Hello everybody! Hornswoggler here! Sorry this took so much longer than the others. I've been kinda lazy since summer just started, ya know.

So let me level with you guys – I'm not a Christian whatsoever. In fact, I'm the absolute antithesis of a Christian, so apologies in advance if the baptism scene in this chapter seems a little odd or clunky. Besides that, this fic has hit over 550 views! Thanks so much!

Anyways, hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 4: Revelations Fit for a Soap Opera

"Ok Homura!" I said, stretching my legs. "We are going to take nice jog around the park. If at any time between here and yonder you feel dizzy, nauseated, sick, weak, stuffed, prone to vomit, exhausted—"

"—Get to the point—"

"— or gastronomically incorrect, then say so and stop immediately. I have water in case you get dehydrated, now let's do this!"

Today has been nothing but splendid. I marked off number five on my bucket list after learning that Homes was going to frame my note, I was going to attend a party with all three of my besties, and now I was training my crush in the park near our school. If this wasn't achievement, I don't know what is.

Now me and Homura were carefully jogging around the outskirts of the park. In order to prep her body for the more physically challenging tests we'd have to do later, we had to whip her into half-decent shape. Speaking of Homura's body, did I mention she actually showed up here in gym shorts and a white tee!? The whole thing felt like it was out of a dream I had in class this morning, and I loved every second of it!

That is until Homura's stamina gave out. The park wasn't very big, but we only managed to scrap past the hallway point before Homura began to stumble on herself. We both came to a stop next to a duck pond near the South side of the park. I offered Homes the water I was carrying, and unsurprisingly she took it without wasting a second.

"You feeling ok Homes?" I asked out of concern.

She swallowed all the water she had crammed in her mouth. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Think you can make it over to that bench on your own?" Please say no so I can carry you bridal style! Please say no so I can carry you bridal style!

"Yes, I can." Damnit!... it was worth a shot. We made our way to the bench and relaxed ourselves its wooden surface. Homura continued to chug what little water was left in the bottle while I let my mind run rampant with fantasies.

Homura in her gym shorts were cute, but my imagination conjured a picture of her in a fancy red dress with frills at the bottom. Not only was it frilly in all the right ways, but it was sleeveless – frilly and sleeveless. Perfection was the sketch of Homura's broad, spotless shoulders. Not sure why, but red seems to complement her black hair nicely. Hope I'm not drooling.

I peered to the girl next to me, who was wiping the excess water from the corner of her lips – her soft, savory lips. At some point this week the part of my brain that delivers cohesive trains of thought to my mind had become completely occupied with thoughts about Homura. What started as a small schoolgirl crush was now escalating to an addiction.

Homura's eyes shifted to meet mine, causing me to look away and blush. "Something wrong, Kyoko?"

Quick Kyoko, lie! "Y-yeah, just thinking about tonight." I've gotten better at lying recently. Not sure if that's a good thing, but it definitely comes in handy.

Homura pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "I'm kinda nervous. I've never been inside a Christian church before."

"Really?" This isn't a shocking revelation. Christianity isn't exactly the most popular religion in Japan, let alone Mitakihara. "You shouldn't worry then, Homes. The people there are friendly, and my family seems to think you're pretty cool, so you've already got approval from the head preacher."

"Yeah, maybe, but it still feels a little weird to join you when I'm not apart of your covenant."

I took this opportunity to place my hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Madoka and Saya have come with me before, and they came out fine. Plus it's only for one night, not like we're expecting you to join in on tonight's baptism."

Her left eyebrow arced above her eye. "What is a baptism again?"

"Well you see, it's a ceremony where we dunk a person in holy water in order to purify character and initiate that person into the church!" I answered with as much enthusiasm as humanly possible. Not everyday that your friends ask about your religion.

Homura seemed to toss this concept around in her head. "So you've been baptized before?"

"Yep! Though I don't remember it since I was only a wee lad when it happened." My mother and father didn't hesitate to submerge me and Momo in a bathtub of holy water. "I do, however, remember when Momo had hers years ago. She was only a toddler when papa and mama felt it was time for her to become an official member of the church."

"Who is it that the party is being thrown for?"

"Not sure. It's the daughter the Tomoe family. Apparently she's our senpai, but I can't say I've ever really met her before." All I seem to remember is that this Tomoe girl was blonde, but that was about it.

I pulled my phone out from my pocket to check the time. "It's almost 4:00, so we should probably go prepare. Need help getting home?"

Much to my disappointment, she didn't require my assistance, so we bid each other farewell for the time being. I walked myself back to my house and immediately shut myself in my room. Opening my closet door, I rummaged through my wardrobe options. I could try impressing Homura with my cute red and purple dress I had gotten at a discount, but it seemed too show-offy.

Maybe I should go with the blue skirt and sailor-looking skirt. No, no, no, that'll never do in a church! How about that less attention grabbing black and white dress I got from my aunt? Hmm, just doesn't go well with my hair. If only there was some kind of perfect outfit for this occasion... oh yeah!

You may recall me mentioning that I have a special outfit that has yet to be worn. The outfit consists of a super cute blue jean jacket, a white undershirt, and a long pink skirt that came down to my calves. To match my selection, I chose brown boots because, well, they're freakin sexy.

I checked my bedside clock for the current time. 4:23, so only about twenty-seven minutes left before I meet up with everyone outside the church. Let's see then, I should brush my teeth, then comb my hair. That should be all that's left.

I started brushing my hair on my bed when Momo walked in. She was dressed in a small blue, puffy dress and her hair tied in a bun. She twirled a loose strand of hair with her fingers. "Hey Nee-san, mom's leaving now, but I'm not ready yet. Can I walk with you?"

"Of course," I said as I untangled a knot in my hair, "but you look like you're ready, so what's up?"

Momo thinks I wouldn't notice her obvious lie. Her face immediately turned red and she averted her eyes from me. "H-how did you know I was lying?"

"Cause I'm just that perceptive." Truth be told, Momo always twirled her hair when she lies. I figured that out a year ago when she amateurishly lied about eating my pocky. "So why don't you want to go to the party?"

She stopped twirling her hair and sat down next to me. She wouldn't look at me and instead stared at the floor. "You know Soma, right?"

Soma, the kid that Momo arm wrestled a few weeks back that resulted in her catching a cold. He's the same age as her, they both attend the same school, and he's quite the cute rambunctious little guy.

"What about Soma?" I think I can see where this is going.

"W-well I, uh, he is, um..." This is the most precious thing I've ever seen. "I t-think that, uh, he is, uh..."

I leaned a little bit closer. "He is what, exactly?"

"He is... he is..." Momo's eyes were moving all over the place and her blush was getting bigger. "He's a—"

"He's a what, Momo?"

She slammed her eyes shut and she gripped the edges of my bed fiercely. "HE'S A BAKA!"

I suddenly hit a knot in my hair. She's in denial, no doubt about that. "Aw~ Momo's got a crush on Soma-kun~! How adowable!"

"I do not!" She yelled in self-defense. "I would never like an idiot that scraped his knee sliding down a hill with a sled!"

"Yet you do, dontcha'?"

There was a moment of silence between the two of us. Momo sat still as though contemplating whether to tell the truth or continue denying it. I patted her head for support. "I almost can't believe it. This is your first crush, isn't it?"

She finally raised her head to look at me. "Is that so wrong?"

I shook my heads and smiled. "Of course not. Liking someone is apart of life."

She sighed. "Good. I thought I was just weird, ya know."

"Don't get the wrong idea. You're still weird, just not because of this." I put my arm around Momo's neck and gave gave her a playful noogie. This brought her back to her usual self, clawing at my arm while laughing in joy. It's these types of things that never change, especially between family members.

When I finally let her go, she picked up my hair brush and started fixing my hair up for me like the kind sister she is. "Hey Nee-san, can I ask you a question?"

Aw, Momo is asking me for love advice. Ain't that the darnedest thing ya ever heard? "Ask away, sis."

"Who was your first crush?"

If I was drinking water, I would've done a spit take. I was horribly unprepared to answer that question, mainly because I've kinda disliked every guy that I've attended school with. Back in Kazamino, all the boys that went to church with me were stuck up rich kids, and the ones in school were, well, like male versions of myself.

"I-I've never had a crush on anyone." That was true around a month ago, so it's not entirely untrue... right?

Momo yanked at a knot in my hair, causing me to yelp in fast and unexpected pain. "Liar, there's no way you've never had a crush before."

Crap, she's on to me. Whose name should I throw under the rug for this? Haru? No way, he was a creep. How about Yamada? He was ok, but it'd cost pride to say I had a crush on him. Man, what do I say!?

Maybe I should just tell Momo the truth.

Now that's a thought. That's a thought that I honestly don't know the outcome of. Mama and Papa would pissed if they knew I was gay, but Momo? Perhaps not, but there's no telling. Even if she'd be supportive, it could increase the chances of Mama or Papa figuring it out. Either way, telling the truth is waaaay too risky, so I blurted out the first name that came to mind.

"Kamigo!"

It was perfect! I got the dude's name wrong, so no one would ever meet this Kamigo character. The only problem with it was that thirty percent of my pride abandoned me upon yelling Limp Dick's false name.

"Knowing you, Nee-san, I bet Kamigo was really cool." Momo said, unaware that Kamigo doesn't exist.

I scoffed almost instantly. "Not at all! The guy was a real scumbag!"

The look of confusion, shock and dismay on Momo's face left me in a laughing fit. "If he was a scumbag, then why'd you like him!?"

"C-cause it— it—" I can feel my dignity faltering. "Cause it took me awhile to realize that." Complete lie. I disliked Limp Dick the minute I laid eyes on him.

I could feel her confused stare digging into my back as an alarm on my phone went off. The alarm was rigged to go off at 4:40, so that means I only have ten minutes to brush my teeth and meet up with everyone.

"Momo, you about finished with my hair?"

"Just putting on the finishing touches."

"Finishing touches?"

Momo put down the brush and removed a fake flower from my wall. She placed it in my hair and said "Tada!" I looked into my mirror and observed the subtle change that the flower gave to my image. It made me look cute.

My eyes lingered on my reflection for a few minutes. I couldn't deny that I looked quite attractive, but I also looked unfamiliar. I hadn't really looked at myself this closely in a long time, the last of which was before the Infatuation Situation. There were no noticeable physical changes I'd developed since then, yet it feels like I'm looking at a completely different person.

It feels melancholy all of a sudden.

"What do ya think, Nee-san?" Momo asked, interrupting my depressing thoughts.

I wrapped my left arm around her figure and pulled her closer. "It looks nice. Thanks Momo."

I wasn't feeling up to the party anymore. The image of my reflection had stapled itself onto my mind, leaving me with the sensation of sorrow. Whether I appeared to be identical to myself from months ago, the person I witnessed in the mirror was a stranger to me.

I guess I haven't totally accepted myself yet. Maybe I subconsciously don't want to.

"Nee-san?"

I shook my head and directed my mind back to reality. Momo and I were walking towards the church, hand in hand, in silence up until this point. Whatever she may have been saying to me was completely tuned out by my self-wallowing.

"Sorry, Momo, could you repeat that?"

"I asked what I should do if Soma-kun tries talking to me. Should I try hitting on him or—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. You can't just start hitting on someone that you've known for a long time. You gotta drop small hints as time goes by." I'm not sure if I'm allowed to give my sister dating advice when I just as lost as she is – and because she's still so young – but I can at least steer her in the right direction... right?

"But won't that take forever?" She asked while pouting.

"Yes, but it's steady that wins the race. Besides, you have to confirm what his feelings may be before you dive in, that way you don't risk screwing yourself from the start." You know what, this is some good advice. I should listen to myself more often.

Momo looked almost disappointed, but her expression quickly shifted to one of deviousness. "Are you speaking from experience, Nee-san?"

"... No comment."

The church was right in front of us now, and standing outside of it was Sayaka and Madoka. The pinkette was the first to notice us. She waved eccentrically, alerting Saya to our impeding presence.

Upon closer inspection I saw that they were both dressed in really cute clothes, though Madoka went really overboard. She was dressed in a blue kimono with a floral pattern on it, just like last time. Sayaka on the other hand had picked out a rather formal-looking white, frilly dress that had those kinda puffy sleeves that are shaped like orbs... and yes, I have no clue if that specific kind of dress has a name. Sue me.

I waved at them as me and Momo neared them. When I reached them, my first comments were on the kimono. No matter how you look at it, it was overkill.

"Madoka, why're you wearing a kimono?"

She appeared to be a little self-conscious about her choice of apparel. Can't say I blame her. "W-well I didn't know how big of a d-deal baptisms are, so I thought I'd play it safe."

Safe is an understatement! Sayaka immediately retaliated in Madoka's favor. "What, Kyoko, does she not look cute in her kimono?" This only made Madoka blush more than she already was.

"N-no, that's not what I meant! In fact, Madoka's the best cutest one here!"

"But Nee-san, what about me?" Momo said, joining Saya in making me look bad.

"Yeah Kyoko, what about your darling sister?" Sayaka said mockingly.

My next choice of words must be planned very carefully. But what would those words be? Hmm...

"You know what," I began triumphantly, "I'm the cutest chick here, and there ain't no debate!"

Without anyone knowing, Homura had popped up out of nowhere and pointed to the sky. "Well I think she is the cutest one here."

As though she had been here the entire time, we all looked up at the sky to see nothing but a slightly darkened stratosphere with a few clouds.

"Homura," Sayaka started, "there's nothing up there."

"Teehee," she said monotonously. The only people who found this "joke" funny were me and Momo, unsurprisingly. She was dressed in a dark blue button-up shirt with a long black skirt. It wasn't much different from her casual clothing, but she still looked delectable.

"Homura," Sayaka said, "you're a real troll, you know that."

"Teehee."

We all made our way into the church after that conversation. The inside is exactly what you'd imagine a small church looking like: a bunch of pews, a confessional booth in the back, windows exclusively colored, and a stand at the top of a platform where the preacher, ehem, papa delivers sermons.

Today, however, the interior had been decorated: balloons were resting against the ceiling, a clothed table had food and drinks spread across it, etcetera etcetera. Despite all the decor, the main attraction was the large porcelain bathtub placed on the preacher's platform.

My mom saw us all enter and skipped her way over to us. "Hey girls! Glad you could all make it. The food is free for the taking, except for you Kyoko, I'm putting you on a limit."

"Awww! But mom—"

"No 'buts.' You may only eat one of everything on that table." She pointed at my three friends. "I'm counting on your three to monitor her eating." Everyone but me nodded. "Good. Also Madoka, honey, why're you wearing a kimono?"

Madoka's self-conscious blush reappeared on her face. "I was trying to dress safely for the occasion."

"Safe is an understatement," mama said ironically, "anyways, you girls enjoy the party. The baptism will commence at approximately 5:30, so be wary of that." And with that she was off to manage some other part of the fiesta.

"I knew I should've worn the yukata."

"Forget that! What about my stomach!?"

The four of us amigos mainly talked amongst each other for the duration of the thirty minutes. Momo, however, was swooped from my wing by her love interest. Despite the look of terror on her face, I couldn't help but smile at how flustered she gets when that Soma kid is involved. Without even realizing it, my little sister developed romantic emotions years before I ever did.

I'm starting to feel old.

I felt even older when Sayaka brought up the past with her and Madoka's old crushes. Just like the last time they did, I was asked all about my nonexistent romances from my Kazamino days. Even though I wasn't very interested in their talk of boys – for more reasons than one – my ears perked up the minute Saya asked Homura an ever important question:

"What about you Homura? You ever had a guy you liked?"

Now that was a question I had been neglecting to ask. Had Homura ever liked anyone before? What if she's had a boyfriend before!? Oh man, I don't know if I can handle that kind of info—

"No."

Well that was anticlimactic. Sayaka blinked as though she had missed her reply. "O-oh really?" Sayaka looked at me and noticed my blush, then winked at me. "Maybe you're into women then, Homura."

Sayaka you are the best wingwoman of all time. Homura actually let a blush show. "I-I may be. I don't know for sure."

H-holy crap. Did she... just say... what I... Holy crap!

Madoka and Sayaka's eyes widened along with mine. "Wow! Really Homura-chan?" Madoka exclaimed, almost excitedly.

Homura's eyes darted to the floor. Her blush intensified to the max. "W-well I have never really thought about men or women. Either one doesn't sound bad."

I can't think of words to say. Homura is bisexual? That means I have a chance. A real chance! No longer do I worry about the issue of sexual orientation! Of course I still have the issue of whether she'll ever be into me, but this was a revelation to be happy with.

I think I may have been staring at Homura the wrong way because she glanced at me with an even bigger blush. "K-Kyoko, why're looking at me like that?"

Flustered I jumped back and averted my eyes. "No reason. Just thinking is all."

An awkward silence took over our banter. What started as an important discover had now turned into a strange scenario in which none of us knew what to say. I peered up at Sayaka. I caught her looking at me, which made her blush and peer to the left, but ultimately back at me. I gave her my best smile and winked, causing her to grin.

Ding ding ding

My mother was tapping on a glass cup with a spoon. "May I have everyone's attention. It is time for the baptism to begin."

Everyone's eyes shifted to my father, who was standing next to the water-filled bathtub. Sitting in the bathtub was the blonde Tomoe with her hair in two ringlets. Pops kneeled beside her, washcloth in hand, and ask that we all join him in a quick prayer. Homura sat by, idly confused.

"It's ok Homes," I said, "you don't have to pray if you don't want to."

She smiled softly at me. "Ok."

The rest of us bowed our heads and listened to father's prayer. Though given my position, I didn't think I could accept the prayer. Instead I said my own silently:

Dear God, thank you for all you have done for my family and friends. I beg that you continue to watch over them in place of me who has sinned. While I have chosen a stray path from your teachings, I remain loyal to you, but only for those I love who haven't betrayed you. So please, Father in heaven, may you bless them in my place.

"Amen," papa concluded.

"Amen!" Said the rest of us prayers in unison.

Papa turned to face the blonde teenager. "Ms. Tomoe, we've all gathered here to witness your conversation to our shared faith. We've all watched you take part in Wednesday and Sunday communions and are proud to see you, on this special day, join the church in its whole." He moved the washcloth to her nose and his other hand to the back of her neck. "And now we welcome you in God's precious grace, and by the love of Jesus Christ."

Papa then lowered the girl under the water for a second before raising back up to the surface. Clapping erupted from all sides of the church, and soon subsided when the girl exited the tub. She looked like she was in a state of bliss as she took a towel that was being handed to her. Makes me wish I could remember my baptism.

Madoka tapped on my shoulder to gain my attention. "Is the baptism over now?"

"Yep!" I replied. "Now we feast and party!"

Sayaka looked disappointed. "That was it?"

"Yeah," I said. "Something wrong?"

"Well it's just that I was expecting more, ya know."

"Your expectations are too high, Saya."

"I don't know," Homura cut in, "I was hoping for a bit more, too."

"You're all a bunch of critiques."

"Teehee."

We all jumped into the line for food as soon as possible. None of us had eaten since lunch, so we – especially me – were all starving. Unfortunately Sayaka wouldn't let me take what I'd consider a reasonable helping of anything.

Then someone spoke behind me:

"You're the daughter of Father Sakura, right?"

I turned to my right to see the Tomoe girl with a plate of delicious foods. Very delicious foods... I'm sorry, where was I? Oh right!

I extended my free hand. "Yep! I'm Kyoko Sakura! Welcome to the family!"

She imitated my actions and clenched my hand in hers. "Mami Tomoe. It's a real pleasure!"

Huh? "I'm sorry, but what did you say your first name was?"

"Mami."

... ... That name... the bathroom stall... my pen pal...

Ohmaigawd!

Hope ye all enjoyed this chapper! Sorry if there were any spelling or grammar errors that I missed upon editing. I just kinda scan over the draft, so there's probably a good bit that went uncorrected.

Anyways, if you enjoyed it, leave a review! And if you have any criticisms about the writing, the characters, or the fic itself, then (constructively) criticize the crap outta it!

That's all for now, so I'll until next time!