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Cold. Deep. Dark. Pitch black.
Twelve hours… no, thirteen.
She had been submerged in these frigid, lonely waters for over half a day. Those jade-blue eyes, once drowning in the rosy hue of love, were now hollow. No reaction. No words. Not even a breath.
Sayaka lay still, embraced by the gloom of the seabed. Her body drifted aimlessly, the biting chill seeping into her skin. Desperate and vacant, she was little more than a lifeless doll surrendered to the current. From the moment she traded her soul for a miracle, her essence had been confined within that sapphire gem.
Killing, purifying, absorbing… The heavy cycle weighed down on that tiny Soul Gem. The sky-blue light—once warm as sunshine, born from the fervent hope of a miraculous love—had slowly rotted into a grotesque, abyssal stain. Despair shrouded her soul. No longer the vibrant, gentle girl she once was, her heart had been dragged into the crushing depths of the ocean.
Her dull eyes stared toward the surface. There was no flicker of light… no trace of warmth from above. With nothing left to live for, Sayaka let her spirit dissolve into the void.
"Sayakaaaaa!!!!!!!"
With a sudden splash, a voice plummeted toward her from above.
"Kyoko?" Recognizing that shock of crimson hair, Sayaka spoke, her voice heavy and drained of life.
"Gah…! It’s… so hard to breathe down here!"
Under the crushing pressure, Kyoko struggled for air. She reached out, fighting the weight of the water to swim toward Sayaka’s drifting form.
"What are you doing here…?" Sayaka’s voice was a hollow echo. She couldn't feel a spark of Kyoko’s emotion. To her, there was only the silence of the deep—an infinite, inescapable vacuum.
Kyoko dove deeper, her breath coming in ragged, labored gasps. Driven by an invisible force, she pushed through the mournful current until she finally reached Sayaka’s arm.
It was stiff. Cold as a corpse.
"Why…"
"…?"
Hearing Kyoko’s whisper, Sayaka’s brow furrowed. Her vacant eyes searched Kyoko’s face, wondering what kind of hope the girl expected to find in a hollow doll.
"Why… won’t you listen to me? You could have lived!" A flash of sorrow crossed Kyoko’s face. She couldn't understand Sayaka’s mind; no matter how hard she tried to save her, the effort always slipped through her fingers.
Looking into Kyoko’s fiery, hopeful red eyes, Sayaka felt nothing. They were both trapped in her soul now; soon enough, they would die together in the dark.
"Save me? For what?" The toneless voice came from a heart that had long since abandoned faith in life.
Kyoko reached out and touched her face. She felt Sayaka’s tears—warm droplets that instantly dissolved into the black water. Staring into those empty eyes, Kyoko’s mind swirled with doubt.
"Pity from a selfish person who doesn't care about others? I don’t need it," Sayaka said with cold skepticism. She believed her worth was entirely gone, a shattered thing not worth salvaging.
"No…" Kyoko stammered. She couldn't explain it. She didn't know why she wanted to save Sayaka so badly. She averted her gaze, unable to find the words for the feelings locked in her chest.
"You’re wasting your time…"
"No, listen to me!" Kyoko lunged to grab onto a shred of hope, but suddenly, a massive updraft from the abyss dragged Sayaka deeper.
Kyoko screamed her name into the silent void, a desperate cry of helplessness. Her heart tore as she struggled to decide what to do. Then, from the darkness, a gargantuan creature emerged—a three-eyed monstrosity staring directly at her. Kyoko’s resolve wavered as she recognized Sayaka’s Witch form.
"GO AWAY!!!" a distorted, demonic voice shrieked from the Witch. Instantly, a torrent of black water surged upward, snuffing out what little light remained.
"Argh…!!!!" Kyoko writhed in agony. The atmosphere of despair was suffocating. She was being swallowed by the darkness of this soul-sea.
"Sa…ya…ka…" Her voice grew faint, a choked sob. Her eyelids drooped; her body began to fail. Like Sayaka before her, she felt the life slipping away. Kyoko drifted into unconsciousness under the weight of the ocean.
"..."
"...I’m sorry, Kyoko... Please, just leave..."
"..."
Sunset filtered through a window, illuminating her motionless body on the floor. Kyoko’s eyes snapped open. She scanned her surroundings and recognized the familiar setting: the church where she once lived, but whole—unburnt.
Her footsteps echoed in the silence. She walked with a hollow heart, her mind flooded with memories of her father, her mother, her sister… the warmth of a family she had long craved. Even when life was hard, having someone to lean on was all she ever truly wanted.
She approached the pulpit, her eyes drawn to the skewered dolls. She picked up four of them, remembering how she had made them in a fit of agonizing homesickness. Now, she could no longer deny the truth: they were all gone. Perhaps this was her final moment—her chance to return to their arms.
"This is all your fault! You're a witch!"
Did he still hate her? She remembered her father’s final moments, the thought of dying alone twisting her gut.
"Mami-san… what should I do?"
She felt adrift. The strong older sister she once stood beside was gone too. Kyoko sighed; perhaps she had chosen this path of solitude the moment she made her wish.
"Are you really going to abandon her?" A familiar voice spoke from behind. Kyoko turned to see herself—but different. This version didn't have any snacks in hand; it was the Kyoko from the day she first became a Magical Girl.
That girl radiated passion and an unwavering belief in justice. She was the polar opposite of the lonely, dying person Kyoko had become.
"I… can’t do anything," Kyoko said quietly.
"If you want to save her that badly, do you even know why?"
Right. A girl who only cared about herself, who let others rot, was now ready to shatter her own Soul Gem for Sayaka. Kyoko fell silent, unable to find an answer.
"Do you want to let her slip away just like the others?"
"!!" That cold remark jolted Kyoko awake. It wasn't just Sayaka. She had let everyone close to her disappear. Kyoko collapsed to her knees, overcome with guilt.
"I tried… why did everyone still leave me?"
"If one person leaves you, it might be their fault. But if everyone leaves, it’s yours," her past self said coldly, pointing to the side.
Kyoko turned, her eyes widening in horror at the sight of that fateful day. Her father, the priest who once held her hope, hung from a noose, his face pale, blood still dripping from his hands. Beneath him lay her mother and sister, still and silent in a pool of crimson.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Kyoko clutched her head and screamed. She had been running from this tragedy for so long. These memories had been a haunting rot in the back of her mind.
"Remember Mami-san? You’re the one who pushed them all away. No one else."
"SHUT UP!!!!!" Kyoko sobbed. She couldn't outrun the truth: she was the catalyst for her family's ruin.
"I’m… truly… useless…" Tears hit the floor. She had never felt this powerless, trapped in a cycle of self-loathing she couldn't escape.
"Do you want to let one more person go?" Her past self sat down, gently resting a hand on Kyoko’s head.
"But I… I can’t do anything…"
"Kyoko, look at me." The girl lifted Kyoko’s chin, wiping away her tears. The warmth from that hand was intense—Kyoko had forgotten she was ever capable of such heat. Looking into her own younger eyes, she saw the persistence she once had.
Both she and Sayaka had made wishes for others. Both had clung to an ideal of justice. Both had lost everything because they didn't understand the price of their miracles. Yet, in the face of despair, Sayaka couldn't survive the way Kyoko had.
"Kyoko, face your true self. You aren't selfish, are you?"
It was true. Her soul had died with that tragedy, just as Sayaka’s was dying now. Her rough exterior was nothing but a shield to hide from the past.
"Please… give me a chance. I’ll save her." Kyoko had nothing left to lose. Sayaka was her final spark of hope. If she couldn't save her, they would both die in isolation. She wouldn't let that be their ending. Seeing her resolve, her past self handed her the glowing red spear.
"..."
"..."
The fire from the Soul Gem in her chest erupted, illuminating the space around her.
"Ugh… Ah!" She jerked awake. The flames allowed her to breathe in the suffocating dark. The tip of her spear blazed like a torch—as fierce as her determination. She dove again, calling out for Sayaka.
Drifting in the void, Sayaka closed her eyes, waiting for the end.
"Kyoko?" She startled at the sound of her name. Above her, in the pitch black, a light was hurtling toward her.
"Miki-san!!"
"I told you to leave!" Sayaka swung her blade. The water resistance muffled the strike, the weapons clashing with little force.
Despite being pushed back, Kyoko didn't stop. She had to reach her.
"Miki-san, listen to me!" Kyoko shouted with everything she had.
"It’s no use," Sayaka replied coldly. She just wanted to be alone. She knew they were both doomed. If Kyoko died because of her, the guilt would be unbearable. She couldn't let another person fall for her sake.
"Why… are you so stubborn?" Kyoko challenged her. She was searching for a bridge between them. They were so close, yet the distance felt infinite.
"I’ve done unforgivable things. What could you possibly want from a piece of trash like me?" Sayaka’s sharp gaze pierced Kyoko.
"..."
"If you saw what I’ve become and still came for me, I’d be disappointed in you, Kyoko." Each word was a needle to Kyoko’s hardened heart. To save Kyoko, Sayaka felt she had to drive her away.
"Sayaka… everyone makes mistakes. Why should I leave you because of that?" Kyoko lunged again, only to be parried by the sword.
"If you keep this up, I won't hold back."
"As if I could ever leave you like this!!" Kyoko ignored the warning and charged. She had nothing left to lose.
"You’re being a fool! I said leave me alone!!!!" Sayaka screamed, thrusting her blade straight at Kyoko.
Shwgh!
The blade buried itself in the center of Kyoko’s chest. Crimson blood bloomed from the wound, swirling into the black water like flickering embers.
"Heh?" Sayaka’s eyes went wide. She had actually stabbed her. She thought Kyoko would dodge, would defend herself.
"Augh..." Kyoko hissed through the pain. She let her spear fall. The only reason she hadn't blocked was to get close enough.
With the blade deep in her chest, the distance between them was finally gone.
Kyoko threw her arms around Sayaka, locking her in a tight embrace.
"Ah!! Let go!!" Sayaka struggled, but Kyoko’s grip was iron.
"I told you… I’m not leaving you alone…" Kyoko buried her head in Sayaka’s shoulder. Sayaka’s body was freezing, fueling Kyoko’s fire to warm that lonely heart.
"Why… why are you so obsessed? Why throw away your life for someone like me in a place like this?" Sayaka’s voice cracked as she fought to pull away. She couldn't be the reason someone else died.
"Miki-san… because you are my hope…" Kyoko whispered, her voice breaking. She was crying now, the emotions she had buried for years finally spilling over.
"Eh?" Sayaka froze. She didn't understand, but the sight of the "strong" Kyoko weeping against her shoulder stunned her. The tears felt impossibly warm. She had never felt a love this fierce.
"I’ve lost… so many people. I can’t lose you too. Please, Miki-san… being alone is terrifying. Just for now… stay with me… I’m sorry."
Sayaka’s grip on her sword loosened. Her heart felt like it had stopped. This was what she had always wanted—someone to truly care, someone to stay. Her eyes softened; the aimless despair began to lift. She placed her hands on Kyoko’s shoulders and looked her in the eye.
Those red eyes, usually so full of aggressive energy, were now tender. Seeing them clouded with tears made Sayaka’s chest ache. The blackness around them began to shift, tinged with the glow of hope as bubbles rose from the heat between them.
"I’m… I’m sorry… I was so scared. I was scared of seeing people disappear because of my own stupidity… I didn't want you to die for me, Sakura-san…" Sayaka finally broke, the words she had been holding back pouring out in a sob.
"Miki-san… we all make mistakes," Kyoko comforted her, her voice unusually soft.
"Do you really… want to be with someone as weak as me?" Sayaka choked out.
"Miki-san… I’m not as strong as you think. We’re the same. I forgot that I used to have ideals just like yours. Only when I’m with you do I remember how stupid and weak I can be too."
Kyoko reached up and wiped the tears from Sayaka’s cheeks. The world went still. There was only the lingering sadness of the abyss and the radiant warmth of the bond they shared.
"Miki-san… you’ve been so lonely, haven't you? Don’t worry. From now on… I’ll be right here." Kyoko gave her a small, warm smile. Overwhelmed, Sayaka pulled Kyoko into a tight hug and wept—really wept—as if she were being born a second time.
"Will you… will you really stay with me… forever?"
"The two of us… it’ll always be that way." Kyoko’s eyes were bright with hope. She hadn't let her slip away.
The despairing waters were purified, turning a brilliant turquoise, bathed in the light of hope and the intensity of love. It was a moment for them, and them alone.
Kyoko pulled Sayaka closer, and they shared a kiss of true, desperate love. For Sayaka, it was the end of her lonely search for happiness as a "little mermaid." For Kyoko, it was a final release from the ghosts of her past. She had found herself by giving her heart to Sayaka.
Slowly, they dissolved into sea foam—tiny bubbles carrying a spark of yearning hope, spreading throughout the vast, open sea.