Homura sat across the table from the man she had come to know as Okabe Rintaro. An hour had now passed since their first meeting, and most of the cafe had left. These two, however, were in no rush to leave.

Throughout the last hour, they had talked in heavy detail about their lives, their stories, and their past. Homura, discussing the finer points of her magic, along with the systems of the incubators and about Madoka. Okabe, discussing her history with Mayuri, his knowledge of world lines and time travel.

Time simply flew.

Homura finished up another bowl of ramen, her magical girl body not feeling the effects of hunger. It was one of the few things that she had come to love about her body.

Okabe signaled for another two bowls, the waitress simply nodding her head in response, before she retreated back into the kitchen.

The conversation hit a standstill for a few seconds, the air dead around them, before Okabe broke the silence.

"Listen, Homura" He started. "I know you have a lot to deal with, and I'm sure you value the life of Madoka, but can I ask you a favor?" Okabe had a still expression over his face, and a tone that said he wasn't playing around anymore.

Homura leaned in closer, making sure she could hear every word. "I'm listening."

Okabe gave one final look around to make sure they were alone.

"I want you to help me save Mayuri. Your ability to stop time may be the key that I need to save her."

Homura didn't react. She had expected this, after all.

"Kaname Madoka's descent into becoming a witch has already begun. There wouldn't be enough time to permanently save her, and I would be gone from this timeline the moment she did so." She felt a twinge of pain saying this so coldly, but facts were facts.

Another minute of silence.

"It's a shame as well. Your device would've helped me in my own attempts to save Madoka. I wouldn't need to redo timelines, but I could rather just go back and change things from this one." Homura sighed a little in despair, her perfect opportunity a waste.

In her moment of despair, something sparked within Okabe's mind. She could see it. For a moment, he seemed to question himself, working out his thoughts in his head, before feeling satisfied with his thoughts, a little laugh coming from him in the process.

"What is it? Did you find a way to help us both?" Homura began working out her own thoughts in her head before Okabe unfolded his thoughts.

"I can't go into much details now, and it's a longshot, but there's a building nearby with a massive object almost crashed into it. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Homura nodded her head. "Yes. I passed by it on my way here, it seemed odd and I was going to check it out later."

"Well, that thing-"

The two were startled when the maid put 2 more bowls on the table, both with terrified expressions on their face.

"E-enjoy your meal...n-nya…" The waitress shyly whispered as she walked away to serve more tables.

Okabe looked around to make sure nobody else was around, checking every direction he could. Finally, he began again.

"That thing is a time machine. A broken one, but one nonetheless."

Homura was taken aback, questions flowing into her mind. She had never even considered the possibility of other forms of physical time travel, nor considered the use of it. Despite this, Homura knew where he was going with this.

"Will our past selves understand what's happening, though?" She asked, curious about how she would react to an unexpected man appearing in front of her, before looking back at Okabe.

"Maybe not, but we'll have to get them up to speed as soon as possible." Okabe was dead set on this, and so was Homura.

It was their best bet.

"This is all assuming we can get the time machine working in time, though."

Homura continued eating, a glare in her eyes dead set into him.

"Let me take a look at it. A normal human may not be able to fix this, but maybe a touch of magic can." She smiled before slowly standing up and walking to the door.

"Well, what are you waiting for? That time machine isn't gonna fix itself, is it?" Okabe followed her to the door. The maid came running out of the kitchen.

"Hey, you still need to pay…"

A few short moments later, a sum of money materialized above the table, Homura looking back with a little wink at the frenzied waitress.

"You sure it was a good idea to take the device from your lab?"

Okabe looked back to face Homura, still working on the time machine through magical enchantment.

"If you're telling the truth, then the device won't be any use to the other lab members." He responded.

Homura simply nodded her head before going back to work. She could see that this was definitely advanced technology, and it fascinated her to think about it. Neither talked for a while after, the background noise of magic and Okabe examining the phone microwave filling the room.

A small can rolled over to Homura's foot as she worked. Upon further inspection, it was red in color with the words "DK Pepper" written on it.

"Thought you might want it. You're probably thirsty and all." Okabe cracked open one of his own before offering a seat next to him on the ground.

Homura approached him, sitting down and downing it in one solid drink, before nearly spitting it back out from the unusual taste.

"It's not for everyone" He said to her while laughing. She let herself smile, pulling the phone microwave closer to herself. Homura inserted her phone before setting the time.

Okabe looked at her questionably before she responded to his unanswered question.

"I'm just making both our jobs a lot easier."

Before Okabe could ask what she had sent, Homura stood up, now facing the time machine just a little in front of her.

"It should be repaired by now, so whenever you're ready to go, just let me know"

Okabe proudly stood up, before shouting into the sky:

LAB MEMBER 009, AKEMI HOMURA, MY PAST SELF WILL THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACTIONS. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

Homura nodded before entering the capsule, Okabe following not far after. Starting it up, she felt time shift around her, but in a different way than what she was used to.

Somehow, she knew she would like Okabe.

Sorry. Kyouma.

That's the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

(Note: This story will be split into 2 different "arcs". I will likely be doing Okabe's arc in Mitakihara first, as Madoka Magica is more my knowledge strongpoint (In terms of characters and plot), but the two arcs can be read in either order. However, Homura's arc in Akihabara likely won't happen for a while, so please be patient with that.

Until the next chapter, Besto out.