Author's note: Like I promised, here's the first chapter of this story. I hope I am able to make it a good start, since writer's block remained in my system for quite a while. Do R&R as well. I'll really appreciate it. Thanks!
Ein
It was a cloudy Saturday afternoon. Though still a bit exhausted from fighting the wraiths the night before, Mami somehow managed to squeeze-in her normal routine. Finished with cleaning up her apartment unit, she decided that it was time to do some grocery shopping. Noticing that her cupboard was becoming more spacious and the food in her fridge wouldn't seem to last for another week, Mami smiled as she fixed her hairclips.
It's grocery shopping time!
The blonde girl briefly glanced at the window and noticed the thick clouds covering the sky. I might as well bring an umbrella. She said to herself. She took the yellow umbrella behind the door and walked out. The door closed, with a firm click to prove that it has been locked.
The grocery store wasn't too far away from Mami's place. She settled for a small cart to put her groceries in as she did her shopping. Since she lived alone, it would be impractical to buy a lot of stuff. Sure, Kyoko would come to Mami's place once in a while and eat food, but that instance would usually happen if ever she'd step into Mitakihara territory during a battle with the wraiths. She was still the Magical Girl in Kasamino after all. And she made it clear to both Homura and Mami that she'd guard that city no matter what. It was at least her own way of protecting the place she and her family used to live in once. Homura had only been into her place for a few times. Mami would invite her for cake and tea after fighting the demons together. Their team-up was somewhat good. Homura's good planning and Mami's graceful fighting style seemed to work hand-in hand. Homura's aloof personality was still somehow a hindrance to their team-up. At least, that's what Mami had observed.
It'd be great if the two of us become friends rather than just professional comrades. Mami found herself sighing at the thought.
She finished her grocery shopping after several minutes. With the use of her magic, Mami discreetly transformed her golden ribbons into a strong bag that held all of her groceries in. Rain started to fall as she stepped out of the door.
Oh, great. Why in all times? Mami sighed. The rain wasn't really strong, but it left a few people stranded and taking shelter inside the grocery store. Good thing she decided to bring an umbrella. She could still get home without a problem.
As she walked down the street, Mami saw pedestrians running to take shelter to whatever place they could find. Her attention got nailed to a girl putting a dark green jacket over her head.
Isn't that Akemi-san?
It was Homura alright. Mami knew it because of that red ribbon on the said girl's head.
"Akemi-san!"
Homura's eyes widened as she heard the familiar voice. Turning her head from one side to the other, she tried finding where the voice came from. To her surprise, she noticed a shadow of an umbrella on the ground and saw the blonde girl as she turned her head.
"You shouldn't be walking out in the rain without an umbrella." Mami said with a chuckle and winked her eye.
Homura closed her eyes and nodded in agreement. She noticed the yellow bag Mami was holding and recognized it immediately as her golden ribbons. Her magic sure does come in handy, she thought.
"Where have you been?" The blonde girl finally asked.
"The bookstore." Homura replied and showed her the book wrapped in a paper bag.
"You can put that here." Mami offered. She opened the yellow bag and made some space for the book to fit inside.
"T-thank you."
"It's fine." Mami's tone was cheerful as always. They both looked up and noticed the sky was getting darker. The rain poured down harder, too. Mami pulled the younger girl close to her. The sudden action caused Homura to yelp in surprise.
"You'll get pretty soaked if you won't take cover." Mami narrowed her eyes as she stared at the darkened sky once more. "It looks like the rain won't be stopping anytime soon. Care to have tea with me at my place?"
Homura wasn't sure if she'd accept the other girl's offer. "Well…I—"
"Let's get going. We'll still get wet in the rain if we stay here." Mami held Homura by the hand and led the way. Homura sighed quietly as she was dragged by the blonde girl. They ended up running anyway, as the rain poured down hard. The two of them somehow got their clothes wet. Fortunately, they got into the apartment complex after just a few minutes. Mami slipped the key into the knob and slightly turned it. She turned the lights on as she stepped into her apartment. Homura noticed the newly polished wooden floor so she tried removing the dirt from her shoes using the doormat. Mami saw this and shook her head.
"It's okay. Don't worry about the floor. I can always clean that up."
"Umm…"
"Come on in. You'll catch a cold if you remain in those clothes." Mami rushed into her bedroom and came out after a few seconds with a pink robe and white towel in her hands.
"You can use the shower room over there." The blonde girl said as she pointed at the door near the staircase.
"But what about you, Tomoe-san?"
"I can use the one in my bedroom." Mami winked an eye at her. "I'll have something ready for you wear."
"O-okay." The raven-haired girl murmured. She noticed that Mami's bra can be seen through her wet blouse, causing her to turn her head away. Homura somewhat felt warmth on her cheeks. Mami suddenly pushed the younger girl towards the shower room. "Get going, Akemi-san."
"Uh…right…" Homura opened the door and stepped in.
"I'll be right back." Mami called out as she ran up the stairs and went straight to her bedroom.
After several minutes, Mami came back down, already in a loose orange shirt and a pair of denim shorts. She knocked onto the shower room's door and called out to Homura, who was still inside.
"Akemi-san?"
"Y-yes?" Homura's voice sounded like she was surprised.
"I've got something for you to wear. You can just get them here." Mami answered. The blonde girl left the clothes near the washer, which was just outside the shower room.
"T-thank you." Came Homura's meek reply.
"You're welcome. I'll go ahead and make tea." Said Mami in a cheerful tone.
"O-okay." Homura said as she peeped from the shower room…only to find out that Mami had already left for the kitchen. The raven-haired girl looked around for a few seconds and saw the clothes Mami had gotten for her. She took them from the washer and went back inside the shower room.
While waiting for the water to boil, Mami went ahead and wiped the floor clean using a dry rag. As she sprayed liquid soap on the floor, Mami thought of having Homura try the blueberry cheesecake she made earlier that day. Before she went shopping, Mami thought of trying to make the said cake based from the recipe she saw from a magazine. Mami smiled along as she wiped the floor again with a wet rag to clean the liquid soap off. I hope Akemi-san likes it. The blonde girl giggled to herself as she finished wiping the floor dry.
Mami's apartment unit had a back door that leads to an open space where she can hang fabrics to dry. She went there to hang the rags she just washed. As she came back inside, she heard the whistling sound of the kettle and it was getting louder. She turned the stove off and washed her hands. She prepared the porcelain cups and the jar containing tea leaves. Mami has always been good in preparing tea and preferred to brew it from leaves. It's more natural, the scent is more alluring and relaxing to the senses.
Homura, on the other hand, came out after a few minutes, and observed that the blouse felt comfortable. It was a little big for her, though. It was quite obvious, anyway. Though they may appear to have the same height, Mami's figure appeared more womanly, compared to Homura who had a much slender physique. Mami peeped from the kitchen and smiled at Homura, who was already dressed up.
"Oh, about your clothes, you can put them in the laundry basket."
Homura nodded simply as she put her dark green jacket and the rest of her clothes in the basket.
"I'll include them in the laundry so you don't need to worry." Mami said as she came out with a tray in her hands.
"T-that…won't be necessary." Homura stuttered at her words.
"It's fine. I don't mind doing that." The blonde girl put the tray down on the glass table. "There's cheesecake in the fridge. Would you like some?"
"Umm…sure." Homura answered plainly.
"Okay. I'll get some for the two of us." The older girl handed over a small cushion to use for sitting down on the floor. "Make yourself at home, Akemi-san."
"T-thank you." Homura finally sat herself down, both hands on her lap and watched Mami as she went to the fridge to get the cheesecake she was talking about. The raven-haired girl remained silent as she waited. She saw her own reflection on the glass table; her eyes stared particularly at the red ribbon on her head. To her surprise, she saw Mami's reflection on the glass table. The blonde girl was already behind her.
"The ribbon really looks good on you." Came the older girl's praise.
The younger woman remained silent at that. Mami sat beside her as she poured tea for her cup and Homura's. The blonde girl noticed Homura's silence. Her head was bowed down, too, and seemed quite occupied.
"Here." Mami handed the cup of tea to her visitor. The scent of the tea was quite calming. Homura held the cup and felt its warmth.
"Thank you, Tomoe-san." Homura whispered quite shyly.
"You're welcome." Mami's tone was cheerful as always.
"So," Mami tried starting up a conversation. "What did you get from the bookstore?"
"A study guide for Math." Homura answered plainly.
"So, even good students need study guides." Mami said jokingly and continued sipping from her tea cup.
"I never said I was good in Math." Homura pouted. Mami giggled as she found this really cute.
"What's so funny?" The raven-haired girl frowned and turned away, seemingly trying to hide her embarrassment.
"I didn't mean that, Akemi-san." Mami picked up her fork and cut into her slice of cake. "You're just…adorable!"
Homura felt sudden warmth on her cheeks. The way Mami said that with much affection made the younger girl feel something strange, a fluttering feeling in her chest. She tried covering her face with the cup as she drank her tea, which Mami noticed.
"I'm sorry. I must have said something offensive." The older girl sounded contrite.
Homura put her cup down and shook her head. "I-it's fine. I…I'm just…not used to hearing such things."
"But I'm surprised to see your adorable side, Akemi-san." Mami giggled a little as she held another piece of cake in the air. "I'm quite used to your serious façade when we get to fight the wraiths together."
She's right. As I kept leaping back through time, I became so indifferent…putting up a cold front to others to truly hide what I once was…a fragile, ill and meek girl who almost lost hope. Homura thought sadly. The blonde girl sensed the loneliness on Homura's face, so, she came close and sat beside her, with a hand tapping her shoulder.
"We all have our own reasons why we are who we are now." Mami said softly, her hand still tapping the younger girl's shoulder. "That doesn't mean we shouldn't get out of our comfort zone."
Homura looked up and gazed into Mami's yellow eyes.
"I'm glad I'm able to see a different side of you today. It makes me feel relieved that you somehow trust me."
"We're a team…" Homura murmured. "Isn't…that…what partners do?"
"That's true," replied Mami, a weak smile was on her face. "We're not just mere comrades in battle. We're also friends, right?"
Friends? That was something Homura never thought of. All she thought about was having a combat partner against the wraiths, which she had already found in Tomoe Mami. Her abilities were something that Homura took into consideration and Mami herself was willing to team up so it wasn't hard for the two of them to get along. The past few days, Homura and Mami would walk home together. It's natural, we're partners after all. Homura mused. Somehow though, she couldn't help but smile—remembering how the older girl would try starting up small talk, or even just asking how her day was. The younger girl wasn't expecting something like this at all. She always thought of their partnership as a professional thing, never having personal touch mostly on her part.
But here she was now, having tea and cake with someone she'd always consider as a mere partner in combat. The two of them were silent for a few seconds—that is until Homura finally decided to break it.
"Are…you...?"
Mami cut her off. "Of course. You know you can rely on me. That's what friends are to each other."
Homura smiled weakly at this, She must admit, the older girl's kindness was something she couldn't help but admire.
"I…will…try, Tomoe-san."
"And one more thing," Mami suddenly remembered. "I don't want my friend to be addressing me with formalities. Just call me Mami, okay?"
Homura frowned for a bit. "It'll…be…hard to get used to, but I'll work on it, To—I mean…Mami."
Mami chuckled and rustled Homura's hair a bit. "It's fine. I know you'll work on it. Is it okay if I call you Homura?"
Homura turned her away…somewhat. "I…really don't get called by my name that much. It's…kind of a weird name." Somehow, the shyness she once had suddenly returned when she said this.
Mami smirked. "You're still being shy around me, Homura. But I understand that. I know you'll work on it…and you know I'm always here to help you, okay?"
Homura nodded simply, with a faint smile on her face. "Yeah."
I really had fun writing this chapter, having Homura blush like that makes her a total tsundere!
