"K-Kaname-San... D-don't go!"
"Kaname-San! I became a magical girl too! Let's do our best together!"
"It's okay... Let's make a last effort... The two of us will defeat Walpurgisnacht..."
"What if... We became monsters together...?"
"No matter how many times I have to go through the same... I will repeat it only to save you!"
.
A sleepy hand pressed the button of the alarm clock to silent it. The same hand rubbed two magenta eyes, that half-opened after that gesture. Those eyes looked around the room, it filled with daylight, but no one else was there.
Perhaps Homura's visit last night was just a dream, but it had been real enough for Madoka to fall asleep.
The previous hand was placed against its owner's chest; it hurt.
She couldn't recognize the voice she had dreamed about, neither she was sure if she had ever heard those sentences, but remembering them filled her with emotions she had never felt before, and yet, it didn't seem like the first time she felt them.
She decided to forget about it. It was just a dream, after all, and she hadn't slept that well for two nights. She should be happy.
The pinkette jumped off her bed and decided to start her daily routine to go to school.
.
"Meooow~."
"Amy, is that you?"
The black stray she-cat rubbed against the ebony's legs, and she took it as an answer. Somehow, every time she met Amy in new time lines, the furry being seemed to recognize her, as if she were the only one who remembered everything besides Homura.
That brought her comfort.
Since she arrived too soon to school, she decided to pick the cat up and place it over her lap, sitting on a bench. She stroked it as it licked her healing wounds. Indeed, she had been awake the whole night again, fighting witches.
"Good morning, Homura-Chan!"
The ice-queen looked up at the shorter girl in front of her, who was greeting her with a shy but joyful smile.
"Good morning." She replied, her expression not changing at all.
The pinkette's smile widened, and she dared, for the first time, to sit beside the other by herself, still keeping a cautious distance. Her magenta gaze went down from Homura's face to her lap.
"Such an adorable kitten!" She reached a hand to pet it, and it rubbed its head against it. The girl giggled, and looked up at the other before asking. "Does it have a name?"
"Amy." The ebony replied. "I me la vas presentar tu mateixa…" She whispered that last thing, it inaudible to the pinkette.
Certainly, Madoka's wish in the original time line was to save the little stray cat's life, for it had been hit by a car. Homura had made sure that the dark-colored fur ball was far away from that danger at that very moment.
"You really seem to get along very well." Madoka's smile faded a little, yet it never fully disappeared. That little feline was somehow related with her last dream, and those odd emotions hammered her chest again.
The only reply the former gave her was the movement of her lilac eyes as she looked downwards. No. The ice-queen Homura Akemi had a reputation to maintain, and she was not going to show herself melting for a little animal. Madoka didn't mind anyway, she still found that situation surprisingly adorable, for she had never expected the taller girl to show affection to some living creature.
Then, something else popped in her mind.
"A-ah, s-sorry! I… Forgot to thank you…" That brought Homura's stare back. "…For… Well… For your help…" A blush was starting to bring a reddish color to her face.
The ebony's only answer was a single nod of acknowledgement before looking again at Amy, who was playing with her hand. The pinkette's smile came back, but it faded again when she noticed the scratches over the other's extremely pale skin. She couldn't help but to worry again about the harm the witches could cause as they fought against them.
Suddenly, the purple-eyed stood up, carefully leaving the cat on the ground. "Go now, little one." She whispered, her coldness never disappearing, as she gave it a last stroke. "We'll meet later."`
The petite feline answered the two teenagers with a meow and swiftly padded away.
The ebony got rid of the fur in her skirt and hands, and looked deeply into Madoka's eyes, who blinked in surprise. "We must go to class, people will arrive soon."
"Ah." The pinkette nodded and followed the other inside the building.
.
"Don't you dare to do that again!" The blue-haired blurted out. "We have to do this right! I don't wanna fail this subject!"
Kyoko took her seat, strangely calm, as if she were used to sermons. "Easy, gurl." She said, as she offered her pocky box after helping herself.
The other hesitated a little before accepting one and mumbling a "thank you".
"So." The red head looked at her with a small grin. "Ya tell meh whatta do, and I obey."
"I don't trust you." Sayaka made a solemn pout. "Not after yesterday's mess…"
"Hey." The red-haired girl frowned. "I swear o'er da bible."
"The bible?" Sayaka's eyes widened. "Have you read it?"
"O'course, babe." The red head said with a serious nod. "TBH, it da only book I've evah read."
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaa?!" Sayaka hadn't expected that answer, and she was now completely startled.
"Any problem with meh religion, biach?!" She now looked offended.
Sayaka shook her hands and head. "No, no, no, no, not at all!" She gave an awkward chuckle. "Come on, let's work! We have a lot to do!"
"Aye, den."
.
"Oh, no…" Madoka muttered, as she wrote as fast as she could. "There is no way we can finish this today…"
The ebony looked at her, while she was easily managing the chemicals. "There is one way." As she spoke, Madoka looked at her, her magenta eyes glittering with innocence and hope. "I have those products in my house. … Don't ask me why. But we can finish this in the afternoon."
"Huh?" Madoka tilted her head a little.
"We have to write the names of the products we have to mix and the elements we have to use so we can arrive at that result, if I understood correctly. If we get wrong…" There was no way Homura could be wrong, for she had done it in every time line. "…we have to start again. And even if we don't, the process is too long and wearisome to finish it now." Homura blinked, and moved her gaze from her work to her partner, as if expecting her to say something.
"S-so you mean… That we can meet this afternoon to finish it?"
Homura nodded softly. "There might be some interruptions, for I'll have to kill witches as well. I apologize about that." Even when she gave apologies, her voice was still monotone. "But I think we will manage to finish it."
"R-right!" Madoka's features now showed excitement. "I will ask pa- I mean… My parents!"
"Fine."
Madoka then attempted to look into Homura's eyes, but when the ebony glanced back, the former was unable to hold her gaze, and had to look away. "W-will your parents agree?" She dared to ask. It was impossible for her to imagine how the ice-queen's family would look like.
"I live by myself, so there is nothing to worry about." She replied plainly.
"Ha?!" Madoka's features changed quickly, now showing surprise and awe at the same time.
The other one blinked, and went back to her work, as if trying to avoid any questions about that subject.
The pinkette was innocent, but not stupid. She noticed it, and decided to talk about something else. "W-well… Should I bring something then?"
"I have all the materials we need." She said, looking at her again, as she kept managing things with both her hands, which astonished the pinkette anew. "You don't have to worry about anything."
"U-uh…" She nodded repeatedly, paying more attention to the other's pale, agile, beautiful hands than to her words.
"You don't know where I live, anyways." Homura turned back. "We should then meet at the school gates at half past five, and then go home from there."
Suddenly, something came back to the pinkette's mind; a question she had been willing to ask since the ebony led her home after the witch's attack, the same question she thought about when she suddenly appeared in her room at night.
"How did you know where I live?" She asked bluntly, making sure no one would hear that, or else they would look at them weirdly.
"That's a magical girls' secret." She answered, using the same low volume.
No more questions came.
.
"Please be respectful." Homura said, after telling Kyoko that Madoka would come home to work together.
Kyoko chuckled at the blush in her sister's cheeks and the worry her expression didn't show, but she knew her well enough to detect it.
"Dun't fear!" The red head said, the chewed food visible inside her mouth as she opened it to speak. "Da smurf and I are goen' tho M.C. Donald's tho finish our works too, so ya'll be 'lone with ya're gurl to make luv." She made a toothy grin, and then, put her hands together, in a pleading position. "Ah, an' I'll need ya sweet hear' tho lend me cash."
"…" Homura glared deeply at her sibling, blushing in shame and annoyance, though her expression hadn't changed at all. "I'd sometimes kill you, you know?" She said, bitterness now added to her cold voice.
"Aww, ya know ya luv meh, sissy." That was the last sentence that came from her mouth before it was filled with food again.
.
"Papa, Mama, I have to finish a work with Homura, the transferred student I told you about. May I go to her home this afternoon?" Madoka asked her parents. As all parents do, they filled her with questions and conditions, but at the end, they allowed her to go if she didn't come back home too late.
After having lunch, the pinkette got ready to go. She made sure to take her mobile phone, the things she had already written in class, her pencil case and her schedule, keeping all that stuff in her school bag.
Then, something else caught her attention: her pink notebook, left on her table. After looking at it for a while, she decided to pick it up and carry it too. Perhaps she would find a moment to show Homura what she had drawn inside, and maybe, just maybe, she would luckily like her drawings a bit, or at least, she hoped so.
.
Sayaka looked slightly uncomfortable, as Kyoko made her Christian praying right behind the enormous mountain of junk food she had bought. She didn't dare to cut her, having no experience in any religions at all. She then looked down at her only hamburger; she thought it was more than enough. Looking back at the enormous pile that separated them, the bluenette wondered how could the red head eat that much every day without even fattening.
"So, ain't we ganna work or somethin'?" The red-haired girl asked, in a pause between nibbles, chewing and swallowing.
"Uhm… How are we going to if I can't even see your face?" The latter asked, trying to search some glimpse of the other with her sapphire eyes.
"Ah. It true." Kyoko pushed all the junk food to a side, the pile now leaning against the wall. Sayaka again preferred not to comment. "It cool now?" She asked, tilting her head, scanning Sayaka's expression with her crimson gaze.
"Uh… Y-yeah, very cool." The blue-haired girl grinned awkwardly, sweat-dropping, but that seemed to satisfy Kyoko.
"Awright. Let's work den." She replied with a toothy grin.
"Wait…" Sayaka pushed her hamburger aside too, and then emptied her back pack, everything she had inside falling onto the table. "This is all I have. Please, do tell me you have the rest of the material!" The bluenette was starting to get stressed.
"Ah." The red head shrugged. "I dun't." She answered bluntly.
"What the-?!"
"Wait!" She cut her off. "I can get it."
"H-how…?!" The other asked, already feeling defeated.
"Just wait." Kyoko said, standing up. "BRB, take care o' meh food." She then ran away, leaving the other wide-eyed.
Minutes kept passing, terribly slowly, and the bluenette was starting to become desperate, as she played with a small fry. Suddenly, a familiar voice greeted her from behind with a "yo", startling her enough for her hands to stiff and accidentally drop the fry: a terrible mistake.
The red head threw herself to the ground, reaching the chip in due time. Then, she swiftly stood up, and aimed it at the blue-haired's neck, growling.
Sayaka didn't know if she should be scared, or either have a laughter attack. All her doubts were removed when Kyoko used that same hand to pull up her collar, high enough to lift her a bit, and snapped at her.
"Da next time ya waste food I'll kill ya." She threatened, showing true anger, feeling Sayaka's hands grabbing her wrist. Some seconds later, she let go, and sat in her place. "I brought everytheen'." She explained after sighing her rage away. "We can work now."
The bluenette rubbed her neck, and looked at Kyoko, fear in her eyes, thinking that Homura might be like a glittering fairy beside that rascal.
Kyoko anyways showed no more signs of violence, as she was eating again.
Sayaka in the end decided to cautiously start working, never putting down her guard since then.
.
"Have you been waiting for too long?"
Homura's voice right behind her caused Madoka to squeal, and quickly turn around. She hadn't heard her approaching to her, but there she was. "N-no…"She answered, after sighing to calm herself down from the sudden surprise. "I arrived a minute ago, more or less." She smiled. "How are you, Homura-chan?"
"I'm fine." It was hard to know if she spoke the truth, or else, lied, for her voice and face revealed no emotions at all. "What about you, Madoka Kaname?"
"I'm fine too." She kept smiling, maybe starting to get used to the ebony's behavior.
"Good." The other nodded. "Follow me, then."
"S-sure."
The ice-queen led her through streets the other had never seen. She looked around, trying to taste everything with her eyes. She was so distracted she accidentally collided against Homura, who was standing in front of a huge, old and fancy building. The place was dark, though, and a small chill ran through the stumbling girl's spine.
"S-sorry!" She said, attempting to keep her balance.
"It's okay." The other said, giving her a last glance before she headed to open the door with her keys. There were no doubts left: that was Homura Akemi's house.
The insides were even colder and astonishing; the ebony led the pinkette towards her living room. The walls and the floor were painted white, a purple table in the middle, surrounded by different-colored seats. Pictures, drawings and information about witches floated around, along with many writings in runes Madoka could not understand. There were gears accumulated in the middle of the ceiling, and a pendulum that looked like four scythes together swung, making a small noise, following the same rhythm a clock would. They were surrounded by candles.
"Take a seat." Homura said. "Do you want something to eat or drink?" She then asked.
"U-uh… N-no, thanks…" The other muttered awkwardly, obeying the ebony.
"…" The taller girl put a couple of mugs and a bottle of juice on the table. "I'll just leave this here." She said, and then left the room to look for the materials.
Madoka looked at the bottle. Perhaps Homura and she had things in common, or perhaps it had been just a coincidence, because that was Madoka's favorite juice. She didn't know why, but blushed a little bit, unable to move her glance from the container.
When Homura came back carrying everything they needed, she saw Madoka taking small, shy sips from her mug, and trying to look away. The ebony's lips threatened with tugging upwards a little bit, but they didn't. She hadn't smiled for too long, or else, she hadn't felt like smiling for too long.
Saying nothing about it, she sat in front of the other, and placed the materials and chemical elements on the table.
Suddenly remembering what she was carrying, Madoka left the mug for a second and pulled out of her school back what she had brought. "Y-you see…" She murmured, starting to fidget. "I-I couldn't take using all your material without bringing a thing, s-so I wanted to participate too…"
"Alright." The pale girl said, as she started to organize everything. Then, almost at the edge of the round table, she left her purple soul gem. "If some witch shows itself…" She explained. "…it will shine and warn us."
"O-okay…"
The afternoon was quite productive. They did everything successfully, and some times, Homura made illustrations about the elements they used, their shape, and the different chemical reactions they created for them to arrive to the definitive one. Madoka sometimes moved her magenta eyes from her careful writing to what the ebony was doing, and arrived at the clue that those floating images were also drawn by her.
Suddenly, Homura stopped working, her eyes looking at nothing at all.
"Homura-Chan…?" Madoka asked, cocking her head to a side.
"Sistah!" Kyoko's voice sounded in her mind. "Dere be a witch near us, and I ain't able to leave da smurf and do somethin'! Since Mado know 'bout dem, can ya go and kill it yarself?"
"Sure… My soul gem is starting to glimmer. You are not very far away, right?"
"We near from ya! M.C. Donald's remembah?! Be quick 'bout eet! People be starteen' tho act weird, and I dunno how long I can distract he'!"
"Okay." The ebony stood up, and then looked at Madoka. "My sister has given me a telepathic warning. She can't kill the witch near them, for she is with your friend." She took her already shining soul gem. "So I'll go."
"W-wait!" Madoka looked at her with concerned, begging eyes. "M-may I go too…? I know I can't help, but I want to make sure you are okay!"
Homura sighed. Arguing it would be a loss of time. "Fine. I'll protect you, but do not dare to become another handicap." She couldn't help sounding bitter, for she didn't want to put the girl she secretly loved in danger. She wanted her to be cautious. "Come." She headed quickly towards the door, the pinkette following closely behind, and closing it once outside to keep on following the ebony, who was already running.
Once they arrived, Madoka was already panting. Homura looked at the window, and saw people starting to get out from the restaurant, stumbling like zombies, and Kyoko messing up with the products and tools for Sayaka to correct her instead of paying attention to her surroundings.
Homura opened the barrier of the witch, and it surrounded the two girls.
"Gertrud." Homura murmured. They were inside a huge garden, spiky plants and roses all around them. The minions slowly approached towards them, threatening them with scissors, reciting things in German.
The pinkette covered her mouth, and the ebony took an SMG out of her shield. In a few seconds, the minions all around them were dead.
"Come." She ordered, as she started to run again, shooting at every enemy. Madoka followed her in tension, but looked at the other in awe. She was cold and dark, but she looked like a true hero at fighting. For a small moment, she wished she was able to do the same, but then she shook that idea off her head, remembering the price she would have to pay if she did so.
Everything went quickly, until the two teenagers found themselves standing right before the enormous witch.
The pinkette made a small gasp. "Th-that's horrid…" She whispered.
"Stay behind me." Homura demanded. It would be quick and easy to defeat her.
1st step: Distracting her, to avoid other problems.
2nd step: Killing her.
"Don't move." The ebony jumped forwards, allowing the witch to grab her by the ankle and throw her to the air. Madoka was about to yell her name when Homura yelled first. "Close your eyes!"
The human shut her magenta eyes closed, and then, still in the air, the raven-haired threw one of those small bombs that caused a strong light, completely disconcerting the witch, the loud noise making Madoka hug herself after another squeal.
Gertrud dangerously shook its vegetal limbs, as the ebony landed just like a cat would, using her shield to stop her time when one of those movements from the witch was about to hit the pinkette. She then grabbed her, her fingers gently yet firmly folding around her arm.
"Ah?!"
"Come." She commanded, as she pulled her. She put her away from the danger, and then shot a missile against the witch, releasing the time. The witch died, and the barrier faded, the grief seed falling onto Homura's hand before it disappeared inside her pocket.
All the humans that had been acting like living dead looked confused, some of them even fainted.
Kyoko was still trying to distract Sayaka, and succeeded. They would soon enough start to work again, and then finish.
But it was late as well, and Madoka was going to be late at home. She looked at her watch, a little worried.
"Let's pack your things, and I'll walk you home."
"B-but what about our work?"
"We are almost done. I don't want your parents to lecture you, so I'll finish it myself."
And so they did. Then, just like three days ago, there they were, in front of the same door.
Madoka looked at her with an apologetic smile. "I am sorry… If I were a burden."
"It's okay." Homura replied. "You didn't make things harder, anyways." She then said, looking away.
Madoka's smile became a little wider. "Y-you are really good at fighting. It was really scary, but it was a-awesome to look at you."
Homura blushed a little bit, her gaze snapping back at Madoka, now tense. "But it was dangerous."
"I-I know… Sorry…" She looked down, feeling small before the ebony's snap, but smiling a little bit. She had noticed for the first time a blush in the other's face, and could not help but to think it was cute.
Homura sighed. She hadn't noticed Madoka's little smile. "Look, I am not angry. Just stay away from danger, that's all." She said, as coldly as usual, perhaps in a clumsy attempt to comfort without losing her freezing reputation.
"O-okay!" Madoka gave her an innocent smile, and then turned around to open the door. Since she had gotten no answer, she looked backwards to see the ebony. Just like the last time, she was gone.
.
Together again, the two sisters went to hunt witches, and again, they sat together in the roof to share the grief seeds, and keep the rest in a common wardrobe.
"So." Homura started. "How was your work with Sayaka Miki?"
"It cool." Kyoko replied, as she licked a lollypop. "We finish'd at the end."
Then, knowing how those two probably would end , she asked another question. "And what do you think about Sayaka Miki?
"She cool too." Kyoko shrugged.
"I see…" Homura's gaze was lost for a moment, before it went back to Kyoko. "Well, I am leaving. I'll see you later."
"Again?!" Kyoko asked, and pointed her with the lollypop. "If ya do dat every night, I'll start suspectin', yo."
Kyoko could not contain a sly grin, and Homura knew she was talking about her relationship with Madoka. She blushed a little. "Hush." She snapped. "I'll see you later." With that, she left, leaving Kyoko chuckling noisily as she licked her sticky candy.
.
Madoka's eyes flung open once more. "H-Homura-Chan…?" She got no answers, as she lay on her bed, alone in her dark room.
Perhaps, Homura's presence last night had been just a dream. Or perhaps it hadn't, but she would not come back. She didn't have to anyways, after all, she was just someone she had known for a few days. What was she thinking about? Did she really want the ebony to be with her?
She tried to close her eyes, and saw witches and minions again, but also saw the paler girl attempting to fight them, never approaching to help her, perhaps too far away to notice her. The pinkette could not call her, and saw the witch's limbs going to hit her. She opened her eyes again. "H-Homura-Chan!" That name escaped her lips again, and she covered her mouth, for she had been too noisy, and she could not believe she had called her again.
"Did you call me?" The same cold, serene and familiar voice asked.
"A-ah! Y-you came..." Madoka muttered, startled.
"I did." Homura said bluntly. "Because you called me. Do you want me to be here?"
"W-well! I… Y-you don't have to! I… I mean…" She honestly didn't know what to answer, now speaking quickly, in high-pitched whispers.
"I can stay…" The other said. "…like yesterday. Until you fall asleep."
"U-uh… I-isn't that a bother to you?" She asked, looking up at her, her eyes slightly glittering fuchsia, as the other's glimmered lavender.
"I did the same last night. Now sleep."
"G-good night." She closed her eyes, not daring to ask any more questions, and also, deep inside, she liked the ebony's presence beside her.
"Night." The ice-queen replied, just like the night before. Indeed, she would stay for a little while, and then, go back with Kyoko.
The last conversation with Mami had worked: She would penetrate their territory no longer.