. Perhaps it was the culmination of a special Soul Gem and a powerful witch. Perhaps it could be from Usagi-chan's special Soul Gem. The Magical Girls surrounding him might be unsatisfied with their poor choice in wishes, but that didn't necessarily mean they wanted to see their homes and loved ones destroyed by a grand Witch that they could not stop.

"Protecting Usagi-chan's Soul Gem is very important. For everyone."

Despite herself, Ami’s curiosity was piqued when Kyubey said working together would have more advantages than merely defeating witches. Her gaze swung back toward Usagi as the creature said again how special her Soul Gem was, and posed the question of what would happen if it was devoured by a witch. Ami didn’t know why, but her blood suddenly ran cold. She didn’t know what an untarnished Soul Gem meant, exactly, but just seeing it—seeing its unnatural brightness—she knew that it likely contained immense power. And if a witch got hold of it…

She shivered as something Kyubey mentioned in passing before rose to the forefront of her mind. A powerful witch called Walpurgisnacht who might someday appear. She didn’t know if he meant it as a prophecy of some kind or if this witch already existed and was slowly making her way toward Juuban. All she knew was that the idea of an immensely powerful witch being here coupled with an incorruptible Soul Gem did not make her feel better. Perhaps Usagi’s Soul Gem could be the key to defeating the undefeatable.

Or perhaps it could help create one.

For once, she hated to admit that Kyubey’s logic was sound. “Well. I suppose she does need a little bit of protection…” if she’s truly that special. “I mean, we all do. But that… I would hate for that to get eaten by a witch more than anything,” she indicated the ever shining Soul Gem.

So what, they were supposed to be Usagi’s bodyguards now?

／人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Kyubey

The dark, sleek creature stared blankly and soulessly into Usagi's wide blue eyes.

"Magical Girls use Grief Seeds to keep their Soul Gems bright. A stronger Witch leaves a Grief Seed with greater restoration ability. With a Witch and a Soul Gem, it's the opposite."

If Usagi had been paying any attention to his previous lessons on being a Magical Girl, she should have imagined Walpurgisnacht. If she was the brightest Magical Girl, it would not be too unusual to think that her Soul Gem could empower the darkest Witch. He was obviously not going to let the girls know that the ascendance of the greatest Witch was all part of his plan. Magical Girls were too irrational and emotional for him to provide details on his process. This was all for the greater good of the universe, after all.

"Your Soul Gem is special, Usagi-chan," he continued. "A Witch that consumed it would become a very special Witch."

Kyubey’s last words last night, before the girls finally dispersed and went back to each of their homes, still haunted Ami until the next morning and throughout school. She’d mulled it over the entire night; all these girls that she had run into and somehow managed to work together with, the idea of a magical girl team, the need to protect Usagi’s Soul Gem…

Your Soul Gem is special, Usagi-chan. A Witch that consumed it would become a very special Witch.

Ami shivered. The creature had said it so matter-of-factly, so emotionlessly, the way he always did. But she knew the implications behind his simple words. ‘Special’ here did not mean a good thing. In fact, she suspected it was a very bad thing. ‘A very special witch’ could very well be the dreaded Walpurgisnacht. Ami had not thought about it ever since Kyubey mentioned it in passing, figuring it probably would never happen, or if it did, the witch wouldn’t arrive in Juuban for a long time.

But now that she’d found the girl called Usagi Tsukino and her incorruptible Soul Gem…

Ami didn’t like the odds. She wasn’t going to leave it up to chance.

The girls had exchanged numbers the night before, to contact each other in case another witch appeared, and she hoped Usagi at least would call them. Usagi had been the one that seemed most eager to be friends, after all. Ami wondered how many of them went to Juuban High. She hadn’t bothered to ask yesterday, but then again she didn’t really want to socialize. It was just a professional arrangement, wasn’t it?

School finally let out, and that was probably the one day Ami hardly paid any attention to the lessons. As usual, she ducked away before her ‘admirers’ could trail along hoping to walk her home—she’d managed to tune them out all day, a perk of being distracted—and quickly made her way out of the building.

The fresh air greeted her like a warm embrace, and for a brief moment, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering what those other girls from last night were doing.

After the girls had parted ways the previous night, Minako had gone straight back to her car and to her luxurious home. She was greeted warmly by her white cat, Artemis, who circled her ankles lovingly. With a sigh, Minako tossed her purse onto a chair and took off her jacket, running her fingers through her long hair. How on Earth was she going to sleep with all of this new information on her mind?

Carrying Artemis with her, Minako headed to her bedroom and prepared for bed. As the white cat made himself comfortable on Minako's bed, the blonde idol began to tell him of the day's events as she changed clothes. It felt good talking to Artemis. She didn't know why, but she felt like he could understand her.

Of course, the night was restless for Minako. She spent the entire time tossing and turning, wondering what wish could have been so pure and beautiful that it created a Soul Gem that could never be tarnished. It must be nice, not having to worry about staying alive according to the color of a gem. Minako held her own Soul Gem in her hand, twisting and turning it between her fingers. She wanted more than anything to be rid of this life, this burden that was on her shoulders. But this was her load to bear - she had placed it upon herself. And now, she was praying the price for the fame she wanted so desperately.

The next day, Minako's lack of sleep definitely had its effect on her. No matter how much make-up the blonde idol applied, the dark circles were still visible beneath her eyes. Taking a breath, Minako decided that was the best she could do before leaving her home. According to her cell phone, she had multiple bossy messages from her manager, but she couldn't muster the self-discipline to open them. Before doing any work today, Minako thought, she was going to grab a coffee.

So, with her hair pulled back and a hat and sunglasses hiding her face, Minako headed out to her car and drove to the nearest cafe. She had slept in extra late that day, and it was around late afternoon by the time Minako arrived at the cafe. As she sat and drank her vanilla latte, Minako wondered what her new "friends" had been doing throughout the day. She had mistakenly given them her number, forgetting to warn them about her voicemail box and how not to ever give her number out to anyone.

Makoto yawned, covering her open mouth with her hand as she shifted her school bag in the other. Exhaustion had been pulling at her all day, more so than usual. Her late night battles were something that she had slowly become used to, but last night she hadn't been able to fall asleep even after coming back home.

Too many thoughts had kept her up, and even now, those same thoughts twisted around in her head. It almost felt as though last night had been some kind of strange dream. Her mind kept bringing up her belief that magical girls couldn't work together, shouldn't work together.

But they were needed to protect Usagi's soul gem. A pure soul gem, untouched by darkness. That thought brought a small smile to Makoto's lips. The soul gem had been so beautiful. Of course such an untainted thing should be protected at all costs. And if it brought some friends at the same time... well that wouldn't be so bad, right?

As she continued to walk down the hall and towards the exit of the school building, Makoto realized that she was still smiling at nothing, and she quickly loosened her features into that of neutral calmness. She was relieved when she didn't blush, even as she thought of how she must have looked to her schoolmates. Such a goofy grin looked stupid, remember?

Leaving the school, Makoto began to quicken her long steps. She couldn't dawdle too much, as there were things to do before Yoichi came home. But up ahead she spotted a familiar person.

Ami.

Makoto felt stuck, and her heart began to race with indecision. Should she catch up to the other girl? Probably not a good idea. Ami had been rather cold during the discussions last night. She wouldn't want to be disturbed, most likely. But then again, wouldn't it be better to get to know eachother better?

It was then that Makoto noticed the other girl.

Usagi. The girl with the pure soul gem. Makoto stared at her, wondering what made her so special. Well, she had at least been a lot warmer than some of the others. That counted for something, right?

Makoto still felt uneasy approaching them. It would be much easier to just walk straight home. Yoichi would be waiting. But she made up her mind with one thought: she was supposed to protect Usagi, and she wasn't going to fail in that duty. Even if that meant approaching her untransformed.

With her long legs to help her, Makoto caught up to the other girls without a problem. "Uh, hello again," she said. The greeting was stupid and awkward, but it was the best her brain could come up with. She rubbed at the back of her head and gave a nervous laugh. "So you guys go to this school too, huh?"

Someone’s voice jolted Ami out of her thoughts, and at first she flinched, expecting it to be one of her ‘friends’ trying to attach themselves onto her again despite the fact that she’d made it clear she’d rather walk home alone. But there was something familiar about the voice that made her feel a strange warmth, and upon turning to look, she spotted a girl with blonde pigtails beside her.

She would recognize that hairstyle anywhere, and anyway, Usagi was hard to forget especially after what she learned last night. There was no special magic cloaking a magical girl’s identity, so it only took her a second to realize who the girl was. She was surprised to see Usagi wearing the same school uniform as her own.

“Tsukino-san,” she said, taken aback. “You’re… in my school?”

They hadn’t exactly shared biographies last night—there hadn’t been time—but she supposed it made sense. Each magical girl only patrolled within their own vicinity, so if all those girls from last night ended up in the same labyrinth, that meant they all lived close to each other. And Juuban High was one of the few schools in the area.

She suddenly felt awkward—she still had no idea how to talk to people, especially non-magically brainwashed people. Last night was different; it was a battle, it was business, and it was something she was good at. Being a magical girl was something she was comfortable with. Being just Ami Mizuno, not so much.

Then a third girl joined them. She was also familiar. Ami blinked, needing a few seconds to reconcile the image of this girl and the one she saw last night and figure out her name. “Makoto… right?” she stammered, not sure if the girl had offered her last name. “Uh… do you both live near here too?”

Just how many of them were at this school? Why did she feel like the universe was intent on shoving them all together? Ami found the thought both promising and terrifying. To have friends… real friends? It was what she’d always wanted.

But she was no longer sure if she dared to hope.

／人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ Kyubey

Unseen and from a significant distance, two expressionless ruby eyes stared out at the three schoolmates as they tentatively engaged in conversation. The dark creature waved his lush tail back and forth, slowly, almost as though he enjoyed the scene. Of course, an Incubator could not "enjoy." Those were foolish human emotions. And these were foolish, foolish humans.