I
"Hey Mrs. K. Sorry… I was just…" Sayaka stammered through her speaking, and scratched at the back of her head as she stood in the doorway. There was guilt written all over her face. Junko had only vague suspicions before, but now she knew for sure: Sayaka was hiding something!
"Just how much do you know about what's going on with Madoka?" Junko said, putting as stern of a tone to her voice as she could, and crossing her arms. She knew Sayaka almost as well as her own daughter, and therefore knew the best way to squeeze the truth out of her was to put her under a little pressure. Sayaka was a good kid, they both were, and Junko rarely had to play the strict parent, but she knew how to do it when it was necessary.
"What? N-nothing! Really!" Sayaka insisted, with a defensive tone to her voice. "W-why would you think that?"
"Because you have been a complete ghost since Madoka has gone missing. I've known you long enough to know under normal circumstances you would be calling the house every twenty minutes the second you heard Madoka didn't make it back on time. It's been two days now without a single word."
Sayaka eyes shifted down, "I've… just been busy." She spoke with clear guilt in her voice. Junko didn't know what Sayaka knew, but it was clear as day that she was trying to hide something. "Of course I'm worried that Madoka is missing… I just…"
"So where were you these last two days? I've even tried calling the house but never got an answer."
"Well… With a friend… I um..."
Junko felt bad, she hated to be so strict with Sayaka. Regardless of how much Sayaka did or didn't know, whatever was going on was clearly tearing her up. She could also tell Sayaka really wanted to just come out and be honest about whatever it was she was hiding.
"Sayaka…" Junko said, softening her tone and letting the harsh expression drop away from her face. "I can tell you're hiding something… if it has something to do with Madoka I need to know. Whatever it is, it's okay. I know you're a good kid, and I won't be mad."
Sayaka's eyes shifted, and she let out a long breath. Junko could tell that was it, and Sayaka was finally giving in and she was going to say whatever was on her mind. Just as Sayaka opened her mouth to speak, another voice came from inside the house.
"It's as Sayaka said." Junko hadn't noticed the other girl who was waiting nearby in the living room. She now came forth and stood by Sayaka's side. "Sayaka had been staying with me the last couple days," the girl explained, then bowed her head politely. "My name is Mami Tomoe. You must be Madoka's mother."
"Oh… yes, Junko Kaname," Junko said. "And you know Madoka? I don't think she has ever mentioned you before."
"No, we've never actually met, but Sayaka told me so much about her… I'm very sorry to hear that she has gone missing, from what Sayaka told me she sounds like a really nice girl."
"Yeah… she is," Junko said with a sigh, as she looked over the two girls standing in the doorway. Junko now had a theory that would fully explain why Sayaka had been so aloof over the last few days. "So you really don't have any idea what's going on with Madoka?" Junko asked, with an almost apologetic tone to her voice.
Sayaka nodded.
"Sorry to have questioned you like that…" Junko said. "It's just… I don't know, I think part of me was hoping you did know something." Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. "And sorry, I should have shown this to you first. It's a letter from Madoka."
"From Madoka!?" Sayaka said, suddenly jumping out of her uneasy hunched over posture, and taking the paper from Junko. She quickly unfolded the paper and held it in front of her face. Her head slowly rocked back and forth as she read. When she was done, she lowered it, and became lost in deep thought. "Well… she says she's not hurt… but…" Her eyes sunk away.
Junko nodded her agreement, and for a moment no one seemed to know what to say.
"Um, maybe we could all sit down and discuss this?" Mami offered, "It's probably better than standing here on the porch. I could make some tea."
"Yeah," Sayaka agreed, "Would you like to come in, Mrs. Kaname?"
"Sure, and honestly tea sounds really good right about now."
II
Madoka could hear pots banging around in the kitchen, right on the other side of the wall. She slunk down deeper into the bath water until it covered her mouth and blew out, creating bubbles. She's cooking dinner for me again.
For some reason, Homura being nice to her frustrated her even more than when Homura was being mean. At least in those cases she could allow herself to feel angry at the girl who snatched her up from her normal life and has been holding her captive.
Madoka lifted her hand out of the water to look at her wrist. The top layer of her skin had been rubbed away from struggling against the ropes. It wasn't deep enough to bleed, but it stung when it was submerged under the water, and the injury was quite clearly visible if she didn't keep it covered. Homura hadn't noticed it, because Madoka was trying to hide it from her, and that was the reason she had not allowed Homura to help untie that wrist from the bedpost. She just could not stand having to look at that apologetic expression on Homura's face. She was too angry to deal with it right now.
What am I going to do? She wondered, as she tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling. She let her head submerge until only her face was over the water's surface and her ears filled with water. Like this, she couldn't quite hear what Homura was doing, but she could very subtly feel the vibrations of her movements. I want to go home…
Now wouldn't be a bad time to try to sneak away, she realized. Homura was busy in the kitchen, and the front door of the apartment was right by the bathroom door. She could move very carefully, and get dressed, then sneak out. If she could just make it out onto the city streets, and get lost in the crowd, Homura would have a hard time finding her right away. Then, she would just have to be careful about where she went and avoid anywhere Homura might think to look for her. She couldn't risk going to the police, because Homura would certainly think to look there, and thanks to her time stopping capability not even the police could protect her. Homura also apparently knew almost everything about her, so that meant she couldn't go to any friends or family either...
...Then… what would even be the point of escaping under those conditions? She didn't have the ability to take care of herself, and Homura would eventually end up finding her again anyway.
Her face sunk down even lower into the tub until her nose was submerged, and her eyes just barely remained above the surface of the water.
I could hurt myself, she thought…
She instantly shook that idea out of her head. The initial impression of it was to force Homura to take her to a hospital, but that was just too scary and she didn't have any idea how she could pull it off. She doubted she would have the force of will to bring harm to herself in the first place, so if she did come up with something she would just chicken out. Not to mention she didn't even know if Homura's healing ability could be used on other people… Even if it couldn't, there was the possibility Homura would not take her to the hospital at all even if she needed it. She really was quite adamant about keeping her locked up in here, after all.
She scooted back until she was sitting up in the tub again, then folded her knees up into her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She just stared down into the water, watching a very foggy reflection of her own face waving around on the water's surface.
How much did she really know about Homura? Homura claimed that she cared about her, but did Madoka really have any reason to believe that was true? All Madoka could really say about Homura's treatment of her is that she hasn't been that bad. Still, not that bad is still pretty bad considering how much time she had spent tied to a bed over the last few days. Not to mention the dog collar, and Homura hurting her arms when she wouldn't cooperate last night. Actually, thinking about all those things at once, it really was THAT bad.
No, I'm not being fair...
If she did get hurt, Homura would definitely do anything she could to help her. There were many things wrong with Homura, and how she would treat her, but there is one underlying truth behind all of that which Madoka could not deny: Homura truly did care for her.
What do I do? What do I do? she thought, staring at her foggy reflection, and felt her thoughts coming full circle. She couldn't escape, and she couldn't stay.
Why can't I just stay?
She tried to escape before, and when she did Homura treated her badly… but was it really that bad? Since her goal was to keep Madoka here, of course she had to come looking for her, and Madoka didn't exactly come along willingly again… so, didn't that mean Homura had to get a little forceful? Homura said herself, if she would just cooperate, things would be more comfortable and she would allow her more freedom... but… that kind of logic just wasn't right… was it?...
Why can't I stay?...
Because I miss my friends and my family. Because I'm missing school and I'm going to fall behind. Because Mama and Papa are so worried, and poor little Tatsuya probably doesn't understand what's going on, but at least knows his big sister has disappeared somewhere. Because Sayaka is in trouble. And also because... I'm scared...
Madoka lifted her head up, and listened. She could still hear Homura banging around in the kitchen. "I'm afraid," she declared to herself, in a very small voice, and revisited the beginning of this train of thought. How well did she really know Homura?
She thought about what happened before Homura left today. The memory made Madoka's face feel hot, and she sank back into the water again. Homura tried to kiss her. Shouldn't that make her worried? Well, she did stop when Madoka told her to, and that look on her face was just really sad. Madoka ended up feeling really sorry for her, but then she was left on the bed all day, long past the time Homura said she would be back, and Madoka's anger ended up coming back. Homura did look pretty guilty about it, though...
No! You should be angry! she told herself. Everything about this is wrong! You shouldn't feel sorry for the person who kidnapped you!
She got out of the tub, being very slow with her movements as she reached for the towel and started drying herself off.
I need to get out of this, she thought again, trying to strengthen her resolve. I can't just stay here like this! This isn't right! I need to get out of this somehow.
She could still hear Homura making a good amount of noise in the kitchen. She finished drying her body and started putting her clothes on.
She didn't drain the tub, and once fully dressed she stood with her hand on the doorknob. It's so close, if she thinks I'm still in the bath I can get far away before she notices I'm gone.
She pushed one hand against the door, and the other slowly turned the knob. When the door started pushing open, she could feel her heart racing. She opened it just enough to step out, and didn't bother with closing it again. She glanced over her shoulder, and could see Homura's shadow cast over the bar. She's still cooking… she doesn't expect anything.
Her shoes were still in the bedroom, so she would have to continue barefoot. That's something she hadn't considered when she first thought up this plan. Going about barefoot might draw some attention to herself, but she didn't have a choice and she would just hope to find a place to hide out for a while. Homura's powers were impressive, but she was only one person in a big city. The longer she hid, the colder her trail would get, and the harder it would be for Homura to find her again.
She tiptoed to the front the door, which was just a few paces away. The chain lock was drawn, so her hand lifted up to it very carefully.
It's going to make noise, she thought. The metal against metal would be impossible to stifle completely, however, Homura was making enough noise herself it would be hard for her to pick up on such a small sound.
Madoka's hand was visibly shaking as her thumb and pointer finger closed on the tiny metal ball. Her heart raced like it never had before. The last time she escaped didn't have this same nerve wracking effect on her. Perhaps it's the added pressure of needing to be completely silent?
Come on, just this one thing, then I'll be able to make it!
If she made it out to the hall, she'd be able to just make a run for it. Hopefully, it would be awhile before Homura realized she was gone, and she would just have to be careful not to go anywhere that Homura would think to look for her.
If I even make it that far…
She winced as she slid the little metal bead and it scraped against its holder.
Suddenly, Homura stopped moving, and all that could be heard was the sizzling of the frying pan. Madoka froze, holding her breath because she thought even that would be loud enough for Homura to hear. The chain lock was now undone, but Madoka still held it, too afraid to move. Her heart felt like it was going to thump right out of her chest.
Then she heard footsteps. Run! Just run! she told herself. Just do it!
Then the tension snapped when she heard Homura's dry emotionless voice. "Madoka. Stop."
Her head slumped down and her arms fell to her sides. She didn't have to look back to know that Homura was standing right behind her. She'd been caught.
"Can you blame me?" Madoka said with a surprisingly steady voice. She just stared at the door. It was unlocked now and she really could just make a run for it, however, she already knew that she would not get far at all before Homura started dragging her back, so it was pointless.
Homura walked over to her, but Madoka refused to look at her, even as Homura's hand reached into her field of vision, grabbed the chain link, and refastened it - locking the door once again. "Of course I don't blame you," said Homura. She tried to look at Madoka's face, but Madoka looked away. Homura just turned around and started walking back to the kitchen. "Dinner is ready. Come sit down."
Madoka turned around, and started looking around the room. She had been so quiet! How did she get caught? When she couldn't see anything like a mirror that Homura might have been able to see she asked, "How did you know?"
Homura pointed over to the TV set that sat against the wall opposite of the kitchen bar. "There's a reflection. I didn't plan on that, I just happened to notice while I was cooking that I could see the front door through it."
Madoka frowned. "I see..."
"Are you okay?" Homura asked, with a slight turn of her head.
"Do you have to ask?" Madoka said, still refusing to look at her.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize."
III
Sayaka and Junko went to sit at the dining room table while Mami went into the kitchen and started getting the tea ready. She would occasionally pop her head out and ask where to find something.
"So, you stayed at Mami's house the last couple of days?" Junko asked again, after the blonde receded back into the kitchen.
"Oh, yeah."
Junko raised her voice a little so Mami could hear her. "And your parents were alright with that?"
"Actually, I live alone," Mami called back, as she filled the kettle and put it on the stove. Then she came back out into the dining room to let it boil. She had a doleful smile on her face as she explained. "My parents passed away a couple years ago in an accident, and I've lived alone in my own apartment ever since."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," said Junko.
Mami nodded, accepting the consolation. "Thank you, it hasn't always been easy but I've been getting along just fine." She then opted for a change topic, "So how do you take your tea?"
"One cream, one sugar," Junko said, then her hand asked for the letter back from Sayaka, who just finished reading it for the third or fourth time. Sayaka slid it over to her and she read over it again herself. "I just don't understand what's going on here… I don't think she was forced to write it this way, the way things are worded sounds like Madoka… but…" Junko put her hand over her face and shook her head. A cute young girl like Madoka… she couldn't help that worst case scenario from coming to her mind.
"She said she might call later…" Sayaka offered.
Junko nodded, but it did little to relieve her stress. Although, if she could actually hear her daughter's voice it would give her a much better idea of the situation.
"Just try to stay positive," Mami said, stepping back out of the kitchen. "She said she isn't being hurt, so have faith that things will work out." She put a hand on Sayaka's shoulder from behind. "As I said to Sayaka, this might all be over before we even know it."
Junko managed to give a half-hearted smile at that. Mami seemed like a really kind girl, and Junko once again found herself curious about her relationship with Sayaka. For only just meeting, they did seem rather close. Then she took note of the new earing Sayaka had been wearing. It was a blue gem in the shape of a teardrop hanging from her ear. "That's a pretty earring Sayaka, I don't think I've seen it before. Where did you get it?"
"This?" Sayaka said, putting a hand to it, suddenly with a bit of blush creeping onto her face. "Well… well I um…" Junko raised an eyebrow, as Sayaka seemed to start reaching for an answer. "Um… well, Mami gave it to me." She nodded. "Yup, I got it from Mami." She then smiled a tad awkwardly.
"I'm surprised by how close the two of you are," Junko said. "How long have you known each other?"
"Um… well, just a few days," Sayaka said.
"I see," Junko smiled, a bit inquisitively. "Despite that, you act like you have been friends with each other for quite a while… A bit more than just friends, maybe?"
"Hm… well," Mami thought, "I guess you could put it like that..." Mami clasped her hands at her chest and got a far away look in her eyes. "I mean, if we do not trust each other as more than just friends and take each other's lives into our hands, our relationship couldn't last. I know it's early, and that might sound silly, but I hope our bond strengthens and we really do become those kinds of friends!"
Junko had to force herself to keep a straight face; that might have been the cutest thing she has ever heard. Mami certainly seemed to be a romantic, and she could easily see how Sayaka fell for her so quickly. "Well that's great… I'm very happy for both of you," Junko said with a smile. It also perfectly explained why Sayaka hadn't been around. She was undoubtedly distraught over Madoka's disappearance, they were practically sisters after all, but she managed to find comfort in Mami, and the situation probably acted as a catalyst for their relationship. Junko did always have a vague suspicion that Sayaka could end up with a girl; she always did have that tomboy side to her, after all.
Mami got the tea ready, and served it to them, and the three of them sat around the table and talked a little more. Junko got to know Mami a little better, and found her to be a wonderful girl. When the tea was finished, she thanked them and said that she really should be getting back home.
On her way out the door, she looked at the two of them again, as they now stood side by side. "I'm really happy the two of you managed to find each other," she said with a smile.
"Huh?" Sayaka started thinking that Junko had been acting rather strange.
"Thank you for saying so," Mami said with a smile and a bow of her head, apparently not noticing the same thing.
Junko gave Sayaka one last wink before leaving.
"Eh…" Sayaka put her hand to her chin and thought. What was that all about?...
Then she remembered Hitomi's reaction to meeting Mami earlier, and as the answer dawned on her, a deep blush suddenly hit her face. "Eh… h-hey Mami?" Sayaka asked.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Somehow… I think people are getting the wrong idea about us."
"What? How do you mean?" Mami asked with a curious tone to her voice.
"Ah… eh… well, never mind! It's nothing..."
IV
Madoka just stared at the dishes in front of her. There was a bowl of soup, and a plate with rice and fried dumplings.
Homura was on the kitchen side of the bar, going through the fridge. "What would you like to drink?" she asked. "We've got water, cola, and ice tea."
"Waters fine…" Madoka said, with a small dull tone.
Madoka lifted the spoon out of the bowl, stared at the brown liquid and the little bits of carrots and chopped celery that pooled inside it. Then she turned the spoon and let its contents drip back into the bowl.
"It's just the store bought brands," Homura explained as she set the glass of water by Madoka's plate. She sat down on the opposite side of the bar from Madoka and put a small stack of napkins between the two of them. "I know it's not much, but I hope this is alright."
Alright? Of course this isn't alright!
Madoka frowned, letting the spoon go and instead picking up the fork and moving her rice around with it. She was hungry, really hungry in fact, and the smell of the food in front of her caused her mouth to water and her stomach to cry out for a bite. She didn't want to eat it, though. She was supposed to be mad at Homura, and somehow she felt like accepting any hospitality from her captor would contradict that.
"No… this is fine. Thank you," Madoka said, despite herself, and instantly started kicking herself on the inside. Homura gave a small smile then started eating herself. Madoka picked up a fork full of rice, and let it hover above the plate for a moment, debating with herself if she should eat it. She ended up setting it down and sitting back, now just staring at the plate.
Homura looked up, paused for a moment, and asked, "Are you going to eat?" Madoka's frown deepened, but she didn't respond. Homura set her own fork down. Madoka could feel Homura's eyes on her, but refused to look back up. Homura seemed to think it over, and try to choose her words carefully, but as usual her tactlessness betrayed her. "Are you going to do this every time?"
Madoka then practically kicked her chair out from under herself and stood up, then started marching around the bar.
"Madoka?" Homura asked, as her head turned, watching Madoka come around to the kitchen side. Madoka walked right past her, and now Homura was fully turned around in her chair and watched as Madoka threw open the cabinets and started looking through. "Um… do you need something?" Homura asked.
"I'm looking for something to eat!" Madoka stated, with an uncharacteristic level of assertion in her voice.
Homura glanced over to the plate she made for Madoka. "Is there something wrong with this?"
"No…" Madoka said, moving a bag of sugar to the side and standing on her toes so she could look deeper inside. "The only problem is you! I can't leave, and I guess I have no choice but to accept that. But that doesn't mean I have to accept YOU!"
Upon saying those words, and noticing Homura's shoulders slump down through her peripheral vision, Madoka instantly felt a sinking in her own heart. What she just said was terribly mean, she knew that, and she said it purposely to hurt Homura. She knew that it would work, and it did, and she already wished that she could take it back. After all, despite the situation they met under, and how Homura had treated her, Madoka knew that Homura cared for her.
When Madoka was tied to the bed earlier that day, with Homura leaning over her… she got a glimpse at Homura's feelings… After seeing that, and now saying something so mean, she knew that she had just done a rather cruel thing. Homura's silence now made it worse. She wished Homura would say something, even if it was something aggressive and commanding… just anything. Because the silence itself was a painful thing to listen to.
Madoka lowered down from her tiptoes and reached over to another cabinet, when Homura said her name. "Madoka."
"What," Madoka said back, not looking at her, and trying not to show any of the guilt she felt.
Homura stood up. "Your… your wrist."
Madoka flinched and quickly drew her hand back to her chest. She had a long sleeve shirt on which normally hid the rope burn, but when she reached up to the cabinet the sleeve must have pulled back enough for Homura to see it. Madoka quickly used her other hand to pull it back up and hide the injury. "It's… it's nothing," Madoka said in a small voice.
Homura walked over to her, but Madoka turned her shoulder away, still trying to hide the injury by burrowing it against her chest. "It's not nothing," Homura said. "Please… let me see it."
Homura reached for it, but Madoka made a point of trying to turn away from her again. Homura forced the issue, and grabbed her by her forearm with a firm grip, but guided it over to herself as gently as she could. Homura used her free hand to roll the sleeve back down so she could examine the wound. Madoka kept her head turned away, with a defiant look in her eyes, while Homura studied it.
"You should have said something," Homura said. "It's not deep, but that doesn't mean it couldn't get infected." Homura set her hand over the wound. Touching it caused Madoka to wince a little and try to flinch away, but before she could, she noticed a bright light coming from under Homura's palm. Madoka simply watched through the corner of her eye at first, still with that defiant curve to her lips, but she ended up turning her head more fully, and starring in fascination.
She felt warmth come over her. There had been a slow throbbing around her wrist all day, but the warmth now surrounded it and soothed the pain away. Some of the light slipped through the cracks between Homura's fingers and shot up in thin rays, but most of it came from under her palm and spilled over Madoka's wrist. It was really pretty to look at, the light was mostly white but would flash between all different colors of the rainbow very quickly.
When the light disappeared again, and Homura lifted her hand away, Madoka's wrist was completely healed as if nothing was ever there. Madoka looked at it with wide eyes, momentarily lost in wonderment.
She felt a 'thank you' on the tip of her tongue, but bit it back, trying to remind herself that she shouldn't be showing any gratitude to the girl who kidnapped her. Despite the ingrained part of her character that told her it was wrong not to thank someone who had done something for her.
"It's my fault..." Homura said. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I… don't ever want that… but..." Her voice trailed off, it seemed she had more she wanted to say, but either stopped herself or didn't know how to word it. She turned around and walked back to the bar.
Madoka turned her wrist to look at it from all angles, verifying that it really had completely healed. "Well…" her voice was small, "It's not your fault… I mean, technically I did it to myself… and it's okay now, so…"
Homura stood over the bar, looking at the two plates of food. "I don't know what you want, but I want this situation to be better for you… If you would like to start cooking your own food, that is fine." Her voice was steady, low and toneless. "You are welcome to anything you find in the fridge… if you like, you can make a list for me and I'll go buy anything else you need. You can… feel free to cook for yourself from now on."
Homura's voice always had a rather toneless quality to it, but as Madoka watched her, staring down at the two plates of food she had made, Madoka started to realize something. That voice of hers, it was hard to put into specific words, but it's like she was exhausted. An emotional exhaustion, the voice of someone who had faced so many hardships for so long that she eventually just let herself become numb.
Madoka looked at her wrist again, thinking about the power that had healed it. "Hey, Homura? This magic… if I were to make a contract I would have magic like that too, right?"
Homura looked back at her through the corner of one eye, a darkness suddenly coming over her.
"W-what I mean is…" Madoka stammered. "If I did, th-then I would also have to fight witches, right?"
"That's correct," Homura said.
Madoka thought back to when they were in that labyrinth. She remembered how Homura got hurt protecting her. "In… another timeline, I really used to fight those things."
"Yes. That is the fate that I want to save you from."
Homura claimed to have relived this timeline many times. Madoka didn't have the full scope of what led to their current situation, but taking a step back, and really looking at it, Madoka could see how desperate all of this was. It was scary, and she wanted to go home, but despite everything that had happened she could at least see that desperation in Homura, and find it in herself to pity her for it. Even if she could only imagine what must have led to it.
"I'm…" Then there was that mean thing she had said to Homura just a moment ago. It was still out there. "I'm…" She felt bad about it, but she couldn't bring herself to apologize. There was the simple fact that if she thought she could get away, she would. Therefore, she was being held here against her will, and it was this tall dark girl who was keeping her here.
This girl would give her portions of the truth, but never the whole thing. This girl was keeping her from her friends and family, would tie her up so she couldn't escape, drag her back if she did escape, and threatened to punish her if she didn't cooperate. Madoka couldn't apologize for the way she felt, even if she didn't hate Homura, the truth is she wasn't sorry and therefore she could not apologize.
"I mean… it's... okay…" Madoka said.
Homura didn't seem to understand.
Madoka tried her best to give her a smile, although it was a weak attempt. "I mean, I'll eat what you made... It's fine, really. And thank you."
Homura just stood there for a moment, and Madoka wondered if what she had said made sense to her, but Homura eventually returned a weak smile and sat down.
As Madoka walked back around the bar to take her seat, she said, "A-and next time I'll cook for you, okay? I mean, there isn't much else I can do here so it will at least give me something to keep myself busy."
Homura's smile became somewhat stronger and she said, "Thank you. That would be nice."
They didn't speak much through dinner. Sometimes Madoka could let the depth of her current situation slip away from her mind. In those few brief moments, when it failed to be at the front of her thoughts, she almost felt like she could be friends with Homura and think of something nice to say. However, the realization would dawn back on her that she might not see her family and friends ever again, or at least not for a very long time. Then a pang of anxiety would hit her heart and suddenly she could not bear to even look at the raven haired girl who sat across from her.
Her thoughts were mixed up, and she spent more energy trying to keep them away than actually confronting them. Trying to work them out was just too complicated right now. It had been that way ever since seeing the witch's labyrinth, and realizing that although she was this girl's prisoner, she was also being protected by her.
When they finished eating, Homura took the plates to the kitchen sink to wash them.
"Um… I'm going to go brush my teeth now, okay?" Madoka said.
Homura glanced over to her. "I told you. You can feel free to move about the room as you like. I just don't want you touching the front door, alright?"
Madoka frowned, once again feeling a little bit of defiance toward the commanding tone, but ultimately accepting it. "Okay."
She went to the bathroom, and realized that the bathtub still hadn't been drained. She didn't drain it earlier because she was trying to sneak out. She stared at the foggy water for a moment, then walked over to it, rolled up her sleeve, and reached in to pull the plug. She ended up watching as the water level receded lower and lower. She became somewhat hypnotised by the tiny whirlpool that formed near the drain. When it finished, it gave one last spit as the last of the water disappeared. Madoka blinked and had to force herself to pull her attention away from it.
She turned back to the mirror so she could brush her teeth. When she saw herself in the mirror, she ended up staring at the pink haired girl who stood there behind the glass, just staring back at her. She looked the same, but somehow different. Maybe it was something as simple as being in a different bathroom, as opposed to the bathroom in her own home that she was used to seeing herself in every day.
Somehow, she knew it was actually much deeper than that. The girl she knew herself to be was disappearing, or at least, becoming less familiar to her. The difference was obvious once she thought of it… that girl she used to know wasn't a prisoner, and this one was.
-Atomyst
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