I
Over the last week and a half Junko had spent very little time at work. She went to the office a few times to handle some extra-sensitive processes the company really needed her for, and she would also take a few calls here and there, but other than that most of her focus had been on doing anything she could to find her daughter. Her co-workers understood her current family crisis and no one had a problem with the time she was taking off. In fact, the company even put a fund together to help her pay for the private detective she hired, despite her insisting they did not need to do that.
Until yesterday the only progress the investigation was able to make was the letter Madoka sent nearly a week ago. Yesterday, something else finally happened though. She received two more letters; one from her daughter and one from someone else… the kidnapper.
The letters were left in her mailbox but the detective failed to capture footage of the kidnapper making the drop. When it came to light that he had somehow missed it Junko fired him on the spot in a moment of blind fury. In hindsight, and after fastforwarding through what footage he did have several times, she thought maybe that was unfair and she would give him a call to rehire him later. She had originally thought that he simply was lying about filming all day and missed the moment it happened, but when every second of the day was accounted for through his footage Junko realized this was not the case.
Right now she was standing in the spot he had been staking out, watching her own house and trying to figure out how the letter could have possibly gotten into her mailbox without him seeing. The police already questioned the mailman, as he instantly became a suspect for the simple reason he was the only person caught on film going anywhere near the mailbox, but the police were not able to make any connections other than that.
The police likewise questioned the detective himself, of course, but since Junko was the one to make initial contact to hire him it would be too huge of a coincidence that he was involved in the very same kidnapping she hired him to investigate.
Either way, Junko did not believe the mailman or the detective could possibly be the kidnapper. The true culprit simply found some way of getting the letter in the mailbox unseen… but how? She stood there, racking her brain, trying to figure it out. It seemed impossible.
She took the kidnappers letter from her pocket and read it. Right now she was the only person to know of its existence as within the letter there was a stern warning not to tell anyone else about it.
Junko Kaname,
I would like to start by assuring you that your daughter is truthful in her own letters when she says she is unharmed. These words will do little to settle you, I am sure, but perhaps getting to personally speak to her will. I am writing this letter to arrange a phone call between you and your daughter.
First, you must understand that any attempts to unveil her location or my identity will result in me never allowing such contact again.
This includes:
-Forwarding this letter to the police.
-Telling anyone (including your husband) about this letter.
-Recording the phone call or attempting to have it traced.
-Asking Madoka questions that may help you deduce her location or my identity.
I hope that you understand this. It is a risk for me to try and set this up, but I am doing it for Madoka's sake because I know how much it would mean to her to get to speak to you. Don't make me regret it. I would like for this to happen more often as well, as I know it will be good for Madoka, so please do not do anything foolish that forces me to never take this risk again.
I will be calling a payphone that is located outside the Mitakihara Theater at 05:00pm tomorrow. On the back of this note I will draw a map to identify which one. I will allow Madoka to call that number using a disposable phone which I will then get rid of soon after your call. Again, do not attempt to have the call traced. If I find out, I will never allow Madoka to contact you again. You have been warned.
Lastly, I would like you to understand that my detainment of Madoka is a form of protective custody. Perhaps she will like to explain the situation to you herself when the two of you speak, but to put it simply I wish Madoka no harm and am only doing this to help her. It will be hard for you to believe, but that is the truth.
She had gone back and forth in her own head ever since receiving the letter, thinking whether to tell anyone about it or not. She did forward Madoka's letter to the police, but the one from the kidnapper she kept secret. The idea that the kidnapper would allow more than just this one phone call was the main thing that stopped her. If the kidnapper got paranoid and never gave her this chance again then Junko would lose the opportunity to speak to her daughter and that scared her more than anything.
Besides, with more phone calls there would be more opportunities and perhaps in time she would be able to gather some clues on her own. Whether through contact with the kidnapper himself or hints given to her by Madoka.
Junko walked back towards her house and stopped in front of the mailbox. From this angle she looked up and down the street, still trying to figure out how the letters got in there in the first place. She eventually opened the front and looked inside, but that did nothing to help her.
The kidnapper's letter claimed the kidnapping was a form of protective custody, to keep Madoka safe. Safe from what? That was probably a big clue right there, and she tried to think of anyone who stood out. It implied a few things, at least. It implied that the kidnapper does indeed know Madoka, and it is unlikely that it was a random kidnapping. What was more concerning about that is that it also implied that the kidnapper was not mentally stable. What could Madoka possibly need protection from? The term protective custody also proved that the kidnapper saw himself as some kind of authority, as if he had the right to make that choice on his own.
Junko knew that whoever this kidnapper was, his actions were not based on sound reasoning. She did feel mildly reassured that both Madoka and the kidnapper's letters made a point of saying Madoka was not hurt, but she would feel much better once she actually spoke to her daughter, and even more reassured once this sick bastard who had taken her away was brought to justice and she could physically hold her daughter in her arms again.
She checked her wristwatch then looked at her car. The letter said the call would not be made for quite a while, it was currently only eight in the morning, but she got in her car anyway. She wanted to do some driving around, so she could think, and try to come up with a plan.
She figured she would not push any information out of Madoka with this first phone call, she couldn't risk not getting another one and there is no doubt the kidnapper would be listening, so she'd have to be careful. For now, she would be happy enough just to hear her baby's voice, and reassure her daughter that everything was going to be alright.
II
Madoka was already half awake when she heard Homura come into the room. Her eyes had not quite opened yet, but her mind was fully lucid. She peeked through her eyelashes, letting her eyes adjust to the light as she watched Homura walk over to the nightstand where she kept the key to the handcuffs.
"Did you sleep well?" Homura asked. Madoka nodded her head and pushed her wrists towards Homura so she could insert the key and undo the chains. Lately Homura had only been cuffing her hands at night, though whenever she would have to actually leave the hotel room she would restrain Madoka's feet as well.
Madoka got up from the bed as soon as she was free and started stretching out her body and rubbing her wrists. "So when can I call my mom?" she asked.
"Not for a little while. I told her to be at the payphone at five in the afternoon."
"Oh… that late?" Madoka seemed disappointed by that but forced a half hearted smile anyway. "Well, okay then."
Homura started walking back to the kitchen so she could get started on breakfast. Madoka followed her and took a seat on the kitchen side of the bar. Homura started rummaging through the cabinets for pans and ingredients when Madoka asked, "Why so late?"
Homura paused, thought for a moment, then answered, "No particular reason. I simply picked a time. I thought later might be better. After work hours."
"Oh… I see." Madoka then fell into some deep contemplation. Would her mother have still been going to work? she wondered. She supposed she probably would have to; her job was important, after all.
She started thinking about school as well. Classes would not have stopped either. There would simply be an empty desk next to Sayaka where she used to sit, but otherwise the world would just keep chugging along like it always did... just without her being a part of it.
Three years… That is how long Homura told her she would be keeping her like this.
Madoka glanced over to Homura as she continued working on cooking breakfast. No, she had actually said three years at least. That meant it could be even longer. Even just three years was enough time for the whole world she once knew to change. Tatsuya will be in school by then, all her friends will be in their last years of high school, and who knows what else. Eventually, everyone would start to forget about her and just move on with their lives. Thinking about that made her more afraid than anything else.
She continued staring at Homura. Everybody's lives would be changing, but she would just be stuck here (or wherever else Homura decided to take her) with no one in her life but this one girl. She wanted to hate her for it, she really did. But somehow, it was just not in her. She had mixed feelings towards Homura in spite of everything, and outright hate was not part of it.
"I'm going to take a shower, okay?" Madoka asked.
Homura looked up from the cutting board and nodded her head.
On the way to the bathroom Madoka stopped at the front door. Homura had a combination lock installed over it so the option of quickly bolting out into the hallway was no longer available to her. It was pointless anyway, she already knew. Even if she escaped somehow, Homura would just take her right back.
She stared at the lock longer, looking at the numbers, wondering what kind of password Homura would come up with. Would it be a random arrangement of numbers, or something that holds significance to her?
Madoka turned away after a moment and stepped into the bathroom, realizing it was pointless to think about it. Even if she did the impossible and discovered the locks combination that still would not be enough for her to have her freedom.
In the bathroom she looked in the mirror.
Prisoner.
She shook her head, closed her eyes and sat down on top of the closed toilet seat. Things will be okay, she told herself. She was going to get to speak to her mother at least. Homura really was trying to keep her happy, she supposed, so that was at least one good thing.
Kidnappings happen all the time, and usually it is a horrible situation for the victim. She could have been one of those girls out there who was locked in a basement, barely fed any proper food, and tormented every day by their captor. At least Homura tried to be nice to her. She would buy her anything she asked for (or steal it) and although Madoka had to spend a lot of time tied up and restriction of motion Homura at least tried to make her comfortable when she had to be like that.
She put her hands over her face, and rubbed some of the grogginess out of her eyes. She had not been thinking these kinds of thoughts recently. Why was she doing it now? She supposed knowing that she would be speaking to her mother soon had her looking at her situation in a more analytical way again, so she could try to explain that she really was okay and though she hated being kept away from everyone she at least wasn't being treated poorly. She thought if she could make her mother believe that it would at least calm her nerves… even if there was a chance that it was not completely true…
She sighed, stood up, and then started stripping off her clothes. She took note of how there were no longer any rope marks on her wrists. The fuzzy handcuffs Homura had gotten for her solved that problem, at least. Before when she would look at herself and see those rope marks all over her body it made her feel really upset. So, that was another improvement of her situation… maybe things would continue to get better?
She opted for a quick shower rather than a bath this time, and when she was all done and feeling clean she put her clothes back on, wrapped her hair up in a towel and went back out to the kitchen to eat.
Homura was just putting Madoka's plate down on the bar as she came out, then looked up at her and gave a warm smile. "Perfect timing."
Madoka returned the smile and sat down.
III
Kyoko had enough magic left over to spare using it on healing her arms a little more. The rest of her body was slowly being repaired through her static healing factor, but at its current rate it would take weeks for her to be functional on her own again. She at least was able to prop herself up on one elbow now, although it was painful, and she could use her other arm to lift a fork to her mouth. Mami had made scrambled eggs and cut up an orange into bite sized pieces for her, then left the plate by her bedside.
"You not going to school today?" Kyoko asked as she swallowed and then concentrated on using the side of the fork to cut another bite-sized piece of egg. Her hand was shaking as she repositioned it to poke through the piece she cut away, then her face tensed in pain as she rose it up to her mouth.
"I can afford to take some time off, at least until you are healed enough to move around the apartment on your own. Luckily, it's friday so we have at least another two days for you to improve."
"I've just barely got my arms moving, and that took a lot of help from magic. It's going to be more than just a few days before my legs are good enough for me to stand."
"Well, we'll see how things go. I can claim to have a health problem and my teachers should allow me to make up my work."
"I don't get what the point of school is anyway. You're a Magical Girl, it seems like a waste of time when you already got a job fighting witches." Kyoko grunted as she cleaned the fork and then let her arm fall limp again. She grimaced as she chewed and swallowed.
Mami started to get up, feeling an urge to give her a hand. "I-I really wish you would let me help you with that."
"You've done enough. Too much, really." Kyoko eyed the plate, as if strategically planning how to obtain her next bite. "Like I said, if you were smart you would have just let me die back there."
"There is no way I could do that."
Kyoko didn't respond and put the fork down. She eyed the cup of tea Mami laid out for her and her hand shook as she reached for it. Once it was lifted off the ground her hand shook even more violently, and some of the liquid spilled over the top. She grunted, gave up, and tried to put it back down again, but both of Mami's hands then set themselves around the cup and gently helped her raise it. Kyoko's eyes darkened, looking like she wanted to complain about the assistance.
"You are going to spill it," said Mami. "At least let me help with the things you really can't do on your own for now."
Kyoko opened her mouth to say something, but gave it up. She bowed her head down to put her lips against the cup. Mami carefully tilted it towards her and allowed her to drink then helped her set it back down again. Once the cup was back in its place Kyoko's hand went back to the fork and started working on the eggs again.
"Go get me a paper and something to write with," said Kyoko as she stuffed a rather large chunk of egg into her mouth. She did it too quickly, and instantly flinched in pain and let out a gasp, spurting and losing some of the food. She paused, closed her eyes and willed the pain away. It worked to an extent, but she wouldn't raise her eyes because she did not want to see the pitying expression on Mami's face.
Mami sighed. "You don't have to be so stubborn." She reached for a napkin and cleaned up the little chunks of egg that fell out of Kyoko's mouth. "There is nothing wrong with accepting help if you need it, you know."
"Just get me something to write with."
"What for?"
When Kyoko didn't respond Mami let out another sigh and then got up to go look for the requested items and throw the soiled napkin away. She came back with a small notepad and a pen and set it near her. Kyoko poked her fork through the last of her egg, carefully brought it up to her mouth and then pushed the plate away when she was done. She reached for the notepad and Mami moved it closer to help her, then opened the pen and set it in her hand.
Kyoko started writing down directions and Mami watched curiously as she did so.
"This will lead you to my last hideout," Kyoko explained. "I left my bag there. It has some of my things as well as a couple unused GriefSeeds."
"A couple?" Mami asked with a surprised tone in her voice. Based on the fight Kyoko had with them earlier it was apparent she already had deep reserves of magic available to her. Aside from that, she had two additional GriefSeeds that were not in use? In Mami's entire career as a Magical Girl she never had a single extra GriefSeed available to her. They were a hard resource to come by and the prospect of having extras just lying around sounded impossible to her. "You have two extra seeds? How is that possible?"
"Don't act like you don't get it." Kyoko finished writing the directions and then let the pen fall from her hand. She carefully laid herself back down on the bed, her face tensing with pain until she was settled, then she simply closed her eyes and laid there. "I'm going to try and get some sleep until you get back."
"I…" Mami picked up the notepad, her eyes shifting between it and Kyoko. "I don't want to leave you here by yourself."
"If I wanted to steal anything I could have easily robbed you blind last time I was here," said Kyoko with her eyes still closed. "Not like I can move around at all, so don't worry about it."
"You know that is not what I was thinking!" Mami practically shouted at her.
Kyoko peeked her one good eye open to look at her, then closed it again. "One of those GriefSeeds is for the rookie who healed me. I don't want to owe her anything."
"Kyoko…" Mami asked carefully, her voice wavering a little. "I… I want to know why you are so cold to me." She watched Kyoko's face for a while, waiting for her to respond. Kyoko just remained completely still with her eyes closed. "Did I do something wrong?" Mami asked. "What happened two years ago… well, it was a difficult time and maybe I wasn't supportive enough but I never-"
"Stop it," Kyoko said. "I don't blame you for anything. What happened has nothing to do with you, so put your stupid guilty conscious at ease." She paused. "There is nothing you could have done differently. We are just different people with different values. So I left. Simple as that."
Mami shook her head. "The Sakura-san I used to know did not share those values with the one I see now."
"I guess it seems that way to you, but this really is who I am. Who I've always been. I used to help people just because I felt obligated to, but I still felt cheated whenever I didn't get something in return. That's the truth. It took me a while to figure out I didn't actually owe anything to anyone. I just woke up and realized I didn't really have to do it, so now I'm following what my heart really wants."
"Well what does your heart really want then?" Mami asked.
Kyoko took a while to respond, but eventually said, "I dunno, but being some self-righteous hero of justice isn't a part of it."
"Can I say something?"
"I'd rather you didn't."
Mami's eyes narrowed. "You try to act like you have things all figured out, but from where I am standing you just seem completely lost… and… I feel sorry for you." Kyoko kept her eyes closed, but her lips stiffened into a scowl. Mami stood up before she could respond and said, "I'll go get those GriefSeeds for you now." She then turned and left the room, leaving Kyoko behind.
IV
Madoka spent most of the day glancing at the clock every few minutes, then looking vaguely disappointed as if she had expected several hours to just magically disappear. She at one point looked over to Homura while she was paying attention to the TV and thought it'd be nice if she had the opposite kind of time control available to her.
Madoka tried to watch television or read some manga to pass the time, but was finding it impossible to stay focused on anything for more than a few forced minutes. She kept thinking about the call to her mom, and regretfully feeling a minor pull of anxiety as she did so. She did not understand why, and whenever she tried to self analyze the reason for it she came up empty. She eventually pinned it as mistaking excitement with anxiety and left it at that.
She really wanted to speak with her mother, she really did, but even more than simply speaking to her she just wanted to leave this hotel room and go be with her in person. Even if that could happen, what Madoka would then want even more is to actually go home and sleep in her own bed and start going back to school and return to her normal life. Getting that back really would never happen, though; if nothing else was clear to her about her situation, it was at least that.
"Madoka." Madoka's head shot up. She had been sitting at the kitchen bar and just spacing out when Homura got up and approached her. She was holding a deck of cards in her hand. "Want to play a game?"
"What game?" Madoka asked.
Homura shrugged as she took a seat. "Any game. I just thought it could be a good way to pass some time… Go fish?"
Madoka smiled, and gave her head a slight nod. Homura pulled the cards out of the pack and started shuffling them. Madoka watched the rhythmic motion of her hands as she did so. She was still rather lost in her own thoughts but was happy to have something to distract her. Playing a game probably was a good idea.
They played go fish for a while. Madoka was not keeping score but she figured they each had about an even number of wins and losses. They eventually moved on to playing more advanced card games like rummy and two-ten-jack and Homura seemed to do a lot better with those, winning the majority of the time. It's because she's smart, Madoka thought, thinking back to the day she first met Homura and how well she did solving problems in school.
Madoka did not think too much about escape anymore, at least not in the same way she did when she was first brought here. Homura didn't have any weaknesses; she was smarter than her, stronger than her, more clever and analytical, and her will to do whatever it took to keep Madoka as her captive was far stronger than Madoka's will to escape. Madoka did pinpoint that one weakness of Homura's when she tried to kiss her, and at one point she thought she could use that to her advantage, but by now she thought it was a stupid idea. Madoka was not the type of person who could play with someone's emotions like that, so it was an unrealistic plan in the first place.
Also… she looked up at Homura who was analyzing her hand of cards; that deep expression in her eyes as she thought made her seem really beautiful. Madoka did not want to hurt her. In spite of everything, she knew she would just feel terrible if she did try playing with Homura's emotions like that. Besides, it probably would not get her anywhere in the first place, so it was just a stupid desperate idea that she felt embarrassed for coming up with in the first place.
They spent the whole day playing cards, and it really did have the desired effect of helping Madoka forget about the time. Before she knew it there were just a few minutes to go and no more time for more games before the call could be made. Homura gathered all the cards, returned them to the pack, and then went into the bedroom where she had hidden the disposable phone. She set it down on the kitchen bar when she came back out and retook her seat on the opposite side from Madoka.
Madoka stared at the old fashioned flip-phone, watching the digital clock, waiting for it to click to 05:00. The feeling of anxiety she had managed to distract herself from was now coming back… what was she going to say? What would they talk about, and how long could they talk? Madoka was also bracing herself for the depression she knew she would feel once she did have to hang up the phone and say goodbye to her mother.
The clock finally clicked to the desired time she had been waiting for, and her eyes instantly shot back up to Homura's.
Ever since revealing the phone Homura had been watching it closely, as if having it out in the open and in Madoka's reach made her nervous. Her hand softly reached over and picked it up. Once she flipped it open she looked at Madoka and smiled. "Ready?" Madoka nodded her head instantly and Homura started punching the number in. "Here, just press the green button," she said as she handed it over.
Madoka took the phone, stared at the foreign number that was printed across the screen and her thumb softly hovered over the green call button.
"Just remember what we talked about," said Homura. "If questions about where you are or who you are with come up, just assure her you are okay and say you can not talk about it. You... don't need to lie to her about anything. You can be as honest as you want, just don't say anything that she could use as a clue."
"I… I understand…" Madoka said. She stared at her thumb hovering over the green button, and for some reason it felt like it was hard to push, like her thumb and the button were opposing magnets and there was a magnetic field pushing them apart. When she finally pressed it, however, it happened all at once and instantly she could hear it starting to ring. She gulped and brought the phone up to her ear.
Homura turned to the side, trying to give her a little privacy, but still keeping herself in arms length and listening to every word that would be said. If Madoka got up and started pacing around while talking to her mom, she figured she'd probably follow her.
It rang, and rang, it felt like it was taking an incredibly long time. Each pause between rings made her breath stop, and then her heart felt like it skipped a beat with the succeeding ring that followed the silence.
"Hey mom," she thought, "Mom? Mommy… H-hello mom!" She ran through how to start the call in her head, until suddenly the ringing stopped. She opened her mouth to say something but was only greeted by a dial tone.
"H-hello?" she asked in a small voice. "Hello?" There was no one on the other side. "Hello!" she asked again, feeling despair run over her. Her mom didn't pick up… She didn't pick up! "Mom!" She looked over to Homura with a panicked look in her eyes. Homura was staring back with that typical unreadable expression of hers. "Sh-she didn't pick up!" Madoka explained hurriedly.
"Try again," Homura said simply. "We will just keep trying."
Madoka nodded, hung up the phone and then seemed like she was unsure of how to get it to redial the number. Homura took it from her and did it instead, then handed it back to her once it started ringing.
She was back to listening to the ringing and feeling fearful that it is all she would get to hear from this phone. Why wasn't her mom picking up? Could it be that… Homura lied to her? She looked up at Homura with a vaguely accusing look in her eyes. Why would Homura do that, though? Was it just to manipulate her so she could pretend she at least tried to arrange a phone call? Madoka did see the letter Homura wrote, but there was no proof Homura ever actually delivered it. What if Homura had no intentions of making this phone call work? What if she never actually got to speak with any of her family again?… What if…
"Madoka! Hello? Madoka!?" came Junko's voice, practically shouting, "Madoka?"
"M-mom?"
"I'm here. Can you hear me?"
"Y-yeah, can you hear me?"
Junko sighed with relief, "Oh thank god… I… I could hear you when you called a moment ago but it seemed you couldn't hear me… a-and then you hung up…" she took a deep breath. "Are you okay, Madoka?"
"Um… y-yes, I'm fine… um…" What was she supposed to say? She had no idea where to start. "Um… I'm okay! I'm not being hurt or anything. I… just want you to know that. Um… h-how about you? Are you doing okay through all this?"
"I'm scared for you, but yes I am fine. Daddy and Tatsuya are okay too. We all miss you very much, Madoka."
Madoka's face perked up into a smile, her cheeks turning red as silent tears glassed the corners of her eyes. "I miss all of you too," she said. "I wish… um…" she trailed off. She wanted to say, I wish I could come back home, but feeling Homura's presence right over her shoulder stopped her. "I… I really wish I could see you."
Junko paused, and asked, "The kidnapper is with you right now, isn't he?"
Madoka looked to Homura and Homura nodded her head. "Yes," said Madoka.
"There is something I want to ask," said Junko. "It is not for the sake of gathering clues, it would just make me feel better. If this is too much information, don't answer. Is there just one kidnapper, or is it a group of people?"
"Um…" Madoka looked up to Homura. Homura was motionless for a while, as if considering the request, then nodded her head. "Okay… um, it's just one person. There is no one else involved."
"And you say he has not hurt you?" Junko asked.
"No! Not at all!" said Madoka instantly.
"You are being honest about that, Madoka? Don't bear this all alone just to make me feel better. I'd rather know what you are going through."
"Yes… I'm being honest… um…" Madoka looked up to Homura again, then let her eyes fall back to the top of the kitchen bar. "Um… I am eating good food every night. I have lots of books to read, movies to watch, and things like that… and… the kidnapper isn't mean to me…" ...as long as I don't try to escape and just do whatever she says.
Junko was quiet for a while, then said, "Tell the kidnapper we will pay a ransom. We have a lot of money and can give him whatever he wants. We will set it up just like this phone call. The police don't have to be involved or anything. I'll be the only one involved, and we will find a way to arrange it so I will not see his face or uncover his identity."
"Mom…" Madoka frowned, knowing that Homura had no interest in money.
"Just offer it. Tell him I have no desire to find out who he is or bring him to justice. We just want you back, Madoka, that's all. We don't care about anything else!"
"Um…" Madoka took the phone away from her ear and put her hand over it. "Sh-she wants to pay a ransom." Homura frowned and shook her head, then Madoka went back to talking to her mom. "Th-the kidnapper doesn't care about money."
"Ten million yen," said Junko. "That is what I can easily have access to right now. If I liquidate some of my investments, it could be fifty million. Tell him."
"Mom… that won't work…" said Madoka… "I…"
"Well then what does he want? Tell him to name anything. We will do anything to have you back Madoka!"
"I-its not like that," Madoka insisted in a small voice. "All she is trying to do is-" Madoka gasped and her eyes shot back up to Homura, seeing her captors eyes lower into a scowl. "I- I mean… the-the kidnapper is just um… trying to protect me." She looked at Homura with a pleading look in her eyes. She knew that Homura did not want her to reveal her gender, but it was a slip of the tongue and Madoka's eyes asked her not to be mad about it.
Homura shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's okay," which came as a pretty big relief to Madoka.
"Protect you?" Junko seemed to contemplate this for a moment, and probably also the fact that Madoka had just revealed her kidnapper was actually a girl. "Madoka, what could you possibly need protection from?"
"Well… it's hard to explain. Um… M-mom, she really does have good intentions. She means well, I mean… so… I mean… she's not a bad person."
Junko lowered her voice, "Madoka, you don't need protection from anything, you understand that, don't you?"
Madoka paused, thinking back on everything she had seen that night when she escaped. Being trapped in that cage with the horrible laughing creatures, seeing the injuries Kyoko and Homura sustained from fighting, and the magic they healed themselves with, as well as those haunting red eyes and the disturbing child-like voice of the incubator.
"It's… complicated," Madoka said, not sure how to explain that there actually was some danger. She did not want Homura to protect her in this way, but she did not want her mom to get the wrong idea and think that Homura was keeping her detained just out of cruelty. Then again, why is it that she was worried about that?
Junko had another moment of silence, and Madoka wondered what exactly she was pondering at that moment, until Junko finally said, "Do you think… I could speak to her for a moment? The kidnapper."
"What? Um…" Madoka's eyes shifted back up to Homura. "I um… I don't think she would want that."
"I just want to understand her reasons. Tell her this isn't a trick, I just want to speak to her."
"Um… well…" Madoka covered the phone with her hand and said, "Um… My mom says she wants to talk to you. She said to tell you it isn't a trick, she just wants to understand your reasons."
Homura sighed, her eyes falling over to the wall and her eyebrow furrowing as she thought it over. "That could be dangerous. It's bad enough she knows I'm a girl, but hearing my voice could let her in on other things about me. Like my age, for example."
"I'll tell her no then…" Madoka said and started to bring the phone back to her ear.
"Wait," said Homura, putting a hand up. "Let me think for a moment."
Madoka put her hand back over the phone and joined her in thinking. She cautiously said, "I mean… does it really matter if she knows your age?"
"The first thing the police would do with that is narrow down the list of suspects to your classmates. It is possible that will lead them to looking for me and realizing I am missing as well. Right now the school thinks I'm at the hospital and the hospital thinks I am living out of my apartment and attending school. Once the police discover the notes I created to establish this ruse they will know it is me. So yes, it does matter."
"I mean… even if they knew who you were…" Madoka frowned and let her eyes fall to the floor. "It's not like they can do anything about it. Even if they found me, I mean…" Madoka's voice quieted down to almost a whisper, "You could easily just take me away again."
Homura sighed, realizing that Madoka was right. Even in the worst case scenario, the police were not her main concern. If they were ever found, all she would have to do is stop time and move somewhere else. Besides, she was not planning on keeping Madoka in this hotel room forever. Just a few more weeks at the most, then they would leave town and Homura would take her to safety before Walpurgisnacht arrived.
Homura held her hand out, asking for the phone. "Alright, give it to me. I will speak with her."
-Atomyst
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