Note: Here is chapter three, polished.
The Bodyguard and the Client
This, Homura decided, is ridiculous.
For the past week, Homura had been assimilating herself into Madoka's surprisingly busy schedule. Although there were definitely awkward moments, especially when Homura found herself staring at Madoka and her charge would notice, they gradually established a routine of sorts. Madoka's students still gawked at Homura when they came to class and glanced at her whenever their attention drifted, but by Friday they were more or less used to the bodyguard's stoic presence.
Today, however, was Saturday and Madoka had cheerfully decided to go grocery shopping after insisting that her cook take the day off to spend time with his family. That meant that Homura was stuck pushing the cart around the noisy marketplace while keeping a close eye on her client and the surroundings.
Why Madoka had not sent one of the maids instead was beyond Homura's understanding.
In all her years as a bodyguard, she had never found herself in a situation quite like this one; she felt silly, trailing behind Madoka and giving her opinion on whether or not brie was better than camembert.
Kyouko would be much better suited for this, she grumbled to herself. Speaking of the Kyouko, Homura idly wondered what the red-head was up to.
"Homura-chan, what do you think? Should I get strawberry or orange marmalade?" Madoka asked her bodyguard, a smile gracing her expression and inevitably taking Homura's breath away.
This is all so ridiculous. Impassive, she wordlessly grabbed a jar of strawberry jam and placed it in the cart. Madoka laughed. Oddly enough, Homura was sure that she caught a glimpse of a blush before her charge hastily turned away. Then again, perhaps it was her wistful imagination.
Since when am I wistful? While I'm at it: since when am I emotional at all?
Even after a week, Homura could understand neither her client nor her own emotional state. For one, Madoka insisted that Homura address her in an informal manner, claiming that they were friends and completely ignoring the fact that Homura was hired to protect her.
All thoughts of Kyubey had immediately disappeared the moment Madoka laid eyes on Homura, though the same could not be said for the bodyguard. In fact, the complete opposite was true. Homura had spent every moment of her free time investigating the mysterious albino and his company.
She had sacrificed hours of sleep the past week in hunting for clues (and finding none) around the bookstore and surrounding area where Madoka had first encountered the albino.
The fierce dedication did not surprise Homura, but what did surprise her was the reason behind it: Akemi Homura actually cared for Kaname Madoka. Somewhere along the past week, the initial attraction that the bodyguard felt for her client turned into genuine affection.
This is ridiculous. I am not here to become involved, I am here to protect my client and eradicate the source of danger.
Humming merrily, Madoka ticked off several items from her grocery list and made her way to the wine/liquor section of the supermarket.
This particular section was surprisingly void of people, but Madoka was glad to be away from the noisy crowd. She made her way down one of the aisles, avoiding the refrigerators with their selection of beers, towards a shelf lined with the finer wines that Mami so loved to have with her dinner.
Madoka did not notice that Homura had not followed; she was busy wondering if Sayaka would like a bottle of Chardonnay upon the completion of her current mission, but wryly figured that the blue-haired woman would probably scoff at the "wimpy" wine.
Well, at least Mami will appreciate it.
Madoka turned, having decided on a red wine instead, and froze. There, at the end of the aisle, stood Kyubey. His ever-present smirk sent shivers of raw fear up Madoka's spine, but unlike her last encounter with the albino, he actually spoke this time.
"Kaname Madoka. At last, I find you alone. I hope you have not forgotten my offer—you would be a wonderful addition to my company." He paused, clearly expecting a response from the frozen woman.
Madoka hesitated, putting aside her fear for a moment in favor of sating her curiosity. She forced herself to stare back into Kyubey's shiny red eyes.
"But… how? How am I useful to you?" All of Madoka's previous reflections suddenly came to the front, desperate to know just what potential Kyubey saw in her. She had always thought of herself as the weakest and dullest out of all her friends: she was not cool, refined, and elegant like Mami, nor boisterous and courageous like Sayaka, nor even madly in love like Hitomi.
Nope, she was just plain Madoka, and sometimes she hated herself for being so… dull.
Kyubey laughed lightly. "You have a vast potential, Madoka." Sensing the approach of an outsider, he blinked and disappeared around the corner.
Homura, having been detained by an elderly man asking for assistance, found her charge still standing frozen in the middle of an aisle, clutching a bottle of Sorella.
Damn, I knew she should have sent a maid instead, she thought to herself. Her purple eyes darted around, scanning the area for any threats. Finding none, she proceeded to carefully approach the frozen pinkette and look for any injuries.
Honestly, this girl is going to be the end of my career.
"Kaname-san?" she murmured, a hand on the bottle in case she dropped it.
Incidentally, Madoka had enough self-control to maintain her grip on it even though Homura's voice startled her.
"O-oh, Homura-chan," she mumbled absently, still staring down the aisle where Kyubey had disappeared. She blinked and shook her head before turning to Homura.
As a professional bodyguard, Homura was internally kicking herself for letting Madoka wander off on her own.
"Kyubey was here," Madoka blurted out. She placed the bottle of wine in the cart and folded her hands together, shame coloring her cheeks pink for putting herself into a potentially dangerous situation. Well, in her defense, Kyubey had never really threatened her or anything of the sort, but that was a lame excuse and she knew it.
"Did he say anything? How was he dressed? Which way did he go?" Homura immediately pulled out her small memo book and pencil. She knew, however, that where the albino went did not matter because she could not leave her client alone, nor could she put Madoka in a precarious position.
It was at times like this that Homura regretted her decision to work solo instead of with a partner.
Madoka remained silent for a few seconds, shoulders slumped, collecting her thoughts. "I-I… I think he was wearing a white suit, yes. I had settled on w-which wine to buy, and when I turned around he was there," Madoka pointed to the end of the aisle, "I'm n-not sure how long he was there before I noticed him. When I turned around and saw him, he smirked at me and t-told me that I would make a… a wonderful addition to his c-company…" She hesitated then, unsure if she should admit to Homura that she had felted tempted for a moment.
Homura sensed Madoka's hesitation, glancing sharply at her. "Then?"
"Well, I… I asked him how I could b-be useful to him, b-but all he said was that I had a v-vast potential." Madoka's face was red, unable to look at Homura. It's not my fault… I just want to be strong and amazing like my friends… like you.
Nodding, unsurprised at the confession, Homura put away her notebook and stood directly in front of Madoka. The pinkette squeaked, confused at her bodyguard's sudden proximity. "Kaname-san, are you alright?" Homura asked, her usually monotonic murmur replaced with soft concern.
Madoka laughed nervously, "I-I think so. He surprised me; that's all."
"Well then, I insist that we depart for your home immediately, Kaname-san," Homura replied. She walked back to the cart and looked at Madoka.
The still-tense woman nodded and headed to the check-outs.
Then, in an attempt to lighten the mood—a smile suits her much more than a frown—Homura murmured, "I did not know you were a drinker, Kaname-san."
Confused, Madoka stopped and glanced quizzically at Homura, who gestured to the bottle of wine in the cart. "Oh! No, I don't really drink: that's for when Mami-san and Hitomi-chan visit. Sayaka-chan is always trying to get me drunk and 'have fun' but I only drink alcohol with my mother. It's sort of… a tradition I have with her," Madoka replied.
Homura was pleased to note that Madoka's countenance had brightened up considerably. Clearly, her friends and mother held a dear place in Madoka's heart.
／人◕‿‿◕人＼
A half hour later, Madoka and Homura were in the kitchen putting away the groceries.
Madoka had largely forgotten her encounter with Kyubey, preferring to occupy her mind with the way her heart had sped up when Homura had stood so close to her. A blush graced her cheeks as she put away the strawberry jam.
Homura, for her part, stood by the doorway and kept a constant watch on her client. She was careful not to stare at her charge, however.
"Homura-chan, would you like something for lunch?" Madoka suddenly asked her. An eyebrow cocked, Homura nodded.
"Um… will a ham sandwich be ok?" Madoka knew that Homura had a preference for sandwiches, since anything that required a bowl or a plate and utensils was simply too cumbersome to be eaten standing up. The first time Homura had refused to sit and eat with Madoka, she had been confused, but Homura had then explained that she simply found it more convenient.
"Certainly, Kaname-san. Thank you." Every word served a purpose; there was no such thing as a superfluous word when it came to Homura.
Once again humming merrily, Madoka set about preparing herself and Homura the sandwiches, though she idly wondered if her bodyguard ever got tired of sandwiches.
Huh…
"Homura-chan?" she probed, interrupting Homura's thoughts again.
Her question, however, was lost when she saw how alluring her bodyguard looked at that moment: reclining beside the door, hands in the pockets of her slacks, black jacket splayed behind her, violet dress shirt stretching slightly, a placid expression on her face. Madoka did not realize that she was staring at Homura open-mouthed until the latter cleared her throat.
Blushing madly, Madoka snapped her mouth shut with a click. "Ah—um, oh! Yes, um, do you ever get tired of eating sandwiches?" she blurted, wanting to sink into the floor and never come up again.
This is so embarrassing!
For her part, Homura did not understand why Madoka was suddenly so flustered. The question itself was innocuous and perfectly reasonable, so the blush that stained the woman's expression was confusing.
Oh, but how lovely you look when you blush, Kaname-san. Homura blinked, surprised at the thought, though she really shouldn't have been. After all, she had noticed Madoka's attractiveness and thought about it before she had even met the woman!
"I do, but it does not matter," she carefully replied. Pleased that her voice did not waver, Homura continued, "I eat a variety of other dishes when I am not on a mission."
All Madoka could do was nod vigorously and duck her head down again, but the shaking of her hands gave her away.
Mercifully, Homura decided not to comment on it, since she was struggling to keep her own thoughts in check.
Silence reigned in the kitchen until Madoka calmed down enough to hand Homura a ham sandwich wrapped in a paper towel.
"Thank you, Kaname-san," Homura graciously accepted it, beginning to feel the gnawing of hunger.
Madoka smiled brightly at her. She wanted to insist that Homura sit down and eat with her, but she knew her bodyguard would refuse. Besides, Madoka didn't know if she could handle being in such close quarters with her attractive bodyguard.
Whoa, calm down, Madoka. She is your bodyguard, remember? Anyway, she wouldn't want to be with someone as pathetic as me; even standing along must be better than putting up with someone as weak as I am.
Huh, I wonder if she ever gets tired standing up so long? Ha, of course she does, Madoka. She may be a little odd, but she is only human… though Sayaka-chan insists that aliens exist. I really miss Sayaka-chan and Mami-san. Since they are away, I only have Hitomi-chan for company—and Homura-chan, but that's different.
The rest of the evening was passed quietly; Madoka was perfectly content with grading papers at her desk in her study, while Homura kept guard in the corridor outside.
This is all so ridiculous, Homura thought for the umpteenth time.
At any rate, I think I am going to have to create a trap for Kyubey. He always seems to be around whenever Madoka is conveniently alone and never leaves tracks behind. In that case, I might just have to call Kyouko out of her vacation for a couple of days or so.
And so, Homura plotted well into the night. She would not wait for Kyubey to make the first move.
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A/N: Just the usual today—please review! ~Teddy.