It takes her five minutes to locate her phone—somehow it had tumbled under Madoka's bed. When she powers it on, she's relieved to find that it still works. She has vague memories of her crushing it in her hands, but that had to be an allusion to a different time because there are no visible signs of damage anywhere on the device.

Why it was off though, remains a mystery.

She double checks to see if it's still functioning, and as she dismisses the missed calls from yesterday, her eyes catch sight of the date. She pauses as she tries to remember the significance of today.

She absently takes in the time—and is surprised that almost ten minutes has passed since she had entered Madoka's room.

As if on cue, there's a knock on the door, and moments later, Madoka peers inside.

"Homura-chan? Breakfast is ready...?"

"Ah. Yes, I will be right there," she tells her as she closes her phone, and then slips it into her skirt pocket.

"Homura-chan?"

She looks up to see Madoka staring at her, face worried and eyes searching for—something.

"Yes, Madoka?" Homura straightens, adopting her usual aloof appearance; it does nothing to reassure the smaller girl.

"A-Are you sure you want to go to school today? Maybe it would be better to stay home and rest..."

And subject herself to being watched like a hawk by Tomohisa?

Homura shakes her head. "I am feeling a lot better today, Madoka." Pause. "...Stable."

They both fall in silence as their thoughts drift to yesterday—but then Amy breaks the silence, meowing at them in irritation.

Homura brushes her hair behind her. "...You sleep too much anyways, Amy. She is right though, Madoka. Let's not keep your parents waiting."

Madoka watches as Homura exits the room. After a small smile to the already sleeping cat on her desk, Madoka follows the other girl out the door.

As they dig into breakfast, the normally cheerful atmosphere is somewhat muted as they try to avoid anything that might end up setting Homura off. Even Takkun senses something, and for once, he eats his breakfast quietly, eyes squinting around the table as he tries to figure out what's wrong.

Homura reaches for her glass of milk, hands missing their mark when she finally remembers.

"Ah." She suddenly pulls out her phone to confirm her fears. She sighs and puts a hand to her forehead. She must really be out of it in this timeline; it's the first time she has ever forgotten about this day, ever.

"Homura-chan?" Madoka is worried, and when Homura glances up, she can see everyone—minus Takkun who's enjoying his tomatoes, staring at her in question.

"Ah—" her reply is cut off by the generic sound of her ringtone. She glances down, this time making sure to check the number before answering, "—sorry," she bows in apology and stands up while flipping her phone open. "Hello?" she asks as she moves towards the hallway for more privacy.

Madoka exchanges worried looks with her parents, but they can only sit and wait until Homura is done. They turn back to their breakfasts.

"...yes... sorry...no—right...sorry..."

They can hear bits and pieces of her one-sided conversation, and Madoka fidgets impatiently as she waits for Homura to rejoin them.

"...alright...n-no...o-okay...I-I know...o-okay...see you soon... y-yes. Okay...bye..." The phone snaps shut, and Homura sighs once more, before slipping the device back into her skirt pocket. She turns around, and finally walks back to the dining room table.

"Sorry I had to take the call during breakfast," Homura apologizes, still standing. "Uhm.."

"Is everything alright, Homura?" Junko asks as she looks at her calmly.

"Y-Yes," Homura nods. "Well, actually, I need to leave now, I'm sorry."

Madoka stares at her with her fork in hand, before she stands up in protest.

"What! Homura-chan! Even after everything we told you—"

"Madoka," her mother's calm voice stops her rant. Madoka sits back down as her mother turns to Homura, eyes looking serious enough that Homura steps back involuntarily. "And, can you give me one good reason why you need to leave?"

Homura flinches and her eyes nervously dart back and forth from Junko to Madoka. "U-Uhm... I forgot about my doctor's appointment... so I need to leave... so I can get there before ...830...?"

Junko immediately relaxes while Madoka almost collapses against her chair.

"Homura-chan!" Madoka can't decide whether she wants to sigh in relief or laugh at Homura's awkwardness. "You couldn't have phrased it differently?"

"Uhm," she ducks her head. "Sorry...?"

\\

It's ten minutes until lunch when Homura enters the classroom, and all the sleepy and hungry students watch as she closes the door and approaches the teacher, note in hand.

The middle-aged science teacher with a permanent frown on his face accepts the paper, eyes scrutinizing the written words. He reluctantly waves her off in dismissal, and she bows slightly, before heading over to her seat.

As she walks, Madoka gives her a small wave that she acknowledges with a nod, before she sits down.

She only has around two lines of notes when the bell chimes, signaling the start of lunch. As soon as she puts her things away, she moves to join Madoka at her desk.

"How was your appointment, Homura-chan?" Madoka asks as she pulls out both their lunches; she had insisted on carrying Homura's today.

Homura reaches for hers with a murmur of thanks, but before she can grab it, an arm ropes around her shoulders, making her jump in surprise.

"Heyyy, there you are, transfer student," Sayaka says with a grin. "Listen, Madoka, Hitomi, you two go up and meet Mami-san first, I need to borrow this little kitty cat for a few minutes."

Before Homura can respond, Sayaka is pulling her away and dragging her through the hallways.

Madoka merely stacks her own bentou on top of Homura's, and stands up even though she's worried. "Shall we go, Hitomi-chan?"

"'Little kitty cat?'" Hitomi asks as she follows after Madoka. There's a strange tone to her voice and a weird look on face.

"Ehehe," Madoka gives her a nervous smile. "U-Uhm, yeah, you know, Homura-chan.. kind of has this cat-like vibe...?"

Hitomi thinks, and then nods in agreement. "Ah, I understand what you mean, Madoka-san. Akemi-san would certainly be a black cat."

Here Madoka gives her a real smile. "Yeah! She would, wouldn't she!"

/

Sayaka doesn't bother removing her arm from Homura's shoulders and expertly leads her through the hallways. She continues pushing her outside to one of the buildings further in the back where there are less people and less curious eyes.

Once they're in a quiet area where they can talk in peace, Sayaka finally releases her hold, and the now annoyed girl smooths out her uniform, before turning to Sayaka with a frown.

"That was rather unnecessary, Miki Sayaka," Homura tells her as she brushes her hair back.

Sayaka shrugs. "Just had to make sure you would follow me, that's all."

They stare at each other, Homura with her usual blank face and Sayaka looking nervous. Even with, or maybe because of what happened yesterday, the two are still awkward around each other. Sayaka sighs. She might as well get this over with.

"Alright," Sayaka clears her throat. "Since you were kind of busy yesterday," Homura looks away, "I didn't get a chance to talk to you. But, well..." Sayaka lowers her voice, "do you remember what me and Madoka were talking about yesterday...? You were kind of there, but kind of not..."

Homura looks back to her and hesitantly shakes her head. "No, I'm afraid I don't have much recollection of what happened while I was... indisposed..." she gestures and Sayaka understands. "I remember arriving to my apartment, but everything after that is a blur."

Which means that she was really, really far gone.

"Right, right," Sayaka says nervously as she rubs at her neck. Why is this so hard to do? If she couldn't even tell people about it, how could she even do the actual confession? "Anyways... I'm... I'm going to con...fess... to... Kyousuke... today."

"...I see." Homura thinks for a moment. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

Sayaka looks at her in frustration. "Hey!" she growls. "It might not be a big deal to you—but it's a pretty big deal to me!"

Homura nods. "Yes, I have heard that confessing is one of those defining moments in a young girl's life," she tilts her head curiously, "but, I don't understand why you're telling me this...?"

Sayaka sighs again. This girl really is hard to deal with. "I kind of remember you making a really big deal about me wasting my wish on Kyousuke and though it pains to admit it, the things you said... were maybe sort of, kind of... just a liiitttle bit true."

"Just a little," Homura repeats.

Sayaka rolls her eyes. "Yes, just a little. But!" She points to Homura. "I'm going to show you that you're wrong! I am going to help him, whether or not he accepts my feelings! I wasn't lying when I said that I want people to be able to hear him play again!"

Homura barely bites back a long suffering sigh. What was the point of lecturing her about Witches and soul gems if she was going to make a wish anyways?

Is Miki Sayaka more of a fool than she thought?

"Are you sure that is wise, Miki Sayaka?" Homura tells her. "Accepting the life of a magical girl also means accepting that your soul is no longer inside your body; whether that still makes us human can be debatable. If Kamijou Kyousuke were to accept your feelings, will you be able to be with him while knowing that you are merely a living shell? A zombie, as someone so eloquently put once."

We'refreakingzombies—

Here, Sayaka falters.

"You know, it's funny, because I mean, it does bother me. It bothers me a lot actually. But then I look at Mami-san, and there's no way I can even question that she's not human." Sayaka locks eyes with Homura. "Maybe, being human means that what's here," she thumps a fist to her heart, "is more important than something that you can't even really see. Plus, what about you?"

"... What about me?"

"I mean," Sayaka gestures to Homura, "you're more cat than human now, aren't you? And Madoka doesn't seem to mind at all."

Blink. "...I do not understand."

Sayaka sighs and crosses her arms across her chest. "Well, that's something you two need to figure out on your own. But, I think I'm okay with my soul being somewhere else; as long as I don't forget what it means to really 'be human,' there's no way that I can be anything less. And," there's uncertainty in her eyes as she gazes down to the floor, "how would I be able to call myself human if I didn't help Kyousuke...? How would I even be able to face him again?" she closes her eyes. "Ever since the accident, all I could think about was 'why wasn't it me instead?' He has something—a talent that shouldn't be restrained just because of a stupid accident! And I can help him for once! More than buying stupid CDs or giving him words of comfort—I can actually do something and help him!"

Homura frowns. "That way of thinking will be your downfall, Miki Sayaka. You do not owe Kamijou Kyousuke anything; it is regrettable that he suffered injuries that will hinder his future, but—"

Sayaka holds out her hand. "Look, I get what you're saying. I know—alright?! I know, but as long as Kyousuke's in that bed and I'm out here..."

Homura shakes her head at her stubbornness. She tries a different approach.

"And if Kamijou Kyousuke does not accept your feelings?" Homura asks instead. "Will you be able to handle the rejection? Will you be able to separate your wish of merely wanting to help him because you want to help him, opposed to wanting to help him to gain his favor? You were there yesterday, Miki Sayaka," Homura reminds her. "It's not easy, trying to hang on." She would know. "I wonder if you really can handle the darkness you carry in your heart."

Sayaka smirks at her. "Don't act all high and mighty now, transfer student. Why don't you worry about yourself first before worrying about others?" It's not what she means to say at all and there's a surge of guilt when she sees Homura's jaw clench and her hands tighten into fists.

Homura remains quiet, trying to calm her emotions. Sayaka looks away guiltily.

"Sorry, that's... uh... yeah," Sayaka awkwardly rubs at her neck. It really was a cheap shot.

"It's fine," Homura closes her eyes and turns around. "It'll be useless to try and convince you—but remember what you're getting into, Miki Sayaka. There is only one ending for all magical girls," and with a flick of her wrist, Homura is walking away from her with her dark hair trailing behind.

Sayaka can only feel slight amusement at Homura's penchant for dramatics.

She sobers up though, when she remembers she has one more person she needs to tell about her confession.

/

When Sayaka arrives on the roof after retrieving her bentou she had left in the classroom, she's surprised when she finds that Homura is not with the others as she joins them.

"Sayaka-chan? Where's Homura-chan?" The smile immediately drops from Madoka's face; she knows how Sayaka is, knows how surprisingly sensitive Homura is, and fears that something had happened.

"Uhm...no idea, she left first and I went to get my lunch," she holds up her bentou in explanation.

Madoka frowns, and is about to stand when Homura appears by the entrance to the roof. Relief floods her face even as she notices the numerous amount of milk boxes in the girl's arms; the pile looks especially larger today for some reason...

Sayaka waits until Homura approaches, promptly distracting Madoka and Mami, before she turns to Hitomi.

"Hey, Hitomi..." the other girl looks up from her bentou to regard Sayaka curiously.

Sayaka takes a moment to really look at friend. Beautiful, with a great figure and a rich background. Multi-talented and tall and someone that constantly receives love letters from random boys (and girls) throughout the school.

Popular.

From what she has gathered from broken memories, Hitomi has to be the close friend that also likes Kyousuke; Madoka is clearly too enamored with a certain cat-eared girl to pay attention to anyone else.

"What's wrong, Sayaka-san?" Hitomi looks at her as she places her bentou down in worry.

"Ahhh...I just," she glances around to make sure that no one else is paying attention to her, and then steps closer to whisper something in Hitomi's ear.

There's a gasp of surprise from Hitomi, and when Sayaka moves back to judge her reaction, she's shocked to see there's a smile on Hitomi's face.

"I see," Hitomi looks almost proud of her. "I wish you the best of luck, Sayaka-san."

"Y-Yeah," Sayaka stammers out. Hitomi is cheering her on? Is that how it usually went? She glances to Homura as if trying to ask her, but the other girl is busy working her way through another box of strawberry milk as Madoka scolds her.

Still confused, Sayaka merely takes a seat and opens her own bentou.

/

By the time the bell chimes, signaling that classes are over, Sayaka is no longer as calm as she hopes she could be.

As usual, they meet Mami by the school gates, but not like usual, they all turn to Sayaka with various degrees of worry on their faces. Madoka is the worst, constantly glancing at her with tearful eyes, while Mami always seems on the verge of saying something, before stopping herself. Even before she leaves, Hitomi uncharacteristically squeezes her hand.

In fact, the only thing that keeps her grounded is Homura, who's acting the same as always: blase, blank, passive. It reminds Sayaka that she also has something to prove to Homura as well. She straightens up, wiping her sweaty hands on her skirt.

"A-Alright, I'm going."

"W-Wait, Sayaka-chan, maybe—"

Sayaka turns to Madoka and gives her a smile. "I'll be fine." She looks to Mami, nodding to her as well. "Don't follow me, please, it'll be really embarrassing if..."

They can only respect her decision, and without another glance, she walks down the path to her destiny.

Madoka watches her leave, and can't shake the bad feeling she gets when she finally notices Kyuubey shadowing after Sayaka.

/

Something that Homura is finding increasingly annoying in this timeline, is that everyone around her seems to treat her like she's as fragile as glass —though she figures that the last few days have been proving just how broken she already is.

But still, she has many, many things to do, and though she had wanted to join Mami on her patrol, she's once again dragged away by Madoka, and is unable to refuse because it's Madoka.

As if sensing her thoughts, Madoka turns to her and smiles. "I know you want to go, Homura-chan, but please, just rest for one more day?"

And that is the end of that.

Homura and Madoka return home just as Tomohisa pulls a fresh pie from the oven, and they all enjoy a snack as Madoka tells her dad about her day. As Homura sips on her milk, she misses most of the conversation, and misses the agreement to make a trip to the park. As soon as her milk is finished, she's dragged out of her seat, and then dragged by the hand as Madoka leads them outside.

Ten minutes, and Madoka finally lets her go, running towards the grass as Takkun follows her, with Tomohisa trailing them both. She stands off to the side, and everything is so normal and mundane that she just feels so lost as she watches the three Kanames play catch.

Madoka shows off her dreadful catching skills, and the ball misses her outstretched hands, bouncing once on the ground, before lobbing up to hit her on the face.

"Ouch!" Madoka yelps, falling back onto the soft grass. She winces, rubbing at her nose.

"Madoka! Are you alright?" Tomohisa rushes over to his daughter as she sheepishly lowers her hand.

"Ehehe, oops," she smiles at her dad, who checks her over for bumps and bruises.

"Maroka!" Takkun yells, and as she turns to him, he tackles her, causing them both to tumble onto the grass. "Are you okay, Maroka?"

Madoka grins at her little brother. "Takkun!" It's his only warning before she starts tickling him. His high pitched giggles fill the air as he struggles away from his sister. Still crouching, Tomohisa smiles at his two children.

Homura turns away; she doesn't belong here. She should be out there, destroying the things that want to take this away.

As she's distracted by her thoughts, she doesn't notice as Madoka whispers something to Takkun. They both stand to sneak up on Homura.

"Kitty!" Takkun screams as he crashes head first into Homura's legs.

"Eep!" She lets out a squeak of surprise, barely managing to keep her ears and tail from appearing just as Madoka joins in. Unable to support her, the three fall to the ground.

"Ehehe!" Both Takkun and Madoka's laughs echo in her ears, and Homura can only blink as she lays on the ground in the pile of tangled limbs.

"You're supposed to be playing, Homura-chan!" Madoka tells her as she sits up. She holds her hands out. Homura stares, but suddenly, Takkun is giggling, and then Madoka is reaching out, and her hands and fingers are on Homura's body, trying to figure out if the girl is ticklish or not.

Turns out, she is.

"M-Madoka!" Homura tries to escape from the unrelenting attacks as Madoka's grin grows and Takkun giggles louder. "S-stop!" her protests are ignored as Madoka continues, until Homura suddenly grabs her wrists, the sudden movement throwing Madoka off balance, causing her to fall on top of Homura.

"Eek!" This time it's Madoka who lets out a squeak as her face is unexpectedly on Homura's chest.

Homura blushes at the contact and immediately lets go, allowing Madoka to scramble off her.

"S-Sorry," Madoka apologizes with a flushed face.

Homura shakes her head. "N-No, it was my fault... s-sorry."

"Ehehe!" Takkun laughs at the two girls, and then turns to his dad. "Papa!" he calls to him.

Having seen it all, Tomohisa smiles warmly. "What is it, Takkun?" he says as he lets Madoka and Homura recover from their embarrassment.

"Let's play!" he tells him as he starts running over to the earlier abandoned ball.

"Sure, Takkun."

/

When Madoka glances at her phone for the tenth time in the last two minutes, Homura resists the urge to grab the thing and throw it outside; it's obvious that Madoka is waiting for Sayaka to contact her, but she still has yet to receive a phone call or text and it's driving both of them crazy, but for different reasons.

A glance at her phone again, and Homura can't help the sigh that escapes from her mouth.

Madoka looks at her with a small smile. "I'm sorry, I-I'm just worried about Sayaka-chan..."

Homura places her pencil down, knowing that Madoka is definitely not concentrating on homework at this point.

"I mean, I wonder... how it went..." the smaller girl fidgets nervously as she barely manages to stop her eyes from zeroing in on her phone once more.

Homura thinks briefly. "Do you think Kamijou Kyousuke will return her feelings?"

Madoka's eyes widen at the question. "Kamijou-kun...? And Sayaka-chan...?" Her voice trails off as she thinks about it.

Homura's only really slightly curious, but it at least stops Madoka from staring at her phone, if only for a few moments.

"I-I don't know really," Madoka finally answers. "I'm not as close to Kamijou-kun as Sayaka-chan is...so it's kind of hard to say..."

Homura nods; Madoka had most likely never gotten that close to Kyousuke due to Sayaka's personal feelings.

Suddenly, Homura feels something buzzing through the air. She quickly clamps her hands on top of her head as her ears pop out.

Madoka blinks, and then her face pales as she looks to Homura in fear. Homura shakes her head as she tries to hide her ears. Her attempts are futile; there's too much magical energy in the air.

"Kitty!" Takkun yells out as he catches sight of the black tail behind Homura. She quickly tries to hide it, but the action leaves her ears exposed.

Madoka gasps when she hears the door opening, followed by her mom's voice. She roughly grabs Homura, pulling her down so that her face is in her lap, and more importantly, hidden from plain view.

"M-Madoka!?"

"Kitty!"

"I'm home!"

Homura freezes when finally she notices Junko's voice. Madoka takes the opportunity to hurriedly place her hands on top of Homura's ears.

"P-Put them away, Homura-chan!" she whispers frantically.

Homura squeezes her eyes shut as she tries to fight past the magic that's still thrumming through the air.

"Ahh," Junko blinks when she sees Madoka looking suspicious and hiding something under the table. "Madoka?" She's about to ask where Homura is when Takkun tackles her.

"Mama!" Takkun holds out a piece of paper to her. "Maroka drew this!"

"Oh did she?" Junko asks as she bends down to examine the drawing; it's a picture of the five of them, including Homura, walking through the park. Like everything her daughter did, it was cute. "Very cute, Takkun!"

"Yeah!" Takkun nods.

"H-Homura-chan," Madoka keeps her voice low, "a-are you done yet?" Madoka glances down, moving her hands away hesitantly, and immediately moves them back when she sees the ears are still there.

"Madoka? Where's Homura?" Junko asks as she steps closer to see what Madoka is hiding.

"Ahhh? H-Homura-chan? U-Uhm... Homura-chan is..." Madoka tries her best to not look down, but her eyes are drawn to the girl in her lap.

Junko raises an eyebrow.

Suddenly, Homura sits back up. "S-Surprise..."

Junko blinks at Homura's lukewarm delivery. She scratches her head as Takkun giggles. "It should be more...exciting than that, Homura," Junko merely tells her as she shakes her head. "Plus, you were giving everything away, Madoka."

"Ehehe," Madoka scratches her cheek while Homura ducks her head in obvious embarrassment.

"Next time, you should hide in the hallway or something, and when someone walks by, your voice should be louder so that you can really scare them, Homura!"

"O-Okay," Homura nods at the advice.

Junko ruffles Takkun's hair, and then straightens up. "Mama's going to change into something more comfortable, and then you can show me what else you drew today, Takkun!"

"Okay, Mama!" he agrees. As Junko leaves, he parks himself in front of the screen to continue watching his favourite cartoon.

Madoka quickly grabs her notebook and scribbles something on it. She gestures to Homura.

'Is it a witch? What happened?'

Homura shakes her head and grabs her pencil to jot down her answer under Madoka's.

'No, it was a different reaction. Miki Sayaka made her wish.'

Madoka rereads the sentence, and then stares at Homura, before reaching for her phone; no new messages.

Why didn't Sayaka contact her...?

\\

She's weightless—or at least that's what it feels like when she weaves through all the little random familiars that stand in between her and the Witch. She pulls back, and then slashes at a few that are in her range as she continues to run closer and closer. And then she's leaping, high—higher than ever, and there's a vague sense of pain as something grazes her shoulder, but she ignores it, and then it's gone.

Faster and closer, and she concentrates on her sword, stretching, extending the blade until its twice the size as her. She runs, and runs straight through the Witch; in and then out.

Done, and gone.

So why did everything still feel so dark, and why was something gripping her heart so tightly?

Why did everything hurt so badly?

The Witch's barrier slowly disappears around her, but she merely collapses onto her knees as her own transformation fades away.

She should be happy—but for some reason all she wants to do is cry.

"Miki-san," a calm voice breaks through her daze. She glances up, surprised to see Mami peering over her.

"M-Mami-san...?" Sayaka is confused as the older girl helps her to her feet.

"Do you have any grief seeds?" Mami merely asks. Sayaka gives a small nod, before pulling one out of her pocket. "Please use it, Miki-san."

Sayaka stares at the grey object in her hands blankly.

"Miki-san."

It's the tone of Mami's voice that sends her moving. She summons her soul gem into her hand, and then gentle fingers are pressing the seed next to the blue jewel, and she watches as it absorbs the swirling darkness. Suddenly, her mind is clear and she can think again.

"Are you feeling better now?" Mami asks her as she takes the used grief and stores it away in her pocket.

"Y-Yeah," Sayaka nods, and this time, she looks embarrassed at having Mami bear witness to her moment of weakness. "W-What are you doing here?" she asks instead.

Mami looks around and then tilts her head, gesturing for Sayaka to follow her, starting a slow walk to somewhere else. "I received a message from Kaname-san, though I suppose it's better to say that Akemi-san told Kaname-san to send me a message." She smiles at Sayaka as she continues to lead them through the barely lit streets. "She told me you might need help and to 'follow the path of destruction' and that I would find you at the end of it. I wasn't quite sure what she meant until I noticed that some familiars I was planning on dealing with today disappeared."

Sayaka rolls her eyes; figures that the transfer student was keeping an eye on her.

An expert of the streets in Mitakihara, Mami leads Sayaka through a darkened alleyway that makes the other girl nervous, but before long, the path opens up, and they find themselves in front of one of the smaller shopping districts.

"Please take a seat, Miki-san," Mami nods over to one of the public benches that has obviously seen better days. "Will hot tea be alright with you?"

"Uh... y-yeah," Sayaka agrees. Mami gestures once more to the bench, before heading over the vending machine nearby.

Sayaka follows as directed, and after making sure the strange stain in the bench is permanent and won't ruin her skirt, she takes a hesitant seat as she waits for Mami to return.

The area around them is quiet, and it's the first time that Sayaka realizes that although she has lived in Mitakihara all her life, she knows nothing about these little pockets that exist outside of her usual path.

It distracts her for a moment, but then her thoughts draw back to this afternoon. Her heart clenches as something passes over her eyes. Just as she feels like something's about to snap, there's a steaming hot cup of tea held out in front of her.

"Here you go, Miki-san. The selection here is smaller than I had hoped; I hope Oolong will be alright?"

"A-ah...y-yeah, t-that's fine..." Sayaka accepts the drink, and when her hands wrap around the cup, she realizes how cold she is. She brings it closer to her body for warmth.

Mami merely takes a seat next to her, and they both sip their drinks in companionable silence; Mami, waiting for Sayaka to collect her thoughts, while Sayaka dreads the inevitable that is bound to be asked.

Halfway done with her tea, Mami sighs softly when Sayaka continues to remain silent. She is the older one here, and she decides she will be the one to rip the band aid off.

"I take it that your confession didn't go quite as planned?" Mami asks as Sayaka cringes in response.

"...Y-yeah...kind of..."

"...sometimes it's better to talk about things than to hold it all in."

Sayaka tightens her grip on her cup, causing the paper material to slightly crinkle. She wants to yell at Mami; yell at Homura. Yell at the world. In a bout of frustration, she grabs her tea and throws it straight across street. They watch as the liquid spills out, creating an arch of tea, before it splashes onto the ground. There's a light hollow sound as the cup bounces off the cement, before it rolls in a circle, finally coming to a stop after another half rotation.

"Miki-san..."

Sayaka laughs. Her laughter quickly turns to sobs as she retakes her seat, and places her face in her hands.

"...I couldn't tell him," she whispers. She lets out another bitter laugh. "After all that bravado... I couldn't even tell him!"

Mami is quiet and merely pulls out an unused grief seed. "Miki-san, show me your soul gem."

Sayaka feels sudden anger and struggles to keep from blowing up at the other girl.

"Miki-san."

Sayaka clenches her hands into fists. Nonetheless, she obediently holds out her left hand and re-summons her darkening soul gem. Mami doesn't say a word, and merely fills the new grief seed, pocketing it once more when Sayaka's soul gem once again clean.

They're quiet as Sayaka keeps her soul gem out instead of returning it to its ring form.

Mami glances up at the night sky, before turning back to Sayaka.

"Miki-san, I'm sorry; someone should've been there to support you..."

Sayaka sighs softly. "...No, like I told you earlier, I wanted to do it on my own, especially if he ended up rejecting me... and I was really determined to tell him, you know? But today... he found out he could never play again. He ... he told me that he's useless, that he has no purpose in life... that he wished he had died instead of suffering like this... I couldn't... not after all that..."

They fall into silence. With nowhere to look, Mami stares up to the endless sky.

"...Are you giving up?"

Sayaka turns to her in confusion.

"Your confession to him... you can still tell him."

She shakes her head. "No... I can't... not anymore..."

Hands are on her shoulder, and she suddenly finds herself staring into fierce golden eyes. "Miki-san! You cannot give up so easily! As you are now, your regrets and feelings are poison to you; the more you hold off telling Kamijou-kun how you feel, the more it'll hurt you in the end. You need to tell him."

Sayaka closes her eyes. "...I'm scared, Mami-san."

"You are strong, Miki-san. And we will be here—your friends will be here to support you and help you get through this."

"Mami-san...what if...what if..." Sayaka swallows heavily. "...What if I find out that I really made my wish so that he would fall in love with me...?"

Sayaka opens her eyes to see those warm eyes still on her.

"Did you?"

"...I don't know..." she whispers. "I want to save him, but I also want..."

"...Then we figure out how you really feel, and take it one day at a time."

Sayaka bows her head. Like Homura has told her, she's a fool.

"...I don't want to die, Mami-san..."

"You will not die, Miki-san!"

"...But, I couldn't... I had to save Kyousuke, you know? I had no choice..."

Fingers dig into her shoulders, and the pain breaks through Sayaka's haze.

"Listen to me, Miki-san. You will live. You will not turn into a Witch. You will tell Kamijou-kun that you love him. You will survive this—or else I will kill you myself."

Sayaka's eyes widen; those golden eyes are no longer friendly and warm.

"M-Mami-san...?"

"Magical girls are not martyrs," Mami tells her vehemently. "We are not sacrifices to the universe; we are protectors of those who cannot defend themselves. We only turn into Witches if we give up, and you are not giving up," fingers tighten in emphasis, and Sayaka winces in pain. "Repeat after me, Miki-san. 'I am not giving up.'"

Sayaka can only stare. Through the fabric of her uniform, sharp fingernails can be felt. "...I am not giving up," she repeats.

"'I will not turn into a Witch.'"

"I will not turn into a Witch."

"'I will confess to Kyousuke.'"

"I will confess to Kyousuke."

The pressure on her shoulders is lifted, and Mami gives her her usual smile. "See? Now that wasn't too bad, was it?"

Sayaka nods numbly. "Y-Yes, Mami-san..."

\\

"...Homura-chan?"

It's close to 11:30pm now, and the two of them are in bed after receiving the news from Mami: Sayaka is doing fine, and they shouldn't worry about her, at least for now.

"Mm...?" Hearing the sleepiness in Homura's voice, she immediately feels guilty for waking her up. There's a shift of the blankets, and with the bright moonlight, Madoka can see a head of dark hair poking out from under the blankets as Homura draws herself up to look at the other girl. "What's wrong, Madoka?"

"Ah... I'm sorry, were you falling asleep?"

"It's fine, what's wrong?" Homura sounds more awake now, obviously worried about Madoka.

"Mm, nothing—just..." she sighs. She knows that Homura is waiting for a reply, and voices her thoughts. "Kamijou-kun probably turned Sayaka-chan down, huh?"

Contact from Sayaka had been brief, but Homura can already assume...

"...Yes."

Knowing how much Sayaka liked Kyousuke makes Madoka's heart hurt for her best friend, and she wonders how she can comfort her.

"...Homura-chan?"

"Yes, Madoka?"

"...H-Have you ever been in love?" Maybe if she could understand it better, she'd be able to offer better advice to Sayaka rather than a 'he just doesn't know what he's missing' or a 'don't worry, Sayaka-chan!'

Homura remains quiet long enough that Madoka wonders if she has fallen back to sleep. She turns and finds lavender eyes staring at her.

"...Homura-chan?" For some reason, her heart skips a beat.

Eyes glance away, and Homura shifts, until she's staring at the ceiling above.

"... I can't say if what I felt was really love," Homura states as her eyes gaze beyond the ceiling and into the past. "..but there was someone I really looked up to, a long, long time ago."

Madoka turns and searches for Homura's hand under the blankets, squeezing it once she finds it.

"W-What happened? I mean—are you—do you—" Madoka can't help the little bit of jealousy bubbling in her chest.

She's surprised when Homura turns to look at her with a rare smile. She brings Madoka's hand close to her face, holding it gently against her cheek.

"Things happened, but I hope to one day thank her for everything she has done for me."

Something grips at her heart. "H-Homura-chan...?"

"We should sleep, Madoka," is all Homura says, before she lets go of her hand, and Madoka immediately misses the warmth. "Goodnight, Madoka."

"...goodnight, Homura-chan."

The bed shifts and Homura burrows further into the blankets, while Madoka remains awake as she stares into the ceiling, searching for answers to her unanswered questions. Eventually her eyes close and she succumbs to sleep.

/

When Homura wakes later with the memory of gunshots echoing in her mind, she's barely choking back a sob as she finds warm hands circling around her.

"Shh, Homura-chan," Madoka whispers softly.

"K-Kaname-san...?" her voice is small and unsure.

Madoka holds her tighter. "It's okay, Homura-chan. I'm here," she reassures her.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"You're okay, Homura-chan. You're okay."

"I-I'm sorry, K-Kaname-san..." she sobs. "I-I didn't—I c-couldn't... I'm s-sorry..."

"I forgive you, Homura-chan. You tried your best, I know you did, so everything's okay. You're okay."

AN: Ah, first off, thanks everyone for reading/reviewing! The influx of reviews by people makes me happy :) and I did say the chapters would be shorter. I forgot my numbering is off in the document manager, so starting from the next chapter onwards, those will be shorter. And if things in this chapter didn't make sense, I think it's because I don't know what I'm writing anymore. oops.

First, to address Passerby-A: it was more of a critique than a flame, though you did seem angry at my treatment of Homura and suddenly killing off her mom randomly but... timelines are random. What if the fact that Homura contacted her mom, was the cause of the accident? Set off a chain of unseen circumstances... really, with these AUs, anything is possible. Or maybe I just wanted to show the readers how close to the edge Homura is. I don't know. Being a magical girl is suffering.

As for Madoka's role... I'm not sure what you want her to do. What can she do? She can't really do anything; she can't make a contract. She can't be a magical girl. She can only really be support ;( I don't know what else she can be. (Maybe she will do something later)

And the awkward grammar is entirely my fault. As in, this is how I write and even when I re-read (which I do, I assure you) it looks correct to me. Awkward, maybe, but still understandable. You can point out the mistakes if you'd like...

Another person also mentioned that Sayaka wouldn't contract because she knows the truth about turning into a witch. I... disagree. She knows about wishes now and has a way to actually help Kyousuke. It's the first thing she thinks of really, when she's trying to decide what to wish for (her talking about wishing for riches or whatever doesn't count). After knowing this, and having to face Kyousuke everyday and seeing the way that he struggles through rehabilitation and his depression, I don't think she'd be able to handle the guilt of knowing she can save him and not doing so, despite the consequences. If that still doesn't sound believable, then I think I might not have an understanding of her character (which I admit, I really don't...) Regardless, in this story Sayaka still becomes a magical girl. I was originally going to have her confess to Kyousuke and then be rejected, but then this happened and there's the answer to Mami's 'stability' at knowing the truth. That... is an unexpected development as well.

What this means is that I need to change many things of what I've already written in future chapters... *Hiatus forever and starts a different story instead*