(A.N.: Sorry for the late update. I was a little sick. But I'm okay now. Seasonal allergies suck.)

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[Chapter 3: Of Grayscale Normalcy]

"Hey, Kyoko." The girl with short and faded blue hair said to the girl next to her. She pointed her finger at the screen she was looking at. "Take a look at this."

Kyoko, the girl in question, tucked a strand of her long red hair behind her ear to catch a clear view of the contents of the screen.

"I know Sayaka", Kyoko said, her eyes glued to the screen. "I am looking."
After minutes of the duo quietly huddling in front of the screen, and the occasional "I can't see. Move your head over", Kyoko was the first to burst out in a fit of giggles. Seeing this, Sayaka did not see reason to hold back.

She joined in as well.

Meanwhile, Madoka stood there, her arms crossed. Seeing her two friends giggle uncontrollably, she sighed.

It has been almost a day since the time Homura left the café. But as she left the place in a hurry, she forgot to take her umbrella with her.

Madoka's eyes rested on the simple, yet stylish matte purple umbrella, which was still resting on the coat hanger, where Homura had left it. It was an untouched memento, hanging by its strap.

Madoka was a good hearted person. She wanted to take the umbrella and deliver it to Homura's hands, to make sure she got it. But there was a slight problem.

She had no way to contact Homura, much less meet her in person.

She wracked her brain all night, and tried to find a solution. Something told Madoka that the black haired schoolgirl was too embarrassed to come to the café again.

The morning after, she went to school like every other day. But in the middle of class, she stood up in a moment of enlightenment.

"That's it!", She yelled, jumping out of her seat. Briefly afterwards, her mind registered that she had been getting weird glances from everyone around her. Her teacher, Kazuko-sensei, took off her glasses and pinched her temple, before she asked Madoka to take her seat.

Needless to say, the pink haired maiden was very embarrassed. She rebuked her subconscious mind for betraying her. She shook it off, and took a seat.

Her idea was simple: invite Kyoko and Sayaka over to the café, go over that day's security footage, and ask if they know which Catholic school Homura went to, after observing her uniform.

Madoka had giggled at the brilliance of her plan, but most of the reason of her joy was meeting Homura again.

She came back to reality, however, and realized that perhaps...just perhaps bringing her friends over was a mistake. Madoka looked back at her friends, and sighed again.

"Guys?"

Kyoko was almost done laughing, clutching her stomach with one hand and brushing a stray tear fron her eye with the other, she let her laughter fade for her friend's sake.

"Sorry, Meduka", Kyoko mispronounced her name, but didn't notice it due the aftershock of the giggles. Madoka ignored it. "But its all so strange! Did you see how she ran?"

Madoka frowned.

"Yes, of course" She said, deadpanning. "I was there..."

Noticing Madoka's apparent frustration, Sayaka took this moment to speak up.

"Its that fancy Catholic school that I see on my way back from school everyday. I don't know what its called, but I recognize the uniform." The blue haired girl said, rubbing a leftover tear from the corner of her eye. "Your house is the other way, so you have to take a detour."

"Do you want us to come with?" Kyoko was regaining her ability to speak coherently. Madoka took a moment to think, but shook her head.

"No, you guys." She smiled. "Its better if I go alone. She might freak out if she saw you two."

Kyoko and Sayaka exchanged glances, but chose to stand by Madoka's decision.

"I'm just glad we could help." Sayaka said. Kyoko grinned.

Madoka's heart shone with a glimmer of hope.

It was almost evening, and the sun was about to sleep for the day. Madoka was dressed in a casual t-shirt and jeans that were cut right below her knees. She wore the white apron she did when she served customers, as she held in one hand her cell phone, and in the other, Homura's purple umbrella, which remained closed, as how she had left it at the café.

Madoka's eyes were adorned in a frown. A few moments earlier, she got off the train. Apparently, Sayaka forgot to text her the address of that Catholic school. When Madoka was almost at her school, which was a ten minute walk away from her house, she phoned Sayaka and asked her about the location of that school.

"Ummm" Sayaka sounded worried, like how a child did when asked where all the candy went. Madoka took notice of this.

"Sayaka." The pink haired girl insisted. "Tell me."

"...You have to take... a train there?" Sayaka said with added pauses. "Hey, I didn't know you would walk to the school!"

Madoka was frustrated. But she sighed heavily, and just asked Sayaka to text her the location before saying goodbye.

She cursed herself for wearing an apron. She thought it would be a short trip. The fact that she had wooden sandals didn't help either.

So she took a train and got off at the appropriate spot, checking her phone occasionally to make sure she wasn't late. The school was supposed to close soon. Apparently, her own school ended hours ago, but Catholic schools remain open till sunset.

The sound of church bells going off informed Madoka that the school was close. Homura's school. Clasping the purple umbrella, her only link to the black haired maiden, she ran towards the direction from where the bell's ringing originated.

Madoka wasn't good at sports. She was average, at best. So by the time she reached the entrance to Homura's school, she was out of breath.

Homura tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and tried her best to focus on the lesson in class. But to her dismay, she couldn't. The thoughts of the day at the café invaded her thoughts, like water through newspaper.

That rainy day, that smell of raw coffees beans, the afterglow of the sunset, the memory of the pink haired godes- ...girl.

It all came flooding back. But she didn't express it. It was only the last day, and her happiness was beyond measure. She was not accustomed to events like these. So colorful.

It was all grey before. So a small streak of color in that day was all she could focus on.

The bell rang. Her school hours were over. The resonating vibration broke her trance, and she was back to reality. She realized that her school day seemed short, as she was invested in her thoughts for the entire length of it.

Packing her books, she straightened her glasses, and looked at her classmates. All of them had their own friend circles. Some were talking about the upcoming exams, some were talking about story books, some about music, and some were the incoherent noise of murmurs in the background. This was a sight she endured everyday.

Because she had none to talk to. It had reached the point where she took it as granted. Her normal. But today, she felt a sense of pain when she saw them.

Seeing how freely they were interacting with each other, she couldn't help but feel regret creeping up her stomach. When the rain had stopped that day, the first thought that came to Homura's mind was that she went inside the café, even though it was closed. She thought Madoka was being hospitable, out of formality.

She didn't think Madoka was bad. Heavens, no! Its just that, she didn't want herself to be a burden on her.

But the regret she was feeling now, reminded her that maybe running away without warning might have been the wrong course of action. She even left her beloved umbrella there! She cursed her cold feet.

Long story short, it was an awful sensation.

Sighing audibly, she took her bag upon her shoulder, and left the class.

The doors and entrances were very high. The sight of the ceiling would make one feel a sense of dizziness. Homura's school was an old one. It had seen a lot of history, one could assume. The carved stone pillars that held up the church like institution, gave an aura of grandeur to it.

Homura walked, and as she neared the school gates, she chanted to herself, "At least she'll never see you again."

But all thoughts came to a screeching halt, and her eyes widened. She took a sharp breath, and her legs turned to stone.

There she saw, in the light of the sunset, a pink haired, apron clad maiden. In her hand was a matte purple umbrella, grasped tightly. She was panting, out of breath. Her eyebrows had a few phantom drops of sweat, that glistened in the twilight. And her eyes locked straight onto Homura's. She was a few meters away, but Homura could hear her words as clear as ever.

"You run pretty fast..."

Homura knew it.

Her grayscale world was no more.

-(End of Chapter 3)-

Thanks guys. You are the only reason I felt motivated throughout my sickness. I really want this story to be able to reach the point I planned towards. I didn't proofread this chapter. So you might find flaws in it. Point them out, of you can, okay? I was so eager to write after my recovery, that I couldn't afford time to proofread! Hope you'd forgive me for that one. Your reviews and thoughts are always welcome. Love you all for your support.

Take care,

DSH99