"Kyoko?" Archer asked, his hand still pinching the area between his eyes.

"Yes Archer?"

Archer pointed to the little green haired girl currently snacking on Pocky in their living room. They spoke low enough so that she couldn't hear them. "What is that?"

"A pet I picked up."

"A pet…"

"Yes," Kyoko nodded seriously. "She's a very eager girl." Shetried not to show her anxiety as they stood in the hallway. She was probably failing at that to be honest; he was way too perceptive for her to trick him. Really, nothing could've prepared her for the conversation she would have to have with him now that he was home.

Archer took a deep breath before putting a hand to his face. "I knew you were far gone, but to think you'd go as far as pedophilia."

"Hey!" Kyoko shouted at that accusation. She glanced back at the girl who was looking at them curiously from the living room. A quick spell was all it took to make sure she couldn't overhear them. "I didn't kidnap her. I just gave her some… candy and sweets… and invited her back to my home…"

Wow, it actually did look pretty bad once she said it out loud.

"How long before the cops come?" Archer asked.

"No one's going to call."

"You left no witnesses? Good."

"Jesus, Archer! What are you…" Kyoko squinted her eyes. "You're screwing with me again. Aren't you?"

Archer let out a brief smirk. "Careful. You're learning."

Kyoko huffed. "Anyway, I saved the kid from a Witch-"

"You went hunting again without me," he stated plainly.

"And that Witch ended up killing her parents. She's got no family left… Not that they were any good for her in the first place."

Archer's expression softened. A kid with a bunch of dead parents who she had issues with. Of course, they could relate. "So, you brought this kid here, instead of bringing her to the proper authorities?"

"I mean, she kind of begged me to teach her Magic."

"What?"

Kyoko nervously scratched her head. "I might've promised her that I'd teach her Magecraft."

Archer was back to covering his face with his hand. "That's almost impossible."

"What do you mean? She wasn't affected by a Witch's kiss, so she has potential! Probably."

"Potential for a Magical Girl contract does not necessarily mean you are capable of Magecraft and vice versa. Did you at least check her for Magical Circuits? What if she has none to draw from?"

"Oh…" That wasn't something she had really considered. "Well aren't there ways to get around that?"

"Theoretically we could extract a Magical Circuit from another Magus and implant it into her-"

"Like your father did for you?"

"But a single circuit, even one of yours or mine, isn't going to be enough apart from a few parlor tricks. We could teach her to turn her nerves into Magical Circuits-"

"Like you did."

"But it's also borderline suicide. She's more likely to burn herself up from the inside out."

"Okay, maybe we don't teach her that but there has to be a way. You're a pretty decent Magus now, aren't you?" Kyoko argued.

"I still had Magical Circuits, even if they were latent. Also, my Element and Origin is Sword. Something so irregular that it would've gotten me a Sealing Designation if word had gotten out to the Clocktower of my world. That allowed me to highly specialize in a select few fields of Magecraft, otherwise I'm a completely hopeless Mage. Is that girl-"

"Yuma."

"Is Yuma like that?"

Kyoko glanced back at Yuma who had turned on the TV and was smiling at some sort of children's cartoon. "Probably not, no."

"Then no matter how much we teach her and no matter how hard she works, it's likely that she'll never get far as a Mage apart from a few parlor tricks."

"Maybe she'll be happy with that? It's not like she has much competition on the Mage front."

Archer crossed his arms. "To be a Magus is to walk with death. You must always be prepared to die for your craft, to cast aside your humanity for the sake of something greater than yourself. She was saved by a Mage and you encouraged her to follow that path. Do you think she'll ever be satisfied with a few tricks?

"No…" Kyoko admitted.

"And are you prepared to take responsibility for her? Not as a Mage, but as a human being. Her parents were killed but she would still have records in this city. Birth certificates, hospital records, school registrars, she would need an entirely different identity if she was going to live with you. You'd need to give her a new name, new life, away from anyone that might recognize her. Kazamino isn't that big, can you guarantee you'll be able to hide her?"

Kyoko remained silent.

"To help others is to cause yourself pain," Archer continued. "Those were your own words. In exchange for giving Yuma a new life, are you willing to sacrifice yourself for her? If you don't, then you don't have the right to raise her."

"I promised the kid I'd teach her," Kyoko replied.

"So. Are you prepared to sacrifice yourself for her?"

"No," Kyoko almost scoffed. "That's the only promise I made. And I ain't sacrificing anything if she proves to be useful. I could use an assistant."

"Kyoko. You and I both know you're not the type to get an assistant. This is about something else. Someone that she reminds you of."

Kyoko bit back a curse. "So what?"

"Momo's dead."

"I know that." She clenched her fists. "I was there with the body."

"You'll never be able to replace her."

Kyoko sighed. "It's messed up. I'm messed up, but… this kid has no family now, and honestly even when they were alive, they were shit."

"She has suffered a lot," Archer admitted. "Especially for one so young."

"She's like me… or what I could've been like without any help." Naïve and hopeless. Nothing to hold onto or acknowledge. Nothing that could be called real. That was the life she could've lived without Archer. A life that Yuma would likely go through right now… if she even lived past a few days on the streets. "And it isn't even her fault."

"The world is cruel," Archer replied.

"I know. It's just that I do stupid shit and I have you bailing me out. She doesn't do anything wrong and she gets screwed anyway. I just want to be there, even if the world is trying to do its best to screw her over. Like it always does."

"So, this is you trying to lash out against this world. Trying to fight against reality, even though you said you would accept it?"

Kyoko chuckled somberly. "Yea. I guess that makes me a huge hypocrite. Doesn't it?"

Archer grunted before crossing his arms. "You and I are probably the largest pair of hypocrites in this world. It doesn't change the fact that we are resolved to live the way we want; ideals and logic be damned."

Well when he put it like that. "So will you…?"

"I'll accept it for now. I'll help train her also but she's your responsibility in the end. She is going to need you here. Now. You can't waste your time running off to Root knows where, finding trouble."

"I don't-"

Archer glared at her.

"Okay maybe I do," Kyoko looked back at Yuma. "I'll try to be careful now though. I can't get myself killed after making a promise to her."

Archer smiled. "Good."

Kyoko made her way to the living room and sat down across from Yuma. Now that she had gotten Archer to agree she now had to lay down the rule of law in the household. And also prepare on offering to whatever deity had helped her perform the miracle on convincing him. Was there a Shinto shrine nearby that she could visit?

Madoka woke up. She found herself hugging her large bunny plush tightly, her drool having spilled all over its face. The mess didn't really matter to her though, what mattered was the dream that she had awoken from.

A dream of a girl with beautiful long black hair staring into the abyss. A girl who fought a hopeless battle never allowing herself to blink. For if she did, that too would consume her.

It was so vivid, the pictures of that girl standing resolute yet worn down in her mind, yet there was something else about that dream that she didn't recall.

Did she want to remember though? Was she strong enough to bear whatever it was that this girl was fighting? A girl who ought to have been a complete stranger yet seemed so eerily familiar to her?

"Meow."

Madoka smiled as she looked down at the small black cat greeting her at the other end of the bed. She reached over and rubbed Amy's head. It purred in pleasure.

She was quite fortunate that her parents had let her pick a stray from off the street, even one that she had talked about before with her parents. She couldn't have helped it though, after its near-death experience with a car she couldn't leave it alone. That fact that it suddenly seemed more than willing to be with her despite spending its life on its street was even more incentive to keep it.

Thankfully Mama was more than willing to hear her out and let her keep Amy as a pet.

Honestly it was more of a miracle that Amy had even survived in the first place. One moment it was in the middle of a street with a car speeding just feet away from it and then it was suddenly on the sidewalk next to her. It had taken her a few moments of stunned blinking to even try and process what had happened. Even Amy had been about as surprised as a cat possibly could look at the time.

A miracle had been performed that day, but neither of them quite knew how or why it had happened.

Madoka giggled as Amy licked her hand and made its way to sit on her lap. She had to push it away gently though.

She had school and someone had to wake up Mama after all. She couldn't help but let out a little mischievous smirk at the thought. It was quite uncharacteristic of her, but well it was surprisingly fun. Especially when her brother got involved too.

"Good morning!" Madoka shouted as she quickly ran up to her friends who had been waiting for her.

"Good morning!" Hitomi replied.

"Madoka, you're late!" Sayaka looked at Madoka's hair. "Oh! Cute ribbons."

"You think so?" Madoka asked. "They're not too flashy?"

"Meow."

The three girls turned toward Amy who had followed Madoka as usual.

"See, even Amy agrees," Sayaka said as she knelt down to pet the cat. "Good job keeping an eye on Madoka here. Who knows what sort of troubles she'd get into if it wasn't for you."

"Sayaka!"

Sayaka turned to Madoka with an all too pleased expression on her face. "Come on Madoka. You're a nice person, but that just means that people take advantage of you."

Madoka blushed, having been reminded of the times that Sayaka had to protect her in their youth. She didn't regret the way she had acted, even to people that might've tried to bully her, but she was grateful that Sayaka had been there to protect her. It didn't happen so much nowadays, but the memory was still enough that Madoka would often confide in Sayaka first whenever something bothered her.

"I have to agree with Sayaka," Hitomi commented. "Sometimes I can't help but worry about you too."

Madoka huffed. "Hitomi! I'm a big girl now. I can handle myself." Unfortunately, judging by the smiles they gave her, they didn't take her that seriously. Not that she was being very serious herself, but even she could be annoyed sometimes. Annoyed enough that she wouldn't even tell them about that strange dream they had. The last thing she needed was for them to call her out on some sort of soulmate that she had never met before.

"Oh, is that why you changed your ribbons," Sayaka said playfully. "Trying to become a mature woman like Hitomi. Going for all the boys."

"No, that's not-"

"How shameless!" Sayaka opened up her arms. "Let me show you what happens to girls like you."

After Madoka failed to escape Sayaka's embrace and claim on her as a bride, the three of them- sans Amy who would go home by itself now that it had finished escorting its owner- made the rest of the way to school.

For the most part the morning had been normal. Pleasant, but normal. Even Ms. Saotame's rant about never dating men who insist they can't eat fried eggs done over hard was common course for their mornings. At least it was until their teacher suddenly announced that they would have a new transfer student.

For some reason, Madoka half expected a raven locked girl with gloriously smooth and luscious hair to walk into the classroom. Her eyes went wide when she actually did get that.

"No way… It couldn't be…"

There were some differences. This girl had her hair wrapped in two large pigtails and her posture was less graceful and a bit nervous. Still, the resemblance was uncanny, especially what laid behind the eyeglasses she wore. Her eyes were mesmerizing… with a sort of determination that you wouldn't expect from a girl their age.

Things got even more confusing when said transfer student, who by all rights Madoka should never have met before, shot her a look of recognition. It had taken Madoka a bit to confirm that it was her that the transfer student was looking at and not a neighbor or someone behind her.

"My name is Homura Akemi." The transfer took a deep breath. "I'm pleased to meet all of you." Her voice past her nervousness was surprisingly strong and clear.

Then why did Madoka expect her to say all of that with a detached confidence? Why did she expect her to act aloof, almost a bit cold to the class? It was strange, and it couldn't just have been from the girl in the dreams. They were nothing alike.

Long black hair and a headband. The same faces yet also so different.

After introductions, Madoka was simply too distracted with her own thoughts to listen much to class. The way that Homura was constantly shooting her glances wasn't helping either.

"You alright there Madoka?" Sayaka asked during a break between classes. As always was the first one to notice that something was bothering her. She glanced at Homura in turn. "Do you know that girl? She seemed to be staring at you a lot earlier."

"I… maybe?" Madoka replied. "She seems so familiar… like…"

"Deja-vu?"

"No something else…" Madoka mulled

"Excuse me."

Madoka looked up to find Homura in front of her desk. "K-Kaname," the girl finally stuttered. Any confidence she might've had in front of the class seemed to have faded away the second she walked up to Madoka. "Are you the Nurse's Aide?"

"I am?" Madoka replied a bit confused.

"Uh…" Homura looked down on the floor and grasped her hands. "It's been a bit stressful for me today and…"

Cute.

"I'm sorry?" Homura asked.

"Eep," Madoka let out before clamping her mouth shut. She had definitely not meant to say that out loud.

At this point a smile had grown on Sayaka's face as she looked between Madoka and the transfer student. "Oh, so that's what this is. My little Madoka's grown up."

"Sayaka?" Madoka asked.

"Miki?" Homura asked.

"Huh how'd you know my name?" Sayaka asked.

"I uh… remembered it after reading the class roster," Homura replied.

"Oh okay." Sayaka held her hand out. "Anyway, I'm Sayaka Miki. Madoka's groom to be. Please take care of her."

"Sayaka!"

"G-groom!?" For some reason Homura looked absolutely horrified.

"She's just joking around," Madoka told Homura before shooting Sayaka the best glare that she could muster. "Which isn't very nice."

"Ah Madoka, I'm just playing around," Sayaka replied without an ounce of guilt on her face before turning to Homura. "Anyway, I was serious about taking care of her. She's important to me, but I'm sure you can handle it."

"Uh... okay." This time it was Homura's turn to blush.

"So," Madoka said before an awkward silence could take form. "You were feeling stressed."

"Y-yes," Homura replied, clearly relieved at having an escape. "Kaname. Could you please escort me to the nurse's office."

Madoka tried to give Homura the best smile she could.. "I'll be… happy to. And please call me Madoka."

Homura had fit in nicely with their group. Her reserved nature paired well with Hitomi and she had apparently received Sayaka's seal of approval.

For Madoka, it was nice to be around her. Not just because they had another person to add to their group, but because Homura seemed almost familiar to her. As if they were meant to become friends. And judging by the way Homura seemed to smile around her, she also felt the same.

"What do you think about Homura?" Madoka asked as they made their way home.

"Meow," Amy replied.

Madoka shook her head and gave it a weary smile.

Her cat, though a great escort, was unfortunately not much of a conversationalist. Despite how fun it was with Homura, there was still something that bothered her about the situation. It likely was nothing. She was probably just being paranoid and the last thing she needed was for Sayaka to get overprotective over a gut feeling that she had. Still, she couldn't get that dream out of her head. Even now she could remember it quite vividly.

Madoka stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the signal to change, when Amy suddenly turned left and continued going down the block.

"Amy?"

For the last few weeks, the cat had been a dedicated escort for Madoka and never went off the beaten path. What had changed?

"Meow." Amy turned back and sat down some distance away, as if it was expecting her to follow.

Madoka simply stared at her cat in confusion before it decided to get up and continue walking away.

"Amy! Wait!" she shouted as she followed her. Once she started moving in its direction though it suddenly picked up speed. Soon Madoka was sprinting after a black cat, much to the curious and confused looks of the few bystanders that had happened to be in their path.

"Slow… down," Madoka gasped as she tried to catch her breath. She was hardly the most athletic person and her cat was giving the toughest run of her life.

Eventually Amy turned around a corner into a nearby alleyway. Madoka followed only to find that her cat had finally stopped running. It now sat in front of a white feather on the floor.

"Did you want that feather?" Madoka asked.

Amy replied by patting a paw next to said object, as if gesturing to her to pick it up.

Ok. Madoka knew that Amy was a smart cat, but this was starting to get weird.

Madoka cautiously walked forward. She was a bit tense at first, but that soon faded away as she got closer to that feather's presence. She didn't know why, but it was as if it was calling to her. It brought her over with a sound that only she could hear until she stood in front of it.

It was pretty. A brilliant white with shades of pink. She didn't know where it came from, but it definitely didn't come from a bird. In fact. it seemed almost… unnatural.

Madoka kneeled down on the ground. She carefully brought her hand over and hesitated just inches away from the tip.

She was afraid. There was a part of her that didn't want to touch it, even as her soul practically screamed at her to do so.

Did she want this? Was this really what she wanted?

Amy suddenly reached over with a paw and gently pushed her hand down.

"Meow."

Madoka brushed the tip of the feather and then gently grabbed it off the ground. She looked at it carefully before tenderly holding it to her chest. It was warm… and comforting. It was nostalgic, as if she was meant to have it. As if it was always meant to be a part of her.

A gentle light enveloped her body for a brief moment before vanishing. It had all happened in a second and Madoka looked down to find that the feather had disappeared from her hand. She wasn't sad that it was gone though, she felt wonderful actually. She hadn't felt this good since the day her parents had first brough Tatsuya home.

"Meow." Amy walked up and rubbed itself against her leg.

Madoka smiled and petted her cat. "You really are a smart kitty, aren't you?" She didn't entirely know what had happened or why it had to be her, but it felt like it was supposed to happen. "Let's go home before Mama and Papa worry."

It wasn't long before that wonderful feeling faded, leaving behind nothing else, but a fond yet somehow distant memory. There was a light spring to her step as she walked home though.