A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews.
§ x § x §
§ x § x §
§ x § x §
SECHS
TIMELINE X + N
Waking up somewhere completely new was strange for Homura. She had become so accustomed to endlessly repeating the same events with the same people in the same setting that change was a surreal novelty. So there she was, drowsily sitting on the spare futon that had been dragged into the girls' room from their absent brother's closet, squinting at the clear sky outside the window while the Kurosaki twins got dressed. Weird.
The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Madoka was dead again.
Yuzu swiftly pulled on her uniform and hurried out the door, calling out that Homura could look through her closet and dresser for clothes. A sleepier Karin made the same offer. Fifteen minutes later Homura followed Karin downstairs to the kitchen in one of Yuzu's dresses. Yuzu turned from the stove to greet them and cooed over how cute Homura looked in her dress. Karin and Homura had just sat at the table when Isshin burst into the room dressed like a responsible adult, complete with lab coat and tie.
"GOOOOOD MORNING, GIRLS!" he cheered.
"Good morning, Daddy!" bubbled Yuzu.
"Mornin'," mumbled Karin.
Homura stared for a moment, then bowed her head respectfully and quietly said, "Good morning, Mr. ...Dr. Kurosaki."
Sitting down to a hot, fresh breakfast was another oddity for Homura. She was no longer sure how many times she had relived six weeks of her life, but surely it had been years. After the first several variations on disaster, she had been reduced to eating leftovers from the takeout she got for dinner on the way home from various fights and weapons heists. The sheer normalcy of sitting around a table while a family chattered pleasantly was disturbingly abnormal. It all felt quite distant to her, but she also presumed she wouldn't have anything like this in the next timeline so she had better appreciate it while it lasted. Conversation had always been terribly awkward for her so she didn't even try to participate, but she could easily savor food in silence. Homura was grateful that the odd collection of cheer, sarcasm, and buffoonery somehow seemed able to gauge her mood with small glances and accordingly fall into easy banter around her without trying to draw her in. She felt free to stare out the window and let their voices wash over her as she ate. Some part of her fretted that she was being a terrible guest, but the majority of her didn't particularly care.
The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the Kurosaki family was happy, and Madoka was dead again.
Karin set down her empty glass. "Hey, Homura. It's Friday so we'll be at school all day. We'd ask Goat-Face to let us ditch and hang out with you but the first chapter tests for a few classes are today. Then we have a half day tomorrow— maybe we could ditch that?" Karin glanced at her father, who made a skeptically considering face. She dropped the subject to pick up later and looked back at Homura. "We have a lot of video games and books. We don't mind if you use them."
Homura hesitated, confused that Isshin hadn't scolded Karin for calling him Goat-Face right in front of him. Once upon a time, her father would have lectured— She forcefully smothered that train of thought.
"She could also help in the clinic if she wants," Isshin suggested between bites. He looked to Homura. "Nothing big, just refilling the supplies in the exam rooms when the delivery comes in, maybe watch the waiting room while I'm with a patient."
Homura stared at him in surprise.
"You don't have to," he continued. "I just figured I'd give you another option for keeping busy if games or books don't distract you enough. Waiting for news must be terrible."
Homura looked down at her lap, hunching her shoulders with the weight of guilt. She already knew what had happened and that it would never be figured out. All because she had been too slow to realize that Madoka's loving heart would drive her to the Mermaid Witch's labyrinth even if she wasn't contracted. Homura had been so late to the scene that she couldn't even retrieve Madoka's body so she could have a proper funeral.
Gritting her teeth and wringing her skirt, she kept from crying by sheer force of will. It will be different next time, it will be different next time, it will be different next time. After a moment she gave Isshin a general nod of agreement. Any distraction would be welcome.
Isshin watched her for a long moment as he sipped his coffee. He nodded as if the matter was settled and stood. "Right. We'll call your school after I see the girls off and go from there."
"Oh! Is it already that late?!" gasped Yuzu.
Karin smirked. "It's because you cooked such a fancy breakfast. You lost track of time."
"Why aren't you worried?! We have a test in first period!"
Karin's eyes widened comically. She abruptly stood and shoved back her chair, tripping over herself to grab her book bag. "Shit, c'mon, Yuz, let's run!"
"Laaaaaanguage young laaaaady!" sang Ishhin. He sounded smug rather than angry.
"Shut it, Goat-Face!" Karin reappeared in the doorway, hopping as she slid on a shoe. "We'll see you later, Homura. Take care of yourself!"
Yuzu ran up and briefly hugged Homura. "We'll come straight home and then we can have some time to talk, okay?" The brunette pulled away and waved. "Have a good day, Homura!"
Homura and Isshin stared toward the door in the twins' wake for a moment before looking at each other. Isshin clapped loudly. "Well! Let's get this over with. Do you need a phone? Or need to look up the number?"
"No, thank you, sir. I have the number programmed into my phone." Mostly because she had originally anticipated calling out sick a lot in the first timeline. After using her magic to heal herself, she had left the number on her phone for lack of any reason to remove it.
Isshin sat down with a new cup of coffee as Homura dialed her school. The phone rang unusually long before a frazzled secretary picked up.
"Mitakihara Middle School attendance office, how may I help you?"
Homura stared blankly at her plate and rolled a grape back and forth beneath one finger. "My name is Homura Akemi. I would like to call out sick for today, possibly tomorrow."
"A-ke-mi, ah, there you are," the secretary murmured to her computer. "And what is the reason for your absence?" she asked with dread.
"I am feeling unwell because of the stress from the disappearances. Two of the girls were in my class. One of them was very kind to me and she... the thought that she is gone..." Homura swallowed hard and controlled her voice once more. It steadied into calm and methodical. "There is a note in my file about previous illnesses made worse by stress. My uncle is out of the country on business and I was... afraid... so I decided to visit some friends west of Tokyo."
The secretary sounded worried when she asked, "Tokyo? That's so far! And if you're not well—"
Damn. Needed to placate the woman. How...? Ah. "My friends' father is a doctor. I will be staying with him in his clinic today."
"But Miss Akemi, with all that's happening—"
Homura's patience was wearing thin. "I will be supervised by a competent adult. And my uncle's attorney filed forms to allow me to make such decisions in his absence. I may be young but I know I am all but emancipated. He only controls my finances."
The secretary sounded uncertain. "Still—"
Isshin interrupted with a mild, "Would you like me to talk to them, Homura?"
Homura looked at him warily, then switched to speaker and held it out to him.
Isshin cleared his throat and assumed a businesslike persona. "Good morning, ma'am. This is Doctor Isshin Kurosaki, proprietor of the Kurosaki Clinic in Karakura. In case it is relevant, I have admitting privileges at Karakura General Hospital. My daughters brought Miss Akemi to my house last night, quite distraught. Being with my girls seems to have calmed her some, but I don't recommend throwing her into the media circus that must be around the school right now, especially when she has no one at home to support her and look after her. I thought it would be best to report her whereabouts so she doesn't get counted among the missing."
The secretary sighed tiredly. "Thank you for that. Honestly, she's not the first to call in sick today. A lot of students and parents are worried. Rightly so, I'm sorry to say. And yes, the press is accosting students." They couldn't see her, but Homura was certain the woman was massaging her temples or somesuch.
"Shall I leave all of my contact information with you in case the school wants to check on her location?" Isshin offered.
Homura tilted her head to one side and owlishly watched the man. It was like observing a completely different person from the one she had met the night before. She never would have pegged him as a doctor, but she could see it now. Which is the mask? she wondered. Also, it was strange to hand over her personal business to someone else. It took a few moments, but she finally pinned down the unsettling feeling as it having been so long since she had actually depended on an adult for anything. Even so minor a concession of control was uncomfortable.
Isshin eventually ended the call and sat looking at Homura searchingly. "You didn't say you had health problems."
Homura looked surprised for a moment, then shrugged and ran a hand through her hair while looking away. "I had arthroscopic surgery to correct a heart defect awhile back. I am perfectly fine now. Adults keep fussing over me, though. They need not bother."
Isshin frowned. "Adults should worry over the health of children. Don't take your health so lightly."
Homura raised her eyebrows and glanced at him. "You seem awfully invested in my health for a stranger."
"I'm a doctor. That's my job."
"You are not my doctor."
Isshin's frown deepened. "Maybe not. But I couldn't call myself a father if I didn't worry about other children besides my own."
Homura tilted her head and stared at him silently as though he was some kind of creature she had never seen before and was unsure of. Isshin met her gaze with stern earnestness until she finally looked away.
The quiet was broken by a buzzer in the distance. Both turned toward it.
"Ah, the supply delivery is here." Isshin turned back to Homura. "Do you want to help in the clinic or would you like some time to yourself?"
She leaned toward solitude, but figured she'd end up obsessing over Madoka's many deaths without direction. "I would like to help in the clinic, please."
"All right, then!" Isshin jabbed a thumbs up her way. "Let's get started!" He wore a small grin, but still looked serious.
Homura wasn't sure how his mood could slide around so easily. Still uncertain what to think of him, she hesitantly followed him to the clinic.
§ x § x §
§ x § x §
§ x § x §
This chapter was replaced with an edited version on November 1, 2019. Reviews with timestamps before that date refer to a slightly different version of the chapter.