A/N- Yo. This story is based off MichaelSaniyan's Optimal Outcome and Perpetual Probability. Two reasons! One, it has an ideal HomuKyou set up where Madoka ends up with Mami, Sayaka is super straight, and Homura and Kyouko are bros. Second, I was all like, "These two need to hook up," and Michael said "Do it" and I was like, "Fuck yeah!"

This'll only be three chapters. Mind the rating. There will be sexy times.

Beta'd by Rhyno Holter.

It all started the day Kyouko seemingly decided to drop a bomb on Homura with the words "We should have sex."

Homura, who had been standing at the kitchen counter having a bite to eat, started choking violently on her food.

Actually, it was wholly inaccurate to say that this is the point it all started and both were well aware of that fact. A series of events had occurred to set Kyouko's statement in motion. One could say the starting point was the very day they struck up something resembling friendship. Now that may be over-reaching, but one cannot deny the slow boil that's been building up in such a silent manner. After the situation hit a certain peak, everything pretty much snowballed from there.

It was a short time after a whole mess had occurred. After the whole "Kyouko and Homura successfully killed Kyubey and their group faced off with magical girls from another city, then got horribly killed then revived by the girl Kyouko had smuggled into Mitakihara to help kill Kyubey in the first place" stuff. The news stations had just started to find other things to report on besides the destruction that resulted from the ordeal, and Mitakihara essentially quieted after those events. Witches all but became extinct after Kyubey's death since there weren't anymore girls getting contracted, and the existing Magical Girls had a method to keep the corruption in their Soul Gems at bay without Grief Seeds.

It was, in essence, a time of peace.

It was also a uniquely miserable period of time for Homura Akemi.

Having the person you loved most sharing a body with the person you hated the most would do that to anyone. Since Mami's body had been destroyed and her conscious moved into Madoka's body, Homura had rarely seen Madoka, who spent a majority of her time learning to interact with Mami within her mind. It was also safe to say that Homura was just simply avoiding Madoka at this point.

Even more overbearing was the fact that they were currently waiting for any kind of response from the Incubators. It was only natural that they should expect an investigation on their part after they had managed to successfully kill Kyubey. They didn't know what to expect, but it was wise to keep vigilance for anything. This put Homura even more on edge. Contrary to popular belief, she was not a very patient person. She'd rather have been actively eliminating even more of their kind rather than waiting for their response.

Homura wanted to take out her increasingly coiling nerves on something, but there really wasn't anything going on in her life besides the aforementioned to occupy her time. While fighting Witches had become something of a chore after the Walpurgisnacht, the act of eliminating those dark creatures had been habitual, and the absence of that routine was slightly annoying. Her loss to Tenshi was also a reminder of just how rusty she had become in battle. It made her somewhat more grouchy and irritable than usual. Life was now missing something, but there wasn't much to be done. Not many of the other girls seemed to share her unrest besides Kyouko. But that was a given. The real surprise was when Sayaka approached Homura afterschool herself.

This was why Homura was currently beating the snot out of Sayaka on the rooftops of Mitakihara.

To any normal human eyes that might have happened to be gazing out at the cityscape, nothing would be out of the ordinary. Except perhaps for the occasional gleam without a source, a particularly powerful gust of wind, or quickly moving figures in the corner of one's vision. Small things quickly forgotten or ignored. But if one perhaps gifted with the potential for magic looked hard enough to pick up even the slightest shift of air-

"GYAAAAAHHH!" The very loud and pain-filled shout could be heard across the block.

Even more painfully obvious was the crashing sound of a body flying through a glass window. In between two buildings, Homura lightly touched down on her feet, looking up above her at the impressive hole in the window Sayaka made just now. Well, technically Homura was the one that blasted Sayaka through the window, but still. Thoughtfully, the raven haired mage switched her attentions from the broken window to her right hand. There was a cut right above her wrist that dripped blood onto the pavement. It was a sword wound. Sayaka had certainly improved if she was able to land a hit on her. That, or Homura was even rustier than she had thought.

From up above her there was some screaming, some yelling, and some random items thrown out the window. A profusely apologizing Sayaka was backing up to the broken window she fell through before a comb hit her square in the face and sent her stumbling back out into the open air. There was some more annoying screaming when Sayaka hit the fire escape on the way down and made more noise than was necessary. Homura decided that was her cue to head back home.

With a quick flash of light her white and purple magical attire disappeared to be replaced by civilian wear. She stepped onto the walkways and blended seamlessly with the crowds there, none of them the wiser that a Magical Girl battle had just taken place above their heads.

"Hey!" Homura was halfway down the street by the time a limping Sayaka caught up to her, also decked out in casual clothes. "We're not finished yet!"

"It's not a good idea to exhaust our magic right now, considering the lack of Grief Seeds." Homura had had this argument with the other girl before they fought, but it looked like that point hadn't been drilled into her yet. "Besides, it was my win."

Sayaka winced as she used her magic to rapidly heal the wounds Homura inflicted on her. Bits of metal were hitting the pavement like loose change as her body cleansed itself of foreign objects. It must have been a weird sight for anyone watching. Homura felt a bit better about the one clean hit she'd sustained.

"I know. Hitomi's pretty good at that Equalization thing, in any case. She keeps herself pure for me."

"In more ways than one," Homura said under her breath.

Sayaka tried to get a look at the state of Homura's soul, but she already had the gem in ring form. "What about you? Are you using extra Grief Seeds, or are you and Kyouko doing the Soul Gem thing?"

"None of your concern," Homura said with a hair flip. Honestly, this line of questioning peeved her. She had used her last spare Grief Seed a few days before. She had no choice but to do the "Soul Gem thing" with someone sometime.

The Soul Gem thing being Equalization, a process Hitomi had discovered some time ago. It involved using a Soul Gem to equalize the grief within another Soul Gem. From what Homura had heard, it was also a very personal process, one that required one girl to walk through the other's soul to find the source of corruption.

And Sayaka had immediately assumed she would do it with Kyouko, even if the redhead was the most logical choice. But still. Homura didn't want to be reminded of it.

"Speaking of the devil, why didn't you ask Kyouko to fight you?" Homura asked out of mild curiosity. She and Sayaka weren't exactly the best of friends even if they managed to get along just fine, mostly for Kyouko's sake.

Sayaka shrugged, brushing any remaining gun powder off her clothes. "Lots of reasons. I've fought Kyouko plenty of times."

"But she still beats you," Homura pointed out needlessly.

Sayaka didn't appreciate this observation. "She wouldn't be my teacher if she couldn't. But I wanted to try my hand with a different kind of fighter. I'm used to melee fighting, but not with mid-range users like you. I want to make sure I'm prepared for anything." Sayaka's mind tirelessly went back to how useless she had been during the fighting. Sayaka swore to herself that day that she wouldn't be helpless again. She would the protector, not the one being protected.

"Still not hearing these many reasons." Homura's indifferent voice thankfully snapped Sayaka back to the present. At this point Sayaka was losing her limp and she was able to walk side by side with Homura.

"Well, Kyouko is pretty busy these days."

Homura figured Sayaka was referring to Kyouko's new job. "She's not that busy. You know she'd blow off work easily if you asked her to."

Sayaka blushed slightly since she knew exactly why Kyouko would do that for her. "Well, yeah, but…" she stammered for a moment, embarrassed. "She's getting her life together, and I'm proud of her for that. I wouldn't want to do anything that would make Kyouko lose focus."

Homura thought about telling Sayaka how she'd be doing Kyouko a favor if she got her out of there, but held in the sentiment. She didn't need Kyouko quitting in a heartbeat the moment Sayaka showed interest. There were bills to be paid, after all.

"Besides, we straight girls have to stick together!" Sayaka said with a grin.

Huh?

"What do you mean by that?" Homura asked, though she suspected she would regret asking. Sayaka suddenly looked sheepish as if she had just revealed a secret.

"Sorry. I guess it's not my place to say, but I thought Kyouko might have already told you…" Homura looked at Sayaka with the barest hint of amusement. Of course she already knew. Kyouko and Hitomi were both in love with Sayaka, and Madoka and Mami were together in every variation you can think of and ones you cannot think of. Homura of course loved Madoka herself, making Sayaka the odd one out by being the only straight girl in the group. But it looked like the blunette didn't know about Homura's preferences herself. It was funny; Homura had known the group's situations for such a long time she forgot how clueless Sayaka has been the last year.

"I just figure that we don't know each other very well, and it wouldn't hurt to hang out with a Magical Girl that, uh…" Sayaka wanted to say "a magical girl that isn't interested in me" but wasn't sure how to say it without sounding obnoxiously full of herself.

"Making assumptions, aren't you?" Homura said indifferently.

"Hm? Assuming what?" Sayaka asked cluelessly.

Homura shrugged. Well, it wasn't like it was a secret or anything at this point. "That I'm straight."

Sayaka laughed. "Well, it would be pretty improbable if five out of six of us turned out to lean that way!"

"I agree with you there. Very improbable."

"You know, when Kyouko confessed to me I couldn't stop myself from laughing. It's just ridiculous, isn't it?"

"Yes, completely ridiculous."

"I almost thought I was on my own here, but then I remembered that you like boys too, right?"

Homura decided not to comment this time.

Sayaka seemed to hesitate for the first time. "I mean, you do, right? You aren't also..?" Homura merely gave Sayaka a look and the blunette faltered a bit. "Are you?"

"Not that it matters, but I wouldn't want to be lumped in with you a second time." Homura couldn't help smirking at Sayaka's face. It was certainly priceless. Like she had just witnessed a flying pig kick her puppy into a UFO.

"Are you serious? You too?" It was strange, the first time Sayaka heard that most of her fellow Magical Girls were gay for each other, Sayaka thought it was hilarious. But with this new information a resounding thought suddenly emerged: 'Is there something wrong with me?' Sayaka shook her head to dispel the notion and try to get her face under control.

Sayaka suddenly looked at Homura warily. "So… You aren't attracted to me too, are you?"

The question caught Homura so off guard that she actually laughed. It was a short mocking laugh that more than answered Sayaka's question and the blunette blushed in embarrassment.

"Okay, okay! Stupid question, I know!" Sayaka waved off the other girl, walking slightly ahead so she couldn't witness Homura's mirth. By the time she realized this was one of the only times she'd seen Homura laugh the moment had already passed. Another question popped into her head. "Is there anyone you do like?"

Homura didn't like this question so she ignored it. "Do you plan on following me home?"

Sayaka pouted. If Homura was changing the subject than it meant there probably was someone she liked. Sayaka was curious now. What kind of person would catch the stoic girl's interest? She decided to probe a bit. "Is it Kyouko?" If Homura had been drinking something she would've done a spit-take. All Sayaka witnessed was a surprised grimace. "Is that a yes, or..?"

"NO, Sayaka Miki, that was most definitely a no." Homura said in a more annoyed fashion than usual. Sayaka's curiosity may have been piqued even more if she wasn't distracted by a particularly large piece of metal finally finding its way out of her shoulder and into her t-shirt.

"Geez, what heck is this, a screwdriver?" Sayaka said as she fished out the item and tossed it over her shoulder. A child cried out behind her. "What have you been putting in that thing? One of these days you're going be shooting forks at the enemy. Yeah, that's real threatening, Homura."

"I won't ask again," Homura was holding back her impatience. "Why are you following me?"

"Kyouko's job is in this direction, isn't it? I was going to say hi."

"You could've said that in the first place." Well, Homura had been planning on picking up her roommate on her way home anyway, so it wasn't like this was an inconvenience to her. As long as Sayaka stopped with her irritating questions-

"So you're telling me that you and Kyouko have never done anything together despite both of you being into girls and living in the same apartment?"

The previous thought had come too soon. "Your powers of deduction are amazing, or rather the lack thereof." she answered with a tad of sarcasm. "Kyouko loves you. As for me, I'm… not interested in having a relationship, let alone with Kyouko of all people." Homura took a deep breath. Not wanting a relationship was an outright lie, but if it wasn't happening with Madoka, then… "Besides, we're Magical Girls. We have enough grief to deal with." Literally.

Sayaka played with the ring on her finger a bit, mulling over Homura's words. "But I can't return Kyouko's feelings," she stated bluntly. Homura inwardly winced, feeling sympathy for the redhead. "And I think because we're Magical Girls, it's important to cherish the relationships we have. Kyouko deserves to be happy with someone," She glanced furtively at the raven-haired girl. "And you and Kyouko seem rather close, so I figured there might be something there."

"If you're implying that I can make that girl happy, I already am. I provide food." Sayaka seemed to appreciate Homura's small joke. Except it wasn't a joke. "Don't go voicing your unnecessary ideas. Kyouko and I are just friends."

"Yeah, yeah," Sayaka stretched her arms over her head. "Still can't believe everyone is gay." The comment prompted a slight smirk from the other Magical Girl. They were only a short block away from Kyouko's work place. And Sayaka finally seemed to stop asking questions, so at least Homura might have a moment of peace…

"You and Kyouko would look good together," Sayaka said jokingly.

This was even more annoying than the questions! While Homura entertained the thought of shooting the blunette between the eyes, they approached a grocery store. The person they were looking for was apparently an employee. One easily found as well. It was easy to spot someone letting out an output of misery so noticeable.

"Have a nice day…" Kyouko muttered to the four hundredth eleventh person she rang up at the register that day. She kept track.

"Hey, Kyou," Homura greeted as she approached the apron-wearing cashier. "Ready to head home yet?"

Kyouko brightened up upon seeing her, something Homura would never get used to. "Been ready since I got here!" The redhead looked around her as if searching for something. "Just need to wait for the next person to come and relieve me and I can get the hell out of here."

Homura crossed her arms loosely and leaned against a nearby wall. "Hurry up, then. I have a favor to ask you when we get home."

"Hm? A favor?" Kyouko looked back at the raven haired girl, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Last time you said that, I got this damn job."

"Yes, and I appreciate that very much," Homura said in the most unappreciative way possible. Kyouko rolled her eyes and turned her back on her roommate. Just because Homura was letting her stay at her apartment, didn't mean Kyouko had to do everything she asked of her. But it wasn't exactly often Homura asked for favors either, though. She'll see what this favor was. But when she turned her back to one infuriating person, she was met with another person that infuriated her in a different way. Sayaka was grinning cheekily at her, holding up a bag of chips and bottled soda.

"The hell are you smiling at?" Kyouko grumbled, snatching the items from Sayaka's hands to scan the bar codes, even as she started smiling herself. Sayaka smiling at her was always infectious.

"You should be proud. I landed a hit on Homura today!" Sayaka said gloatingly. Behind Kyouko, Homura narrowed her eyes slightly at the blunette. Kyouko appeared unimpressed by the news.

"Yeah? Only a hit? Tell you what," Kyouko leaned over to Sayaka conspiratorially. "Next time, we'll team up and kick her ass up and down Mitakihara. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Not with our Soul Gems in this condition you're not." Homura spoke up.

"Says the one who took my job of beating Sayaka up," Kyouko shot back.

Homura sighed as if dealing with someone much less intelligent than her. "Even with your souls in peak condition, you still wouldn't be able to beat me."

"Hey!" Kyouko turned to face her roommate. "You know we're going to take you up on that challenge later, right?"

"How predictable of you, Kyouko. Let me guess – you'll even do a little dance if you manage to succeed?"

Kyouko turned back to Sayaka with an annoyed look. "Kick a little ass, do a little dance. That's the plan." Sayaka bit back a grin at the pair's interaction. Now that she knew about Homura's preferences, she couldn't help considering the two as a potential couple. She didn't see why it wouldn't work out. It actually made a lot of sense if she thought about it. She then spotted a large ominous figure standing behind Kyouko.

"Is that how you treat customers, Sakura?" The female manager of the store said from behind the Magical Girl.

Kyouko stiffened a little at those words, turning around to look at her manager while holding back the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm off now that you're here."

"You're not clocked out yet," the manager replied. "And I don't see you smiling at your customer."

Kyouko glowered at the manager for a moment before turning back to Sayaka slowly. The blunette waited to see what would happen when something strange happened to Kyouko's face. There was an unnatural brightness that came with Kyouko's friendliest smile ever, complete with false sunshine. "Would you like paper or plastic?" Kyouko chirped.

Sayaka burst out pointing and laughing. "AHAHA! Paper or plastic?!" She turned to Homura. "She asked me for paper or plastic!"

"Your talents of observation continue to surprise me," Homura answered, not amused.

A vein throbbed on Kyouko's forehead even as she kept smiling cheerily. "That's right, keep talking. I'll get over you faster," she grumbled through clenched teeth. At least the manager looked satisfied and let Kyouko clock out of her station at that point. The redhead then readily escorted the two other girls out of the store. And by escort, I mean she ran ahead of them and got the hell out of her workplace.

Sayaka and Homura shared a look on behalf of Kyouko's manners. "Go ahead and take her home. I still got a bit of shopping to do," said Sayaka. Homura nodded, walking after the redhead. She didn't walk long before she heard Sayaka's singing voice behind her. "She was walking her home~, holding her hand~" Homura could almost hear the cheeky grin Sayaka was displaying and felt so irritated it took a year off her life.

She met up with an impatient Kyouko outside the store and informed her of Sayaka's continued shopping adventures. "Hopefully she checks out the frozen food aisle. Twenty cents for a hot pocket is a steal any day of the week," Kyouko said quite seriously. When met with Homura's telling silence Kyouko realized it was time to quit her job. She didn't let Homura in on this little revelation.

From there it was only a short walk back to Homura's apartment. It was spent quietly for the most part, Kyouko content with never going back to that horrid place again, Homura stuck with that "walking her home" song in her head. Damn that Sayaka.

When they arrived the fridge was immediately invaded by greedy hands. "So, what was this favor you wanted to ask of me?" Kyouko went straight to the point and straight to the milk carton. She pulled the front open and put the carton to her lips, managing to score a few gulps before Homura snatched the carton from her hand and placed it back in the fridge.

"My favor, Kyou," Homura placed her darkened Soul Gem on the table, "has to do with you helping me with this." Kyouko stared at the gem with a neutral expression.

"You better not be asking me to equalize that."

"No," Homura picked her Soul Gem back up and returned it to ring form. "I wouldn't ask you to do that. What I'm asking is for you to take care of this apartment while I'm away."

Kyouko waved a hand at Homura to cut her off. "Whoa whoa, hold up. What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to be leaving the city for a little while," Homura explained calmly. "The reality of the situation is that we're starved for Grief Seeds, and I intend to go on a mission to hunt."

Kyouko seemed surprisingly baffled. "You do realize what the hell you're saying, right?"

"I do." Homura was willing to leave Mitakihara in search of Grief Seeds. Willing to leave Madoka, most notably.

Kyouko stared at Homura in disbelief. "…A year ago you wouldn't even consider it."

"A lot of things change in a year." A year ago, Homura would have never considered leaving Madoka without her protection. But maybe now, it was what she needed the most for herself.

Kyouko stayed silent for a moment, regarding Homura as if measuring whether the other girl was actually serious. Eventually, a grin slowly formed on her lips. "If you're going on a trip, then I'm coming with you."

Homura had suspected Kyouko would say that. "Why?"

Kyouko stepped closer to Homura, eyes bright with underlying excitement. "I've been out of this city before. I know all the good Witch territories, and I'll be able to tell you where there are aggressive Magical Girls. And hell, going on a hunting trip for Grief Seeds with you sounds like it might be pretty fun."

Homura considered the suggestion while looking into Kyouko's eyes. "It's not a trip to have fun. If I go, I'll be bringing back enough seeds for everyone to get along for a while longer."

"You're saying that as if you haven't been bored out of your mind this whole time." At Homura's confirming silence, Kyouko's grin turned mischievous. "We can also slap some other Magical Girls around for fun while we're out. C'mon, it'll be a blast!" Kyouko insisted, closing the distance between them one more step.

Kyouko was able to draw an amused smile from Homura. "You're terrible."

"So are you. That's why we get along."

Homura had the urge to roll her eyes, but did not disagree with that point. That's what she liked about Kyouko; they both knew each other at their worst. When it came down to it, neither of them were exactly splendid people. But they understood that about each other and threw up no pretenses. The people they loved brought the best from them, the people they loved being Madoka and Sayaka. For them, they would do anything. But with each other, they could be as bad as they wanted to be and not get judged for it.

"Do what you want."

Kyouko grinned widely at Homura's yield, looking like she was a second away from hugging her. "You only say that when you know you can't stop me."

'Like I would stop you.' Truthfully, Homura was relieved beyond reason that Kyouko would be accompanying her on this excursion. "We'll leave in the morning. The sooner the better."

"Good, I don't have much to pack. We should probably let the others know. Let me call Sayaka though. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to know we'll be gone for a little while."

Homura pulled out her cell phone at the suggestion. "Maybe the Incubators will show up while we're away."

"What're they gonna do? Observe us curiously to death?" Kyouko said sarcastically as she leaned against a nearby wall. "You're too uptight about it."

Madoka's number was at the top of Homura's call list. "Caution is never too much to ask for."

"Yeah, yeah. Just call Madoka and Mami already."

Homura inwardly cringed. It wasn't like she didn't want to talk to Madoka, quite the opposite. She just wasn't fond of the idea that Mami would now be able to listen in on their every conversation since she now shared Madoka's body. She will never get used to that idea. Ever. After a moment's hesitation, Homura sucked up her discomfort and pressed dial. The phone rang for a while. Right when Homura felt she would just leave the pair a message, the phone was answered and Madoka's sweet voice filled the line.

"Hello?" Homura almost forgot why she had hesitated when she heard Madoka's voice.

"Madoka, it's me. I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"Oh, hello Homura! It feels like we haven't talked in ages! Mami says hi." Madoka's voice sounded happy, if a little worn out.

"It's been a while. Tell Mami… Well, hello, Mami," Homura said awkwardly, daring a smirking Kyouko to say something from her place on the wall. She was never very good at conversing over phones, let alone with the girl she loved who had another person inside her. It just wasn't territory anyone could get used to. Homura cleared her throat.

"The reason I'm calling is to let you know that I've decided that we all need spare Grief Seeds for us to get by. So Kyouko and I will be out of town for a while to do just that." Homura explained briefly. There was a pause on the other end of the line as Madoka processed the sudden information.

"So you and Kyouko are going on a road trip?"

"It's not a trip, it's a mission," Homura found herself explaining once again, albeit with much more patience with Madoka.

"A mission… to have fun?" Kyouko snorted in amusement, and Homura turned her back to her.

"It's good to hear you in high spirits, Madoka." Homura sounded genuinely happy for her. Kyouko rolled her eyes in annoyance. If it was her, Homura would just scold or ignore her, but if it was Madoka, then she's in "high spirits." Kyouko pouted at Homura's back.

"Well, I keep learning new benefits from having Mami stay in me." Madoka reported happily.

"Oh really? Such as?" Homura asked politely.

"My homework is now infinitely easier to do." Homura smiled despite herself. Only someone like Madoka could make it sound like having Mami stuck in her body was a good thing. "How long will you and Kyouko be gone?"

"No more than a couple of weeks."

"I see. I hope you two have plenty of fun and don't worry too much about us. Mitakihara will still be standing when you come back."

"I have no doubt it will. I know I'll be leaving this city in capable hands."

"See? Then, have a nice trip, Homura."

"It's not a trip, it's- well, alright." Homura gave in with a sigh. Too much fun on this mission was exactly what she was afraid of, though. The raven-haired girl briefly considered saying that she'll miss Madoka.

"I'll miss you, Homura!" Madoka beat her to the punch.

"I… I'll mi-"

"Mami will miss you too. And we'll miss Kyouko as well!" Funny, after all this time, this never got any easier to deal with.

"I'll let Kyouko know. We'll be leaving in the morning."

"Can I see you off?"

"I appreciate the thought, but you should focus on your school work."

"And what about your own school work, Homura?"

"I'm ahead, I can afford a couple of weeks off. You on the other hand could use all the help Mami can provide you." A small silly smile spread across the stern girl's lips as she poked a little fun at her crush. Maybe it did get a little easier over time…

Just then Kyouko rammed her shoulder into Homura's back in annoyance. "How long are you going to talk?"

Homura really, really wanted to kill Kyouko at that moment. "Madoka, this is goodbye. I think I've found my first kill."

"This trip isn't going to last very long, is it?" Madoka pointed out to herself, or perhaps to Mami. Homura hung up before she could find out.

"I would ask what your problem is, but I already know you lack manners and any ethics entirely." Homura chucked the device at Kyouko's head.

"Shut up," Kyouko grumbled as she snatched the device from the air before it hit her head and quickly dialed Sayaka's number. After a few rather annoying rings and the click of someone answering, Kyouko wasted no time.

"Yo, Sayaka, Homura and I are going on a trip!"

"It's not a trip, how many times must I repeat myself?" Homura sighed before sitting down heavily in the one couch the main room had. Today hasn't exactly been going in her favor.

"… Kyouko?" Sayaka answered after several seconds pause. "Huh?"

"Listen the first time I tell you something. Homura and I are going on a trip starting tomorrow, to get your useless behinds some Grief Seeds. You following?"

"… Wait, you and Homura are leaving town together? Why? What?"

"I know you're not quick on the uptake, but damn, try to keep up here." Homura's lips quirked up in amusement as she listened to their conversation. "In other words, you and Hitomi are going have to take care of this city for a couple of weeks while Homura and I are away. Think you can handle that?"

"What are we, chopped liver?" Kyouko could almost hear the grin in Sayaka's words.

"So that you understand. Any questions?"

"Yeah. You and Homura? On a trip out of town? Alone, together?" Sayaka inquired. Kyouko raised her brow at the tone of voice her pupil was using.

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing. Just making a simple observation." was Sayaka's mock-innocent answer.

"Whatever," Kyouko dismissed whatever Sayaka was trying to imply. "Anyway, we'll be gone for a while. A couple of weeks or something. Won't be the first time I left town, so don't miss me too much, okay?"

"Just make sure you get your butt back here." said Sayaka, making Kyouko soften slightly.

"Maybe I'll return faster if I had some motivation…" Kyouko trailed off suggestively. When she waited for Sayaka's predictable response, all she heard was the click of being hung up on. "That went well."

Homura caught the phone that was tossed at her head. "Sayaka seems to have some strange… ideas about the two of us." Kyouko grinned in response to her words.

"What kind of ideas?" she asked, sitting down right next to Homura and giving her a wide-eyed questioning look. Homura raised a brow at Kyouko's closeness and sarcastic look. "Anything kinky?" Kyouko brought her face closer to Homura, but the other girl didn't move an inch.

"I doubt she has the mental capacity for anything kinky, so no." Homura answered straight away. Kyouko pulled her head back and laughed.

"You have a point there, Hom!" Homura used her finger to push the redhead away from her.

"That being said, I'd appreciate if you discouraged any crazy ideas about us." Kyouko sprawled out on the couch she also used as a bed.

"Why? It's not like we've never thought about it ourselves." Kyouko was referring to the time she brought up the possibility that the two of them should settle for each other if things didn't work out with their respective love interests. It had been a good laugh, and something to consider for the both of them.

"When I finally succumb to insanity, I shall consider it," Homura played along sarcastically. She made a mental note to herself to get more furniture for this room, since they could only share one couch. Their apartment was rather barren at the moment since they haven't gotten around to renovations yet.

Kyouko stared at the spot on the wall where the TV would be, if Homura ever gave in to her demands of having a TV. Her eyes went back to Homura, who was doing something on her phone. "What are you doing?"

"I've got some preparations to take care of." Homura was scrolling through something or another.

Kyouko figured that by preparations, she meant things like planning and booking their entire route or something stupid like that. "You do that. I'm quitting my job, by the way."

"I'm just surprised you lasted as long as you did." Homura raised a brow when Kyouko rested her feet in her lap.

The redhead shrugged. "I had a discount."

Homura pushed Kyouko's feet off of her. "Since when do you care about discounts?"

"That's what I realized. Hence the quitting."

"As long as you pay some bills, I don't really care how you get the money." Homura started typing away at her phone.

"Pay your own damn bills." Kyouko curled up, the bottoms of her feet warm against Homura's thigh. "Do you mind doing this on your own bed?"

"I get a better signal from this spot." she replied. Kyouko rolled over on the already cramped couch, grumbling and pushing her feet into Homura's lap again. Annoyed, but not pushing the feet away a second time, Homura made their preparations. "Don't you have anything better to do than lazing around?"

"I'm comfortable." The redhead answered in a lazy voice. Homura sighed and continued doing her research, feeling aware of Kyouko's bare and rough feet.

Kyouko shut her eyes, an excited grin on her face. A trip with Homura was sure to be amusing in its own right. "Hey, Hom. Is there anything else you want to do while we're out?"

Homura thumbed through pages of tourist attractions in nearby cities. "Not succumb to insanity."

.-.-.-.

The next morning the duo packed and left without a hitch, even if Homura had to drag a still-sleepy Kyouko all the way to their destination. They were now at a train station, waiting for the next train to take them to their first hunting ground. Kyouko was sitting on top of a duffel bag while Homura had her pack slung over her shoulder. Kyouko watched Homura from the corner of her eye while the black haired girl looked around the slightly crowded platform. It was so obvious who she was looking for, it hurt Kyouko to watch.

"You told her not to come, so why are you even looking?" the redhead said out loud, referring to Madoka. Homura pointedly ignored Kyouko, though she stopped turning her head to search through the faces. Kyouko had a point, she herself told Madoka to not bother seeing them off. But she still wanted to see the pinkette's face before she left. Leaving the city with Madoka in it was making an ache form in her chest. It was an ache she was choosing to ignore.

When their train pulled up, Kyouko was the first to board and claim a spot by hurling her duffel bag into the nearest window seat. Homura hung back on the platform, perhaps half-hoping Madoka would show up at the last moment. "Hom! You coming or not?" Kyouko motioned for her roommate to get on. The other girl was merely staring at her though, in a way that was somehow sad. Her feet felt like lead when she finally stepped onto the train. And when they departed, it felt like she left a part of herself back in Mitakihara City. But she left knowing that she had made the choice to leave, and that the part of herself she left behind was a dead weight. This trip with Kyouko- it was the right choice to make.

Probably.

"I left my heart in San Francisco~" Kyouko sang under her breath. Homura turned her head slowly to the girl she was sitting next to.

"What is wrong with you people?" Homura asked irritably, remembering Sayaka's cheeky singing and Kyouko's smirk now.

"I just wanted to set the mood!" Kyouko said in mock defense. "Besides, it's not like I don't know how you feel," she went on, a bit more serious now. "I feel like every time I turn around, Hitomi's gonna make a move on Sayaka behind my back."

"I wouldn't worry. Sayaka neither belongs to you nor leans that way."

Kyouko sulked in her seat. "You don't have to remind me."

"It could've been worse. Your rival could've been sealed into the same mind and body as the person you love."

"Point taken." Kyouko relented, leaning back in her seat and staring out the window. Their conversations always seemed to take the same depressing turn. "This vacation will do us some good. We need a break from all that drama we put ourselves through. I think we deserve to forget about our significant others for a week or two."

Homura rested her head against the seat, feeling tired. "Easier said than done."

"I know. But we can pretend. For a while, anyway." Their hands bumped against each other on the same arm rest. It took a second longer than necessary for them to pull away.

The ride was about a couple of hours, but they managed to reach their destination without Kyouko going crazy from being cramped in that space next to someone as entertaining as Homura. Homura herself had no trouble sitting in silence the entire ride. The destination they arrived at was a couple of cities away from Mitakihara, close enough to go back quickly if need arose, but far enough away that any new enemies wouldn't be able to track them home so easily. They would try their hands at hunting Witches here.

Kyouko was quick to suggest the "perfect hotel" when they arrived. "I know a guy who can get us in free," she explained to a skeptical Homura… and technically, she wasn't lying. When they entered the lobby of the hotel Kyouko had suggested, the guy at the receptionist desk paled and attempted to sneak away in the most obvious way possible. Kyouko blocked off his escape and whispered what Homura guessed were various promises of unpleasant things. The man was quick to gesture to the nearest bellhop to escort them to a room.

"See? Piece of cake." Kyouko said as she followed the bellhop to their room.

"Convenient." Homura agreed.

.-.-.

"- And make sure to remind him that I have his momma on speed dial, and don't even bother the cops with this unless he wants a repeat of the last incident!" Kyouko was telling the bellhop in a loud voice while Homura set her bags down in the room and looked around.

"A-anything else?" the flustered man asked. Kyouko thought about it. "Bring us a couple of those turkey club sandwiches with the stuff on it. You know the one." She then pushed the poor guy out the door and shut it. "Pretty sweet digs, right Hom?"

Homura claimed her bed by placing her traveling bag on it. Kyouko claimed her bed by flopping down and leaving the impression of her face on the pillow. "Not going to ask how I got to stay at this hotel?" She sounded almost disappointed. "It's actually a pretty funny story."

"I'm not interested in your little adventures. As long as it works out in our favor." Homura looked out the window, mentally checking the time. "Be ready to leave in the next ten minutes. I want to get hunting as soon possible." Homura knew she had to establish her authority over this hunting tri- ... mission. This hunting mission- or Kyouko would do whatever she wanted.

Kyouko was kicking her shoes off instead. "What about lunch?"

"What about lunch?"

"We got those sandwiches coming up." Kyouko pointed out. "And I'm hungry. We should eat before we head out."

It was a reasonable enough suggestion, so Homura relented. "Fine. Sandwiches, then hunting."

"What if I want to take a bath?" Kyouko asked. Homura sighed in annoyance.

"Couldn't you have done that before we left?"

"I wanted to steal some little hotel shampoo bottles."

If Homura wasn't more familiar with Kyouko, she might have facepalmed. "We don't have the time to mess around, Kyouko. We're on a mission. The lives of the others depend on us."

There was a knock on the door just then, which Kyouko sprung up to answer. "Room service is here!" Homura's talk was effectively ignored in the face of sandwiches. Kyouko grabbed her share and threw herself face-first into her bed again. "I've almost forgotten what a bed feels like!"

Homura shook her head and grabbed her own sandwich. "Just don't get too comfortable."

"I got it, Hom. No smiling, no laughing, no fun." Kyouko ate her sandwich in a few big bites. "So what's the plan?" She picked the crumbs off her clothes and ate those as well.

"We'll split up and search the city," Homura said, removing the crust from her bread. She tossed them to Kyouko. "Straightforward. We're just scoping out today. We'll meet back here at sundown."

"What about dinner?" Kyouko gobbled up the bread crusts handed to her.

Homura sighed and relented, deciding this was one battle already lost. "Fine. We'll meet back here before dinner."

Kyouko grinned at the thought of having food delivered to her. It had been one of her favorite things about staying at hotels. She was kind of excited about sharing this part of herself with someone for once. She had always traveled alone and vastly preferred it that way, but Homura was different. Too bad the dark haired Magical Girl was too wound up to enjoy herself.

"I'll be going ahead." Homura wrapped up the remainder of her sandwich for later and got to her feet, confirming Kyouko's thoughts. "I'll take the east, you take the west."

Kyouko brushed her lap off, raising a brow at her friend. "You're eager. Feeling dirty?"

"With you around? All the time." Homura brushed her hair aside as she made her way to the door.

"Be careful out there. I don't have to tell you how territorial Magical Girls tend to be." Kyouko called out before the other girl touched the door knob.

"Then don't tell me."

The redhead shrugged. "Just call me if you need backup. I saw the state your Soul Gem was in, remember? You're walking a line right now."

Homura turned the doorknob and walked out of the room as she said the words "Duly noted."

.-.-.-.

Homura staggered once she was certain her last opponent hit the ground with a bloody wet sound. She caught her breath as she eyed the bodies of two scattered Magical Girls laying a few feet away from her in various states of unconscious defeat. Homura was the last one standing. They had been fighting for the rights to the only Witch to appear that day. After several hours of scoping out the city, Homura confirmed a nagging feeling in her gut. The city was completely dry of magic. According to Kyouko, this city had once been a buffet of Grief Seeds, but that was certainly not the case now. As soon as a Witch appeared Homura had rushed to the scene, along with these two other Magical Girls. The two hadn't been working together or teamed up to take down Homura; it was an every-Magical Girl-for-herself fight.

The dark haired girl looked around her, noticing that the Witch they had been fighting for was nowhere to be sensed. She felt the fleeing presence of a third Magical Girl and realized someone else had sneaked in and claimed the Grief Seed while she had been occupied with these two. Her heart dropped in her chest and she felt an immense rush of anger towards herself. This wasn't like her. She wasn't focusing enough today. It was probably the corruption in her Soul Gem that was making her act rashly.

Annoyed, Homura sat down and watched the two other bodies. One of them was bound to go Witch after the beating Homura dished out. It was times like these Homura wished she still had her time-stop abilities. Not that she didn't still kick ass without it.

"Jesus. Didn't I tell you to call me if you needed help?" Kyouko dropped down on the scene, red-tipped spear grasped in her hand.

"Everything is under control." Homura informed, wiping away a trickle of blood from her forehead. It had been a lucky shot.

"Then call me for the party, not the hangover." Kyouko toed one of the unconscious Magical Girls. "Whatever happened to just scoping out today?"

"This is me scoping." Homura was an expert at shaking off the look of fatigue. "Any Grief Seed?"

Kyouko shook her head no. "Nothing. City is completely dried out! Only magic I felt at all today was your 'scoping.'" Kyouko eyed Homura, who held her Soul Gem out of sight. "Speaking of, you sure spent a lot of magic without getting the Seed in the end."

Homura gestured to the two beaten Magical Girls. "One of them is bound to turn sooner or later."

"Oh, my bad," Kyouko said sarcastically. "Because picking them fresh is always a good idea."

"We'll be fine between the two of us," Homura said, glaring at the ground in front of her.

"Not that I don't appreciate the vote of confidence," Kyouko gave her spear an annoyed twirl between her fingers. "But it's past dinner. Let's turn in and try again tomorrow."

"There may not be anything here tomorrow," Homura responded in a frustrated tone, annoyed that Kyouko would let this chance slip. A surprised yelp then escaped her lips when Kyouko whopped the flat side of her spear against Homura's ass.

"Ha! Just as I thought!" Kyouko crowed triumphantly. Homura was giving her a murderous glare.

"...You had the thought that you wanted to die today?" She felt the back of her skirt with her hand in case Kyouko sliced the fabric open.

"If you were in decent condition, you would've avoided that," Kyouko said smugly, rather proud of her observation.

Homura just stared, not convinced on sparing Kyouko her life. The redhead picked up on the look real quick and tried to explain herself further.

"My point is, you should relax and eat something before your Soul Gem explodes." A loud groan followed up Kyouko's statement from one of the fallen Magical Girls. The other girl was stirring and attempting to sit up. Kyouko pointed at them, emphasizing her point. "And it looks like these two chicks will live to annoy another day!"

Homura closed her eyes and sighed, the sight of the two girls showing signs of pulling through tiring her. "Let's just get out of here." Her shield made clicking sounds as if disarming itself. Kyouko breathed a sigh of relief as the shield wielder started walking away, covering up her slight limp.

When they got back to the hotel, Kyouko wasted no time making her way to the phone and calling up room service for dinner. Homura sank onto her bed tiredly, taking her ring off and letting it grow into its default form. The Soul Gem in her palm was murkier than ever. Homura was actually starting to worry. If she didn't get this cleaned soon it would present a serious problem. Kyouko was ending her phone conversation that consisted of demanding a six-course meal when Homura finally decided to ask.

"Kyouko... would you Equalize my Gem?"

"No way in hell."

Homura expected that response, but she always had hidden arsenal. "… Please?"

As expected, the word blind-sided the redhead and was extremely effective. "Damn it all to hell."

.-.-.-.

"I hate this," Kyouko made known for the hundredth time in the last few minutes.

"You know I'm reluctant to do this as well," Homura said after mentally counting to ten.

They sat cross-legged on the floor facing each other, their Soul Gems sitting in front of them. It was apparent that a cleansing was well overdue for Homura, whose Soul Gem was especially muddled. What came as a surprise though was the steady clear state of Kyouko's red gem. Apparently, she'd barely used any magic at all in the past couple of weeks. It annoyed Homura to think she was internally dirtier than the redhead across from her - that was really saying something. But she had put this off for as long as possible, so performing Soul Gem Equalization had become inevitable.

Kyouko didn't exactly have fond memories of this process. She had only done it twice before, but both times were enough to convince her that everyone was nucking futs on the inside. While Mami had assured her it could be a pleasant experience under the right conditions, Kyouko was certain the blonde was full of shit. Nothing good could possibly come from taking a stroll through another person's soul.

And yet, here she was again. There was something to be said about Homura asking her to do this; the long-haired girl probably wouldn't entrust anyone else with this task. Kyouko felt the same way, and thereby had reluctantly agreed to Homura's request. She knew Homura wouldn't mess with her head like Hitomi had. And while Kyouko loved Sayaka, she wasn't exactly eager to bite that particular bullet twice. Whatever was about to happen in Homura's soul would likely stay between them. This was a silent, mutual understanding.

"If you're not going to do it, I'll do it." Homura said with finality, bringing her Soul Gem to Kyouko's, but the redhead swatted her hand away.

"No way, not gonna happen."

"Then stop your complaining."

"Fine," Kyouko said through clenched teeth. "So… you ready?" Kyouko asked, rolling her shoulders like this would be a physical exercise. "Let's try to finish this before room service gets here with my dinner."

"Just get this over with," Homura answered noncommittally.

"Have I mentioned I hate this?" Kyouko asked with a jackass grin just to put this off a moment longer. At Homura's "I'm going to hit you" glare, Kyouko sighed and placed her red Soul Gem against Homura's. There was a nauseating pulling sensation in her chest, which meant it was working. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she was in a different place entirely. Namely, inside Homura's soul.

Kyouko suddenly found herself drenched from an impressive downpour. She cursed under breath. Of course it would be raining inside Homura's soul. Why did she expect anything else?

Kyouko pulled her hood over her head, though it didn't exactly help much against the colorless blobs of water. If she remembered correctly, the trick to this gig was to search for a way to drain the built-up grief from Homura's soul. It was different for everybody, depending on their soul. The sign that she had succeeded was a white colored vapor-like stuff that meant the corruption was equalizing.

There presented an immediate problem. The rain was so thick Kyouko could barely see two feet in front of her and the noise alone was deafening. Figuring out the source of corruption was going to be a pain in her ass unless some useful clue suddenly fell into her lap.

Even with annoying drops splashing her from all sides, it was easy to feel the sudden warmth of a hand grabbing her own. Kyouko was so startled she gave a shout and tried to yank her hand away, but the other person kept their grip and actually managed to pull Kyouko along in some random direction.

Kyouko naturally resisted against the force, only seeing the dark outline of the person pulling her by the arm, someone around her height. Kyouko stopped struggling after a moment, halfheartedly realizing that she really had no choice but to go with the flow in this situation. It was either stick around in this weather or follow this clue. The aforementioned "clue" was walking pretty quickly though the rains, tripping over their own feet every once in a while and not looking like the most reliable guide. But at least they moved like they knew where they were going.

"Hey, where are you taking me?" Kyouko finally asked in a voice barely restrained with irritation. She had to raise her voice just so she could hear herself over the downpour. The figure holding her hand either didn't hear her or didn't answer. It annoyed her to no end. It was like dealing with Homura, except it was Homura she was dealing with, except on an entirely different level!

It was difficult to tell if a minute or an hour went by, but they eventually reached a space where the rain didn't reach. It took a minute to realize that fact since Kyouko was soaked through her clothes anyway and the constant patter of the rain against her skin had her feeling slightly numb. She removed her hood from her head, shaking out her hair to get the droplets out like an unruly animal.

"Geez, it's not like I hate the rain myself, but that's just a bit… much…" The redhead trailed off when she finally got a good look at the person who dragged her to this place, the place being a small and dark cave with a small fire going in the center. Otherwise, there was nothing particularly noteworthy. Kyouko's attention was suddenly snapped up by the girl in front of her wearing two braids and glasses.

"Jesus, is that you, Homura?" Kyouko almost hadn't recognized her and she was impressively startled by her appearance. The aforementioned Homura Akemi squirmed where she stood; wringing her hands in nervousness as Kyouko openly stared at her.

"Yes, it's me. I, um," Homura tucked some hair behind her ear. Surprisingly, she didn't appear wet at all from the rain. "I'm just finally glad I got to meet you…"

"Meet me? Right, sure…" Kyouko was wringing out her ponytail, still weirded out by the whole situation. She never expected to ever see Homura looking so, so… Kyouko couldn't think of the right word. "Listen, if you could tell me the quickest way to drain the grief from your soul, I can get the hell out of here faster." Kyouko's hands were suddenly grasped against her will again by this odd version of Homura. The braided-haired girl was looking at Kyouko with pleading violet eyes.

"I-It's been so long since I've had a real friend!" Homura said in an urgent but hushed voice. Her face was real close to Kyouko's and the redhead leaned back away from the other girl.

"No kidding, you're not exactly the most sociable person on the planet…" Kyouko muttered, even if this version of Homura was screwing with the perception of the Homura she knew. This Homura shook her head.

"I wasn't always like this…" She took one of Kyouko's hands and placed it on her chest. "I used to be just shy. Well, I suppose I still am shy, just in a… colder way." Homura mused while Kyouko stared at her hand on Homura's chest, unable to comprehend what the heck this girl was talking about. She wasn't used to a touchy-feely Homura.

"Uh, that's great and all," Kyouko quickly snatched her hand away, a hint of red on her cheeks. "So how do I drain away your corruption?" She really just wanted to get this over with. Homura looked saddened by Kyouko's hurrying.

"I…" Small pinpricks of tears gathered behind those thick glasses. "I'm just so alone…" she started quietly sniffling. Kyouko was dumbfounded. Seeing Homura cry so meekly was just one too many items on her "thing's I would never see Homura do" list. She sighed, slightly annoyed she wasn't getting any straight answers off this chick.

"Are you saying that I just gotta not let you be alone to help you, or something?" Homura nodded quickly, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "And how the hell do I do that? I'm certainly not gonna stick around, if that's what you want," Kyouko said, deciding to be short with the girl. Homura looked even more saddened by her words.

"Th-then…" Homura said quietly to herself, a fierce blush coloring her cheeks as she shyly came closer to Kyouko. The redhead, suddenly interested since it looked she'll finally get that answer, leaned in her ear to better hear the quiet girl. Homura paused, seemingly internally squabbling, before she quickly leaned over and planted a kiss on Kyouko's cheek. After that was done, the shy girl retreated as quickly as she sprung the kiss, hugging her knees by the small fire kindling within the small cave.

Kyouko herself stood motionlessly, that act taking her completely off guard. "The hell was that, Homura?" she spluttered, raising her hand to her cheek and feeling the heat gathering there. And not just the heat of embarrassment either. Taking her hand away from her cheek, she saw a smoky white substance coming off her hand, a tell-tale sign of soul Equalization. Oh hell no…

It was only a tiny amount though. A kiss brought about this cleansing? Really? So what she had to do to cleanse Homura's soul was… Kyouko didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified. She had been prepared for anything, everything, except this. She looked over at the other girl in the cave in sudden consideration. Well, it wasn't like Homura was unattractive or anything…

"Eep!" Homura jumped when she felt a pair of lips press against the nape of her neck in between her two braids. Kyouko watched as white smoke rose from the area she kissed. She almost started laughing hysterically. She was going to be driven completely crazy if she kept walking through other people's souls. Well, she'll definitely be teasing Homura about this later, but for now business was at hand.

"H-Hey! Wait!" Homura stuttered as she turned around to face Kyouko only to be pushed down against the ground. Kyouko hovered over her, hands on either side of Homura's head as she boldly closed the distance between their faces.

"Don't worry, this is for your own good." Kyouko's smirk indicated she was enjoying this a little too much.

"Eh?!" Homura was blushing from her face down her neck and into her blouse, and Kyouko's eyes followed with interest.

'This is totally professional. A… purely professional soul Equalization.' Kyouko told herself as she brought her face closer to the familiar yet unfamiliar face of her friend. In the back of her mind she knew she had entertained the thought of doing this with Homura once or twice. She just never imagined she would be doing it with Homura's funny soul counterpart.

Homura's resistance was practically nonexistent, her protests no more than mere whispers. "Wait…"

"No." Kyouko whispered back before she placed her lips upon Homura's. The rain fell silent.

Then a thunder clap that could shatter frail bones startled the two apart. Someone was standing over them. A rather angry looking Homura.

"I knew you were the one behind this," this new version of Homura practically growled down at them. Kyouko stared up at her with a "the fuck is this now" expression. The braided Homura under her trembled with fear. The angry version appeared to be a version Kyouko was more familiar with, no glasses and long hair hanging down her back unrestrained.

The new arrival was quick to pull Kyouko off of her other self before proceeding to talk down to... well, herself. The second Homura all but snarled down at her braided counterpart, "It's always you. Why don't you just die already?"

The glasses-bearing girl trembled before her, close to tears. "She's my friend too…" she protested weakly.

"Shut up." The other version said in a cold voice. "I could never get rid of you completely, but I'll be damned if I saw you again one more time, you weakling." She rather gave the impression of a wounded animal, defensive and lashing out.

There was another clap of thunder outside and Kyouko was tempted to just escape. But she knew she couldn't do that without making sure Homura's soul was cleansed yet. "Hey, Homura," Two pairs of violet eyes turned to her. Kyouko found the sight disconcerting. "Look, if I don't hurry, the real you is going to be in trouble. Understand?" She gestured impatiently at the other two. "So let me do my damn job and figure out the quickest way to help you out. And also, I want to get back before dinner gets there," she muttered that last sentence under her breath.

The other two Homuras in the cave glanced at each other. The standing, angry Homu regarded Kyouko with scorn. "We neither need nor want your help. I don't rely on anyone."

The sitting Homura raised a shy hand. "I kind of want to help her…"

"And when has your opinion ever been helpful?" the other snapped.

After fumbling for a moment, the braided girl got to her feet, cheeks flushed. "Kyouko is our friend!"

"So?"

Kyouko watched in slight befuddlement as Homura literally stood up to herself.

"It used to mean everything in the world to us!" she declared in a firm voice. This seemed to bring pause to the other Homura, who narrowed her eyes as the words were said. A few moments of tense silence followed until the second Homura gave a short affirming nod to the braided girl, seemingly acknowledging what she had said.

"Fine. How do we help?" she said, turning to address Kyouko.

Kyouko seemed pleased that something seemed to be going her way for once in here. "So far it seems like the thing that works is signs of affection, or something along those lines," Kyouko relayed.

"Is that why I found the two of you kissing?" Homura said with a glare in the braided girl's direction, which made her shrink and blush. Apparently all the fight had left her after her last outburst in Kyouko's defense.

"Yeah," Kyouko couldn't help a modest blush at having been caught in such an act.

"Then what we should do is obvious." The two Homura's shared a look and nodded, as if they shared and agreed to a single thought. They walked up to Kyouko, who looked between them curiously.

The shy Homura got behind Kyouko. 'The fuck is this?' Kyouko thought incredulously when the previously very shy girl placed her hands over Kyouko's chest. Then the other Homura stepped in front of her, her hands coming up to slowly pull the zipper of her soaked jacket down and peeling it away to make room for her hand. Her hand felt hot as it snaked up under the redhead's black tank top and up her taut stomach. 'The fuck is that?' Kyouko continued thinking in disbelief, the thought of resisting never entering her mind. Not that many thoughts were occurring right about now. There was a certain purpose and deliberateness to their actions that made her heart pound away fast and loud in her ears.

The Homura behind her pulled the jacket off her arms and started kissing her way timidly across her shoulders, white vapors sizzling off Kyouko's skin in her wake. A gasp escaped Kyouko's lips, and when she exhaled, even more white smoke emerged. The one in front of her grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head forward, kissing her roughly, Kyouko's hands resting on her waist as if hanging onto her sanity as she was assaulted by two pairs of lips at once. Homura's hot tongue pushed its way into her mouth, muffling Kyouko's surprised moan. She could feel a pair of hands undoing the button of her shorts and fingers peeking under the waistband of her underwear, and a different pair of hands grazing her flank, and she didn't even know whose hands belonged to who anymore! Homura broke her aggressive kiss and lowered her head to occupy her mouth elsewhere on Kyouko's body. The redhead could only gaze in disbelief ahead of her as white vapor continued to pour out from everywhere.

Then there was an overwhelming, nauseating pull at her chest and suddenly she was blinking and coughing back in the real world, Homura sitting across from her.

The very real original version of Homura was staring at Kyouko, cheeks flushed as she held her Soul Gem as far away from Kyouko as possible. The redhead stared back at her, equal parts bewildered and struck dumb. The look they shared lasted several long seconds and translated into something along the lines of "What the hell just happened?"

"Hey…" Kyouko spoke up, realizing what Homura had done. "I wasn't done in there. Your Soul Gem is still dark!" Homura got to her feet and was leaving the room abruptly. "Is that even healthy?" Kyouko asked, referring to the act of unexpectedly severing their connection.

"I think that was quite enough for today, Kyouko," Homura responded with trembling bile in her voice.

"Oh come on, just a few more minutes." Kyouko couldn't hold back her grin. "It was just starting to get interesting." Homura pointedly ignored her. Kyouko got to her feet and walked after her friend. "Seriously though, I only purified you a little bit. Let me back in and I'll make it a quickie!"

"I'd rather not be purified if it entails you de-purifying me."

"I take offense to that! I was the one who was about to be de-purified!"

Homura felt a headache coming on. 'I'm going to blame Sayaka for this.' "I'm not having a threesome with you in my head and that's final!"

"Fine! Keep the telephone pole up your ass for all I care!"

"I will!"

This was officially the strangest fight they've ever had. Luckily there was a knock at the door, severing their intense glaring contest. Kyouko muttered something about room service and stepped past Homura to answer the door. Honestly, Homura had never been so embarrassed in her entire life. She could only hope her anger flushed her cheeks more than what she had been unconsciously about to do to Kyouko in her treacherous head. Kyouko rolled their dinner pointedly past Homura and straight to her bed.

Getting a good look at the other girl, Homura was a little relieved to see the redhead was equally flustered, rubbing at her red face in frustration as she sat on her bed. "So what now?" she asked, gesturing angrily at Homura.

The dark haired girl remained on her feet even if she felt more exhausted than ever. "I'll just deal with this the old fashioned way." she said, relieved to be talking strategy again. Strategy was much easier to deal with. "We'll hunt again tomorrow, but this time together as a team. We'll move on from this city tomorrow night, regardless of outcome. We have to keep moving, especially if other cities are as dry as this one."

"You think this place got the Kyubey treatment?" Kyouko said while her finger made a slitting motion across her throat. "If Rin came through this city their Incubator must be gone, just like ours. If we want to hunt Grief Seeds we should keep out of her path of destruction as much as we can." Kyouko was referring to the Magical Girl with the ability to corrupt Incubators, and who had aided Kyouko and Homura in killing Kyubey back in their previous adventure.

"You're right," Homura nodded, starting to pace. "We should figure out what direction she's traveling and move in the opposite direction. It's an inconvenience to us to corrupt the Incubators, but we can't blame her."

"We would've done the same." Kyouko said in agreement, finally reaching for the food cart and drawing out a plate that marked the first course.

"Exactly." Homura stopped pacing at the sight of food, feeling a pang of hunger. She sat down on her bed opposite Kyouko, the food tray sitting between them like a makeshift dinner table. "I just don't envy her the clean-up."

Kyouko groaned mid-chew. "Did you have to remind me while I was eating?" She grimaced at the memory of cleaning up Kyubey's blood and guts off of their apartment walls.

"I just assumed you had a stronger stomach." Homura claimed her own plate and utensil, her brow furrowing when she finally noticed a peculiar detail about their dining cart. "Why are there candles?" she asked Kyouko, who was now illuminated in the soft candle mood-lighting across from her.

"I ordered the special for two." Kyouko explained with a shrug. "Comes with candles, apparently."

"Huh." Homura shook off the odd feeling of intimacy that apparently came with candles. Kyouko suddenly grinned at her.

"You know, dinner usually comes before the threesome, not after."

Homura snuffed out the candles immediately. She just wanted to forget that anything sexual had transpired between her and Kyouko.

.-.-.-.

The next morning they set off to hunt together. It took a few hours, but they finally sensed a Witch and tracked it down as fast as possible. What they found was incredibly… sexual.

"Does that Witch look like what I think it looks like?" Kyouko asked aloud, pointing to the huge pair of legs floating over their heads.

"Don't say it." Homura ordered, gritting her teeth.

"I can see up her-"

"I told you not to say it." Homura was having a hard time not fixating her eyes between those huge legs that happened to be displaying everything. It reminded her of the first Witch she had ever defeated. Except without the skirt.

"What was the deal with this chick anyway? Did she turn in the middle of a sex shop or something?" Kyouko kept talking, pointing out various vibrating Familiars that were suspiciously phallic-shaped. Homura quickly shot them until they dissolved.

Homura tried to get it together and get them in fighting form. "I'll distract it while you take it from behind," she ordered.

"Why do I have to be the one to take it from behind?!" Kyouko asked incredulously.

"You prefer that position, don't you?" Homura was referring to battle strategies.

The other girl had other things on her mind. "How would you know that?!" Kyouko seemed like she was torn between laughing really hard and being extremely embarrassed.

"Let's just do it already!" Homura said, extremely frustrated.

"Okay!" Kyouko cut a Familiar in half with a disgusted look on her face. "We'll come together at both angles!"

It took quite a while to defeat that particular Witch. In the end Kyouko picked up the Grief Seed from the ground and held it out to Homura, who looked at the black object wearily.

"I almost refuse to use that thing now," Homura groused.

"Not after all that crap we just saw to get it!" Kyouko protested, handing the seed to Homura. The shield wielder hesitated before taking it, placing it against her gem. The touch of a Grief Seed making contact with a Soul Gem felt like placing a cool cloth on a scalding burn wound. It actually stung her for a second before she relaxed against the accumulated corruption being absorbed from her.

"Feeling better?" Kyouko asked, watching Homura with a curious eye.

"Much." Homura took a deep breath and pocketed the Seed for another use. "If I knew I would get my Soul violated by either you or this Witch, I would've just gone with you."

"A little late for that." Kyouko smirked at her. "Now that you got your protein shake, let's get out of this town already."