Outside the abandoned building-Early evening

Mami clutched the stick in her hands, reassuring it that it was indeed okay and that it had all been a dream. Madoka and Sayaka stood just behind her, giving her worried glances over her actions.

She didn't pay them any mind.

Nagisa didn't seem to notice their looks, instead joining her in reassurance, even going so far as to start rubbing the end of it.

Nearby, Homura stood in wait behind a wall, attempting to hide herself from them all.

The two girls looked at each other, before quickly looking back at Mami.

"I think we should get going." Madoka stated. "Mama's probably worried about me, after all, and I'm sure you still need to get some studying done, right?"

Sayaka nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, I need to finish with some homework, so I'll be going now as well."

"Alright. You two have a safe journey home, and watch out for any witches that may pop out." Mami responded. "I'm sure you won't, but in case you do…" Mami took Madoka's phone, adding her number to her contacts. "If you're ever in trouble, let me know, alright?"

"Yeah, I will." Madoka replied. "Thank you." Madoka ran off alongside Sayaka, and within a few minutes, the two were gone.

Dropping the twig, she turned towards the nearby wall.

"They're gone. You can come out now."

Homura stepped out, looking around nervously at her surroundings. As soon as she was satisfied, she walked towards Mami, dodging a string of bubbles Nagisa was blowing.

"So, is Kyouko meeting us as well?" Homura asked.

"I'm afraid not. She said she had a lot to take care of lately, so she's dealing with that now." Mami replied. "I'll use "telepathy", though. It's the next best thing."

It took a moment for Homura to pick up on that.

"You sure she'll have the time for it?"

"I'm sure she'll be able to make time. If not, we can just talk some other time. However, if we keep waiting, the shop is gonna close." Mami grabbed Homura and Nagisa by the hand, rushing towards the bridge they had come on.

The three girls entered the bakery, nearly devoid of people. All that was keeping the place lit were a few bulbs and the moonlight from the window.

The three approached the counter, ordering their usual.

Nagisa ordered a small slice of strawberry cheesecake, staring intently at it as the employee pulled the last one out from behind the glass and handed it to her.

Homura ordered a two small pink cupcakes, decorated to the rim with sweet icing and a little heart on top of them. They was really cute, to say the very least.

Mami decided to treat herself, ordering a small gingerbread man for herself, and a large cookie for Kyouko, who would inevitably want something if food was involved.

The three took their seats close by, the moon shining through the window. Nagisa took a bite from the head of Mami's cookie when she wasn't looking, expressing extreme joy at it. Mami just sighed in exasperation, putting her phone on the table and calling Kyouko. The phone rang a few times before they heard it pick up on the other end. The sound of a game played in the background.

"I thought you were busy." Mami stated with a hint of annoyance. "Where are you, anyways?"

"I am." Kyouko replied. "I'm at the arcade. Some kid beat my high score. I'll show him what a little bit of magic can do." The sounds of grunts came from the other end, the music stopping.

"So close! Just a little bit more-" She stopped midway through, someone talking on the other end.

"No, I won't give up the machine. Find another one to play on." She stated to someone else on the other end.

"You're unbelievable, Kyouko." Mami said, laughter just escaping her mouth.

"Hey, it's not my fault that he beat my record." She responded. "Anyways, what's up? Didn't you have two girls you wanted to get into our group? Monika and Chika?"

"Madoka and Sayaka." Mami replied. "Madoka looks interested, but Sayaka...not so much. In any case, I started designing outfits for both of them anyways."

Kyouko just laughed.

"Well, let's hear what you've got."

Mami pulled out a small sketchbook, flipping through the drawings she had made. Her beret...Nagisa's cape...Kyouko's dress...Homura's shield...

"Ah, here it is." Mami flipped to the page for Madoka, gazing upon the drawings.

"I was thinking that a frilly outfit would look good on her, with a bright pink to go with her hair. She looked at Homura, who was already imagining her in that dress, leaping around and fighting off witches with her.

Mami let her stay in her thoughts, turning the page to her idea for Sayaka.

"I was thinking of giving her a cape to wear, along with swords. Something more of a warrior style. I think she would really like that."

Kyouko was silent for a while, the music having started back up.

"Sounds good, but aren't you thinking a little far ahead?"

"They're just designs, but I'll make the real things soon enough. It's a lot of fun."

Nagisa mumbled something in response under her cheesecake.

"You go do that." Kyouko replied. "I have to hang up now, but we can meet later on tonight. How does your place sound?"

"I don't have any objections. Just remember:"

"Don't get caught by the witches" Kyouko responded with a little bit of a laugh before hanging up. Mami tucked her phone into her outfit.

"Well then, shall we get going?" Mami asked, handing the rest of her gingerbread to Nagisa who happily devoured it.

As everyone got up, Homura stared intently at the cupcake in her hand, it's delicate pink frosting likely crafted with extreme care.

She would love it, for sure.

"Why does Madoka have to be willing?" Sayaka stated to herself, plopping her body into the softness of the bed, letting it take her. She thought about Madoka joining up with them, spending her afternoons with them, fighting off imaginary threats with them…

Mami, Nagisa and Homura at her side…

Homura…

She dug her face into the pillow in frustration. If there was anyone she should have at her side, it should be her, not some damn transfer student who shows up out of nowhere and tries to-

She stopped her line of thought, realizing that she had a death hold on her blanket. She let go of it, slowly sinking herself further into the bed.

It wasn't long before she felt herself drift off to sleep, the thoughts of the transfer student filling her head the whole way through.

"Why, Madoka...Why…"

A/N: Another chapter finished. I really hope you enjoyed this one. It was a little improvised, and a little rushed of an update, but I wanted something like this at some point.