I

Last night had been so strange that it had practically turned Sayaka's world upside down. Twenty four hours ago she didn't know about Magical Girls, or witches or GriefSeeds, but now in her mind these things were an accepted part of how the world worked. This made her perfectly normal school day feel powerfully surreal to her. She sat down in class just as she would every day, the only difference being that Madoka's seat was empty (as well as Homura's) but otherwise it was a one hundred percent normal day. Although, it did not feel normal at all.

She didn't get much actual work done, and all the new formulas and vocabulary the teachers taught went in one ear and right out the other. Her mind was occupied with something else; she spent all day thinking about her wish. She had an idea what she wanted her wish to be, but she still needed to convince herself it truly was the best one: Kyosuke.

He had been a brilliant violinist. Anyone who knew him would agree he was a child prodigy in the art. Except, he had been in an accident that left most of his body paralyzed and now his hands were barely capable of raising a fork to his mouth let alone playing a violin. Wouldn't it be a good wish to give that back to him? To heal his injuries and let him bring his music back to the world?

Sayaka did not want anything for herself. Her life wasn't perfect, but she thought she was strong enough to face whatever her own hardships were. She didn't desire money or material things either. So, what wish was there that she could use on herself that would be more important than giving Kyosuke his music back?

Kyubey suggested she wish Madoka out of Homura's clutches, but she did not know about that one. She thought that once she was a Magical Girl she would be powerful enough to take care of that herself. Besides, Mami claimed that they would have Madoka back within a week, and Sayaka believed her. It was clear Mami was much more powerful than Homura. She had saved her life, and other than that Homura had actually run away from a confrontation from her. That was proof enough that a wish wasn't necessary to save Madoka. She could do that herself, with Mami's help, and there was no need to use it on something she could accomplish without a wish.

Still, she was on the fence. She could use the wish on Kyosuke, but was it really smart to use her wish on someone other than herself? What if she regretted it later?

She instantly hit herself for letting that thought come to mind; thinking how selfish it was.

She decided on two things: First, she would run it by Mami and see what she thought. She had known Mami for only a short time but trusted her and respected her judgement. Second, she would go see Kyosuke after school today and see if her emotions tilt one way or the other on whether the wish should be used on him or not. Mami told her not to rush into a decision, so she respected that advice. Although, she quite honestly already felt herself favoring that one choice.

Mami said they could speak telepathically with Kyubey's assistance. It seemed Kyubey was more or less always stalking around somewhere nearby, so she gave it a shot.

"Mami," she thought hard. "Mami, it's Sayaka, can you hear me?" No response came right away, but she persisted. "Mami? Are you there? It's Sayaka." After a little longer when there was no response it seemed it would not work after all.

Then she could suddenly hear Mami's voice loud and clear. "Sayaka? Yes I hear you, what is it?"'

"Good, I'm glad this worked." Sayaka started to smile widely, proud of herself for pulling it off. Then she shook herself back into a neutral expression, seeing as she was sitting right in the middle of class and she didn't want to be caught randomly grinning like a maniac. "Um, can you meet me after school? I think I have decided on a wish, but I would like to talk about it with you first."

"Sure thing, just wait outside the front entrance. I will find you. Sayaka, think hard on this in the meantime. I will not tell you yes or no on if a wish is right for you. All I can do is offer advice."

"Ok, I understand," Sayaka thought back at her. "See you then!"

II

After taking her shower, Homura dried herself off and got dressed. She looked at her new outfit in the mirror. She twirled around a bit and noted that it was a perfect fit. She liked the way it looked on her. Purple was a strong commanding color, yet in t-shirt form it was still casual enough she thought it could represent a comfortable aura for Madoka. Homura wanted nothing more than for Madoka to adjust to this new life and be happy with it. There were many obvious pitfalls, but with the right words and actions maybe she could make everything okay.

Last night was a disaster. She hadn't thought things out well enough and ended up making things very uncomfortable. Then when her SoulGem went black she had a bit of an emotional breakdown. She hoped and prayed that Madoka did not read too much into it. She wondered if she should bring it up and apologize to clear the air, or just let it go?

Madoka was such a kind person. In spite of all she had been put through, Homura knew that she would still be trying to rationalize the situation and see the good in her. That's the kind of person Madoka was. No matter how bad a person seemed, Madoka would refuse to just accept it and try her best to understand that person's actions. Homura didn't want to hurt her, and surely she saw that. She hoped she did anyway.

She decided she would wait and see how things go, and if Madoka was in the right mood Homura would try to fit in some apologies. She didn't know exactly how to do it yet, but she figured the right words would come to her in time.

She brushed her teeth and combed her hair, then went to free Madoka from her bindings.

Her captive had been waiting there patiently. When Homura entered the room, Madoka looked at her with a smile. Was that really a smile? Well, it wasn't much of one, but it was better than the distant and pissed off look she had earlier.

"It looks good on you," said Madoka. Homura didn't get what she meant at first, then realized it was the clothes. "You know, I never really liked purple for myself, but it suits you." She then made an expression that was a true and clear smile. "You can keep that if you like!"

"I... er..." Homura wasn't expecting such a sudden change in attitude. She was taken aback by it and stumbled on accepting the compliment. "Thanks, but it's yours and..."

"No really, it's okay! Keep it!" Then she laughed. She actually laughed! Homura grew giddy — of course her precious Madoka would laugh. She had been annoyed about the gag earlier, but she understood her situation, and she understood Homura. Were things really going to be ok now? Or... was this some kind of ruse?

"Um..." Madoka grinned and looked over to her bound hands "Can you untie me now, please?"

"Oh, yes, of course," said Homura, snapping out of her suspicious pondering. The untying was much easier than the tying. It only took a few seconds of fiddling with each noose to undo it, and in no time Madoka was free and on her feet. She bent backwards and stretched her arms, sighing happily.

"Aaah, that feels good," Madoka said, then walked over to her clothes and started searching through them. She would hold something up, look at it, and put it to the side to look at something else. After a minute of this she looked over to Homura, who had been quietly watching her, and said, "Um, do you mind?" but she said it in a playful teasing kind of way, not with any annoyance or resentment.

Homura realized she had indeed been quite awkwardly stalking her from the other side of the room, and suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Oh, yes. I mean, I'm sorry." And she left the room, shutting the door behind herself and smacking her palm onto her face. Then she leaned back against the door and let out a sigh of relief.

Madoka... she had her Madoka back. She was acting just like the Madoka from her past life who she had treasured and swore to protect. Things hadn't been easy, but they were getting better. Maybe, just maybe, she had finally found a timeline that would work.

III

Kyoko scaled the top ledge of a building, placing one foot in front of the other like a tightrope walker, dressed in her complete Magical Girl attire. Her spear was over the back of her neck with both of her elbows hooked around it on either side, and her duffle bag hung off the end. Her eyes scanned the alleys and city streets below as she walked. She had gotten off the train only an hour ago, and was making her first run of the city.

She had a few GriefSeeds stashed away in her bag, so she didn't need to get to fighting witches right away. If she did just so happen to come across a witch she figured she'd go for it, but her true goal for now was simply to establish a home base.

Hotel rooms were usually good for a night or two, if she could find a way to break in without making too much noise. The biggest benefit there is having a free shower and a soft bed to sleep on (depending on the hotel). Another option is abandoned houses, which were usually found in the bad parts of the city and convenient because some witches were usually nearby.

Or, she could go to the rich neighborhood and look for a house with a for sale sign in the yard. That was always a fun option, but the problem is she tended to get too comfortable in those types of housing situations, and it's too much of a let down when she has to abandon them again.

She had once broken into a five story mansion and lived there for a full week. There were two private swimming pools, one outdoor and one indoor, and at least twenty bedrooms to choose from. While she was living there she thought that if she could redo her wish she would simply have wished to have so much money she could live anywhere she wanted without ever worrying about getting kicked out. That would have been the smart thing to do. At least then, it would not have mattered if anyone listened to her father's preaching or not, because they would have been filthy rich either way. If she had just been smart and done that… then, maybe everything would have turned out different...

She leaped from one building to another, and realized she could see the high school from her new point of view. She walked along the edge of the building, staring at the distant school building as she progressed.

Mami was probably in there right now. Kyoko thought it was stupid. What's the point of going to school when you're a Magical Girl? What possible benefit could someone get from an education when they already had a job hunting witches? It didn't make sense, but very little of what Mami did ever made sense.

Then, Kyoko had an idea. She grinned and thought of all the tasty foods Mami always had stashed in her house. Without a second thought, she turned and ran the other way along the building's edge. She jumped from building to building, now carrying her bag over her shoulder and occasionally using her spear as a vaulting pole when she needed a little extra oomph to clear a landing.

She reached her goal, jumped over the building's edge and started plummeting to the streets below; her crimson hair trailing behind her like a flag. In mid air her hand reached out and grabbed the ninth floor balcony - instantly stopping her descent. She then swung back and forth for a moment to get enough momentum to thrust herself onto the level immediately below. As she landed, she morphed out of her Magical Girl attire and into her street clothes, the only thing that remained was the duffle bag she now had slung over her shoulder.

She went to the door that she knew was Mami's and tested the handle.

Locked, of course.

Kyoko took a quick look around and then unzipped a pocket on her duffle bag to pull out a switchblade. She flipped it open and stuck its blade right around where the lock should be. If she was lucky and it was not dead bolted she should be able to just pry it open. She pulled the knife to the side, and pushed out on the handle. Then with a powerful thrust, and the quick cracking of split wood, the door suddenly snapped open.

"Easy," she said to herself, as she closed the knife and returned it to its place in her bag.

IV

"You can feel free to make yourself at home." Homura said, gesturing around the room. "I don't want you to feel like a prisoner here, although I can not let you leave."

Madoka sighed and spoke under her breath, "Isn't that basically what a prisoner is?"

"Sorry, what was that?" Homura asked, having honestly not heard what Madoka said.

"Oh, nothing," she sighed and looked around amiably. She supposed things could be worse. Homura could have just locked her up in a basement somewhere.

Madoka looked over to the front door. It did not appear to be locked, but even if she made a dash for it how far could she actually get? Until she came up with a way around Homura's power there wasn't much she could do, so she just had to bide her time for now.

Homura must have noticed her looking at the door because she said, "It can be unlocked from the inside, but that is the one thing that is off limits to you." Then, she quickly changed the subject, "Are you hungry?"

Hungry? She was starving! At the mere mention of food she put a hand over her growling stomach and nodded.

"Alright, what do you want? I could make pancakes, eggs, bacon, or maybe a breakfast sandwich?"

"Bacon and eggs sounds good."

Homura nodded and got to work on it. Madoka stood about awkwardly for a moment then looked over to the TV. She was about to ask Homura if it was okay to turn it on, but stopped herself.

Anyway she looked at it, Homura was her captor and she was a captive. Therefore, it was natural to feel permission was needed before she did anything. She wanted to stop those impulses, though. She didn't have any solid plans yet, but she knew she had to take control. That is the conclusion she came to while lying on the bed, waiting for Homura to finish showering. It would not be easy for her, because it wasn't in her nature to be a controlling person, but she thought it had to be done. This first small step of turning on the TV would be the first part of it.

She reached for the remote, but then stopped and thought about it before taking it. On the other hand, would it not be more beneficial for Homura to think she wouldn't do anything without asking first? Maybe that would make Homura comfortable and stop paying close attention to her. It could eventually cause her to let her guard down.

She didn't know which was the better way to go. She also realized how stupid it was to put this much thought into whether or not she should pick up a TV remote!

"Homura, is it ok if I watch TV?" She finally asked, simultaneously kicking herself on the inside and also praising her own cleverness!

Homura looked up from what she was doing and said, "Of course. Like I said, make yourself at home."

Madoka sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. She flipped through, watching one channel for a few seconds then switching to another. She stopped on a certain cartoon the longest, then kept browsing. This went on for a while until she came across something that forced her to stop.

"As of right now there are no leads on what could have happened to the missing Mitakihara Middle School student, Madoka Kaname, shown above. If you have seen her or have any information of her whereabouts please contact the number below.

In other news: Do you know what's in your soup? Well, a Mitakihara Elder Care resident got a pleasant surprise when she..."

Homura could feel Madoka's tension all the way from the kitchen. She walked away from the stove, although it already had eggs and bacon cooking on the frying pan, and went to talk to her. Madoka was just staring at the television with a blank, distant expression in her eyes.

"Madoka?"

"What is it?" Madoka asked, as she turned. It was clear she was hiding some sadness. Her voice was just a little too soft, and her lips just a little to tense.

"Are you okay?" Homura wanted to sound comforting, but her natural monotone ways betrayed her.

"Fine. It's natural, right?" Madoka asked, "When people go missing there are news reports... but, it just made me think. I was thinking my parents must be so worried right now."

"If you like, you can write them a letter." That suggestion seemed to cheer Madoka up at least a little bit.

"Really?"

"It's not a problem, I'll grab some paper next time I get a chance to go out…" She glanced over to the kitchen. "The eggs are burning." Then she turned away and went back to tending the oven.


-Atomyst

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