Parents

My Dear Daughter,

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please understand, we don't hate you, and we don't blame you either. It's just...your father and I are weak people. I don't know how to say this in person, so I'll just say it here.

Your father and I are moving back to Germany, back to live with my parents - your grandparents. The payment for the treatment for your heart condition will still be there, don't worry, honey. It's just...it pains me to say this...but…

There is no cure. You won't live very long….I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being a failure of a mother. I'm sorry for being so...weak that I have to just leave and abandon you.

I can't bear to watch my only daughter wither away at such a young age. You've always wanted to go out there, into the world and meet new people. The way you'd look out the hospital windows and lightly clench your fist with a slightly envious look on your face. I've always found it painful and bitter to look at.

I'm sorry. But I just can't bear the pain. A mother shouldn't bury her daughter. I just….I don't want to go through that. I'm sorry for abandoning you….

You're free to hate us, honey.

But we'll never hate you.

From your coward of a mother,

Leoma Akemi

She clenched the withered paper. In her one hundred loops, Homura Akemi not once thought about her parents. No, that wasn't right. She avoided thinking about it, pushing them back into the farthest corners of her hardened mind.

But now, with her one goal, her one wish accomplished, the girl known as Homura Akemi could now roam the world, free from the shackles of both weakness and responsibility.

If there's anything she took from her ex-home was that one single note left by her parents.

When they left, as though with some consideration, they took nearly everything they owned. From their photos down to their own personal belongings.

They simply left what belonged to Homura, and the necessities like kitchen supplies. Not that it mattered now that it all belonged to Kyouko Sakura.

A strange feeling came over Homura, as she kept rereading the paper over and over again. A small, childish part of her desperately wanted to go see her mother and father. She truly did want to. Was it a desire born out of a whim?

Or was it something else entirely?

[]

The cluttering sound of a door hatch being unlocked cut through the dead of night. A chilly air breezed through Homura's thin bones. She shivered uncomfortably, and nearly sneezed.

Kira smirked smugly as she looked down to Homura's thin frame, and emphasized her own chest. Yes, I beat her at something!

"Something tells me you were thinking incredibly rude just now," Homura, under the name of Kito, could've sworn she felt an extremely impolite gaze on her. She felt strangely annoyed just looking at Kira's smug face for some odd reason, but pushed the feeling to the back of her mind. "I apologize for the mess," The stoic girl trailed off into the room as she flickered the lights on.

Homura's new apartment was much larger than the outside. However, one glaring detail stuck to Kira, "Hey, there's absolutely nothing here! There can't even BE a mess here!"

"Well, I did just move in yesterday," She countered as a bundle of nerves bulged on her forehead, "Take a seat somewhere."

"Ughhh...fine, sensei."

"Please don't call me that." The raven-haired girl instantly rejected that notion. "Your tone is too much like a certain someone I know."

"Ah! Must be an ex-girlfriend!" Kira nudged her elbow at Homura's gut, "Am I right? Am I right?"

A sudden surging pain permeated Kira's slanted eyes as she flinched back from the stab. Homura had poked Kira's eyes with two fingers, seemingly satisfied with her underclassman's suffering.

"What was that for?!" Kira wiped the tears out of her eyes, and winced as her blurred vision struggled to focus.

"That's enough small-talk. I want to discuss our travel plans."

A sudden realization washed over Kira's face, as a light bulb shined over her head, "Oh, right! I completely forgot. Sorry about that, sensei."

"..." The raven-haired girl was annoyed, but stowed that feeling as she continued, "Kira. We're going to go traveling. I'd like to go somewhere outside of Japan. Preferably in Germany," Homura had a hidden reason as to why Germany specifically, but she didn't want to tell Kira that. Not yet.

"Huh? Why Germany? I'd like to go to England. Oh! America! Totally America!"

Homura mentally facepalmed. There was no way Kira would take the hint. "W-why America?" She dared to ask.

"Cause there's tons of movie stars there! Hollywood! New York City!"

"And why England?" She couldn't believe she asked this question. Again.

"Cause of their funny accents?" Kira shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "And I totally want to meet a princess! Is she gonna hold her cup up with her pinky flenched out or something? Man I totaaaaalllyyyy want to see that. Emphasis on totally!"

"...We're going to Germany."

"FUCK."

[]

Kira looked over her teacher's outfit, and couldn't help but express discontent. They were going to sneak into an airplane, yet Homura barely had anything on her. Carrying 'lightly' wouldn't even begin to describe it. All the ravenette brought was the clothes on her body, with a dark-brown trench coat. "Maan, sensei. You seriously have got to bring some more stuff with you."

"And that backpack of yours is going to slow you down," Homura pointed at the black bag Kira carried over, "What in the world are you even carrying? Rocks?"

"Maaaabey~ Ladies' secret." Kira giggled as she pointed at Homura's chest, expressing her superiority over her amethyst-eyed teacher. A vein popped out of Homura's forehead. She was furious.

A moment later, Kira felt a boot kick through her ass. Kira swore it would leave a mark, and tried to yell at the stoic raven-haired girl, but Homura simply plugged her ears and shrugged, and moved to the parked airplane.

The teacher-student duo summoned their soul gems, and with a flash of light, their clothes were replaced by magical girl attire.

"You know the drill. I'll use my memory-manipulation to weasel us in. You use your power to screw with the cameras in case there are any."

"Got it, sensei."

"Don't call me sensei," Homura heaved a sigh, and cracked her knuckles, "Germany, here we come."

Chapter End

Author Notes

A lot of people didn't like the previous Chapter 5. Apparently it messed with the mood of Pilgrimage. It's understandable, but it's kinda sad since I really enjoyed writing that chapter. Still plan on bringing a bit of that old plot back in, albeit at a slower pace this time.

Sorry if this was a really short chapter. I've just been working on Rejection since it's about to end, and I'm also working on a new work called Record.

Story Requests are now open. Leave a review saying what situation you'd like Homura and Kira to go through in Germany.

Here's to hoping Homura finds closure with her parents soon.