Disclaimer: I do not own Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Mahou Shoujo Oriko Magica and their characters.

This fanfic is the eighth volume of Year Zero series, you can find it on my profile.

This is an "engrish" translation. I am doing my best, but feel free to tell me if it is unreadable.

Metamorphosis

The red tea was steaming as Mami filled her cup. It was another night in Mitakihara, with its jungle of illuminated buildings beyond the large windows of her apartment room. However, she did not have time to enjoy the view, since she was not alone and it was not just Nagisa.

On the triangular table there was a grief seed balancing on its tip, its black globe containing metallic trimmings in the shape of an hourglass. The glass of the table reflected the face of the owner of that object. "I made some discoveries about our nature. I must stress again that you pay close attention, Tomoe-san."

When Madoka said she was going to visit her, Mami was only aware that she was going to talk about the moving to her old house, which had been destroyed by Walpurgisnacht last year. As it turned out, Madoka also did not know that Homura would insist on this subject. "I will, Akemi-san."

Homura nodded. "I need to demonstrate..." She reached out her left hand and a violet diamond-shaped gem appeared on it.

"Your soul gem," commented the blonde.

Then Homura took the seed on the table with her other hand and quickly, with the metal tip, she used it to strike the gem.

Mami's eyes widened. "Akemi-san?!"

"It's okay." She let the gem fragments fall on the table. They began to evaporate into a black smoke, which spiraled into the seed.

Nagisa, who watched that silent, could not help but be astonished. "Whoa..."

"I think that makes it clear," Homura continued, "the seeds is what holds our souls now."

"From what I can remember, it was the soul gems that played this role. Just thinking that Kyuubey literally ripped it off me..." Mami sighed and forced a smile. "Then wouldn't it be better to start calling them soul seeds instead of grief?"

Nagisa even stopped eating a slice of cheese to agree, "That's a great idea!"

Mami asked, "What do you think, Madoka-san?"

The pink-haired girl next to Homura smiled. "I think we could try."

But her companion had another opinion. "Make no mistake." She stared at the completely black surface of the globe. "They don't only contain our souls, but are also completely filled by the colors of our curses. Besides, they don't behave in the same way."

"No?" Mami looked at the bright yellow gem in her ring. "I know we don't need to cleanse them, but..."

"I did the one hundred meters test."

"One hundred meters?" Nagisa was confused.

Mami too, but then she remembered. "We could not stay too far from them, could we?"

"Now we can, but... not." Homura lowered her gaze, her expression was serious.

"W-What happened?" Mami as curious as she was scared.

Meanwhile, Madoka was sipping her cup of tea calmly.

"When I moved more than a hundred meters away from my seed, nothing happened," Homura said, "but when I came back, it was no longer where I left it."

"And where was it?"

"Inside me, again."

Mami did not know what to say.

"That's my theory, but I want you to understand." Homura squeezed the hand holding the seed. It looked as though she had crushed it, but in fact she had absorbed. "Our old soul gems contained the magic, but they used our bodies as a means of expressing it. But the seeds do not depend on it. The barriers and everything contained in them are projections of a magic without limits."

Mami agreed, "It's... a very plausible theory..."

"Now, our souls and memories are implanted in these seeds. We are fruits of it, too," Homura declared, embracing herself, "These bodies of ours, in this form, are simulacra built in the same way as our witches and familiars. That goes for our gems too."

"Simulacra?" Mami frowned.

Homura explained, "a copy, an imitation of something that no longer exists. Consequently, it is not composed of the same material as the orig-"

But the blonde interrupted, "I know what a simulacrum is."

Homura stared at her thoughtfully, then nodded. "Of course. You know that better than us."

Mami froze at that statement.

So much that Madoka interfered. "Mami-san. It's you, have no doubts. I personally rescued your soul. We changed, but couldn't we say the same when we became magical girls?"

"Did you already know that?" Mami questioned her.

Madoka smiled. "Well... Many of the girls I rescued wonder about what they've become. Some investigated and made similar discoveries, but I didn't tell Homura, as I hoped she would find something new."

"I see..." Mami sighed and turned her attention to the girl with braids. "Did you find anything else? Maybe about the familiars. In the past, stray familiars could become witches if they weren't destroyed."

"I couldn't test for obvious reasons," Homura replied.

Madoka poured some more red tea in her cup. "I can say this has never happened in the Law of Cycles."

"In any case we should prevent them from interacting with people," Homura concluded.

Same as Mami's. "Yes."

"Back to the subject about our bodies, I have something to say." The raven-haired girl kept her expression inert in front of the blonde. "I had my period yesterday."

Madoka stopped drinking tea, almost letting it spill.

"Oh... my..." Mami kept blinking her eyes, with no idea of how to react to that sudden statement. "What a nuisance, isn't it?"

Homura looked at Nagisa. "Has Charlotte already menstruated?"

She looked away and blushed.

Mami replied, "Oh... no, she hasn't had her menarche yet."

Homura kept looking at her. "She is growing..."

Mami was glad to see the opportunity to change the subject. "Huhu. You noticed, didn't you? When she gets on her toes, she almost hits my chin."

Nagisa stated, not so cheerful, "I had to change my entire closet... and I think I'll have to change again soon."

"Don't worry, Bebe, it'll stabilize."

"Yes," said Madoka, complaining, "in my case I think it was too soon. Will I be shorter than my mom?"

Mami smiled broadly. "I think you can get a few more centimeters, huhu."

However, her expression was cut short by Homura's question. "And you, Tomoe-san, are you menstruating?"

"Homura..." Madoka smiled nervously. "I do not think that's appropriate."

"It's not a silly question." Homura kept serious.

With a more tense atmosphere, Mami looked down and said quietly, "No... I... never..."

"You never menstruated?" Homura was surprised.

"No, that's not it! It's just..." Mami pressed her lips together before continuing, "I had my first just before my parents passed away."

Nagisa lowered her gaze too.

"Already as a magical girl, when it came, it brought me so many memories... So I decided to use magic to never have it again."

"I'm sorry, Mami-san," said Madoka.

While Homura was not satisfied. "And your other bodily functions are normal?"

Mami was annoyed. "What's important about this?"

Homura raised her eyebrows with such a reaction and then replied, "As I said, our seeds contain our souls and memories, so we can take the form of who we were." She narrowed her intense gaze. "But if we forget what made us humans, we'll be closer to the monsters that pervade our magic."

Mami swallowed hard.

It was Nagisa who had the words now, "But if one of us becomes a witch and can't get back to normal, Madoka can help."

"Uh-huh," the pinkette nodded.

"But she can't repair the damage done to this world, much less bring the dead to life," Homura said, even more seriously, "We're aware of who we are, it's the minimum each one us take the responsibility and risks."

Mami looked at the city beyond the window. "You're right, Akemi-san..."

Madoka quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up. "I think... we'd better go, it's late."

"Indeed is." Mami too.

Nagisa started to pick up the dishes. "Let me clean it up."

As Homura stood, she warned, "I recommend that you avoid medical exams, especially those involving sample collection."

Mami nodded, smiling. "I have not visited a doctor for a long time."

The hostess guided the visitors to the exit.

When the two were already outside, Madoka began to say goodbye, "Thank you for the tea, Mami-san. I expect news from Shirome."

"It's still the first days of school," Mami replied, "you'll have to be patient."

Homura questioned, "Are you still keeping in touch with those girls? The Pleiades Witches..."

Mami saw that the interrogation was not over. "Since we covered all the surrounding cities, I have not followed them. I know they were heading for Tokyo and lately they have not found any magical girls, just witches."

"It's natural to be so," Homura mused, "as Kyubey has made few contracts, the population of magical girls decreases, until only witches are left."

So a dreadful reasoning came to Mami's mind, "But if it's like this in other countries, it means that there are witches acting without any magical girls to stop them," seeing that Homura was surprised, she was even more frightened, "so much time passed and we're still acting only in Japan!"

"Do not worry!" Madoka announced, "I have been receiving seeds from all over the world through Kyuubey's help. I have selected some of these girls and sent them back to help in our mission to bring hope and miracles."

"Really?" Mami consulted Homura.

She looked away and shuddered, with bated breath.

The blonde turned her attention to Madoka, shaking her head and smiling. "What a... great surprise!"

"I didn't want you to feel that your efforts were unnecessary, so I avoided to tell you."

"I understand." Mami nodded. "I remember you said you didn't need my help."

Madoka put her hand to her own chest. "You helped more than I imagined and you were happy about it. Now you can have some rest."

"I guess so."

A cell phone rang. It was Madoka's. "My father must be worried. We need to go, bye Mami-san."

The blonde held the door. "Bye Madoka-san, feel free to visit me again."

"Sure." Madoka looked inside the apartment and exclaimed. "Bye Nagisa-chan! See you at school!"

Then came the girl's voice. "Me too! Goodbye to you two!"

Homura bowed. "Thank you, Tomoe-san..."

"Have a good night, Akemi-san." Mami slowly closed the door.

The two girls went to the elevator. While they waited for it to arrive, Madoka observed Homura.

She had a serious, static countenance, save for a light but restless movement of her jaw.

The elevator door opened and they both went inside in silence, a silence that remained as it descended.

Madoka decided to break the tense air. "You'd be like that too if I had told you before."

Without answering, Homura watched the floor numbers turn on and off on the panel.

"Don't worry. I only sent good-natured girls." Madoka reached for the other girl's hand. "I've seen their memories, I can't be deceived."

"Fine."

The elevator stopped and Homura pulled her hand away from Madoka.

Surprised, Madoka saw her leave the elevator as soon as the door opened.

Until she stopped and looked back. "The door will close..."

Madoka brought her hand to herself and followed.

／人◕‿‿◕人＼

Nagisa finished drying and storing the dishes. "Today, Homura-chan was being dramatic as usual."

While Mami was cleaning the sink. "Yes..."

"I'll take a shower," Nagisa said as she put the towel away.

"Oh! Wait! I want to show you something."

Surprised, the girl found herself being guided by Mami through the apartment. "What would it be?"

"You'll see! Huhu..." They reached Mami's closed bedroom. The blonde opened the door and gestured. "Here! Come in!"

Nagisa was not ready for that.

Bras, several of them scattered on the bed. The colors were varied, as were the decorations, some paired with panties.

Mami cheerfully commented as she showed each one of them, "I thought about bringing our visitors here, but like you said, Akemi-san was being dramatic."

Nagisa laughed without enthusiasm, "Haha..."

"What do you think of this one?" Mami came up with one of the bras. "It's with polka dots, as you like."

"It's nice, but..." The long-white-haired girl looked down at her chest. "I don't think I need them."

Mami crossed her arms, getting more serious. "Were you not complaining that your nipples were sensitive?"

Nagisa winced. "Yes... and it must be because of the fabric of the school uniform."

"Nonsense." Mami smiled again. "They're growing, aren't they?"

Nagisa's answer was almost inaudible. "Hmmm... Just a little bit..."

"We'll see how they'll be in a year."

With that, Nagisa raised her head, her eyes wide. "Will they become as big as yours?"

Mami was confused. "But mine aren't big."

Nagisa narrowed her gaze and pouted.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that?" Noticing that her crossed arms were emphasising her bust, Mami undid it. "They're just above average, there're many girls like me. There's nothing special about them. Besides, I believe this is hereditary."

"Ah..." Nagisa's expression faded, with a lost gaze. "I don't remember my mother's breasts."

The statement was like a blow to Mami.

"I think she didn't have it because the disease made her very skinny."

Mami soon sought to change the direction of the conversation. "It doesn't have to be your mother, it could be anyone in your family, even your father's."

"Hmmm... There're some old women in my father's family with big breasts." Nagisa placed both hands at the height of her belly, as if holding something. "They're very saggy."

The blonde ran her hand over her own breasts, averting her gaze. "This is not the time to think of something so distant in the future..." She collected the other bras that were in the bed and offered them to the other, smiling nervously. "Why don't you try them after the shower?"

Nagisa received them. There were so many that she almost dropped a few.

"If you need help, just call." Mami left the room. "But try to do it yourself. Soon you'll see that it'll be as natural as putting panties."

"Right..." Nagisa replied as she 'appreciated' the tangle of straps, laces and cups.

／人◕‿‿◕人＼

Mitakihara's school was packed with students in its halls, with no trace of the catastrophe that had struck the city.

One of those students was Nagisa, who was coming out of the bathroom, because class was about to begin. However she would have liked to spend more time inside to fix the new accessory.

The straps pressed the skin of her shoulder. A feeling of heat, the back sweating. The bra's embrace on her ribs, especially under her arms. Mami said it was just a matter of getting used to it, but Nagisa only wondered if her guardian felt this every day.

Worst of all, although her bra did not have cup, Nagisa felt her bust was bigger. Even if it was the first few days of school and she had not get close to anyone, she was afraid of being noticed and becoming the subject of the day in the classroom.

"AKI! AKI! AKI! AKI!"

Nagisa stopped. The acclamations of that name came from the staircase. Soon a large group of students emerged, many from her class.

Amidst them was a thin blond boy, carrying a large number of student bags. His both arms were used as a hanger, and he carried a few more over his head and shoulders. With all that weight, he climbed the steps with difficulty.

Beside him was a much taller student with spiky blue hair. He was the one who cheered most, even shouting in the other's ear. "GO AKI! BE A MAN!"

His legs trembled, but Aki Hidaka kept his confidence, as there were only a few steps left. Meanwhile, boys and girls behind him were talking.

"Class is going to start." "Really?!" "It's almost time!" "Dude, go fast!"

He did not know who it was, just felt the push. Aki tripped on the step and fell, dropping the bags on the floor. There was a certain commotion, some laughter. He tried to get up and found himself being helped by the taller boy, whom he knew very well.

Takuma Kuroki asked, "Did you get hurt?"

Aki shook his head. "No." Then he began to pick up the bags. "C-Class will start..."

But Takuma held his arm. "Wait. You disappointed your classmates, dirtying their bags, including mine."

"S-Sorry..."

"A man must take both the responsibilities and the consequences." Takuma took one of the bags and opened it. "That's yours, isn't it?"

Aki lowered his head in silence.

Takuma then kicked the bag with all his might. It and the things inside spread out on the hall, close to where Nagisa was.

A new commotion and laughter. Meanwhile, Aki went to get his things without protest.

But Takuma stopped him. "First our bags."

"Yeah! You're too slow!" "The teacher will be here soon!" "Sissy!"

Aki felt the weight of the bags being put on him by the other colleagues. With that, he left his things behind.

Nagisa watched the group move away and into the classroom. She glanced around and saw that the other students had already gone back to their routines, even with all that mess on the hall floor.

She began to collect what was there. Notebooks, pencils, pens... there was also a calculator that luckily was not broken. She was putting everything inside the bag, trying to make it as organized as possible.

This took time, so much that when she was finishing she saw a pair of shoes and the long pants of fair color that the boys wore.

It was Aki, panting, his crimson eyes filled with surprise.

Nagisa got up and handed the bag, with no idea about what to say.

Aki saw if everything was inside, also glancing at the girl. His voice came out faintly, "The class... will begin..."

Without a chance for a reply, Nagisa saw him turn and run.

Next chapter: Under the cherry trees