MARCH 18

Her steps were quick but steady as she followed her chosen path. A sharp turn here, a detour down an alleyway here... A quick consultation with her internal clock, and she increased her pace. She never even had to look at a clock anymore to know the time. The hours shifted in her chest, the minutes curled across her fingertips, the seconds danced underneath her eyelids, and she could feel each swing of the pendulum in her pulse.

3

2

1

There!

Homura snatched up the cat from its perch near the road, encasing it protectively in her arms. Madoka had contracted with Kyubey originally to save this cat after it ventured out onto the street. It was only natural then, that Homura would save the cat that Madoka had once given up her life for.

She walked home with the cat still cradled protectively in her arms, it's warmth held against her chest, with soft purrs speaking of its own contentment.

Homura would look after the cat for a few days when she wasn't busy, before allowing it to roam free again.

Sometimes that cat would stay.

MARCH 25

The skies were grey and clouded over, and the city lay in ruins beneath her feet. There was only the crunch of gravel and rubble beneath her feet to break the eerie silence that had fallen upon the city.

In the distance she could see a girl with long dark hair. Something in her told her she knew this girl... That she had been the one fighting against the monster looming over them in the sky.

That girl's leg was trapped underneath a fallen piece of concrete, and blood trickled down the skin on her face, too much red against that pale white. As she ran to the girl, and held her hand in her own in a gesture of comfort, her mind distractedly realized that she was beautiful. She almost looked like a doll...

Words escaped her lips, but she couldn't understand them. When the injured girl began to cry, she wanted nothing more than to stay there and comfort her, but she had something to do, an important duty to fulfill...

She turned away from the girl in the rubble towards a white creature, and spoke.

"I wish..."

After that, nothing made sense. She could make out images, flashes of scenes, and there were stars, an infinity of them, there were galaxies, and the universe was so big, and there was just too much to-

Madoka woke up with a startled gasp before remembering where she was. That was definitely one of the strangest dream she had experienced. Yet even now, she could feel the details fading from her memory.

Still, the dream had left an impression her, and while she didn't really understand what actually happened in the dream some of the images remained in her mind.

She could foggily remember the girl in her dreams, and felt an odd sense of nostalgia overcome her. But as the sleep cleared from her mind, the dream went to the back of Madoka's thoughts. She still had her morning routine to complete after all!

"Alright, we have a new student joining our class today, she's been in the hospital for the last few months, so please do your best to help her. Please come in Miss Homura Akemi."

A large amount of chatter sprung up among the students as the newest member of the class walked in.

"Wow, she's so pretty!"

"Her hair is so long!"

"She was in the hospital?"

The noise died out as began to write the kanji for Homura's name, but faltered on the last one. With practiced ease, Homura took the pen in her own hand and finished the writing in precise, neat script.

Madoka couldn't tear her eyes away. Pieces of her dream that morning came rushing back in full force, and when Homura looked her way, she felt her face heat up, undoubtedly turning a bright red.

When class was dismissed for break, Homura found herself surrounded by her schoolmates, as was the case in every timeline. Having experienced this countless times before, she answered their questions with ease, before excusing herself, claiming that the stress had gotten to her. Politely declining their offers to escort her, she made her way over to the desk Madoka was seated in.

"Kaname Madoka, right? You are the class nurse aren't you? I'm afraid I'm not feeling well... Could I ask you to escort me to the nurse's office?"

She waited patiently for Madoka to stutter out a reply. She would need to work on that, her plan would require her to befriend Madoka, not intimidate her into compliance. While she couldn't change back into the girl she once was, she could stand to show a bit of warmth... If she portrayed herself as stoic, but shy, then perhaps Madoka would become more comfortable around her?

This time, she let Madoka lead the way to the nurse's office, as when she were to lead the way herself, it usually tended to create an air of unease. They walked in silence for the most part, before Madoka finally worked up the courage to speak, glancing over her shoulder fretfully.

"Akemi-san, the nurse's office is, uh, this way..."

A moment of heavy silence followed before she heard a response.

"You may call me Homura."

She wanted her to call her by her first name? That was a bit forward, wasn't it? But perhaps that meant that Homura liked her? It was more likely that she just didn't care though...

"A-Ah, Homura, it's kind of an unusual name right? Oh, um! Not that it's a bad name! I j-just meant that it sounded cool! I mean..."

Her voice trailed off, and she began to fidget. She could practically feel the weight of Homura's gaze upon her back, and cringed. She wasn't usually this awkward! There was just something about Homura that made her feel like she needed to impress her. Not that she was succeeding, Madoka thought bitterly.

"Ah, thank you. Your name is cute though… It suits you."

Madoka looked back at Homura, and blushed when she saw a soft smile adorning her face. She didn't know why Homura affected her so, but it was embarrassing. But she didn't seem as cold as she first appeared to be, maybe she was just not used to interacting with people? She had been in the hospital hadn't she? If she had been sick before then, that probably meant she didn't have the chance to interact with others then either...Maybe she just needed a friend? Feeling a little more confident, Madoka turned to face Homura directly.

"This might be a bit sudden but… Would you like to eat lunch with me and my friends today?"

Homura was silent for a moment, her expression giving the appearance of deep thought. In reality though she was just a little surprised at how easily Madoka had warmed up to her. But then again, it was Madoka. She was compassionate and friendly to a fault after all. If she could integrate herself into her school group, she would probably be able to gain Sayaka's favor as well, which would help her ensure her cooperation. It was nice though… To be able to actually start a friendship with Madoka again.

She wouldn't waste this opportunity.

"That would be nice."

AN: Thank you for the reviews and attention on this story. It really makes me inspired! If you guys have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message, and hopefully I'll be able to answer.