Her posture relaxed once the gun was tucked out of sight. The uneasiness that had coursed through her veins slowly washed away, yet her gaze remained distant, as if she were trying to see through this older version of her best friend. By far, this incarnation of Madoka was very different, at least when it came to appearance. Yet the knight was certain that this Madoka could still be as idealistic as the other versions of the pink haired magus.
“Bows would be better,” Sayaka muttered, with another shrug. “Leave the guns to Mami-san and transfer student.” After all, all of the other Madokas had never seemed like the type to be able to pull the trigger. The image was far too difficult for her to imagine, and it caused her some emotional stress just imagining the pinkette aiming a handgun at someone.
Madoka’s voice jostled the azure from her musings, and sapphire eyes met pink ones as she listened to the young woman speak of the path of the magi. A strained smile appeared on her face as she answered the other. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the ones I love,” she answered. To her surprise, she had shown a second’s worth of hesitation. A bit irked now, the girl decided to press onwards. “You know I’ve always wanted to be a hero, even when we were little. Protecting everyone is something that I want to do. If I have to fight other magi in order to protect people without this kind of power, I’ll do it!”
"I know that you're willing to do that. You're that kind of person, Sayaka-chan," reassured Madoka. But that was the least of her concerns. In fact, she really did appreciate that this Sayaka had a strong sense of justice. What Madoka really wanted to know was extent rather than willpower. "But that's not what I want to know."
She glanced away from Sayaka's gaze as a hand gripped tighter around her arm. Madoka began to recall the past and how simple everything had seemed back then. A time where just seeking out criminals and catching them was her only worry. "Let's say that you go out. You're walking and you see a magi about to harm a friend. You would fight to protect that friend, correct? But what next? Do you just fight this person off? Or would you make sure to end it then and there?
You have to understand that you just can't fight and expect that all you need to do. There are problems out there and it is your job to solve them as a 'hero of justice'. So, I ask again. How far are you willing to go to protect everyone? What are you willing to do in order to ensure that everyone is safe?"
