WHOA I'M NOT DEAD
Sorry about the long wait. The end of the semester hit me hard, and most of Winter break I've been feeling blech, so it's taken me a while to write. BUT hopefully I'll be able to get into a more regular writing schedule or something. Even so, with school and all, expect a couple weeks delay between each update. Anyways, enjoy!
Madoka's friends were, infact, not very happy to hear what had happened to the pinkette. Hitomi hadn't blamed Homura when she sat down at her table over lunch and discussed it. It was Tuesday, just two days after the, as Mami called it, "Madoka Incident". The bubbly girl had returned to classes, albeit in a much more tired mood than usual. Or ever, to be honest. The bubblegum-haired girl who could usually blab about God knows what at any time of day spent her first day back sleeping on the desk, even after getting shaken by both Homura and the teacher.
Sayaka had apparently rescheduled a private practice with some of the other soccer players to visit Madoka on Monday. Since she and her translator were off doing something athletic on the far side of campus, Homura supposed that Madoka would be in her room.
Maybe I could get some answers about what happened, The raven-haired girl thought. She had been constantly flitting back to that little kiss they had shared, what it meant, what it was about. Maybe Madoka actually had a romantic interest in her, or maybe it had just been drug induced, or maybe it was a friendly thing. Did friends do that? But if she did have a… thing for Homura, would it be possible to have a relationship? Could her heart, quite literally, handle that?
Unfortunately, by the time she had really begun to consider the question, the door marked "182" loomed over her. Its soft oaken surface bore the quarantine sign still. Maybe Madoka doesn't want to be disturbed. She's probably still still sleeping or wants to try to or something. I should just go back. As her mind continued to trace possible reasons why she should turn away and leave the door, her body also refused to do anything but stand still, hand raised and ready to rasp. She let out a sigh. C'mon Homu, you've gotta fight for yourself for once. A girl had said that to her, a girl with hot red hair.
A girl she had loved.
The rasp never came. Homura's hand never made it to the door. It had swung open as the fist arced down. A girl, with soft, bubblegum-pink hair, opened the door, looking at Homura with almost red-brown eyes… or no, were they golden-brown? She yawned, scratching her nose like she had just woken up, and with the tumbled mess her hair was in, she may just have. "Hey, Homura."
All the steely-eyed girl could manage was a simple "Hi". It was like her entire vocabulary had bolted like one of the track kids.
The two simply stood there for a moment before Madoka motioned for Homura to enter the room. She closed the door behind them, Madoka taking a seat on her bed. A few more seconds of silence permeated the softly lit bedroom, drowned a light orange from the color of the curtains drawn across the window. The pinkette interjected first.
"I know why you're here." Her usual smile was gone. It felt like someone had stolen the original Madoka out of the nurse's office and replaced her with a much more dour clone.
"O-oh?"
The pinkette nodded before saying, "You're here about why I kissed you on Sunday."
The blush that crossed Homura's face was an answer enough, but she nodded and said, "Y-yes."
The silence rolled in between them, Madoka's eyes studying the patterns on the carpet. It felt like aeons before she said anything else. "I'm surprised you remembered that," The brunette chuckled awkwardly.
"So am I." It came out flat, none of the usual bubbliness and cheeriness that seemed to always permeate every single one of the artist's words.
"I, uh…" Nothing could come into Homura's mind to say. Every word, every joke, every mood-lightener. It was all wrong. "I can come back later if you like?"
Madoka finally glanced upwards, but turned her head to look out the window. "Okay."
That was all Homura got out of her that night. 'Okay'. Said so hollowly, so blankly. 'Later' was originally going to be in a few hours. That quickly turned into overnight. Then a day. Then two, three. Madoka seemed to get better, more excited, more bubbly.
Then Saturday came.
Homura heard a heavy knock, followed by a loud groan at her door. She rushed over, opening it, worried someone had banged their head on it for… whatever reason. Maybe they weren't looking where they were going, or got pushed into it?
Sure enough, someone had banged their head against the door. A girl with gold-brown eyes and hair dyed bubblegum pink stood with a bright red forehead before of the doorway, wincing in pain. As soon as she registered that the door had been opened, her expression changed drastically.
"Hey Homu!" Madoka said happily.
What the heck is happening. She hasn't talked to me all this week, didn't show up to class today, and now…
"What's shaking?" The pinkette beamed.
This.
"Uh, not-not much?" Homura stammered out.
"I was wondering if you wanted to walk with me."
"Walk with you? Where?"
"That'd ruin the surprise!" The bubblegum-haired girl rocked on her heels, her body swaying back and forth.
"At least how far, then? Or how long?"
"Oh, uh, maybe a half an hour? I dunno, time just kind of melts sometimes, you know?"
Homura most definitely did not know. "Oh, uhm, okay."
"So you'll come?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Yay!" Madoka beamed brightly, a smile anyone would be hard-pressed to say 'no' to.
It did take them about a half an hour to get to Madoka's destination. They were in the woods to the north-east of school, on top of a small hill. The trees hadn't made their way up here yet, and the tall grass easily went up to both of their waists. Flowers of all different colors sprouted out, bathed in the soft sunlight. Only one tree, a short and stout evergreen, had sprouted up here, and a pair of brilliantly colored birds alighted its branches.
"Isn't it cool!" Madoka said, running and twirling, making her way up on top of a large rock protruding from the hillside, "I really wanna paint a picture of this," She pointed towards the tree, "Or maybe that," Her arm extended now towards the horizon and the rows of tall trees, "Or even that!" She then pointed back towards school, the red brick buildings visible over the treeline. Homura had never seen her smile like this.
The steel-eyed girl joined Madoka atop the rock, glancing around at the scenes the pinkette had gestured at before. "It is really beautiful."
The two stood there, gazing at the scenery for a several minutes, the bubblegum-haired girl grinning like a child. She looked so gorgeous there, swaying back and forth, wind brushing her hair back.
It was she who broke the silence. "You never came later."
"Sorry," Homura glanced at her feet.
"It's okay. It gave me time to think."
"Think?"
"Yeah?"
"About what?" The raven-haired girl looked back up at her friend, whose eyes were on her. The bubbly face had gone. Her new expression looked… matter-of-factly peaceful. Like she had considered all she had made of her life, all it was, and had come to terms with everything. It was unlikely she had done so, but it was obvious she had done lots of thinking about whatever she was talking about.
"About what matters to me."
"I thought it was obvious?"
"Really?"
"Painting."
Madoka smirked, giggling a little. "To an extent, but there's something… somethings more."
"Like what?"
"Like friends…" Her voice trailed off as she looked back at the horizon. She started swaying again. "Like you."
Homura's face scrunched up in confusion for a second. Why did she seperate me from 'friends'? Am I not her friend? But then why do I matter? Am I like… the arch-nemesis who always makes you try harder? The sister? No, that doesn-
And then it hit her.
"Y-you don't mean-"
"Don't mean what?" The pinkette looked interested, curious.
"W-well it-it's just that… that you separated me from 'f-friends', a-and maybe I-I'm over thinking th-this, but, uhm, yo-I was thinking maybe th-that meant s-something, but again I-I'm probably over-thinking and i-it was just a w-weird wa-"
"Homura."
"Yeah?"
"Just say it."
There was a silence. The brunette's mind raced and raced, trying to think everything through, her heart condition, her feelings, her time…
Her appearance.
"Never mind."
"What?"
"It was a dumb idea, just forget it."
Madoka looked concerned, her eyes softening up. She had stopped swaying.
"I said forget-" Homura stopped. The pinkette had reached an arm up, touching the side of Homura's face. She had to raise onto her toes to do it, and she was surprisingly close. The brunette's heart skipped a beat.
She had touched the right side of Homura's face, pushing the hair out of the way. Madoka's eyes were closed, her breathing calm.
"I don't care if it was a dumb idea. Sometimes, dumb ideas are the best ones, like painting on a rock on a hill."
"Did you mean… you think of me as more than a friend?"
The bubblegum-haired girl nodded, opening her eyes. The stub of her arm stroked the burn marks softly, but her eyes were locked on the eyes of the girl in front of her. They stayed like that for what felt like centuries.
"You're much more than a friend to me," Madoka giggled, she rose higher on her toes, planting a short, small kiss on Homura's cheek.
The pinkette sat down, smiling at the horizon. Smiling at what may lay ahead. The ravenette joined her, a gentle grin crossing her face.
The pink-haired girl turned to Homura. She gave her a small smile, that gentle turning-up of the corners of one's mouth. A smile that took so little effort, that was so small, but spoke volumes.
"Do you want to be my girlfriend, Homura?"