One last mighty splash of water joined the already quite flooded bathroom floor. The two occupants, realizing that there was hardly any water left in the bathtub to use as ammunition against each other, took a moment to catch their breaths from that overly-zealous water-splashing fight.

"We've really got to stop having these naked fights," Sayaka panted, shaking out her sopping wet hair and sending water droplets flying every which way.

"Not my fault you always get all hot and riled up with me in the room." Kyoko retorted, dropping the bar of soap which she had been unsuccessfully trying to cram into Sayaka's mouth during the fight. "Why did we start fighting again?"

Sayaka blinked at the question, tilting her head as she thought about it before she snapped her fingers and pointed at Kyoko. "In conclusion," she announced smugly. "I'm not gay!"

Kyoko snorted as she recalled their argument as well. "And you came up with this conclusion after engaging in a 20-minute naked water fight against a pure-hearted innocent girl such as myself?" She grinned. "I'm skeptical of your findings, Sayaka!" Her grin turned into a leer and her hands made a groping motion for Sayaka's chest. "I think your theory requires more experimentation!" A rubber ducky bounced off her forehead for her trouble.

Sayaka stepped out of the tub, careful not to slip on the extremely wet floor. Thankfully all the water on the floor was draining quickly. "God, I'm tired," Sayaka said as she stretched her arms over her head before gathering a towel. "Exhausted, really." She said quietly to herself as she dried her hair.

Mental and emotional fatigue quickly caught up to her as her mind dwelled on what she had gone through that day. How she had blurted out a confession to Kyosuke and his subsequent rejection. Of the stupid rumors spreading through school and her talk with Kyosuke that led to her decision to give up on him and move on. Then there was the new problem of Homura confronting her about gaining her blessing to date Madoka. The ache in her chest that became numb in Kyoko's presence quickly returned, giving her heart a few insistent tugs. Her movement slowed as her limbs felt heavier and heavier with every deep breath she took.

There was a sudden squeak and splashing sound as she heard rather than saw Kyoko slip and fall onto the tiled floor. The blunette turned around and spotted Kyoko scrambling to get back up and letting out curses under her breath. It was impossible not to crack a smile at the sight of her rattled roommate, and Sayaka couldn't help but laugh at her expense.

"If you didn't see it, it didn't happen." Kyoko grumbled half-heartedly as she yanked a towel down from the wall and went about drying her backside with it.

"Sure, sure," Sayaka drawled, rolling her eyes. Kyoko muttered some idle threats under her breath towards her, and Sayaka bit back another smile. The time she spent with Kyoko really does noticeably lighten her mood. And to think that Kyoko hadn't really thought of them as 'friends' until Sayaka brought it up earlier. Her companion was rather socially dense despite having so-called street smarts, wasn't she?

Sayaka had decided a while ago to nap the day away, but her chest hollowed at the thought of being alone with her feelings for even a minute. When left to her own devices, Sayaka knew for a fact that the fresh wound of rejection would threaten to open up again, even though she had done her best to apply first aid to it already. But she just didn't have the energy left to keep her cool together if her feelings managed to overwhelm her.

"What's that look for?" Kyoko grouched, leveling a deadpan glare in Sayaka's direction. The blunette blushed a little as she realized she hadn't torn her eyes away from Kyoko during her entire thought process.

"Nothing," Sayaka took a moment to recover from her blush before returning her eyes back to Kyoko. "Just looking at the big bruise on your butt from the fall that 'didn't happen.'" She said just loud enough for the other girl to hear. Kyoko reflexively checked her backside for signs of a bruise before glaring at Sayaka.

"Jeez woman, can't you control your lesbian tendencies long enough to not check out my ass?"

Sayaka smiled, figuring Kyoko would say something like that. She felt kind of happy that she knew Kyoko well enough to predict her responses every now and then. She walked over to Kyoko as casually as she could. Kyoko narrowed her eyes at her, also knowing Sayaka well enough to know that she was up to something. The thought made Sayaka's smile widen as she approached Kyoko.

Sayaka sighed in resignation. "You're right Kyoko, I am gay after all. That's why I can't control my feelings for you any longer." Sayaka said as she slowly inched closer to Kyoko with a soft look on her face. Kyoko took a small step back in alarm, unsure where Sayaka was going with this. Sayaka didn't notice and lifted her hand to Kyoko's face until it cupped her chin. Before Kyoko could respond, Sayaka's hair brushed past the side of her other cheek, her mouth now close to her ear. Kyoko was so shocked by her friend's sensual touch that she was paralyzed with confusion and awe.

"Because you…" Sayaka breathed into her ear, making Kyoko bite her lip to stifle an involuntary gasp. Sayaka's hand glided down the red head's body until it rested on the side of Kyoko's waist, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. "…have one, fine ass."

Now that Sayaka was close enough to Kyoko to do something stupid, Sayaka swung her hand back and slapped Kyoko's bare ass really hard. The other girl's eyes widened as she squealed in pain and surprise.

"You… bonkler!"

Sayaka immediately regretted her impulsive decision now that she stood before a seething and red-faced Kyoko, who was now glaring at her as if she were about three seconds away from killing her. It probably didn't help that Sayaka still had her hand on Kyoko's ass.

Since she only had seconds left to live, Sayaka used the opportunity to give the redhead's tush a good squeeze. Even though Sayaka knew it wouldn't end well, she felt mischievous enough to think it was worth it, and that now she could die an honorable death.

Kyoko did not disappoint and grabbed Sayaka's shoulder. Sayaka closed her eyes, fearing the worst, but opened them in surprise as she felt her feet leave the ground. Apparently Kyoko was determined to make Sayaka take responsibility for violating her because she was now carrying the blunette like a newly-wed.

"Whoa hey Kyoko, I wasn't being ser—" Before she could finish her sentence, Kyoko abruptly dropped her back in the semi-filled tub. Sayaka yelped and sputtered while Kyoko laughed in satisfaction.

"Your ass just got dumped!" Sayaka rolled her eyes at the stupid pun. "But that's what you get for messing with me, and if you don't like it, you can kiss my glorious, bruised ass. Actually don't—you might like it." Kyoko finished with a flash of her impish grin.

"…Are you done?" Sayaka asked looking quite fed up.

"For now. Here let me help you up," Kyoko said with an outstretched hand.

Sayaka promptly smacked it to the side. "No thanks."

Kyoko rolled her eyes in aggravation. "Come on don't be like that. You started this, I'm just trying to end it and make peace. Now quit being difficult and take my hand already." Sayaka looked up at Kyoko, still skeptical of her intentions. When the apologetic smile on her face sufficiently disarmed her suspicions, she reluctantly took the offered hand, only to have Kyoko's hand betray her and let her fall right back on her butt. Sayaka should've seen that coming.

"All right, we're even now," Kyoko declared resolutely. "Hey look we match." Kyoko turned her backside toward Sayaka and pointed at the nonexistent bruise on her butt. She then walked over to the towel rack and chucked a dry towel at Sayaka's face, still chortling at her companion for falling for the oldest trick in the book. The towel quickly settled over Sayaka's head and she yanked it off in a huff. She helped herself out of the tub this time, annoyed that she would have to dry herself off a second time.

"I honestly don't know why you bothered with that guy when you're clearly out to get me." Kyoko said cockily.

Sayaka narrowed her eyes at her. Even though the technically blunette deserved it for groping her, she couldn't just let Kyoko get away with insulting her. She looked at the towel in her hand and got an idea. When she saw her chance, she whipped the corner of her towel at Kyoko's tail. But this time the redhead was ready and stepped aside before snapping her own towel right back at her.

Sayaka yelped when it made contact with her belly. Kyoko barked a laugh at Sayaka's discouraged expression. "Here, let me kiss it better," she offered with a wicked glint in her eyes.

"Knowing you, you'll just bite me instead!" Sayaka warned Kyoko away with a distrustful look and a brandished towel. Kyoko grinned in a way that pretty much confirmed Sayaka's suspicions.

Sayaka huffed and turned away in annoyance. Her cheeks were starting to ache from fighting back the smile that was trying to make its way back onto her face. Besides, Kyoko really knew how to wear a girl out, and Sayaka really wanted that nap now.

Her mind wandered curiously back to the time she and Kyoko had fallen asleep together. Rude awakening aside, it had been rather pleasant, Sayaka admitted to herself, and for a moment she briefly considered asking Kyoko to sleep with her again. Sayaka quickly shook her head to expel such a perturbing thought. All this heartache was making her consider crazy and stupid things, not to mention the suggestion would encourage yet another onslaught of teasing about whether or not she was gay.

"I'm going to go hibernate for a bit." The blunette said simply as she slid her arms into the sleeves of a bathrobe.

"Hm?" Kyoko glanced at her while wringing out her damp locks. "You're not going to invite me to join you? Bet you considered it, you raging lesbian you!"

Sayaka's eye twitched, the comment making her promptly take back all of her fond thoughts about Kyoko. "No… just, no." She tied the bathrobe around her waist with an exasperated sigh. "Don't do anything crazy while I'm sleeping."

Kyoko grunted noncommittally as she thoroughly wrapped up her long hair in a towel. Sayaka gave her one last look before she nodded to herself in satisfaction that Kyoko might not set anything on fire while she was asleep, and left the room.

.=.=.

Sayaka entered her room and closed the door quietly behind her. Finally alone and surrounded by a quiet that Sayaka wasn't sure was good for her, the plush bed beckoned her. She made a dash and jump for the bed, flopping into it face first in a way that really displayed her young age.

"A nap sounds absolutely wonderful right now." She pressed her face into her pillow, her damp hair fanning out around her head. She was hoping to be knocked out in a glorious wave of slumber, and it almost worked too. But unfortunately, the only wave that hit her was another wave of heartache over the thought of never being able to be with the one she loved.

She groaned and buried her face into the pillow until she could barely breathe. She didn't want to cry anymore! She just wanted to sleep! But it looked like that wasn't going to happen because trying to control her feelings was like keeping her hand clamped over a can of worms, all of them threatened to wiggle out and consume her in the worst of ways.

The need to breath made her turn her head to the side and she took a deep, slow breath. She had to forget about it. She had to move on, she accepted that. Heartbreak gets easier to deal with, right?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden vibration of her phone. Taking a peek at the screen of her device, she noted Madoka's name and blushing picture. Sayaka briefly recalled that she took that picture after Madoka had accidentally picked up and flipped through a porn magazine one time at the bookstore. If only for that reason alone, no call from Madoka ever failed to put a smile on her face, and this time was no different.

Sayaka answered, putting the phone to her ear. "'ello?" Her traditional greeting sounded hoarse and extremely tired, and Sayaka quickly cleared her throat before Madoka could think she had been crying or something.

"Hey," Madoka sounded apologetic. "I know you said you'd call me, but I couldn't help but want to check up on you…"

A smile quirked on Sayaka's lips a bit. Madoka was such a good friend that it surprised her sometimes. "It's fine, I was just…" A monstrous yawn suddenly broke out, and Sayaka rubbed her aching eyes while she was at it. "…about to take a nap."

"Oh, should I just call back later?" Madoka inquired in concern.

"No it's fine. Besides, I want to talk…" Sayaka tucked her knees up, hugging them to her chest.

"Okay," Madoka prompted.

Sayaka bit her lip, not sure where to start. Should she just talk about her feelings, or about what happened, or how she was now, or what? She wasn't used to this.

"Stuff happened…" Sayaka trailed off, sounding vaguely amused by her predicament. Madoka's quiet giggle on the other end loosened her up a bit, so Sayaka closed her eyes and took the plunge.

She told Madoka about how she tried to block out her emotions after she had confessed to Kyosuke. She told her about how her softball practice went, and how Kyosuke surprised her with a visit. She recounted in detail the conversation they had, and her roller coaster of emotions, and how she had finally decided to simply give up on her feelings for Kyosuke.

Madoka was a fantastic listener, staying thoughtfully quiet and only chimed in to ask questions or gently prompt her when Sayaka paused to struggle with her words. It was a difficult moment to relive, and the blunette had to break off speaking several times to swallow thickly. She was quite glad to get it all off her chest though. It was definitely something she needed, and something she should have done a long time ago. Entrusting Madoka with her personal feelings came naturally, and she wondered why she had put off a talk like this with her for so long.

"Wow…" Madoka finally commented when Sayaka seemed to have finished speaking. "Are you sure giving up on Kyosuke is what you want?"

Sayaka snorted, a smile on her face. "Nope."

"Ehhh," Madoka sounded confused.

"You can't always get what you want." Sayaka polished off the well-worn phrase and regarded it with a new appreciation. "It still sucks, but I think giving up on Kyousuke is for the best. When one door closes, another opens, right?" Dwelling on her sadness wasn't going to change anything, so she might as well make the best of the situation.

"That's the spirit Sayaka-chan!" Madoka made a noise as if she wanted to jump out of the phone and give Sayaka a big hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Hehe," Sayaka giggled and buried her face in her pillow as, "I'm proud of me too." She mumbled back in embarrassment, hoping that Kyoko wasn't listening in on this conversation. Ever since Sayaka could remember, Madoka's encouragement always made her feel like everything would work out for her in the end.

"I swear Madoka, you have this uncanny ability to help people believe in themselves. In fact, you could probably make the whole universe a better place with it."

Madoka giggled. "That's silly Sayaka. It's not like I'm a god or something. I just really love my friends and want them to be happy!"

Sayaka couldn't help but grin at her friend's humble response, feeling a lot happier in spite of herself. Now that she was relaxed, it was time to change the subject.

"Speaking of friends and love," Sayaka tried her best to sound natural. "You and Homura make it to your house okay?"

"Hm? Oh yes," Madoka sounded surprised by the question. "But what does Homura-chan have to do with love?"

Sayaka scrunched her brows at the question, deciding to just ask about what was on her mind. "Madoka, do you like Homura?"

"That's a silly question Sayaka-chan, of course I do!"

"You do?" Was Sayaka's baffled response.

"Yes," Madoka confirmed firmly. "Homura-chan is a very good friend!"

"Wait a second," Sayaka felt like Madoka was purposefully messing with her now. "Are you serious?"

"…Huh?" Madoka said in confusion.

"It's… well, never mind," Sayaka sighed, rethinking her idea to discuss the matter further. If Madoka didn't know about Homura's feelings, then maybe there was nothing to worry about. But then again, what if there was something to worry about? If Madoka became aware of Homura's feelings, how would she respond? Would she reciprocate? Would Homura get rejected? And why did she care so much?

Suddenly she realized the position she was in with this situation. Homura asked for her blessing to date her best friend. Hitomi had wanted Sayaka's blessing to date Kyosuke. The situation was oddly similar, but Sayaka hasn't even officially given Hitomi a proper blessing. So maybe she wouldn't feel ready to give Homura her blessing until Madoka had accepted Homura's feelings. In both cases though, it was a tall order to fill. At least in Madoka's situation, Sayaka didn't have her own feelings to consider.

In any case, if she wanted this to go smoother, she was going to have to try to get a better read on Madoka's feelings on the matter and try to get to know the transfer student better. So it was probably best to let the conversation go for now. Her mind heaved a mental sigh, barely willing to deal with this so soon after her own love conundrum.

"Say, Madoka," Sayaka started, deciding to get a head start on gathering information, "how did you two meet, anyway? You said you knew her before she transferred in?"

"Well…" Madoka sounded suddenly embarrassed. "I first met her in a dream… or something?"

"Huh?" Sayaka raised an incredulous brow. What did that even mean?

"Never mind," Madoka said quickly, sounding flustered. Sayaka tilted her head quizzically, deciding not to press the issue further.

"Well I'll say this about transfer student I guess," the softball player mused. "If you're okay with her, then she can't be that bad."

"Really?" Madoka sounded completely elated by the idea that her friends would be friendly friends with each other because friendship.

"Then again, you're okay with just about everyone," Sayaka went back to being coy, dipping her voice in skepticism. "So it's kind of my job to not be okay with people for you."

"That's not true, Sayaka-chan," Madoka said tersely. "I'm not a naïve little girl you have to protect anymore. I can judge people for myself, and Homura is a good person."

"Haha. Uh… Sorry, I guess?" Sayaka said in confusion and embarrassment. Sayaka's playfulness was effectively watered down, and she felt a bit sheepish after being chastised by Madoka. Now that she thought about it, it was disrespectful of Sayaka to suggest Madoka hadn't changed after all these years. It was just hard for Sayaka to admit that she didn't have to protect her from those who would take advantage of her kindness. Madoka tended to only see the good in people and ignore the bad, but maybe that wasn't the case anymore.

Madoka sighed audibly from the other end of the line. "I can't believe you don't trust me on this."

Sayaka was taken aback by her friend's reproach. She clearly didn't appreciate Sayaka's misgivings. Sayaka frowned, now realizing that she should apologize for not giving her friend enough credit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that Madoka, of course I trust you! I guess I just can't help but worry about you is all. "

"Well…ok then," Madoka said more cheerfully. "Hey Sayaka? I have to go now. Can I call you back later?"

"Oh? Yeah that's fine, thanks for listening."

"Anytime."

Sayaka hung up the phone and rolled onto her side, a small smile playing on her lips. She really did feel a little better. Like she was finally on the upswing, thanks to Madoka being so supportive! Also thanks to Kyoko, who treated her the same as usual so that Sayaka felt like nothing was wrong with her world at all. She knew Kyoko didn't care at all about how her love life was going, and it provided a steady pillar of normalcy for Sayaka to fall back on when she didn't want to think about Kyosuke anymore.

Feeling brave, Sayaka looked at the phone in her hand with a considering expression. She had avoided the thing all day, painfully aware of the messages that likely awaited her. But like any teenager, she couldn't resist the urge to check her phone.

A few messages popped up immediately, alerting Sayaka to some social networks that consisted of her classmates goading her about her public confession to Kyosuke. Aggravated by the reminders, she promptly dismissed them and tried to dig up something on other sites that had nothing to do with that incident. Not finding anything worthwhile, she was about ready to turn off her phone when she noticed she had a text from Hitomi. Sayaka paused at the message, hesitating all of three seconds before she swiped it open to read it.

"I hope ur feeling better! I heard you talked with Kamijou, so I hope everything is ok! I'm here if u feel like talking! :* "

Hitomi had an odd habit of overusing smileys, particularly the colorfully exploding ones that contradicted her messages. Sayaka couldn't help but smirk slightly at the animated smileys dancing across her screen.

Perhaps she could message Hitomi back. Sayaka had been happy to go to Madoka, but… Hitomi was one of her friends too. They weren't rivals for Kyosuke's affections anymore, she had to remind herself. Kyosuke chose Hitomi, and Sayaka decided that she would support them. She shook her head furiously to dispel the jealousy that threatened to resurface. She was going to accept this new reality and like it dammit! Nodding to herself in resolve, she tightened her fist around the phone to the point that the poor thing about ready to snap. She noticed it after a moment and hurriedly loosened her grasp.

She read the message again and quickly typed back a reply. "Thanks! I am feeling better! Kyosuke is all yours now, the lucky bastard!" Sayaka read the message over several times, and wondered if her use of exclamation points would come across as covering up any pain. Nah, she was overthinking it. She hit the 'send' button before she was tempted to discard the message all together. She jumped in surprise when her phone vibrated a few seconds later.

"yay! ^_^ #YOLO" was Hitomi's quick response, which made a vein in Sayaka's head pop in annoyance.

"… Do you even know what 'YOLO' means?"

"Well, no, I just assumed it was a happy American acronym! "

Sayaka sighed in defeat. Hitomi was useless when it came to text conversations! 'This is who I lost to?' Sayaka blanched in disbelief. She didn't think that in a resentful way; rather she just found it funny how silly her friend could be.

A small giggle escaped her lips. She had forgotten how much fun she had with Hitomi before they became bitter rivals. Upon realizing this, Sayaka started to think that maybe what happened today was a good thing. Even though it meant she had to let go of a relationship with the guy she loved, at least she regained the good friendship she once had with Hitomi again.

"I just looked it up. Sorry, not what I meant, promise!" Hitomi messaged with a whole row of sad smileys. "I was just very happy to hear you say that!"

"Suuuuuure," Sayaka thumbed in with a smile. After that bout of laughter, she no longer felt like talking about what happened anymore, so she changed the subject. "Hey, did you know that Homura likes Madoka?"

"It's very obvious!"

"Well, do you know if Madoka likes her back?"

"Girls can't love girls! XD"

Sayaka felt that vein in her head throb again, not wanting to warrant such a bad joke with a response. That was not what she wanted to hear! What she wanted to know was what the girl knew about Madoka's feelings, but now she was just put off by all of her innocent trolling. It was partly her fault too; if she had just called Hitomi, then there wouldn't have been any miscommunication. Oh well…YOLO. Sayaka facepalmed—god she was tired.

"Whatever, going to nap now!" Sayaka typed in, setting her phone aside. A second later it vibrated and Sayaka picked it back up reluctantly.

"Sayaka, I'm really happy we managed to work this out. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Sayaka read the message a few times, a slow smile eventually making its way onto her face. She replied back with a simple "I think I do."

After it got sent and Sayaka turned off her phone, Sayaka noticed that her head was no longer on her pillow and her feet were dangling off the edge of the bed. She forgot that she had been rolling around the bed while talking to her friends, which was probably why she was extra tired now. Her limbs were so worn out that she couldn't move to a more comfortable position even if she wanted to. At this point, she could fall asleep on a bed of nails and sleep like a baby.

Talking to her friends really did make her feel so much better, the shadows in her heart weakening from the encouraging light of her friends' words. She could feel herself drifting off to sleep already without that weight, and before she knew it, she was out like a light.

.=.=.

When Madoka ended her phone call with Sayaka, she felt confident that Sayaka would be ok. And with that taken care of, now she could check up on another friend. Madoka made her way to the only bathroom in the house with bathing facilities and knocked.

"Homura?" She called before she opened the door and walked into the spacious room. "Are you almost done in the bath?" She politely stood away from the fogged-up glass walls that closed off the bathing area.

At the sound of her voice, Homura ducked her head deeper into the steaming pool. She hugged her knees to her chest in embarrassment, the very idea of being naked in Madoka's bathtub making her self-conscious.

She couldn't decide if passing out in Madoka's driveway and being invited to stay the night counted as good luck or not. She supposed it was a good thing, since it meant spending more time with Madoka. The only problem was that her rattled nerves were making it rather difficult to enjoy the experience!

"I'll be out soon," Homura answered in a low voice. The dark haired girl grabbed one of the bars of soap and wondered if it was the one Madoka used, the thought turning her red so fast that she thought she'd have a heat stroke. It was bad enough already that she had almost fainted earlier when Madoka asked if she could take a bath with her! Thank god she decided to go call Sayaka, because Homura wasn't sure if she could've stopped herself from doing something she might regret. She had acted on an impulsive decision earlier that day in the locker room, and she had no desire to repeat a fiasco (or disaster) like that any time soon.

"I'm leaving a towel for you," Madoka called, placing a towel near Homura's change of clothes. "I'll be helping Papa out in the kitchen. Join us when you're ready!"

"Okay." Homura listened to Madoka's echoing footsteps fade away before standing up in the tub. She proceeded to wash herself quickly with the bar of soap, mindfully keeping her lewd thoughts at bay.

When she finished, she stepped onto the specially-designed heated floor tiles. She let herself soak up the warmth in the soles of her feet before sliding the glass door open and walking toward the clothes and towel left for her. As she started drying off, she caught a glimpse of her wistful expression in the expansive mirror on the wall. Her violet eyes trailed down to the faint scar that ran vertically down the middle of her chest. She still wasn't used to seeing what remained of the surgeon's incision, and whenever she did, it brought back memories of being in the hospital.

It seemed like the surgery happened years ago, even though it had only been a few months since she left the hospital and transferred to Madoka's school. So much had happened to Homura since then that the entire experience felt awfully surreal. Everything was different now, and it was all thanks to a girl named Madoka Kaname.

Homura noticed her face soften unconsciously at the thought of the other girl. She really was crushing on her big time, wasn't she? There was no denying that the girl was constantly on her mind. Heck, if she could make a wish to get a dollar every time she wondered how Madoka felt about her, she'd be a multi-millionaire by now.

It was crazy to think that her infatuation with Madoka started after an accidental turn of events from her life-changing operation. Madoka had been there to help her adjust to her new life, and their evolving friendship was fresh and electrifying to Homura, and she wondered if Madoka felt a special spark as well. And with that, Homura imagined a new deposit being made to her Madoka-musing fund as her thoughts came full circle. As her trip down memory lane came to an end, her scar disappeared from sight as she fastened the last button of her shirt. She picked up a brush, combed out her hair, and continued thinking up new and perplexing ways to scrutinize her feelings.

Homura knew there was no point in wondering how Madoka felt about her, but she couldn't help it. She could guess how she felt all day, but never know what she was actually thinking until she asked. Problem was that Homura was way too scared to ask Madoka directly or even admit her own feelings. So far she had tried dropping a few shy hints here and there without outright saying it, but it wasn't exactly working. So Homura figured that the only chance Madoka would understand how she felt was to tell her directly. The only problem was she had no idea how or when to confess her feelings.

She had at least set the groundwork for her confession by winning over Madoka's friends and family.

The groundwork was still a little shaky, given that she stumbled over the issue with Sayaka, but at least it seemed like she had Junko's approval.

All that was left to do was practice the confession part.

Homura put her comb down and stared at her reflection for a few moments before clearing her throat.

"Madoka… I like you," she said quietly to herself. She peered around the room in paranoia, but no one seemed to be within earshot. She turned her violet eyes back to the mirror and placed her hands on the sink edge.

"Madoka… I need you. Rather… I love you!"

Homura's stoic face held for a few moments before it swiftly devolved into a blushing mess, making Homura cover her face with her hands and moan. She didn't know if she could do this.

At that moment the door banged open, making Homura yelp and jump. She turned to see Madoka's toddler brother shuffling into the bathroom with a big easy grin on his face. "Madoka, love you!" He parroted very loudly. Madoka's father quickly appeared and snatched the boy up.

"Tatsuya! You don't go into a bathroom while another girl is in there! Especially when they're practicing their confession!" The man gave Homura a quick apologetic look before shutting the door.

But it was too late—Homura had already turned into a gargoyle. She was still white with shock when Madoka went looking for her a few minutes later.


A/N- Man, this chapter went missing for who knows how long, but worry not! My ass was saved by Shironi, who saved the chapter for me and is a treasure!