A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&R and enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: We don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica or any of its characters! But, we DO own our OC's Amai and Juudai!

Chapter 2: Magical Girls

Both Juudai and Homura were left in a state of speechlessness, which lasted even after the weird scenery faded back to reveal the back halls of the mall. Juudai was the first to recover. "N-nice to meet you, Miss Tomoe."

Mami giggled. "Oh, Mami is all right. Are you familiar with Madoka and Sayaka, by any chance?"

The pinklette steps forward. "Oh, Mami, this is my friend from homeroom, Miss Akemi!" Homura stammered incoherently as she was pulled towards Mami.

"A-ah, pleased to meet you!" The raven squeaked out in response.

To Juudai's surprise, a silence enveloped them. Mami's eyes widen a bit before a thoughtful look settled over her face. Madoka shuffled next to Homura nervously, and the blunette standing silently on the sides finally spoke up.

"Hey, wait a minute, you look familiar…" The tomboy leaned towards Homura, glaring at her and ignorant of her discomfort as the raven fidgeted in place.

"Sayaka, what are you doing? Look at her; you're making her nervous…" Mami stepped forward, placing a hand on Sayaka's shoulder and pulling her away. Homura breathed a sigh of relief, leaning towards Juudai. Mami smiled, understandably. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Homura. And you, may we have your name as well?"

"Naosoroshii Juudai." The orangette glared at the blunette before looking at Mami. "The pleasure's all mine, Miss Tomoe. So you are Kaname Madoka, the girl Homura's been telling us all about? Nice to meet you."

Madoka's face turned into a shade matching her hair, the girl sputtering cutely. "Oh, h-has Miss Akemi really been speaking so much of me?"

"Truly. She spoke so highly of you she managed to rile up a friend of mine." Juudai's face twisted for a moment before she cast a neutral look on the blunette. "And you?"

The blue haired tomboy huffed. "Miki Sayaka."

Juudai left the introduction to that; Mami didn't really give her a chance to answer if she did have one in mind. "I think we can continue this conversation elsewhere. The witch seems to have left the vicinity, but it doesn't hurt to leave in case it decides to return. In the meantime…"

Mami walked towards Madoka, who up until now had been holding what appeared to be a white bundle in her arms. Upon closer inspection, when Mami took the bundle into her arms, Juudai realized it was a white bunny. …Of sorts.

The bunny was placed onto the floor, Mami kneeling down before it. Her hands hovered over its body, hands glowed a bright yellow and enveloping him in the light. The seconds ticked by and the scratches littering its body faded away. Her hands moved away, and a few seconds later the little critter stirred. His eyes blinked open, revealing red eyes.

'Oh, hello there, Mami.' Juudai blinked in surprise when she heard the voice echo in her head. 'Thank you for healing me. We didn't know what we would have done without your help.'

"I'm sure you would have been all right, Kyubey." Mami responded with a smile before getting to her feet.

Kyubey jumped to its feet as well, prowling around Mami's legs for a bit before looking up. 'We're sorry for the mess we got you all into. Especially you, Kaname Madoka.'

Madoka's face looked an equal mix between astounded and excited as she got to her knees to further study it.

Sayaka's mouth fell open, voice stammering as she tried to find her words. "What the hell? How is it talking? And how does it know her name?"

'Oh, it's telepathy.' Kyubey helpfully replies. 'It's our way of communication, a rare form for humans but common for my species. And of course we know Madoka's name. We also know your name, Miki Sayaka.' Overlooking Sayaka's look of surprise, he stared at the two girls standing by the side. 'And you two are Akemi Homura and Naosoroshii Juudai. We didn't mean to involve the two of you, but in the long run this is beneficial for all of us present. All the same, it's a good thing the two of you aren't injured.'

Homura stood back, astonished and unsure on how to handle the situation.

Juudai, on the other hand, appeared to glow, her face staring at Kyubey in awe. She joined Madoka on the floor, kneeling closer to the rabbit-like creature. "Cute…" She mumbled under her breath. Her hand lifted towards Kyubey, though she retracted her hand back at the last second.

Kyubey closed its eyes, throwing its head back with a smile. 'Well, now that everyone's here, we can tell you all what we wanted to ask you. Would the four of you be interested in making a contract with me?'

Juudai pushed the door open, and both she and Homura stepped into the main hub of the mall. The crowd has lightened since they strayed minutes ago, but to Homura it felt like an eternity. The pair shuffled over to a nearby bench, collapsing onto it with a huff. They sat together in silence, Homura overlooking the panes of the ceiling overhead while Juudai watched people passing by before them.

The silence finally shattered with Juudai's words. "Well, that was something."

Homura couldn't really give an answer; she merely nodded.

"We still haven't found Amai, though." Juudai stared thoughtfully at a banner of sweets before she stood up. "I'm not leaving here until I find her. Are you going to go home?"

"N-no."

"Well, I won't force you to walk if you're tired. I'm going to try to search around first. If I can't find Amai, I'll come back for you here."

Homura opened her mouth to speak but a familiar voice interrupted her. Lavender eyes widening, she and Juudai stared as Amai ran towards them.

"Hey, you two!" The brunette caught up to them, catching her breath. "Where you've been?" In response, Juudai smacked her against the head with her bag. After Amai spent a few moments agonizing over her injury, she aimed a glare at her offender. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For running off on us, you twit!" Amai leaned away when Juudai imposed herself towards her, face twisted in anger and concern. "Do you know how worried we were about you? And you just up and left us like that!"

Amai looked to be at a loss for words, her eyes flickering to Homura for a moment before she turned her attention back to the orangette. "Look, I'm sorry. I just thought I saw someone I haven't seen in a long time, and I didn't want to miss the chance to talk to her. Besides, you could have just called me." Juudai wordlessly holds up a green bag in front of Amai's face. "Oh."

"Yeah… Oh. You left your bag in the store, dummy! Of course we couldn't contact you!" And with that, Juudai stomped away from her friend.

Standing in awkward silence for a few moments with Amai, Homura slowly approached the brunette. "Um, if I may ask, who exactly were you looking for, Miss Asurito?"

Amai sighed, gesturing with one hand for Homura to follow. "It's an old friend of mine. I've known her longer than Juudai, but I didn't see her as often. I knew her through my parents because they knew her parents. Whenever they got together for house visits, they'd bring her along. The two of us…got along well enough." She sighed again, looking to her right at a fabric store; the front windows showed sales on ribbons of various colors. "I only got to see her on days like that, or if my parents were babysitting her. She really liked our restaurant; my mother taught her how to bake and make tea. She'd always let me taste her food first before anyone else."

"It sounds like she was a wonderful friend." Homura could hear the longing in Amai's voice.

"Yeah, she was. I really hate that I didn't call out to her more. She lived on the other side of town, but I've never seen her place and my parents never took me to their place, not once. If I reached out to her more, I'm sure the two of us could have been closer friends."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"That's the thing." Amai sniffed, and Homura noticed tears in her eyes. "The last time I saw her was a year ago. Her parents suffered a horrible accident; they didn't make it."

"How terrible…"

"Yeah… We ended up holding the funeral for them, but…" Amai stopped in place, Homura falling into step behind her. "My parents told me she appeared, but she didn't stay long. She didn't stay to talk to me… You'd think she would, what with losing her parents and everything. You know, my parents had asked her parents to be my godparents." Amai's tone swiftly changed into a wistful one, a small smile on her face. "They didn't tell me themselves until later, and by then it'd been a while since we've seen her family. When we…saw them again… Yeah…"

The two resumed walking, the silence heavy with the revelation but not suffocating. Homura dared to ask, "So you have not seen your friend ever since?"

Amai shook her head. "I didn't really get to see her that often to begin with. Let me tell you something funny; although I've known her for so long, I don't even know her name." To Homura's dumbfounded expression, she laughed. "Yeah, stupid, right? It's not that she didn't introduce herself to me, but it was so long ago. Besides, I usually referred to her as 'Big Sis' or 'Senpai'. Hmm, I sometimes called her 'Maria' as well. Because she's a cute girl, and Maria goes with her, but I'm sure that's not her real name. If I ever see her again, to celebrate a proper reunion, I'm taking her out on a date. I'll try to remember her name this time, and we'll go out for crepes like we used to. In the meantime…"

They stopped again, Homura noticed, in front of a crepe shop. Juudai stood in front of it, and Homura recalled what the orangette mentioned earlier. Amai stepped forward, her smile turning into a grin she flashed to Homura with a turn of her head.

"I have friends right now that require my attention first." The brunette walked up to Juudai, who refused to meet her eyes. Amai hugged her nonetheless, ignoring the way her friend flinched in her embrace. "I'm not going to say I'm sorry because I'll probably screw up again in the future. You know how I am. But I'll try my best not to forget my phone next time so we can keep in contact." Amai pulled away with a smile, holding out a hand. "Especially since this time, you walked away with my purse."

Juudai huffed, holding out both Amai's purse and purchases from the bake store. "Just remember that for next time. Now, are we going for crepes or are you going to run out on me again?"

"Well, since you're putting it that way!" Amai laughs as she crushed Juudai against her chest in another hug. Juudai rolled her eyes but nonetheless eventually returns the embrace. "The crepes are on me today! And this time we got Homura to introduce her to the wonderful world of sweeten pancakes. While we eat, I'll explain everything to you, my dear sweet Judy."

"Don't 'dear sweet' me!"

"Aw! You're grouchy!"

Homura shrieked a little when Amai brought her into an embrace, head close to Juudai as the two of them were held together. The raven giggled as Juudai growled in irritation.

"I have to be here for both my Judy and my Homy! So I can't afford to screw things up now when you guys are depending on your senpai!" Amai declared. "My first order of business is our crepe date, so let's go!"

There was no room for disagreement as Homura and Juudai were dragged away to the food court.

On her way home from the nearby grocery store, Homura heard someone call out her name. "Yes?" Her lavender eyes widen when she noticed Madoka out of the three girls approaching her. She fidgeted in place, arranging her bags a bit as she tried to fix her skirt and hair. "A-ah, hello, Miss Kaname."

Madoka approached her with a lovely smile, ignorant of Sayaka's disapproving face and Mami's contemplating one. "Good evening, Miss Akemi."

Homura wondered how Madoka can be so brilliant in joy; Amai was similar in a way, but Madoka shone like the sun and Homura oftentimes felt like she needed to look away for fear of getting burned.

The raven decided she did truly want to be Madoka's friend; Amai and Juudai (mostly Amai) approached her, so now she wishes to make her own attempts at making friends. "Good evening, Miss Kaname. Miss Miki. Miss Tomoe."

Madoka cheerfully returned the greeting; Mami curtsied slightly and Sayaka scowled before turning her head in a huff.

"How's your evening so far, Miss Akemi?" Mami asked.

"Oh, it's going well." Homura began to explain. "I just finished my chores for the day and was going to head home. And you all? Are you all on a walk?"

"Something like that." Mami answered. "If I may ask, are you busy at the moment?"

Juudai couldn't sit still at home. Her little brother had just left from the Asurito's restaurant, helping them in the back with the garden. It was his favorite part of living so close to them, aside from the fact they had pseudo-guardians to care for them. In Juudai's book, life wasn't bad; they got free food, and she was slowly saving up money so they can move out into a better place in the future. It was a goal for her to focus on, anyway.

And of course, Xavier. Her little brother came first and foremost with everything, so whatever he asked she would do her best to grant. He was still too young to work (technically she was too) so she tried her best to appease him with the small earnings the elder Asurito's give her. Then whatever was left over she sent to her account. She needed to check out the local bulletin board to see if there were any odd jobs available for her to do.

"Xavier, I'm going out. Let Mrs. and Mr. Asurito know for me, will you lucelino?" Juudai cooed at him.

The five year old immediately ran to her, arms wide and enclosing her in a hug. "Will Big Sis be gone long?" He asked, his blue eyes enlarging a bit from excitement.

"Not too long, I hope. I need to check on something. In the meantime, you be a good boy and listen to whatever Auntie Aly and Uncle Jared say, okay?"

"Si."

"And if Amai asks you anything," Juudai concludes with an irritated face, "You tell her what?"

"I'm just a kid." He shrugs his shoulders and gives her his best 'I'm adorable and I wouldn't hurt a fly' face.

"Exactly. You are a smart boy." She kisses him on his forehead. "Love you, Xavier."

"Love you, too."

If she could, Juudai would bring her brother with her. Maybe keep him stored away in her pocket, away from the world. But it wasn't possible, and she wouldn't want to restrict her brother like that. He deserved the best, and Juudai hopes she can give that to him sometime in the future, starting first with school. Aly and Jared already gave their portion of money needed to get him into school, now she just needed the rest. Just a little bit more and he'll be set.

Her face set into a determined expression, Juudai secured her sweater and left for town.

It wasn't too chilly, but in the case Juudai did find a job and it took her to the later hours of the night, she was prepared. She could also pick up garbage as well; the recycling center was willing to pay a small fee for anyone who brought in trash.

A few minutes into the walk, Juudai approached the building where the bulletin board was kept. People always brought requests, and it was kept up to date daily. She was thankful for it; between schoolwork, work, and her hobbies she found time to work on this every few days.

Before the orangette could enter the building, a voice called out to her.

"Oh, Miss Naosoroshii!"

"How lovely to see you here, Miss Naosoroshii!" Mami greeted after Homura called out to her friend.

The orangette appeared to be on her way to the local job center. Mami is familiar with the place herself, and with a thoughtful frown she wondered the purpose for Juudai heading there.

But it was a question for another time, and the frown slipped off her face as Juudai turned to face them. "Hi there. Miss Tomoe, right?"

"Yes, that's right. Were we interrupting something?"

"Not really." Juudai's gaze slipped towards Homura. "Miss Akemi, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, Miss Naosoroshii." Homura was the first one to notice Juudai, and immediately headed towards her once she captured her attention.

Mami, Madoka, and Sayaka followed after her once they noticed what, or rather who had caught her attention. Madoka stepped beside Mami, hands clasped in front of her as she addressed Juudai and passed her a greeting as well. Sayaka stayed behind, only acknowledging her with a rough greeting at Madoka's insistence.

When they fell into another lapse of silence, Mami spoke again. "Miss Naosoroshii, if you are not busy, would you like to come with us to my apartment? I'd like to have a word with all of you."

With her declaration in the air, Juudai stared at her in wonder. When she turned to Homura, the raven nodded her head slightly. Another second and Juudai gave her response. Mami smiled when Juudai joined their little group. The five of them began their trek to Mami's home.

"So Miss Nao, how did you meet Miss Akemi?" Madoka blurted out.

Mami barely resisted the urge to giggle; the pinklette was such a friendly individual and the blonde adored her for it.

"M-miss Kaname!" Her behavior certainly left Homura sputtering.

"Well, it's an incredible story, one that might leave you wondering what exactly happened…" Juudai starts before her lips equip a small smirk. "But to give the short version of it, one of my friends just kind of ran into her and the three of us hit it off real well. Which reminds me…?" The group stops as Juudai takes the time to bow to them graciously. "Thank you for taking care of Miss Akemi."

"Oh. No problem." Madoka responded first. "We're happy to. Miss Akemi is really nice, isn't that right, Sayaka?"

The blunette was put on the spot, anyone can tell by her widen blue eyes and the way she looked at the pinklette as if she just asked for a million dollars. "Well, I – yes, she's all right." She grumbled in the end.

The attitude left Mami wondering what Sayaka could be thinking but she decided it was a question to ask for another time. In the meantime, she had guests to attend to and she would be damned if she was considered an improper host. Her apartment lingered in the distance within sight, and she announced as such.

The building was a tall one, frequented by groups of other young patrons she noticed after a day of people watching; apparently the building accepted students as leases as a way to prepare them for the future when they wished to head against the world alone. In Mami's case, she was already one step ahead of the others.

Today would be the first time in a while that she'd have guest over her little part of the complex. Mami showed her proof of residence to the security guard on duty and then signaled the girls to take the elevator further down the room. Her section of the building was located halfway through the levels of it, the elevator ride lasting for no more than a minute since it stopped for no one.

"All right, we're here," Mami announced holding the door open for the other four girls to step inside. "Make yourself at home."

Her apartment was as it always was. Not a single plushie was out of place, her drawer was in order, and just the day before she managed to bake two chocolate cakes. The smell of the pastry still hung in the air.

"It smells so good here!" Sayaka commented after removing her shoes, padding through the room in her socks. "It smells really sweet!"

"I'll have some treats out and ready for you all in just a bit." Mami responded.

As the other girls settled in around the table, Mami pulled the cake out, cutting it up into individual pieces and setting them up in plates. The tea finished making by the time she started picking up the silverware.

Her guests partook of her cake as soon as she set them down. A series of humming immediately followed as they took their first bites.

"Hmm~ This is so tasty, Tomoe-san!"

"You're a really good baker~!"

"The tea's really good."

"I wonder what the recipe for this is…"

"I'm glad you all enjoy it," Mami giggled at their reactions. It always pleases her when her guests, as few as they have been, enjoy her treats. "If you'd like more, help yourself."

A scurry of movements alerted Mami to the presence of one other person in the room.

'Mami, did you leave some for me?' Kyubey jumped to the surface of the table next to Juudai, gazing towards Mami.

"Of course, Kyubey." Mami pushed an extra plate by her side towards the bunny-like creature. He quickly scampered towards it and began devouring the cake.

When most of the girls finished and set their plates aside, Mami made sure to catch all of their eyes. "All right. Enough stalling. I'm here to clarify a few things which happened yesterday. Personally, I rather not involve any of you, but Kyubey has acknowledged the four of you in having potential in becoming magical girls."

She was met with a nervous silence which Sayaka broke by asking, "A magical girl as in what you were earlier, right?"

"Yes, that is correct. The fact you are able to see Kyubey and thus commune with him is another sign of your potential."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

'Normal humans can't see me.' Kyubey responded. 'At the very least, not without my letting them. However, there are humans, such as everyone in this room, who are able to see beyond the illusion I set. Not just anyone can see me, just like I can't communicate with just anyone.'

"Otherwise, you're normally invisible?" Juudai asked.

Mami noticed Juudai was staring rather intensely at Kyubey, her hand twitching quite a bit.

'Yes, precisely. Either way, we can always tell when there is a candidate nearby, so we knew there were girls present who can make a contract with me.'

"Kyubey," Mami started, suspicion entering her tone, "Were you purposely searching for more girls in the mall to turn? I understand the statement in there being strength in numbers, but I'm the resident magical girl in Mitakihara. You would have at least let me know first if you were intending to do that."

'We will admit we were drawn to the mall because we sensed a huge amount of magical energy coming from there. However, we did not find the time to pursue that energy since we wound up being preoccupied. Madoka and Sayaka can explain it to you.'

At that, Sayaka huffs, chin falling to her perched hand, and Madoka started looking a bit nervous. Mami sent them a questioning look to encourage their response.

"W-well, Sayaka and I were spending time in the mall hanging out." Madoka started. "She was searching for something, and while in the store with her, I heard Kyubey's voice. He was calling out for help, calling out for me."

'At the time, we were being pursued by the other magical girl, the one who's been giving you trouble for the last few days.'

"Ah, yes, the mysterious magical girl." Mami hummed, taking a sip from her cup of tea before leveling a look on Madoka, her eyes grateful. "Again, Miss Kaname, I must extend my gratitude for saving Kyubey. He's a dear friend of mine."

"You're welcome."

"Who the hell was that girl, anyway?" Sayaka snapped with a glare. "We see her during school watching Madoka like a creeper, and then she attacks her!" Her fists slam against the table in her rage.

"Hold on a moment; you are saying this girl has been following you." It would be an understatement to say Mami was alarmed. "How long has it been?"

"Oh, we had just seen her today!" Madoka responded with a nervous tilt to her voice. "I don't know why she always glares at me, but she's only spoken to me. She has done nothing wrong!"

"Yeah, that's what always happens before you find out the person is a total psycho!" Sayaka interjects.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Miss Miki, Miss Kaname." Mami didn't even know where to begin and explain. "This is a serious case. You aren't just dealing with a regular stalker. This girl has magical powers that would render the officials of Mitakihara obsolete. She can turn violent whenever she desires."

"Excuse me." All eyes in the room turned to look at Homura. The raven caved into herself at all the attention. "M-my apologies, but I'm a bit lost here."

Mami didn't reply right away, as she quickly took notice of the way Sayaka was glaring at Homura. When Mami took another moment to study Homura's profile, she thought she understood why. "Well, the root of the matter is that Kyubey wants the four of you to become magical girls like me. However, I believe you'll understand things better if he explains rather than me."

Kyubey pads over to the center of the table and gets comfortable, looking at each of the girls once before settling his gaze on Madoka first. 'As we mentioned earlier, we would like to make a contract with you. In order to do so, we will have to grant you one wish, any wish of your desire.'

"A wish…?" Homura whispered. Her gaze fell to her lap afterwards.

'Yes, exactly. Once we fulfill your wish, the contract will be made, and you will be converted into a magical girl!'

"I think I'll take over from here." Mami interjects. "While I'm sure Kyubey can describe it just fine, I must let you know the consequences of entering a contract with Kyubey." She looked at each of the girls one more time before going on. "What you saw me fighting earlier today were the minions of a witch."

"A witch?" The skeptical look on Juudai's face irked Mami a bit, but it was to be expected.

"They're our natural enemies, hiding beyond human perception. They feed off of our negative energy, luring wayward people into their labyrinths. People are their prey, and it's our duty to protect humans from the witches. That will be your task as well should you choose to make a wish."

Mami let the seriousness of her declaration fall on the girls, carefully watching each of their expressions. Madoka and Homura both looked scared, Juudai's face remained expressionless, if only with the slightly hint of skepticism.

Of the four, Sayaka was the one to burst with the question, "What do they want with people?"

'Devour them. In doing so, the witch becomes more powerful. It'll be able to extend its labyrinth's reach, and be able to take more victims.' Kyubey took another bite from his plate before continuing. 'It goes without saying you don't want that to happen. A witch's sentient ability is limited if it's newly born, but the further it manages to develop its powers, the more of a threat it can become.'

"Precisely. A magical girl's job isn't easy. Know that death is a possibility if you decide to make a wish." Mami needed them to be aware of the risks; it'd kill her if they involve themselves and end up losing their lives too soon.

"Aw, man. That sucks," Sayaka moaned, her head falling towards the table. "In knowing that puts a lot of pressure on the whole wish thing."

"It's only natural." Juudai spoke up, her amber eyes falling on Kyubey. "You said you'd grant any wish we want, correct?"

'We did.'

"Then of course there'd be a heavy price to pay." Juudai gave a sigh before slumping forward.

"Miss Naosoroshii?" Homura inquired.

The orangette shook her head. "I'm fine, Miss Akemi. Just thinking."

"It is kind of a lot to take in." Madoka chimed in, her face scrunched up uncertainly. "I mean, of all the people out there, why us? Why do we have this opportunity?"

'We don't know. You just do, and Madoka, you have a lot of potential of becoming a very powerful magical girl!'

"Eh?"

"Kyubey… Stop. I don't want them to feel obligated. Nonetheless," Mami's scolding tone turned into a gentle one, "I must admit. I am relieved to see other girls like me. I'd rather you not become involved in all this, but should you choose to make a contract, you'd be a magical girl of Mitakihara along with me."

Mami's face broke out into a brilliant smile, her chest blossoming with the joy she felt at the prospect. She should feel guilt where she feels joy.

"The idea sounds wonderful~" Madoka insisted, the concern retreating from the quiet excitement. "Saving people from monsters like you did for us today; I'd like to be the kind of person who can protect others."

"Yeah, you got to admit it sounds pretty awesome," Sayaka added with a huge grin. "I'm still kind of uneasy about it, but damn if it doesn't sound interesting."

"Y-yes, it does sound like something out of a fairy tale…" Homura whispered.

"Well, I'm not interested." Juudai flat out declared.

"Miss Naosoroshii?"

"It'd be hypocritical of me to say I don't believe you after what I've witnessed, but it sounds like a pretty shady deal to me. Why should I deal with a problem that isn't mine?"

The resounding slam of a hand on the table made everyone except Juudai jump. Sayaka glared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?! If we have the power, we should defend other people!"

"What's your problem?" Juudai aims a glare at Sayaka. "You are not responsible for my actions any less as I am to yours. If you want to do something about it, be my guest, but I'm staying out of it." Juudai moves to stand up, casting her gaze on Mami. "Thank you for the treats. I'll be taking my leave."

The blonde nodded in understanding. "That's fine."

Juudai nods, and then turns to look at Homura. "Miss Akemi, if you wish to do something about this, I won't be as hypocritical as to influence your choice by my opinions. Nor will I look at you differently for whatever decision you chose. Will you be able to get home safely on your own?"

"Oh, yes, I can, Miss Naosoroshii."

"All right then." Juudai offers a small smile. "I'll go now. Miss Kaname, thank you for taking care of Miss Akemi. Good-bye, Miss Miki." Juudai practically bit the words out; Sayaka scoffed, rolled her eyes and looked the other way.

Lastly, Juudai turned to look at Kyubey. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to say no thank you."

'Understandable. If you ever change your mind, though, come and find me.'

"Unlikely. But, thanks for the offer." Juudai smiled and left the apartment.

As soon as the door shut close, Sayaka's rage came bursting forth. "Geez! What the hell is her problem?! She saw those monsters! We all saw them, and she still insists on facing the other way?!"

"Quite frankly, I don't blame her." Mami calmly finished her tea as everyone else in the room focused on her. "This is a dangerous decision you'll be making if you decide to take up Kyubey on his offer. Don't fault her for choosing to turn down this offer."

Amai was pissed. She had every reason to be considering not just one of her friends, but both of her best friends bailed on her on hanging out today. In the case of Juudai, it wasn't the first time she abandoned her; last night, she wasn't at the restaurant during her break and the little brat Xavier wouldn't even peep about where she was. He would only respond some bull crap about him not knowing because 'he was just a kid'.

A true fact about life: Juudai NEVER misses out on work. The fact she skipped out yesterday, for Amai, was a cause to sound the alarms. Amai could only think of one reason she would leave, and that involves something happening to Xavier. Not only was the little boy resting calmly at home, she recalls but Juudai didn't say a word to any of her parents.

Sus~picious.

Her only clue was to check out the general vicinity. Juudai rarely strays too far from the restaurant especially if she knows that she's working. Although Amai couldn't be too sure, Juudai had to be close by.

The search went on for well over an hour as Amai searched through Juudai's usual haunts: the park in the middle of the city, the toy store, the camping grounds, and the park by the river. (Actually, now that she really thought about it, these were Xavier's favorite places to go.) The brunette didn't start to make real progress until she made it to the last place on her checklist.

"Oh, good. I was starting to get hungry." Amai heaved a sigh in front of the Cake Metropolis.

Juudai didn't really have much of a sweet tooth, but this restaurant happens to be one of the few which successfully turned Juudai into a fan of their treats. The Cake Metropolis also happened to be the favorite (Well, second favorite) restaurant of her dear friend. Amai herself had never stepped foot into the place, though Juudai had promised her to take her here before; the brunette has a hard time visiting the location of her parent's competitions.

However, the thought occurred to her she might be able to run into her dear friend here. A hunch, but it was something to go by, and it was all Amai had at the moment in finding either Juudai or her childhood friend.

The Cake Metropolis was well on its way to receiving a good review from her; the doors are automated, swishing open as she drew near the entrance. The cool blast of air conditioner hit her square in the face, and she smiled as the heat of the sun rolled off of her. The host greeted Amai, and a nearby waiter took over in leading her to a seat. He left her with a menu and a task in bringing her back a tall glass of milk.

Her green eyes shift through the menu. "Aw, man, so many choices… What am I going to choose…?" The brunette grumbled under her breath a while longer, indecision clawing through her. She didn't realize someone was next to her until the seat shifted with the person's weight.

"Uh, listen, dude. I asked you to go get my order. That was no way a secret invitation for you to flirt with me." Amai kept her gaze on the menu as she spoke, but when the other person made no movement to get off the booth, she growled and turned to glare at them.

The glare melted in place as she looked the other girl next to her in the eyes. The girl blinked, her head twitching to the side slightly as she returned the look.

Amai's mouth laid agape. "Uh, ah, I'm so sorry, little one. I didn't see your there."

Inside, Amai was squealing at the adorableness of the girl. Her eyes shifted from left to right, wondering where the girl's family is and if they were looking for her. "Did you come here to eat cake?" She asked for lack of anything better to do.

The little girl nodded her head. "I like cheesecake." She announced in the most precious voice Amai's heard since Xavier.

Amai couldn't prevent cooing slightly before getting a hold of herself. If the cuteness continued, she'd be grabbing those hair buns and squeezing them.

"Aw, you're precious~ But you should get back to your parents before they worry about you."

"My parents are dead."

Amai shut her mouth, her heart falling to her stomach. "I'm so sorry-"

"You're like me."

For a second time, Amai's mouth froze again, wide eyes staring at the girl in confusion. The lilac headed girl continued speaking. "You have the potential of becoming a magical girl. Yes, you do."