Another time line (2015)

by Umbra Nigra

But will it finally be the last?

6. Day 6

Everything around her was painted pink, as sunlight filled her room, her eyes sleepily opening. Just like every day since Homura had started to come and help her to sleep, in the morning, there was no trail of her, as if she had never been there.

Madoka looked at the notebook over her table. She hadn't been able to show it to the ebony when they dated, and the last day, she had just forgotten to find an occasion for it to happen.

She knew the raven-haired hadn't looked at it when she came, perhaps because of her lack of curiosity, or perhaps because she was not one to look at others' stuff with no permission. Or maybe both things.

The pinkette felt a little dizzy, and then she remembered she hadn't turned off her alarm clock. She did so, feeling a sudden relief when silence filled the room. She sighed and stood up; she would have to hurry up, as usual, if she didn't want to be late at school, and this time, she would carry her drawings with her.

She then went down stairs, thinking she would find her father and little brother awake, but she found no one. She looked around in confusion, until the calendar called her attention: it was Saturday.

Madoka buried her face in her hands, almost face-palming herself. She had forgotten to unplug her alarm clock, and she would not be able to sleep again. At least, she had managed to sleep another night, and that brought her happiness, but also, something else to think about; since her dreams were so odd and felt so strong inside her, she would try to remember what had she dreamed about last night.

She sat in the sofa, her legs crossed, and she closed her eyes, trying to concentrate, trying to taste again the few emotions she remembered she was feeling before she was suddenly awaken. After a small while, she started to catch some glimpses.

"H-how about... We become monsters together..?" The same weak voice she had dreamed about two days ago, the same sentence, but it seemed to continue, she remembered more. "And we can tear up this rotten world together... Until there is no more evil... No more sadness... Until there's nothing left... We'll break and smash and pound it into dust..." Madoka's breathing started to become shaky. She had never heard that voice, though it somehow was familiar to her, but she was unable to associate it to whom it belonged, in that very moment. "Wouldn't that... Be great...?" She remained motionless, suddenly feeling a huge despair inside her being, and small tears starting to form in her eyes. The only image she could remember was blurry, a weak someone, with black, long braids and red glasses. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed like silently crying. Why was it all so unfamiliar, and familiar to her at the same time?

She kept trying to remember more, but all she could do was stepping over the same memory again and again, and it hurt too much to continue. She shook those thoughts away, and decided to prepare breakfast for everyone.

Since it was far too soon, she ate her part, got dressed with a white, long-sleeved t-shirt and a pink skirt, white tights and red shoes, and then left a small note in her father's dish, saying she was taking a small walk.

Madoka had never tried to walk that soon, and streets looked different, a little colder, more silent, and yet, the air smelled fresh and new.

She walked through streets she knew, and they led her towards a park she used to play at when she was a child, and now, she carried Tatsuya for him to do as she did some years ago.

Suddenly, she remembered that once, when she was little, she saw a figure, similar to her dream's in a swing: a child of her age, taller, yet extremely pale, thin and weak. She looked sick, swinging slowly and sadly. She was wearing red glasses, and long, black braids, and she remembered her wearing purple pijamas and some kind of a strange machine tied in her wrist. She seemed to be from the hospital, that was right in front of the park.

Perhaps her subconscious had just decided to bring that girl back to her dreams, and perhaps it had decided to bring Madoka there now, for some reason too. Subconscious was so mysterious sometimes, or at least she had heard that from wise people like her grandmother.
Then, she looked at the hospital, remembering the exact spot where she had found the grief seed. That would have been Mami Tomoe's grave, and so many people's, if Homura hadn't gotten there in time.

The pinkette felt glad and proud; calling Kyoko had been the right thing to do, but she then sighed when she remembered she still didn't have Homura's number. She would find the right occasion to get it and give her hers, just like the perfect moment to show her her pink notebook.

Suddenly, she realized she had been carrying it all the time, and decided to sit on a bench, to look at her own drawings.

They were cute, kind of naive and childish, but well done considering she hadn't had a model to base herself on but her memories. She really wished Homura liked them.

Then, she looked up, and saw a familiar cat mewing towards someone, and sitting down.

.

The girl's eyes didn't open but widened as she woke up, sitting up at the highest speed. No light filled her room, and every shadow seemed alive, dancing around her, smirking, whispering, mocking at her. She had no air to breathe, some tangle inside her throat was choking her. Her head hurt, her heart beat as if it wanted to emerge from her chest, and her face was all wet with all the tears she had shed as she slept, a sleep that had only lasted for three hours, the first one since she had passed out in an alley that night.

In that state, she looked weak like a corpse, not only because of her paleness, that turned into a shade of red in her cheeks, and below her eyes down the weight of her tears. She violently shook, covering her mouth with a beautiful, yet bony hand; she was really thin, her body not completely recovered from a life in the hospital, and yet, it was a strong body, with firm muscles, and an intimidating presence. But when she was like she was now, defenseless, she looked again like that girl she had once been, long, long ago.

She needed to scream, but denied herself that wish. She forbade herself to cry, and then made an agonizing sob, hugging herself like she usually did in the past, like she saw Madoka doing so often when she was scared.

No. The girl she loved couldn't just see her like this. Her face would twist in extreme confusion and worry, and she didn't want that to happen.

Everyone feared her, saw how strong she was, and Madoka was the first one to believe it, the first one, and probably the only one, to feel safe by her side. She didn't need to prove her strength to anyone... But herself.

Silence. She became as motionless as everything else in the room, as the shadows should be if her mental health was not so damaged. Hadn't she cleaned her Soul Gem after the last witch-hunt with her sister? Indeed she had. She would always keep it clean, not for her own sake. She would do it only for the pinkette. But not even a million grief seeds would free her from the hell sleeping meant. Luckily, she was not a human, and could afford to do it only in the weekends. It was not enough, not even to magical girls, but to her, it was more than that.

With firm gestures, she dried the tears from her face and stood up, walking like a soldier, flicking her hair behind her. Reaffirming herself was always a good reminder of her ideals, and what she fought for, and why, and the fact that she would keep on fighting, hiding her emotions until they became forgotten, or at least, many of them.

But she would never forget everything she had felt for Madoka.

She was neither able to forget what she felt about her sister, her comrade, her... friend. Even though she would sometimes punch her in the nose, she still somehow appreciated that red head that had fought beside her in most of the time lines.

She saw her in the sofa, snoring as she slept, half a hot dog stuck inside her mouth. She felt the temptation to poke her with a stick, but preferred to keep walking. She would get ready and hunt some more witches and minions until the sun started to rise, and then, she would go feed Amy. She had kept some milk and meat for her inside her shield.

Perhaps the only moments when she used the door were when dating with Madoka to finish their work and when going to school and coming back from it, for Kyoko and her usually came out from the roof and jumped from building to building when they went to fight. It was faster, and also, a good warming.

Hours passed as she battled around the city, and then ran to search for more rivals. The only thoughts she allowed her head to have were Madoka, Amy and the enemies. It had been a good rest to forget about Kyubey for a few days, because the little Incubator just made things worse. Also, she sometimes remembered about previous fights in other time lines against the same witches, reviving the strategies to kill them, which one was more effective, which one was a loss of time... And the girls that had been inside the barrier with her.

Every time line offered a million possibilities, and each possibility offered a million more, so no time line was like the other, though many things, the fates, the bases, the consequences, they scarcely varied.

Sunlight then started to fill the city, and the streetlights started to become worthless, they being turned off. The ebony's soul gem turned into a ring, her magical girl outfit fading, and she walked, now the food for the little stray cat inside a plastic bag. She wore a black, long-sleeved dress with some white buttons in the neck, white tights and black boots.

Near the hospital, she heard the familiar meow that called to her, and she turned around to see the dark fur ball running towards her. It stopped at her feet, and meowed again.

"Good morning, Amy." She answered coolly, with a nod.

The she-cat started to pad away, leading her somewhere else. She sometimes did that, like all cats, she was picky, and she liked to decide where to have her meal.

Homura followed her calmly, narrowing her purplish eyes when they came out of the alleyways, as a little more light bathed them.

They walked near the hospital, and then, the feline started to run, heading towards the park.

The raven-haired did not fasten her rhythm, so she had the kitten meowing for her to hurry up as it sat down, until she finally reached it.

She knelt and put a bowl on the ground, filled it with milk, and put the meat in a dish, after braking it into little pieces. She then looked around as Amy ate; that was the last park she played at, doing what she usually did in her non-childhood, swinging slowly in an attempt to imagine herself flying, as if all the problems that had caught her since she was born were nonexistent. Her face remained as inexpressive as usual, unable to feel anything anymore about the memories she had from before she woke up in the hospital, fifteen already, when she was going to get out from there and start a new life. Now that she thought about it, it truly had been a new life, a life she would have never imagined, the beginning of a new story that seemed to be eternal.

Her expression did only change when that voice, the reason of her still fighting every day, called her name from a bench near there.

"Homura-chan!" Madoka stood up and ran towards her, holding a pink notebook with her hands, a small yet bright smile in her face.

"Good morning, Madoka Kaname." She greeted, as she stood up. She hadn't expected the pinkette to be an early bird like herself.

"Please, just call me Madoka. Madoka is fine." She said, smiling wider, and then, before the black-haired girl's permanent gaze, her usual shyness came back again. "H-how are you today, Homura-chan?" She asked.

"I'm fine." She lied, as she always did. Though anyways, she'd feel better soon, at least a little warmer, for she was now beside the pinkette. It would never be close to 'fine', but it was the closest thing to it she was able to feel. "How are you, Madoka?"

The fact that she now called her by her first name made the pink-haired girl feel a little bit more confident, and happy that the other had done it with no hesitations. "I'm good, thank you!" Amy meowed towards her, and she crouched down to stroke her head. "Good morning, Amy-chan!"

"Meow~!"

Homura crouched down too. If Amy remembered her from all the time lines, she would remember Madoka as well. No wonder why she had been so nice to her from the beginning. She then remembered about the first time Amy and her met. If that was the reason, then why had the cat been so close to her?

Perhaps because they had a lot in common.

The she-cat concentrated again on its food, and Madoka looked at Homura with glittering eyes, but her smile faded when she saw again some bruises in her body. "You've been fighting again, right, Homura-chan?" She asked worriedly.

"I woke up soon." She said. "And had nothing else to do. It's okay this way too, and the city will be clean for a while."

The shorter girl didn't know if she should keep commenting about this subject. The other didn't seem tired, but she was still concerned. Perhaps she should just relax a bit, since the ebony always seemed to have everything under her control. She then smiled again when an idea hatched in her mind. "Homura-chan?"

The other turned around to her, answering with a mere "Hm?".

"W-well... I was taking a walk so... Would you like to walk with me?" She asked, bashful again. She hadn't expected herself daring to ask Homura something like that, and the dark-haired always refused all the offers from the others... But hers.

"Alright." She replied coldly, and then looked down at her furry little friend. "Once she is done, if you don't mind." She could afford going with Madoka, for she had already hunted today, Kyoko would sleep like a pig until midday and the meeting with her and Mami would be in the afternoon.

Madoka brightened. "Okay!" And then, she looked down at Amy too. "Will you come with us too, little one?"

"Meooow.~" It started lo lick itself after it had finished all the food it had.

"She will catch up." Homura said, keeping the dish and the bowl inside the same plastic bag that, in a single second, was suddenly gone.

The pinkette blinked several times, and then nodded. "Have a good time cleaning yourself." She stroke the little animal, which gave another meow in response and kept on licking its fur, and then stood up.

"See you later, Amy." The ebony stood up too and looked at Madoka. "Shall we go now?"

"S-sure!" The pink-haired girl nodded.

.

They hadn't counted the time they had been walking together. Minutes? A couple of hours? The sun had had enough time to arise, and now it shone stronger. The streets were agitated with people.

The two girls were again on a bench, near the way to school. Madoka couldn't wait anymore, and she felt as though as if she would never have an opportunity as good as this one. She swallowed saliva and looked at the other, who was following a butterfly with her lilac eyes. The pinkette smiled. "Homura-chan?"

Her eyes traveled fast from the small bug to the human girl, their speed and strength contradicting the calm of her voice, yet both things were cold and distant. "Yes, Madoka?" She asked in reply.

"W-well..." The shorter girl blushed a little, feeling slightly nervous, but then, she looked up at her again, at least, at her mouth, because she still found herself unable to look at her eyes. "I wanted to... To show you something."

"Oh?" The ebony lightly tilted her head, her black hair mounting a little over her shoulder as she did so. "And what is it?"

Madoka handed her notebook. "Here."

The raven-haired hesitated a little bit but then took it, as carefully as if it were made of porcelain. There was a small doodle in the cover, where the pinkette was dressed as a magical girl. Homura's eyes widened a little, for it was just the way it would look like in reality. Perhaps Madoka did still remember something, or at least, intuit something?

Her eyes then went upwards a little, to read the printed writing on it. 'Campus Note', it said, in white script.

She decided to open it by the first page. It was full of scraps and doodles, and the pinkette giggled sheepishly when the ebony's view ran over the scratched drawings, but Homura said nothing. She just looked.

There were more drawings of Madoka, practicing with her bow and doing cute stuff. There were also chibi Sayakas, dressing like magical girls too, and again, the similarities between the drawings and what the bluenette would look like in reality astonished her.

But what truly surprised her was what she found some pages later; Madoka had drawn her too. The chibi, purple-inked Homura stood imposingly, looking at somewhere, with her emotionless yet serious expression. Was that the way she looked like when she hunted witches?

There were a few more drawings where she used naive guns and weapons, and then, there was Mami too, with her shotguns.

The smaller girl had also drawn the witches she had seen, and small fighting scenes. In a childish, comic style, she had drawn the ebony, blowing the smoke from a gun as Izabel's minions laid dead, and also, when Gertrud had grabbed her by her ankle. There was also the scene where she pushed Mami, sending her away from Charlotte's teeth.

And then, there were imaginary fighting scenes, where the four of them battled imaginary witches.

And after a few more pages, blank. She hadn't filled them yet.

"W-well..." Madoka murmured. She had been studying Homura's face as she looked at her illustrations, trying to find any glimpse of an expression, but failing at it. "Wh-what do you think?"

Homura closed the notebook, lifting her gaze now lost in the horizon. Deep inside, she was now dealing with all the emotions she had just been through, and they were too strong, too confusing... She would have to give the pinkette an answer, never revealing how she felt in the insides, but never disappointing her too. Her drawings had truly touched her, and she wanted to kind of compliment her, somehow, her own way. She tried to think the fastest she could, attempting not to make a too long silence, so Madoka would not suspect, but trying as well to find the best words to say without making mistakes, nor damaging her ice-queen reputation.

"I like them." She said coldly, as if not caring much, but caring at the same time. Why was everything so complicated and easy at the same time to someone like her? And then, she blinked, looking at Madoka with her imposing, gelid stare.

The pinkette's eyes were widening in grateful surprise, as a smile was starting to bloom in her face. "Y-you mean it? D-do you really like them?" She couldn't believe she had earned words like those from Homura, who apparently had lost her interest in most of existing things, and all the imaginary ones.

Homura blinked again, intensifying her stare. "What would I gain by lying to you, Madoka?"

The shorter girl's smile was complete now. If she had been more self-confident, she would have hugged the dark-haired girl, but she was not confident at all, and she still felt out of her comfort zone beside the other, for she had no experience in dealing with someone like this. Surprisingly, now she anyways felt closer to her.

"Thank you, so very much, Homura-chan!" She said, the other's answer being just a mere nod. Would she be able to consider her... her friend? Perhaps asking would be the solution, she innocently thought.

"Homura-chan..." She asked, when the other girl returned her her notebook. "Are... Are we friends?"

Her lavender eyes closed, as she difficultly swallowed the pungent grief that had stabbed her with those words. Again, she hid everything she felt, and, straightening her posture, she looked deeply into Madoka's eyes. "It depends on what the word 'friendship' means to you." Where did she find the strength to answer so boldly, so resolute, cold, distant? Perhaps in Madoka herself, and the wish she had to be strong enough to protect her.

"A-ah?" Again, Homura's blunt, yet enigmatic answer had left her totally in albis. "W-well... I-it means to appreciate someone! T-to... To know you can count on them, a-and they can count on you... I-it's about mutual trust a-and well-being:" Madoka found herself able to explain, since, as a friend of her friends, she always did her best. At least, the meaning of 'friendship' was one of the things she knew. If Homura didn't, she wondered how empty her life had been.

"I see..." Homura answered, almost in a whisper, but her voice recovered its strength and firmness when she spoke again. "And, do you want us to be friends?"

The smaller girl's eyes widened a little. "O-of course! I-I mean... It wouldn't be wrong... Right?"

The ebony looked away again. "Then, I guess I can be your... friend." The word felt heavy and painful in her tongue, heartrending and distressful in her heart, as it filled her mind with memories, so faint, and yet, so vivid.

Madoka's smile came back as quickly as it had faded before, and she brightened again. She was so sensitive, and so expressive... It was impossible to make her keep the same expression for more than a minute. "I-I am so glad then, Homura-chan!" She felt the temptation to hug her again, and once more, she denied it to herself. Would at least that answer of hers mean that she would feel uncomfortable with her no longer? Even an innocent mind like hers was powerful enough to dominate her, just like it happened to everyone, she guessed. That was why she found Homura's stoicism so admirable.

"Meow!" The she-cat jumped towards the ebony's face, but her reflexes made her catch her in time.

"No, Amy, no." She sighed, as she gently placed her over her lap, earning a cute, high-pitched giggle from the other girl, who stroke the little animal as soon as she could.

"Do you want to hold her?" The magical girl asked.

"C-can I...? I-I mean... Yes, please!" As she held the black fur ball close, she looked so warm Homura couldn't help but to wish for a moment that she could switch places with the cat. Completely ashamed of herself, she quickly threw away that idea, and mentally lectured herself, as harsh as she could.

"You two do really have a lot in common..." Madoka whispered.

"Huh...?" That caught the ebony by surprise.

"A-ah, nothing!" She smiled awkwardly. She would have to work on that habit of expressing her thoughts out loud. Luckily, she got no answers. Suddenly, she looked at her watch. "A-ah, I must go! Pa- … My parents will be worried!" She stood up, carefully placing the fluffy creature back on Homura's lap.

"Hm? Alright. Farewell."

"See you!" She hurried away, but, in the middle of her way home, she noticed she had forgotten to give Homura her number. "Baka baka baka baka baka baka baka baka baka baka bakaaaaa..." She scolded herself along the rest of her path.

.

"Kyoko. … Kyoko. … Kyoko. … Kyoko. … Kyoko." Nothing seemed to wake her sister up, so Homura decided to, since it was midday already, take a whole pre-cooked roast chicken from her fridge and warm it, and then swing it before the red head's nose. It worked, and Kyoko quickly snapped her eyes open and bit the food like a predator, the grip of her jaw being strong enough to rip it off the ebony's hands.

"Gomomim'." She said, her mouth too occupied to vocalize.

"It's not morning." She said, coolly yet calmly. "It's a quarter past two."

Kyoko took the chicken with her hands -Homura has her reasons not to give her a dish- and swallowed. "Alreadeh?" She asked, not too thrilled. She had sometimes slept until three o'clock, or further if she could.

"Indeed." The raven-haired replied. "Get ready. Remember we have a... difficult afternoon." She was talking more about Mami and Kyoko than about herself. The afternoon was indeed wearisome, but it would also be hard, for there would be a constant tension floating between those two.

"Uhú." She kept eating, trying not to think about that until the moment came. "Have ya eaten anyway'?"

"..." She sighed. "Yes."

"What?" Kyoko asked, thinking that her sister was too thin, or else, too afraid to fatten.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to just skip that question, Homura chose to reply with the truth. "I ate soon, and had some ramen, since I had no time to cook, for I came late from the street."

"Aaaaaaah." She nibbled, chewed (a little) and swallowed. "And where did ya go?"

"To feed Amy." She looked away.

"Onleh dat?" Kyoko smirked slyly, small crumbs of chicken in her teeth, and repeated the tucking in process once more.

"Why are you so curious today?" Homura asked, a little annoyed, hoping she did not blush as she barely did other times.

Kyoko's grin became wider. "Haven't ya found a certain pinkieh BTW?"

"...Are you having fun?" Homura asked, closing her eyes.

The red-haired rascal shrugged as she ate. "Tryen' to. If ya dun't wanna talk 'but dat, just tell meh."

Was it really that easy? "Okay, I don't want to talk about that right now."

"'Kay."

Sometimes, Kyoko was still able to surprise her, even after all those time lines by her side. She decided to keep her guard up, from now on.

.

"Beeeep. Beeeep. Beeeep."

Madoka tightly held onto her mobile phone, as she was waiting for Sayaka to take it. "Come on..." She whispered nervously.

"Hallo?" A tired voice replied the call.

"S-sayaka-chan? H-how are you feeling?" The pinkette answered, her voice never hiding the concern that filled her.

"I'm okay, I guess?" She tried to laugh as usual, but it seemed too forced, and the bluenette knew it. Her chuckle broke into a sigh. "...Or not that much." She recognized, imagining her childhood friend's doubtful face.

"I-It's still about Kamijou-Kun... Right?" She asked.

"Well." Sayaka made another sigh, this one shaky. "You know? He was such a talent... The way he played the violin, felt the music... It was everything to him! He had... Gold in his hands. It should have happened to me, whose hands are useless..."

"D-don't say that!" Madoka exclaimed. "It should just have happened to no one!" She hated Kamijou's fate, but could never take having her best friend at the hospital.

"...If... If there was a way to heal him... Some kind of... A miracle..." Her words made the pinkette bite her lips. "He said it himself... Only a miracle could heal him. And I don't believe in childish things as fairy tales... What could I say to cheer him up?"

"B-but there must be a way..." She murmured, holding her secret inside. She knew the price to pay, and she didn't want to put someone she appreciated that much into that fatality.

A third sigh. "There is no way, Madoka... The doctor said it himself." Then, even though her friend would not see it, a sad, small smile touched her lips. "Thank you, anyways... For worrying and trying to help. You truly are a good friend."

"What I am trying to say is that you try your best to help, and even though you don't realize it, you succeed many times, making the other feel better, showing them you love them and care…" Homura's words from last night still echoed in her head. Perhaps she was right, but it still hurt badly that, even though she soothed the pain, she didn't fix the situation. "Y-you are my friend, Sayaka-chan! I'd do a-anything for you, you know..." She wondered if the same ebony who told her that had been through that same situation.

The other let out a small, thankful yet depressed laugh. "I think I'll have a shower now, let's see if I can refresh my own head and thoughts too... Thanks again, Madoka."

Madoka had enough time to say goodbye before the familiar "beep" of a hung up mobile phone was the only thing she heard. She decided to doodle, so as to calm herself down, but as she drew in the paper of her notebook, her mind just flew away, mostly reviving different, random memories from last week.

.

The sun was still bright but lowered, indicating it was afternoon already, that in a few hours it would set, and that in a few minutes Mami Tomoe and Kyoko Sakura would have to try to work in teams. It would really be emotionally hard for those two, and Homura feared she would have to, sooner or later, waste a lot of energy in handling them both.

If the ebony closed her eyes, she was surrounded by a peaceful silence in the old, lonely alleyways, except for some car heard in the distance, or the cracking sounds of Kyoko nibbling at her pockys non stop.

Suddenly, she was also able to hear steps, and her now opened lavender eyes moved to gaze at the familiar figure of the approaching blonde.

"Good afternoon, you two." She greeted, politely, making the best of her efforts to hide her feelings. Homura had a lot to teach her, for the older girl had less experience on that, and she was unable to hold it on for too long. However, both their masks were different, one cold, inexpressive, distant yet threatening; the other, warm, sweet, with a little smile and a kind gaze. Just as night and day.

Though everything felt the same cold to Homura.

Everything but Madoka.

"Good afternoon, Mami Tomoe." She greeted back.

"Yo." Kyoko licked her lips, after swallowing the last portion inside her mouth.

The first uncomfortable silence, and Mami was tempted to greet again to fill it, but it would be just too awkward. The three girls desperately looked for words, anything, and the more seconds passed, the more the tension grew. At the end, as expected, Homura took the reins of the situation, standing up and flicking her hair behind her, to call the others' attention, just as to prepare and firearm herself as well.

"Well, you both know why we are here." She said, and looked at the red head and the blonde with her piercing eyes. "As a beginning of our alliance plan against Walpurgisnacht, we will start by doing patrols and hitch-hunting together, so we get to know each other's fighting style..." She was obviously talking about Kyoko to know Mami's, and Mami to know theirs. "...and so we can make our own strategies." She hadn't added 'trust' to her initial speech, since she would only earn a sarcastic and scorn scoff from her sister, and an uneasy frown from the other.

"It seems a good idea to me." The big-breasted agreed, nodding softly, and looking then at Kyoko, daring to be the first who broke the silence between the two of them. "What do you think, Sakura-san?"

Kyoko looked at her from over her shoulder. "I ain't gonna question mah sistah. She know 'bout eet." Her voice was sharp and distant.

Perhaps it had been the wrong question to start with.

"W-well, then... A-Akemi-San?" Mami turned to look at Homura.

The ebony looked at her ring, perfectly able to read her name on it, written in runes, and see the small purple pearl near the palm of her hand. With a swift gesture, the ring turned into the egg-shaped gem and was grabbed by its owner. "We happen to be lucky." She said, not too loudly. "The first witch is pretty near from us." And so, she turned to follow its trace.

"Wha' ya be waitin' for, Mameh?" The red head followed after her sister, and a second later, she was already walking by her side.

Mami shook her head. "Wait!" She followed them, and at the end, she was walking beside Homura too.

The raven-haired repressed an exasperated sigh. Surrounded by them, she thought it would be harder than she had hoped.

"You have the honor, Kyoko." She said, as they stood right in front of the barrier, after they had transformed into their characteristic fighting outfits.

"He." The rascal grinned, and tightened the grip of her spear before opening the invisible 'gates' with a large gash.

They headed inside.

The surroundings were filled with a stench of alcohol, in a black space with dots and decorations, painted in several different colors. The sound of stamping attracted their attention upwards, where an enormous pair of legs inside a hanging cage hit its floor, trying to scare away some stupid birds that uselessly attempted to woo her, and they could only increase her rage. They saw the runes near her.

"Sissy." Kyoko called. "What their names?"

Homura didn't even have to look at the runes; she perfectly remembered from other time lines. "Roberta, and the annoying birds are named Gotz."

Mami's eyes widened in surprise. In all those years, she had never wondered how would witches and minions be named, or what would those runes mean. Perhaps it was true and she was an ignorant, and she knew less than what she thought.

Second time she shook her head that day to send thoughts to the back of her mind; there were more important things to do.

"So, what's the plan?" She then asked.

Homura hadn't thought about it because she had defeated her by herself many times. She quickly tried to think about those first time lines, when Madoka, Mami and she were a team. Those memories hurt badly, but they were useful in moments like those. She breathed deeply to ease herself, keeping her eternal mask on her face. "The witch can't move from there. Let's call the attention of the minions first, let them come to us and then take them off. The witch will be our second target."

"Ha! Leave dat to me!" Kyoko jumped forwards, and after spinning around her spear, she loudly hit it against some random metallic item on the ground. "Hey birdieeeeeeees! Wha' is biggah, yar beek or yar ass?!"

The minions suddenly stopped to a halt on the air, and aggressively looked at them, and then headed towards them, swift and sharp as bullets.

"Careful, girls!" Mami warned, acting like the senior she was not.

Homura just prepared her shield, allowing Kyoko to answer for them both.

"We already know dat, yo!" She exclaimed, tightening the grip of her spear. She jumped forwards and upwards, the different parts of her spears separating, they connected by chains, and then she started to hit the birds, sending some towards the other two girls, cutting those who touched the extremely sharp blade.

The blonde was already prepared with six of her muskets floating in front of her. She shot those who were sent against her, yellow bullets causing tiny explosions, a yellowish-white light filling the space she occupied.

The black-haired handled hers, a gun in each of her hands, a careful yet fast aim, the same quick reflexes that would make her able to protect the one she loved in an extreme situation. "Kyoko! I need you to cut the chain that keeps the cage hanged!" She called, once she was done.

"Okie dokie!" The other ran and jumped along more random, big objects and statues to approach her target, which was too high to reach with a single bounce.

"Mami." Homura then calmly walked towards the blonde. "Once the cage starts to fall, we both will shoot at her." She made a small pause. "Use your 'Tiro Finale'." It was hard for her to say the names without them sounding strange, and so nostalgic in her tongue, but only to her. Without waiting for an answer, she pulled a missile launcher out of her time-controlling weapon.

"Uh-!" The other just assumed it would be worthless to ask her how she knew that too and then prepared her enormous cannon made of ribbons.

"Dere we go!" With a single yet strong hit of the blade of her now one-pieced spear, she broke the chain, and the countdown for the other two girls to shoot begun.

"Now."

"Tiro- Finale!"

The barrier faded in an explosion that made the magical girls close their eyes, and only opened them when they heard the familiar clinging of the grief seed against the ground.

"Oh. There is another enemy." Mami started to follow the shine in her soul gem when a strong hand grasped her shoulder.

"Someone liek ya should know it be a minion, not a witch." Kyoko stopped her, as the ebony picked the grief seed up from the ground, and kept it in one of her pockets to share it later.

"Don't tell me you still think it's useless to leave minions be." Her usual smile was nowhere to be seen. "Think about the people they can hurt! And even worse when they turn into a witch!"

The red head bit her lips, keeping herself from revealing the truth about soul gems and grief seeds, and also from bursting into chuckles. "Minions 're week! We can kill 'em once we spilt up! Witches 're worse, more dangerous! Haven't ya thought 'bout dat?"

Before Mami could think of an answer, Homura was already in the middle of the discussion. "I think Kyoko is right, Mami Tomoe. We should go for witches, and kill the minions once we are by ourselves again."

The blonde hesitated, but then gave a nod. "As long as we kill them, it'll be fine to me, Akemi-San, Sakura-San."

If she were an expressive girl, Homura would have sighed in relief. Knowing them, this argument would have ended worse, and she knew the tension between those two hadn't been solved... yet.

.

The hours of the afternoon were slowly devoured by the jaws of time as they walked around the city in search for witches. They killed four before the sunset begun.

"You know?" Mami asked, after politely accepting the two grief seeds the ebony handed her. "It has been a good hunting session... Perhaps we could do it more often."

Homura looked at her, and Kyoko shrugged.

"Perhaps..." She voiced her thoughts out loud." We could be friends again. Sakura-san."

The raven-haired clicked her tongue, knowing that the blonde was playing with fire.

"Nah, I'm afraid not." The red-haired girl lightly shook her head, as she searched for some treat inside the pockets of her scarlett outfit.

"Why not?" The blonde answered with another question.

"Cuz things have changed, and ya know dat." Kyoko answered, trying to leave that subject be, and give no details.

A new rage suddenly grew inside the big-breasted's heart, emerging from a feeling she had kept locked during those last few years. "Well, Sakura-san." She said, her voice now cold, though, never as much as Homura's. "It has never been my fault your father murdered all your family and killed himself." She snapped firmly, earning a burning stare from the rascal's widened eyes. "I tried to help you... And you pushed me away!"

"Don't..." Kyoko whispered, her eyes now completely opened, as she started to breathe heavily. "Don't ya dare tho name 'em!" She aggressively aimed her spear at the former's neck, lightly touching her skin, drawing a tiny droplet of a deep red blood. "Do dat again and I'll kill ya!"

"But we have to talk about it!" She insisted. "That's a subject we have never solved, and we have to!"

Kyoko growled, obviously loosing her patience.

"It was not my fault!" She repeated. "You didn't let me help you and just left! Carried your grief alone! Left me worried about you, alone as well! Is that what your parents would have wanted?!"

"SHUT UP!" The red-head roared, pulling her spear backwards, and then swinging it forwards again, with all her strength.

"Stop!" Mami shoot in a desperate attempt to block the weapon, unable to dodge again.

But none of them was hurt.

The two girls opened their eyes and gasped, as they saw what, or rather who was standing between them.

No changes in her expression, no winces of pain, just a face as calm and cold as a dreamless, sleeping girl's. No sounds but a sigh. The ebony straightened her hunched spine and flicked her long, beautiful hair, carelessly. Her eyes still closed, she pulled the blade of the spear away from between her ribs, in her right side. After pushing it away, she sank her fingers deep inside the hole in left right shoulder, and pulled the yellow bullet, now red with her blood. She looked at it, and then effortlessly dropped it onto the floor. The two old friends, now seemingly rivals, were wordless, as two red spots bloomed as flowers, staining Homura's clothes. "Mami Tomoe, go to your house. Kyoko, go home." She commanded. "You two need to think about what happened, if we want to make an alliance." She didn't wait for any answer, just started to walk away.

Silently, after some minutes of standing, the other two obeyed, even though who had given them those commands was already gone.

.

The tiny teenager had to cool down, and she knew that. Perhaps her parents would let her take a late walk, since it was Saturday. She went downstairs and there they were, watching TV, as her
little brother doodled in a paper. Once he noticed her, an enormous smile appeared in his face, as he lifted his drawing for her to see it.

"Maroka, look!"

She patted his head and nodded in approval with one of her sweet and gentle smiles, before she turned to face her parents, as the toddler went back to his sketching. "Papa, mama, may I go out for a small walk?"

"Hm... Sure, honey, but don't go too far. It's dark, and it can be dangerous for a little girl." Her mother, Junko, grinned.

"I am not a little girl anymore." The pinkette pouted, but once she earned an allowing nod and another grin from her father, she smiled again. "Thanks, I won't be back too late." She took her mobile phone, a pencil and her notebook, and then she went to the street, just like this morning.

The air was fresh again, yet some would describe it as 'a little cold'. Spring nights were like this, and she was glad she was wearing now her unbuttoned, pale pink jacket over her t-shirt.

The girl allowed herself to zone out for a small while, thinking again about Sayaka, Homura, the scene with Mami, Homura again... She wondered what the ebony, the blonde and the red head had wished to become what they were, and why. No matter how long the brain storming was, she arrived at no clues, and then, snapping back to reality, she realized she had distracted herself enough to get somewhere she had never been. "Oh, no..." She face-palmed, mentally insulting herself. Perhaps she shouldn't have taken a walk, after all.

She cautiously looked around, trying to make out where she came from, and follow her steps, but at the first bifurcation, she didn't remember which direction she had to choose. Trying not to desperate, she tried one, and started heading through alleys she didn't remember she had walked before.

The more minutes, the more nervous she was growing. Suddenly, already in the verge of tears, she saw the edge of a red puddle staining the ground. It came from a close alleyway. Worried about who was bleeding and willing to help them, she ran towards it, but what she saw made her instantly stop and cover her mouth in horror.

Her legs crossed, her hands over her ankles, her newest friend was sitting, her back supported against the wall, as she rested with her eyes closed. The crimson liquid emerged from a deep cut-shaped wound between her right ribs, and a hole in her left shoulder. She was breathing peacefully, or at least, she seemed like.

She carefully approached to see if the ebony was awake, kneeling in front of her, ignoring the red substance that now stained her tights. "H-Ho-Homura-chan?" She asked, her hands trembling.

To her surprise, the raven-haired girl opened her lavender eyes. "Madoka?" She asked, her voice showing microscopic glimpses of surprise before it steadied again. "What are you doing here?"

The pinkette couldn't help but ignore the ice-queen's question, making hers. "W-what happened to you?" She quickly started to look for something inside her pocket.

The magical girl blinked. "Desperate situations require desperate solutions." She answered calmly and coolly, as usual.

The pinkette pulled out her pink, clean handkerchief from her pocket, since the other one Homura had given her five days ago was being washed, -for every cute manga girl has to wear one with the color she is associated with- and quickly pressed it against Homura's gash, causing the girl to stiffen and blush.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She asked, a small fissure in her her coldness letting a bit of awkwardness escape, and also glimpses of some kind of an odd shyness.

Homura's sudden change of attitude startled the pinkette, who had never expected to see the ebony had a shy side. If she were not in that situation, she would have acted differently, but she had no time to worry about small details like those in that very moment. "I-I am trying t-to stop the bleeding!" She desperately answered. "I should call an ambulance..."

The dark-haired's stare softened; Madoka was truly worried. "Don't." She said, her composure and coldness back together. Madoka looked at her with watery eyes, and her heart bit faster, feeling bad for the concerned, innocent girl. "I can heal those myself." She said, lifting her purple soul gem. When she had forgotten that she was injured and full of blood, and just decided to sit down and reflect on what had happened before, she hadn't expected at all that the girl she loved and vowed to protect would see her like this. Another mistake to add to her list of regrets.

Madoka's eyes looked at the jewel, and saw it shining purple. The wounds were closing, very slowly, as they glimmered the same tone than the gem, which was filling with light darkness as her magic was used. The shining stopped, the injuries not completely healed, but at least bleeding no longer.

"See?" She asked monotonously, keeping her soul gem. "There is nothing to worry about, I'm fine."

The shorter girl's accumulated tears silently fell. She had been very scared about her newest friend, and before, she had been scared because she was lost, and also sad about Sayaka, and she wanted to help her, but didn't know how to, and now she still was lost, but with Homura, who had been bleeding from mortal wounds, and now she was not, but the horrible feeling still filled her insides, and she needed to let it go. Unable to think about it twice, as if she had been pushed, she helplessly leaned forwards and took the ebony in an embrace, and she started to sob into the pale girl's shoulder, her immaculate clothes now filling with crimson.

Homura stood silent, her lavender eyes now widened, her whole body completely stiffened. What was this? Why was this? She hadn't gotten one of those for too long, and the feeling was too hard to deal with. Several memories filled her mind, and she felt the urge to cry too but didn't. She would never do it. Not in front of Madoka. Madoka... Suddenly she snapped back to reality, remembering the fragile girl was crying into her shoulder. What could she do to comfort her? Would her reputation and mask be damaged depending on her actions?

She didn't care anymore. All that mattered was that the girl she loved was not okay, and if she hugged her to cry was because she was, somehow, depositing her trust onto her. She had to return that somehow, at least, to calm her down.

She swallowed saliva, as if when she prepared herself to do an exam she was going to fail due to her lack of study, in those old times, situated far away. Hesitatingly, she reached indecisive arms around the smaller girl, causing her to slightly flinch at the touch, but then hugging the ebony tighter.

"Shhh... It's okay..." Although she had never abandoned her coldness, her voice now attempted to sound a little gentle, as she spoke in soft, apparently calm whispers, though her insides burnt in pain. "...It really is."

After the minutes none of them had counted, Madoka still hiccuped a little, wrapped inside the hug as silence mostly ruled. She slowly pulled away, and Homura's arms let go of her. "I-I'm sorry." She murmured, blushing a little.

"It's fine." The taller girl said, and then scanned her with her eyes. "But your clothes and face are not." She stated bluntly.

"H-huh?" She looked down at her own tiny body, and noticed the blood stains. "Huh?!" She repeated, a little louder, and touched her face to see she had blood on it too, probably because she had had it buried into Homura's formerly injured shoulder.

The ebony stood up, and offered her a hand for her to do the same. "My home is near." She said, after a sigh. "I can wash... them before it gets too late, and lend you... something to wear meanwhile." She was blushing a little as she spoke.

"U-ugh... I-it's n-not necessary..." Madoka mumbled selflessly. "I..."

"How would your parents react if she saw you full of blood?"

Madoka swallowed saliva. She hadn't thought about it. Homura was right, so she would have to to accept. "A-are you s-sure you don't mind...?"

"I am." She nodded distantly. "Kyoko will probably be asleep now..." She sighed.

"A-ah! I... Will have to call Mama, though... I-I mean- my mother." The seemingly childish girl stuttered. "Wh-what can I say to her? I am a terrible liar..."

"Tell her you walked through a park, and slipped in the mud some kids had been playing with." She answered without having to think much.

"O-okay..." She wondered how came that the other could invent excuses so quickly. What kind of parents did she have? And that question led to another. How came that she didn't live with them?

"Follow me." The raven-haired said, as she started to walk, not even changing back to her school uniform, not even bothering to clean the blood from the ground, which made Madoka figure out in what kind of an alleyways she had ended up, and how lucky she was she had found Homura instead of some... rogue.

"A-ah- w-wait!" She hurried to catch up, and then, walked beside her, trying to stay close and not be left behind.

.

As Homura led her towards her room, the snores they heard became stronger. Just like in Charlotte's barrier, the ebony placed a finger over her pale lips for her to be silent, or at least, talk in a low volume. Madoka gave a small nod in response.

The door was silently open. The room was dark, with no light nor windows, full of drawers, some more candles, and countless clocks surrounding them. In the furthest wall, there was a mysterious, fancy, golden mirror, and in the purple bed, the red head was sleeping, a half-eaten apple inside her mouth, and she, snoring loudly, and sometimes mumbling things.

The host headed towards the purple wardrobe before the drawers, and opened it to search for clothes to lend the other. Most of them were dark, too dark for Madoka.

She looked around, and found her only white dress, that was too small for her to use now, but it would fit the pinkette perfectly. Then, she looked for tights. All of them were black, and she took the smaller one, though, it wold still be a little big for the guest, but there was no other choice.

Then, the problem came. Homura covered her face with her free hand to hide the blush in her cheeks, but she would have to do it anyways.

Meanwhile, Madoka had gone outside, to talk to her mother about her situation, Homura's lie perfectly understandable. She let her know that she would be back once she was done.

The raven-haired walked out of the room and closed the door behind her, unable to get rid of the faint red in her pale cheeks, that intensified more when they shared visual contact. She offered the folded clothes, inner clothes hid between them. "T-that's all you need." She said, the stutter in her cold voice giving a tense pitch to the embarrassing situation she was being through.

The pink-haired girl blushed a little too when she understood it, and took them. "Th-thank you, Homura-chan..." She smiled awkwardly.

"You can use the shower." She said pointing the direction, handing her a clean towel and then quickly walking towards the living room, to recompose herself.

Madoka stood there for a moment, but then, hesitatingly walked towards the bathroom, trying to somehow hide her face too, though, no one would see her.

.

When she went to the living room too, she saw Homura in her 'human' clothes. She had somehow gotten rid of all the blood on her, but the pinkette didn't dare to ask how. Instead, she just walked to sit beside her friend, and saw she had a mug in her hands.

"That's yours." The ebony said, pointing to the other mug in the table.

"A-ah, thank you..." She took it. The dark brown liquid inside smelled sweet, and it still had some smoke coming from it. Homura had gotten enough time to prepare hot chocolates. That just made the pinkette remember the kind of powers her host had.

"H-Homura-chan..." She instantly earned a gaze from the corner of the other's purplish eyes. "Wh-what did Tomoe-san, Kyoko-chan and you w-wish... To b-become magical girls?"

A small silence, and she saw how stiff were the raven-haired's hands, who was now glaring deeply at her warm drink. "Well..." She started. "If Kyoko and Mami Tomoe want you to know... I prefer they tell you themselves." She said. "About me... I'd rather keep it as a secret." Her eyes went back to look at her, now in a full stare. "You see, you touched a very personal subject. Not because it's a wish, but because it's the wish, you now what I mean?"

"Hmm... I see." She nodded. "I'm sorry, Homura-chan."

The other shook her head calmly. "It's fine." She replied. "I am glad you understood."

Madoka gifted the permanently stoic girl with a small, gentle smile before taking a sip of her chocolate, closing her eyes at the flavor.

The ebony drank hers, not too fast, but neither slowly. She left the mug in the table, and then just kept her position, unaware of what she should do next. At the end, she started to follow the pendulum shadow with her lavender eyes. She only was distracted when she heard the other mug against the table.

"I-I should be leaving..." The pinkette muttered, standing up.

"Alright." The other stood up too. "I'll walk you home. The streets are dangerous at this time."

The smaller girl remembered her mother's teases and was about to pout, but thanked the black-haired instead.

.

"A-ah, I forgot my keys..." Madoka whispered sheepishly, and then pressed the bell.

"I should leave." Homura stated, almost turning around when a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Hm?" She asked, looking at who had done so.

"P-please, stay..." The pinkette said. "At least, let my mother see you..." She looked at the ebony with begging, glittering eyes, and the other found herself between the devil and the deep blue sea.

"...Fine." She said, and the other brightened. "Just a short introduction, and then I'll head home."

"Thank you, Homura-chan!" The girl's smile was filled with a sudden joy, that just reminded the ebony how expressive and sensitive she was.

Suddenly, the door opened.

"Hi, Madoka." Junko said with a grin, and then looked at the raven-haired. "And... Who are you?" Her smile never faded.

The taller girl bowed her head. "My name is Homura Akemi." She said, and then lifted her chin enough to look deeply into her eyes. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too!" Madoka's mother's smirk widened. "You must be the transfer student, huh? We've heard a lot about you." The former had to make a small effort now to keep the mask on. Had Madoka really talked that much about her? "How was your first week?"

"It was good." She answered, coldly, but politely, just like when she introduced herself to the class. "Thanks for asking."

"No problem." The woman replied. "Do you want to come in?" She gestured.

"No, thanks." Homura bowed again. "It's getting late, and I must head home." She said, and then handed her a plastic bag. "Those belongs to your daughter. I haven't had the time to dry them, but they are clean."

"Oh?" Junko accepted the bag. "Thank you." She then smiled slyly. "You should drop by some day, and stay for a while."

"Thanks for the invitation." Was the reply she got. "I don't know if I will have enough time, anyways." After all, she was not lying.

"Oh? Well, we'll see." Madoka's mother did not give up so easily, and Homura knew how stubborn she was, just like her daughter, though, with no shyness to block her.

"Now I must go." The ebony said, bowing for a last time. "Farewell." She then looked at Madoka. "Good bye."

"A-ah, bye!" She said, before seeing her friend walking away. Would she come back by the time she was in bed? She wondered.

"So that's the transfer student, huh?" Junko said, as if still evaluating her. "She seems shy."

"D-does she?" The pinkette asked her mother, completely startled now. The only answer she got was a shrug, before the two of them entered the house.

.

Madoka tiredly plopped onto her bed, before curling up and covering herself with her blankets. Half-conscious, she opened magenta eyes to distinguish a familiar silhouette in the darkness.

"G-good night... Homura... chan..." She whispered, her eyes automatically closed at the security the other's presence made her feel. She was too sleepy to talk.

"Night, Madoka." Was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.