Chapter Text
Sayaka was still counting the scales on her wrist when her phone rang.
“Yeah?” She answered, still looking at them, “Oh, sorry I didn’t say anything, but I’m actually sick. I might actually be dying, you know!”
More words.
“Yeah, so I don’t think I can hang out later. Don’t worry about me too much though, I’ll be back and healthy tomorrow. Er, probably.”
Madoka continued to speak.
“A transfer student! Damn, I can’t believe I missed that. Ugh, well, tomorrow! All will be normal and fine tomorrow. You can point her out to me when we walk to class, okay?”
She was still talking.
“Just have fun without me, I’m sure you and Hitomi will be fine. Say hi to her for me, by the way. I’m sure she misses me desperately.”
When they said their goodbyes and hung up the phone, Sayaka sat there for a moment, completely still. Her eyes hadn’t moved once that entire call.
The scales were still there, 6 in total. She would almost call them blue, but they were more grey than that. Its stinging had woken Sayaka up in the first place.
First the stinging, then the screaming.
The screaming wasn’t from anywhere, exactly. Or that’s what it seemed like- her parents hadn’t heard anything when she asked. And when Sayaka covered her ears, it didn’t stop at all.
Maybe less like screaming, and more of wailing. Like some dying creature.
Anyways, she changed out of her pajamas and into something else, something long sleeved. She grabbed a bag. And then she left, because she was a lying liar liar, and wasn’t planning on staying inside all day. Not when she could be getting to the bottom of whatever this was.
(anything there?) she asked inside her head, halfway down the block.
But it was all just wailing in there. Stupid, idiot demon thing. It didn’t even have the words.
Sayaka sighed, and took another step, but this time her right foot hurt just like her wrist. Stinging, only worse, because this time she had stepped on it.
She had to lean against one of the nearby buildings to take off her shoe and inspect the bottom of her foot.
And there it was, another scale. It glistened a bit in the sun, which she noticed first, but then her eyes drifted to the skin around it, which was red and dry looking. Just like her wrist. But, this time it was only one- and the location inconvenient- so Sayaka let her fingers drift to the lone scale.
It still didn’t look quite blue.
She tore it out of the skin, in one single yank of her arm.
One hitched breath, another. Her teeth stayed grit for a moment. And then she let it all go.
It hurt, but it was a relief too.
Sayaka couldn’t bear to throw the scale away, so she tucked it in her pocket and kept walking. The stinging was still there of course, and she was pretty sure her shoes were already filling with blood, but it felt worth it, in a way.
(should i have done that?) she asked, but the thing in her head only screamed back.
How unhelpful.