(A.N.: Life did a complete 180 degree on me a while back... Writing is my therapy.)

...

[Chapter 5: Of Familial Presence]

After several long minutes of torture and trying to pry the kitten away from Hitomi's face, the girls finally triumphed. The little feline seemed rather disappointed,about losing its glorious throne. But nevertheless, it ran off into the distance, admitting defeat.

Madoka and Homura were a little tired from all the tugging, but not so much. Their sense of victory outweighed the lack of energy. Hitomi, on the other hand, did something strange.

She ran off, chasing the kitten.

Madoka was lost for words, so she merely sighed, giving up all hope of imparting some wisdom onto the green haired girl. Homura was rather confused, and she looked at Madoka, a silent question in the air.

Madoka just shook her head. "Just... Let her be." She sighed yet again, and upon hearing this, Homura was sure that she was missing some vital piece of the metaphorical puzzle.

But paying heed to Madoka's words, she let the green haired girl run off into the distance, who, apparently was yelling for the kitten to come back to her.

How odd.

She eyed Madoka, who smiled back at her.

"Lets go, shall we?"

It was Autumn, and leaves of various plants were flying in the wind. The breeze had a hint of winter, and the sky was a brilliant shade of orange.

The occasional light gust made Madoka's apron flutter, and Homura kept staring as they walked. Her eyes were full of uncertainty. She couldn't believe for the world of her, that the person walking by her, is actually her friend.

The thought brought shivers to her spine, and she felt like she was about to erupt with joy.

"So, where do you live, Homura-chan?"

Her trance was broken by Madoka's voice, as her mind took a few seconds to make a coherent thought.

"Umm, just a few blocks away from here... This path is narrow, so... its only accessible by foot." Homura said, with pauses here and there, picking her words carefully, being afraid to mess it up.

Madoka, on the other hand, took notice of this. She knew Homura was being cautious, as she had answered so formally to such a simple question.

"You live so close by, to your school," Madoka said, with a light chuckle. "But why do you take the train? ... Doesn't that take more time and effort?"

Homura felt a little embarrassed. She could feel every fiber of her being fidget with discomfort.

But she was determined in being honest.

"...I like to ride...trains."

Madoka giggled, and Homura's face reddened.

'Oh no. Why did you go and have to tell her that?', Homura told herself.

"Thats unusual," Madoka said, her eyes closed, as she chuckled. "But no need to be embarrassed. I happen to do strange things when it comes to food and cooking..." She paused. "This might be hard to believe, but I do know what you mean."

Madoka smiled at Homura,as they walked. The latter, felt her embarrassment slowly drifting away.

"We're here," Homura said. The girls stopped walking and looked at the house, which was located at the junction of two roads. It was a standard Japanese style house, with some Western designs mixed in. Homura was staring blankly at it, which Madoka noticed.

"All right then, Homura-chan." Madoka said, her pink eyes beaming with happiness. "I'll be leaving now."

Homura, upon hearing this, felt a pang of sadness in her chest. And she knew very well what was causing her to feel that.

Fear.

Fear of never meeting Madoka again.

She looked at the matte purple umbrella in her hand, and noticed that it was the only thing that had brought Madoka to her.

Now that it was in her hands, Madoka had no reason to come back to her.

It was a pessimistic thought, and Homura knew. But she couldn't deny the plausibility of it.

She noticed that her legs had subconsciously taken her to her front door, and Madoka was standing right there, with her, expecting a reply.

Gulping down her hesitations, she took a leap of faith.

She spoke, her voice full of spirit, her grey eyes shining with determination.

"...I would like to visit the cafe sometime..."

Madoka was astonished at the words Homura had uttered. And she also felt happy. Her stomach felt warm, and she could feel warmth rush to her cheeks.

Homura was looking straight at her, her usual dark and colorless eyes glistened with uncertainty, and emotion.

Madoka found herself being speechless, for a moment, in front of the bespectacled girl. Her lips rushed to find the words, and failed.

But she nodded in response. Which Homura had reacted to, with visible relief, and happiness.

Madoka noticed Homura's shoulders relaxing, her eyes losing all signs of uncertainty.

Before she could make things more awkward, Madoka bid farewell to the dark haired girl, smiling as she did so. Upon leaving, she felt a strange feeling in her stomach, as well as every inch of her skin.

A tingle.

It had lasted for a moment. But this time, she ignored it.

She was happy. Its been a while since she had felt this good.


Homura, from her doorstep, watched Madoka as she disappeared into the distance. Soon after, she was no longer within the dark haired girl's line of sight. And that is when Homura decided to finally go inside her house.

Shutting the door behind her after coming in, she opened her shoes at the doorway, kept the umbrella at the and with her bag in her hand, yelled out a not-so-loud "I'm home", before rushing upstairs to her room.

Immediately after entering, she quietly shut the door to her room and threw herself onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow.

She was shaking. Overwhelmed. Her breaths came out in trembling gasps. Warmth surrounded her.

She wasn't thinking about anything. The buzz of pure emotion she felt, didn't leave room in her mind to process any conscious thought.

"Homura, the water's warm. Your bath's ready!"

Homura took a moment to realize that the voice she heard, was her mother's. She let her subconsciousness take the wheel.

"I'll be there in a moment!" She said as loud as she could at the time, which was not much. But it was perhaps enough for her mother to hear.

She realized that her palms and skin felt clammy. Prying the kitten away from that green haired girl earlier must have made her sweat more than she thought it did.

Putting personal hygiene before laziness, the raven haired girl grabbed a towel and a change of clothes before going to take a well deserved bath.

Homura's mother, as soon as she heard her daughter close the bathroom door, frowned. It was not like her daughter to be such cheerful. It didn't worry her. But it did pique her interest. Maybe she'll tease her daughter into admitting? She shook the thought away from her mind quickly. She knew her daughter was sensitive. She'd have to ask very cautiously.

'I never saw her this happy...', the wise, raven haired women pondered, before smiling. 'I wouldn't ruin this one.'

-(End of Chapter 5)-


As CelticPhoenixProductions pointed out, it would be an unwise decision to villainize Hitomi. I will find a way for her to fit into this narrative. It just alarms me when I see actually how many people are hell bent on marking the poor girl as bad. Not that I am defending her, but that hatred is undue. Everyone has their own way to function.
Anyway, philosophical debates aside, I am happy to write again. I got into art again. Bit rusty, but I'll manage. If I get better at it, I'll open and maintain a tumblr, I guess.

Stay Safe
DSH99