She blinks slowly, slightly confused as her vision gains focus. She blinks again, suddenly conscious of the puffiness of her eyes, of the tautness on her cheeks. After another moment, she sluggishly brings her arm up, and uses her jacket sleeve to wipe her face.

A deep inhale, before she turns, finally acknowledging the owner of the raspy, slow breath heard in her ear. She pushes off from the bed ever so slightly, enough for a glimpse of Homura's face: in the midst of sleep, but she looks neither relaxed, nor peaceful. Every so often, her black cat ears twitch, controlled by whatever she sees in her dreams.

Traces of tears remain on her face, and she reaches over to wipe them away. A twinkle of metal, and a shine of sliver around her wrist catches her eye.

Her hand stops.

It isn't long until she moves again, and carefully wipes the drying tears from Homura's cheeks. When Homura frowns, and tries to escape by turning her head into the blankets, Madoka cracks a smile.

She continues to watch Homura for a while longer. Her eyes flicker down, and she knows, somewhere hidden underneath those blankets, Homura wears her own identical bracelet.

She lifts her hand, and places it close to her heart. Even if Homura keeps pushing her away, there are things that shows it's the opposite of what she really wants.

With a sigh, Madoka carefully fits herself against Homura's side; her eyes are starting to feel heavy.

She closes her eyes.

Half asleep, and she's suddenly jolted awake. She reluctantly detaches herself from Homura, sitting up as she searches for whatever had woken her up. She sweeps her messy bangs to the side, head turning in confusion. A sharp beep to her right, and she realizes it was her phone.

"Nngh..."

Homura rolls over, bed lightly bouncing with her movement. Madoka turns to her, and there's a brief peek of lavender, before Homura shuts her eyes closed, and buries her face back into the blankets.

Another sharp beep, and Homura twitches in response.

Madoka gently pats Homura's shoulder, but just as Homura lifts her head, the silence breaks with a loud buzz against the wall. Madoka moves quickly to the source, crawling over the blankets to locate her phone.

When the buzzing continues, Homura echoes her discontent.

"Shhh," Madoka murmurs softly as she continues her search.

A few plushies are lifted, and after another moment, she finds her phone wedged in between the mattress and the wall.

She grabs it, and the buzz turns into a muted hum against her hand. Homura immediately quiets down, curling her body against the blankets in order to fall back asleep.

Madoka takes a deep breath, and then flips her phone over, screen up.

Mami's name blinks back.

Just as she's about to answer, the sound cuts off, and the screen shows the icon of a missed call.

The long stretch of silence is unexpected, and Homura slowly sits up. She finds Madoka staring hard at her phone. "...Madoka?"

She breathes out slowly, "...it's Mami-chan," she murmurs in response.

Now more awake, Homura hesitates on her next move. Unsure if Madoka is still mad, she tentatively moves closer.

Before she can voice her question, Madoka turns, and slips her arms around Homura's waist.

They lean against each other, sitting in silence as Madoka takes a moment to collect herself. Another deep breath, before she reluctantly pulls away.

Head bowed, Homura nervously fidgets with her hands. Sensing that she wants to ask something, Madoka patiently waits.

"Madoka...?"

"Yes, Homura-chan?"

Timidly, she raises her eyes. Her ears remain flat on her head, and Madoka resists the temptation to reach out to pet them.

"Are... you still mad?"

Madoka meets her gaze. "At?" She keeps her voice level.

Homura looks down again. "...Me?"

Madoka inhales deeply, before letting her breath billow out. She reaches for Homura's hands, grabbing them, and turning them over, palm facing up.

"Do you... even know why I was mad, Homura-chan?" She waits for Homura to look up again, and when she does, she catches her in her stare, refusing to let her look away.

"I—" Homura tries to remember their conversation. "...I'm—"

"An important person in my life," Madoka tells her softly.

Homura tries to pull her hands away, but Madoka refuses to let go.

"I—"

Homura flinches when the phone suddenly springs to life.

With a sigh, Madoka drops Homura's hands, instead reaching over to stroke her ears. She eyes her phone, counting the rings in her head.

"...I can answer," Homura offers after a moment.

Madoka pauses, but just as Homura is about to move, she reaches for it first. She swipes the screen, and then places the phone by her ear. "...Mami-chan?" She glances at Homura, vaguely noticing her now restless tail.

"Madoka-chan? How are you doing?"

"I'm—"

"We're—Kyouko—let me—Hey!"

Madoka pulls the phone away as loud rustling hits her eardrums. She can hear Kyouko's distinctive voice arguing with Mami's much more reserved one. After a loud bang that makes both girls jump, "we need to meet up," Kyouko demands suddenly. "Now."

Madoka glances around her room, stalling as she decides on her answer. Her gaze lands on her desk clock. It's still early—barely mid-afternoon; they had slept for less than two hours.

"...Okay."

"Y-Yeah?" Kyouko's anger deflates at the accepted request. She clears her throat, "okay, good."

"...I need to ask my mom first, but as soon as we can, we'll be over."

"Yup—yeah. Hurry up."

Madoka listens for a few more seconds, and she hears a heavy sigh, before there's a click, disconnecting their call. She slowly lowers the phone to her lap.

"We can rest longer, if you want..."

Madoka shakes her head. She sighs softly, "...I just have to convince Mama to let us visit Mami-chan."

Homura falls silent, ears flattening against her head.

Lost in her thoughts, Madoka absently plays with her phone, turning the device over and over in her hands. She stops when she hears something hit the bed. Curious, she turns, and catches a glimpse of black just as Homura's tail comes down again, making a small thump against the mattress.

"...I'll think of something, Homura-chan."

Homura immediately stops. She nods, and then gives Madoka another hesitant glance.

Before she can say anything, "...we'll continue our other conversation later."

Hearing this, Homura visibly droops, tail now limp at her side; she had been hoping Madoka would just let it go. She looks up, but freezes when she finds Madoka staring at her.

Madoka extends her arm, moving slowly, knowing Homura doesn't do well with unexpected surprises. She gently places her hand on Homura's cheek, and absently wipes a tearful remnant with her thumb.

Homura swallows nervously, tail and ears now flicking about.

Madoka leans forward, trying to judge Homura's reaction. Fear, nervousness—

She's frozen in her spot, but, Madoka knows that Homura has never told her she hates it.

She kisses Homura's cheek, before pulling away. She stares into Homura's eyes, and slowly withdraws her hand.

"...I'll wash up, and then talk to Mama."

As Madoka moves to the edge of the bed, Homura follows her with her eyes. Madoka turns, giving her a small smile, and then slowly walks to the door.

When Madoka is gone, and she's finally alone, Homura remembers she should be breathing. She takes in a gulp of air, and places her hands on her warm face.

Just as she's starting to calm down, a sound makes her look up.

"...Meow."

She turns as Amy enters through the window.

"Meow."

Homura sits up straighter, curiosity now peaked.

Amy hops onto the bed, but Homura quickly holds out her arm.

"N-Not on the blankets, Madoka will get mad..."

Amy stares for a moment, tail swishing left and right, before she jumps down to the floor. As she takes a seat, Homura scoots off the bed to sit in front of her.

"I brought you some snacks from Tokyo," Homura murmurs absently, still eying the object in Amy's mouth. "We can have some later..."

Amy's ears perk up, and she quickly lowers her head, mouth opening to deposit her gift on the floor. "Meow."

Homura quickly glances to the door; she can hear footsteps approaching.

"Meow."

She turns back, hands hovering.

Amy makes another noise, this time in warning. Homura feels her mouth water, and just as she's about to pounce—

"Homura-chan-" Mid-stride, Madoka stops when she sees Homura on the floor, with Amy sitting in front of her. "Homura-chan!"

Homura flinches, immediately sitting up and placing her hands in her lap.

Amy meows in response, before scooping up the small mouse into her mouth.

"A-Amy—"

"Homura-chan."

Homura bows her head. Amy quickly jumps onto the bed, and a second later, she disappears out the window as Homura watches her leave. With great difficulty, she turns back, only to find Madoka now standing in front of her.

"...Homura-chan."

Homura's hand curls in, and she brings it up to her face, rubbing it against her cheek.

Madoka sighs. She drops down to match Homura's height. "...Are you hungry? Mama says she's almost done with her work. She'll take us over to Mami-chan's for a bit, and then we can go eat something. Can you wait?"

Finally realizing what she's doing, Homura forces her hand back down. "That's—fine..."

Absently, Madoka takes a second to look around her room; it hasn't changed at all, and they were only gone for a few days, but for some reason, it feels like she's sitting in someone else's room.

"...Homura-chan."

Homura flinches again, and this time, Madoka reaches over to stroke her ears.

"...Would you like some milk?"

When she immediately brightens, Madoka smiles in amusement.

Homura clears her throat, lowering her eyes to the floor. "I'm—I'm okay," she murmurs, trying to appear nonchalant.

She's failing miserably.

Madoka leans against her, and pulls her in close. "Are you sure? I promised you earlier that you could have some; Mama mentioned Papa had bought some strawberry milk, too."

Homura tenses, tail now swaying from side to side. "I'm—" she glances over, "can... I have some milk...?"

Madoka nods, "sure, Homura-chan."

Homura turns to press her face against Madoka's.

"But—"

She freezes.

"...Put your ears and tail away first."

Now blushing, Homura tries to rein in her emotions. "Right..." After her ears and tail disappear, she glances to Madoka again, seeking permission to move.

Madoka turns to her, waiting until a few moments pass, before, "let's get some milk, Homura-chan."

Homura is immediately on her feet, and just about to rush out the door when she stops.

"A-After you, Madoka," she tells her, stepping back to let Madoka catch up.

Madoka slowly stands. When she reaches Homura, she grabs her hand, and pulls her along. "Let's go, Homura-chan."

As they walk out the door, Homura sneaks a wistful glance to the window.

"Homura-chan."

She faces forward, knowing she had been caught when Madoka is a bit more forceful as she drags her out the door.

"Milk, Homura-chan."

"...Okay."

/

Soon still feels far too early, and yet, almost two hours have passed since Mami's initial phone call.

Kyouko hadn't been too thrilled at the delay, but Madoka had explained to her that she had to wait until her mother was free, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed to visit. After a tense moment, she had conceded.

And soon had happened—is now happening.

As Junko drives them to Mami's, she keeps the conversation light, deliberately straying from any sensitive topics. Eventually, the radio is turned on, and the music fills in the silence that neither girls can fill with their voices.

When they reach the high rise apartments, Junko pulls the car into the loading zone.

"Mama needs to make a few phone calls, so I'll wait around the corner until you're done," Junko tells them as they exit the car. "Do you know how long you'll be?"

Madoka places her hands behind her back, rustling the small paper bag she's holding. "I'm not sure..." she glances to Homura who's standing next to her.

"...Not that long," Homura murmurs in response. "We just need to pass out souvenirs, and chat for a bit."

Junko hums in response. She glances to her rear view mirror, noticing that another car is pulling up. "Alright, I'll find a parking spot nearby. I'll text you where I'm parked, but if you don't see me, just call. "

"Okay," Madoka says, stepping back. "We'll be done soon, Mama."

Junko gives them a small wave, before she clicks the turn signal, and drives her car forward.

When the waiting car pulls up to the curb, Madoka turns around, reaching with her free hand to grab Homura's. They share a look, before they move to approach the front of the building. As they pass the sensor, the doors slide open to reveal the large reception area inside. Cool air hits them as they enter, lightly coated with the scent of flowers. Madoka breathes in, absently trying to the pinpoint the smell: lavender, mixed with something else. The room is empty, and they continue further in, passing the rows of mail boxes, each marked with numbers for each corresponding apartment. Towards the back, they finally reach the elevator that will take them to Mami's floor.

They wait in silence, and only when they're confined inside the elevator, does Madoka finally turn to Homura.

"Homura-chan." Surrounded by glass, her voice softly echoes in their ears.

Homura glances over.

"...Will you tell them the truth?"

Homura looks away, gaze distant as the elevator lifts them higher. The surrounding walls are suddenly clear, revealing a view of the streets below, slowly growing smaller as they ascend.

She still has not responded when the ding signals their stop, and they slow to a halt as they reach the correct floor.

The doors slide open with a brief rumble, and they exit. This high up, and the air is crisp and cool.

The elevator door closes behind them, but Homura has yet to move.

"...Homura-chan?"

She's mentally preparing herself for what may happen, running the different scenarios in her mind. How will it end this time?

"Homura-chan!"

She blinks. She's back in the present, her face in Madoka's hands as clear, rose pink stares straight into her eyes.

"...Madoka?"

"Are you okay? We can leave, if you want to."

She blinks again. After a long pause, she reaches for Madoka's hands. As she gently pulls them away, she is once again reminded how they are smaller than hers.

"Homura-chan?"

She shakes herself from her thoughts, and finally meets Madoka's worried gaze. "I'm okay. Let's—see what happens."

Madoka searches her face, and is more than a little frustrated when all she can see is Homura's mask. She reluctantly relents, instead switching her grip to once again hold Homura's hand.

"Okay," she replies. "Let's go."

A hesitant step, before they start moving forward.

When they reach the apartment labeled with Mami's nameplate, they give a polite knock, and wait for a response. When there's no answer, they glance at each other, before they check the door. Finding it unlocked, they enter the familiar apartment.

Inside, no one is there to greet them.

Slightly confused, as they had messaged ahead, they close the door behind them, and proceed to take off their shoes. As they step over the threshold, Madoka calls out. Just as she's about to reach for her phone, Homura turns to face the hallway. After another moment, Madoka can hear pounding footsteps further inside, until Kyouko is suddenly there, appearing in the doorway. Her hair is unkempt, long strands a tangled mess as dark circles sit underneath her eyes.

When she sees Homura however, her whole face darkens, and the weariness vanishes without a trace. Energy suddenly thrums around her, enough so that even Madoka can feel it crackling in the air. She steps back, wanting nothing more than to turn around, and go home.

"...Who are you?" Kyouko asks, voice low, deep—dangerous.

Accusing.

Madoka takes another involuntary step back at the animosity, but Homura does not back down.

"How do you know so much about us?" Kyouko demands. "How did you know what would happen?" She switches gears, "how do you have all that info on Witches, on Walpurgisnacht?"

Homura does not answer, instead glancing behind Kyouko. Mami has appeared from the kitchen, looking ready to step in at a moment's notice.

"I'm talking to you!"

There's enough time for Homura to react, and even retaliate. She instead braces herself as a blur of red shoots forward, hands grabbing her shirt, pushing her backwards. She stumbles, and there's a brief moment of weightlessness as she's lifted, before she winces as she's slammed against the small table placed by the entrance.

The rooms shakes, and the sound of shattering ceramic echoes in their ears; two houseplants have fallen, and a third leans precariously on the edge of the table.

With wide eyes, Madoka whirls around to face them, "Homura-chan!"

"Kyouko!"

Kyouko ignores their voices, and presses her fingers harder against Homura's throat. Crimson eyes darken—and Homura realizes it's been a while since she has seen Kyouko this close to her breaking point.

"What did you wish for?" Kyouko demands.

Mami is a step away and ready to pull Kyouko off; Madoka right behind her.

Homura meets Kyouko's glare head on. Her lip curls up, "...I wanted to be a hero."

Kyouko inhales sharply, grip slackening. She doesn't resist as Mami's hand winds around her forearm, pulling her back. Madoka steps past them and tends to Homura, who is now using the small table to support her weight.

The third houseplant falls, and they all wince at the sound.

"Kyouko," Mami's voice is laced with disappointment.

Kyouko hunches over; all the fight has left her, and she shoves her hand into her jacket pocket.

"Homura-chan, are you okay?" Madoka wraps her arms around Homura, watching as she rubs at her throat. She frowns when she sees glimpses of red impressions marring Homura's pale skin.

She turns to glare at Kyouko.

"I'm fine," Homura says softly. She gently bumps Madoka with her head, and after another moment, she faces Mami and Kyouko. "What happened while we were gone?"

Kyouko stares at the floor, refusing to answer.

Homura turns to Mami instead. "Tomoe Mami."

Mami keeps her hand around Kyouko's arm, even though she knows she won't try anything for now.

"We—" she cuts herself off, remembering that darkened room, and Sayaka's last moments. "...We were out hunting when we noticed Sayaka's signature moving across the city. We gave chase," she looks at Madoka, trying her best to convey her regret, "...but ultimately, we were too late. She—" a flash of red, and she pushes the thoughts away, barely able to keep the bile down. "...She hatched into a Witch shortly after we reached her."

Madoka feels her anger evaporating, replaced by a numbness that spreads over her body. "Sayaka-chan..."

Homura eyes Mami warily, looking for signs of a potential breakdown; she's surprised when clear golden eyes bore into hers. She focuses back to Kyouko, and she's the one that looks more than a little unraveled.

Kyouko finally withdraws her hand from her pocket, and the metallic object she's holding catches the light from the windows.

It is like any other grief seed she has seen, but Madoka knows. She sucks in a deep breath, unable to tear her eyes away from one of the remaining remnants of her best friend. The pressure builds in the back of her eyes, and she shields her face with her hands.

Her legs shake, and Homura is there, holding her close, supporting her weight.

Careful of the surrounding broken shards, Homura moves them further inside. "Madoka?"

There's a deep ache in her chest, and she takes in a large gulp of air.

"Pinky."

The soft voice has her pulling her hands away. Through a blur of red and green as tears cloud her vision, there's brief glimpses as Kyouko approaches, hand held out.

"...Sorry."

The apology only makes the air heavier. She shakes her head, unable to bring herself to touch Sayaka's grief seed.

"Sayaka-chan..." It just reminds her of the unanswered message in her phone—reminds her that when she goes to school again, two desks will be empty—and other than those in this room, no one else will know what had happened.

Kyouko suddenly grabs her hand, and deposits the grief seed onto her open palm. "...You knew her longer—you should have it."

Even if you don't deserve it.

It's unsaid, but Madoka can see it reflecting in Kyouko's eyes.

The guilt comes crashing back down, and she turns to bury her face into Homura's shoulder.

Kyouko takes a step back. Her hands return to her pockets, folding into fists as she tries to ignore the sudden emptiness.

"Kitty Cat."

Homura acknowledges Kyouko with a glance.

"...Could we have saved her?"

They stare at one another, and if it had been, maybe three weeks ago, the answer would have easily rolled off Homura's tongue. Now, and after so long, she can finally recognize that subtle look in Kyouko's eyes—she's not looking for the cold hard truth—she's looking for validation of her actions.

A reason to continue her fight.

Homura breaks eye contact, her gaze unconsciously drawn to Madoka. That familiar ache in her chest grows, and she presses her cheek against Madoka's head. After a brief moment, she looks at Kyouko.

"...Do you think you saved her?" she asks instead.

Kyouko doesn't give a response, leaving the question to hang in the air.

"Of course we did."

All three turn to Mami, whose clear voice interrupts the tense silence.

"We saved her," she insists, setting her jaw. She glares, as if daring anyone to doubt her words.

Madoka pulls away from Homura to stare at Sayaka's grief seed cradled in her hand. She traces the symbols etched onto the surface, immediately recognizing them to be musical notes.

Of course they would be.

She lifts her head, and her eyes meet golden, "Mami-chan," before they then cut across to crimson, "Kyouko-chan."

She's acknowledged with a curious look, and a much more guarded one.

"Thank you."

Both sets of eyes widen at Madoka's sincerity.

"I..." she swallows back that lump in her throat, "I couldn't be there for Sayaka-chan, but," she gives them a sad smile, "you two were." She holds Sayaka's remnant close to her chest, and bows her head, "thank you. I couldn't stop her, but I know that if Sayaka had hurt anyone else, even if she didn't mean to, that—she never would've forgiven herself."

Kyouko glares at the floor, "don't thank us."

"Kyouko-chan—"

"I said—don't thank us!" She takes an angry step forward, hands now bunched to her sides.

"Kyouko—"

Kyouko shoves Mami away, and her eyes are desperate as she meets Madoka's kind ones. "Seaweed girl—we—"

"—I know."

Kyouko freezes as Mami does the same.

"I... heard. Thank you... I know you two tried your best to save them both."

Kyouko looks away, feeling shame wash over her. "I saw her," she croaks out, voice hoarse. "She was alive—we ate ramen." Her hand comes up to cover her face, "we ate spicy ramen and she actually kept up with me." Her laugh is hollow. She cuts herself off, gritting her teeth. "Damnit."

Madoka glances down to Sayaka's grief seed as a sudden, fond memory hits her. "...A few years back, Hitomi-chan won first place in a spicy food contest." She wipes away a stray tear, smiling as she remembers. "Sayaka-chan entered too, and forfeited after two minutes." Another tear falls.

Kyouko opens her mouth, "I'm sor—"

"Don't." Madoka's voice is hard as she glares at Kyouko. "Don't apologize for trying your hardest. Don't apologize for trying to save someone's life." She holds Kyouko's gaze for a few more seconds, before she turns to Homura.

Homura flinches at the sudden attention. She bows her head to avoid eye contact. Madoka gently takes her hand, squeezing it once, before turning back to Kyouko and Mami.

She takes a deep breath, "I know, it's not worth much, not after everything you three have sacrificed, but..." she bows her body the lowest it can go, "thank you."

Mami's eyes fill with tears. "Madoka-chan—we're not, we're—" she glances to Kyouko helplessly, only to find the other girl now scowling.

"The hell... are you thanking us for?" Kyouko spits out. "We couldn't save them—they're dead. They DIED."

Madoka straightens up, and immediately turns to Homura to hug her close. "...They did."

A look of betrayal flashes across Kyouko's face.

"They're dead," Madoka repeats, voice soft. "They're gone," her voice is steady, clear. "And, no matter how many times you apologize... they won't come back."

Kyouko feels something snap. "You—could've saved her! If you had stayed, you could have talked her out of it!" She's grasping at straws—angry at someone—something—anyone.

Herself.

Homura narrows her eyes, a sharp retort at the tip of her tongue. She stops when a firm hand presses on her back.

"Madoka...?"

Madoka keeps her head held up high, not backing down from Kyouko's accusations. "Do you think Sayaka-chan would've listened to me?"

"She-she would've—"

Madoka shakes her head. "Sayaka-chan's stubborn. She's loyal, and kind, and... she was my best friend."

Kyouko's eyes burn at the use of past tense.

"Sayaka-chan... would've never listened to me. I couldn't stop her from making her wish, and I wasn't here when she needed me the most. But she," she brings her sleeve up to wipe away the tears, "she... wouldn't have listened to me anyways. She... probably only lasted as long as she did because of you and Mami-chan." She glances down to her hand.

"She..." Kyouko draws back, anger fading. "We were so close..." she whispers.

Just as Madoka opens her mouth, a sudden knock on the door stops her short. All four turn just as the knob twists, and the door is slowly pushed open.

Junko pops her head in, and Madoka breathes a small sigh of relief when she double checks to make sure Homura hasn't accidentally summoned her ears.

Another second, and she realizes she should somehow diffuse the situation. "Mama?"

Junko waves, and gives the girls a disarming smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but," she holds up her phone, "you weren't answering, Madoka."

Madoka realizes she had forgot to turn the volume back on after she had turned it off to avoid Kyouko's calls.

"Ah... sorry about that, Mama."

Junko gives her a look, but she quickly switches to another smile. "Are you almost done here, Madoka? We need to leave soon to make it to the restaurant on time."

"Right—" Madoka tries to discreetly place Sayaka's grieef seed in her pocket, using Homura to block her actions from her mom.

"Ah, I apologize for keeping you," Mami says as she bows lightly. She turns to Madoka, "you—should get going, Madoka-chan. I'll see you two in school?"

Junko grins, "well, you'll probably see them a bit earlier than that."

Mami blinks in confusion.

"I made reservations for all of us," Junko clarifies. "I can always cancel if you don't want to come along, but the offer stands."

Caught off-guard, Mami shakes her head, "ah, we wouldn't want to impose..."

Junko waves away her excuse. "You wouldn't be. We're already going to eat something—adding two more people won't hurt," she says with a wink.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Mami murmurs as she gives Kyouko a side glance.

As if on cue, Kyouko's stomach growls, and she quickly places a hand to her stomach. "Er..."

Junko smiles, "well, I guess that means Kyouko-chan is in. How about you, Mami-chan?"

"Ah... well..." She looks again to Kyouko, who gives a half-hearted shrug. "Ah..." Something about Junko's kind expression makes her unable to say no.

At her acceptance, Junko's smile turns into a grin. "Great! We can leave then as soon as you're all ready." She casts a quick look around the room, eyes lingering on the mess by the door, "...I'll head down first since I need to make another phone call. You girls can come down once you're done. Don't take too long, okay?"

She takes another look at Madoka.

"Sure, Mama." She clears her throat, and turns to Mami, "uhmmmm, Mami-chan, can I use your restroom?"

"Ah, sure, Madoka-chan."

Junko gives an acknowledging nod, and then disappears out the door.

Once the door is clicked shut, everyone lets out a sigh of relief.

Knowing her mom is waiting, Madoka forces herself to move. She spots the small paper bag nearby, and scoops it up, before approaching Mami. "Mami-chan, we—brought some souvenirs from Tokyo..." She holds the bag out.

Surprised, Mami accepts the gift. "Thank you, Madoka-chan," she murmurs.

Madoka gives her a small smile, before she turns to grab Homura's hand.

"Madoka...?"

Madoka points to the bruising marks on her neck, "...I know you shouldn't waste magic, but Mama will definitely notice that."

Homura places a hand to her throat—it feels a bit sore, and considering how much strength Kyouko had used earlier... Without another word, she follows Madoka to the bathroom.

When they disappear around the corner, Mami glances down to the bag in her hands. "Right—let me, put this away..." Her voice trails off as she turns to the entrance. "...After I clean that up. Kyouko, you should get ready as well." She gives her a look, before heading over to the kitchen in search of a broom.

As Mami's footsteps fade, Kyouko finds herself alone in the living room. She runs her hands through her hair, finally realizing her ponytail has come undone. "...What am I doing?"

She sighs, and shakes her head.

/

When Junko finally pulls her car into the driveway, all three girls in the backseat breathe a little easier. If Junko notices, she's tactful enough to ignore it as they all pile out of the car and head to the restaurant.

It's a small building located at the edge of downtown, the outside looking a bit dilapidated with wooden boards where one would usually find cemented walls.

Junko has an arm around Madoka as she leads them to the front: "don't mind the decor girls, what really counts is the food."

This comment earns her an approving nod from Kyouko, but when Junko catches her eye and gives her a smile, Kyouko quickly looks away, tucking her hands into her pocket as she pretends to act unfazed.

Next to her, Mami smiles into her hand; it reminds her of the old Kyouko, and her smile grows a bit nostalgic.

The door is pulled open, and Junko ushers the girls in with a sweep of her hand.

All four enter, filling up the small waiting area by the door. There are a few chairs pushed against the left wall, and an empty podium to their right, propped against a short counter. Homura takes her place by Madoka's side, and as Junko passes them on her way to the podium, her eyes briefly flicker down to their intertwined hands.

The smile never leaves her face as she rings the small bell on the counter. A moment later, an older woman dressed in an old-fashioned waitress uniform emerges through an opening in the far back. The clatter of dishware that follows after her alludes it to be the kitchen.

"Irrashaimase!" She bows in greeting.

Junko lightly bows in response, before she straightens up. "I have a reservation for five under Kaname Junko."

"Kaname-san, is it? Let me just check really quick..."

Junko nods, and they wait as the woman flips open a well worn binder placed on top of the podium.

"Kaname Junko-san..." her hand moves down the page, and a smile is across her face once she finds Junko's name. "Five, correct?" Her gaze passes over each girl in curiosity.

Junko nods in agreement.

"You are a bit too young to be their mothers," the woman comments as she retrieves five menus from the counter. Her eyes evaluate Junko's casual clothing, "you are... their teacher?"

Here, Junko laughs. "Well, one of them is my cute daughter," she says as she wraps an arm around Madoka's shoulder, and pulls her forward.

Madoka gives a shy smile, reluctantly letting go of Homura's hand as the attention focuses on her.

Junko nods to the other three. "And these are her friends from school."

"Ah," the woman looks between mother and daughter, "she is indeed very cute." She then gestures for them to start following her. As she walks, she smiles at Madoka, "you will grow up to be beautiful just like your mother."

Madoka ducks her head at the compliment. "Thank you."

Walking behind them, Homura stops in her tracks, and Kyouko barely manages to not run into her.

"Hey, watch it, Kitty Cat!"

The three leading the line turn around, two curious, and one worried when they hear Kyouko shout.

Madoka steps away from her mother to approach Homura. "Homura-chan?"

Feeling all eyes on her, Homura shakes her head, "...sorry," she mumbles softly.

Madoka glances at her, but knowing it is neither the time nor place, she merely reaches for Homura's hand to drag her along.

When they reach Junko, she looks at them curiously. "Everything okay?"

Madoka nods, "everything's fine, right, Homura-chan?"

"Y-Yes..."

Junko eyes them for a brief second. "...Alright, if you're sure." She turns back around, and they continue further inside.

They reach one of the tables in the back, and the head waitress stands to the side, waiting for them to be seated. Junko claims a seat by the wall, and just as Madoka moves to sit next to her, Kyouko pulls her back.

"Mami wants to sit there," is all she says before she shoves Mami forward.

Mami looks as confused as Madoka, but when Kyouko takes the seat next to her, she realizes that Kyouko is merely choosing the furthest spot away from Kaname Junko. Mami smiles as Kyouko scowls.

Madoka blinks at the arrangement, but with an encouraging nod from her mother, she slides into the booth seats on the other side as Homura takes the spot besides her. A menu is slipped in front of each, and then the head waitress bows, before she disappears to greet more guests that have arrived.

"I've been here a few times," Junko says, menu in her hands as she breaks the silence. "Any of their bentous are good..." she scans the opened page, "oh, we'll need to start with their tofu, and there's a few rolls we'll definitely have to get." She pulls the menu down so she can see all four of their faces, "I hope you girls don't mind helping me finish all this food?"

Nervous glances are exchanged.

Madoka gives her mother a smile, "it sounds good, Mama."

Junko points to a dish on the menu, "they also have really good sashimi here, Homura."

At the mention of fish, Homura sits up in her seat. Catching herself, she immediately sits back down. Embarrassed, she gives Junko a nervous glance, who merely gives her an encouraging smile, before turning to address Kyouko and Mami.

"Feel free to order whatever you'd like," she tells them. "Don't hold back at all."

Nose held to her menu, Kyouko peers past the paper, already knowing what she wants to eat. If it was anyone else paying, she would be rattling off her choices already, but Kaname Junko makes her nervous.

"Kyouko-chan?"

"Eh? Ah..."

Mami leans back in her seat as Junko leans forward in hers to look at Kyouko, "really, don't hold back. You seem pretty hungry."

Kyouko gives her a stiff nod. "S-Sure... er," another side glance, and when she sees the smile that Mami's doing a bad job of hiding, she glares at the empty seat in front of her. "Yeah... er, thanks," she mutters.

"Don't forget to leave some room for dessert too," Junko reminds them. "I know a place with some really good sundaes," she looks at Homura again, "and they're famous for their milkshakes."

In her seat, Homura unconsciously starts tapping her foot on the floor as she stares at her menu. She stops when she feels a hand on her leg. She blushes, realizing what she had been doing.

"Sorry," she whispers, quiet enough so that only Madoka can hear her.

Smiling, Madoka shakes her head lightly, "be patient, Homura-chan."

Homura quickly swallows the rumble in her throat. She nervously raises her eyes, and breathes out a sigh of relief when it seems like Junko has not noticed. Except—sharp purple eyes suddenly meet hers, and the amused smile across Junko's lips makes Homura think otherwise. She quickly brings her menu up higher to avoid that knowing gaze.

"Mama." Madoka frowns at her mother, knowing that she's deliberately teasing Homura.

Junko smiles wider, "hmm? What is it, Madoka? Would you like to share a bentou with me?"

Madoka huffs at her mother who is now grinning, "...that's fine."

"Mmhmm..." Junko taps her menu, "I'm about ready to order, how about you girls?"

When there are echoes of agreement, Junko raises her arm, and calls out to the waitress. "Excuse me!"

A moment later, the same woman that had seated them stands by their table, and after distributing five glasses of water, a pad and pen are produced from her apron. She starts with Kyouko, and moves in a clockwise fashion to take all of their orders.

Once finished, she smiles, and gathers all the menus into her hands. With a short bow, "I'll be out shortly with your other drinks," she tells them, and then she steps away, heading to the kitchen to put in their dishes.

With nothing left to distract them, Junko folds her hands on top of the table, and smiles to help clear the awkwardness. She turns to Mami, who sits up straighter when she feels Junko watching her.

"I just wanted to thank you two for being there for Homura and Madoka. From lending Madoka your uniform, to helping them look for Amy. Seeing them off right before their trip, and making them that bentou. For showing your concern."

Mami shyly looks away. "Ah... I would have done so for anyone else..."

Junko points to her, "see, and that's exactly what I'm referring to." She glances behind Mami, and her lips twitch in amusement when Kyouko tries to hide behind Mami. "Friends are important," she nods to her daughter, "don't take them for granted, Madoka."

"I won't, Mama."

"Good. We'll have to invite Sayaka-chan and Hitomi-chan out soon too."

All four of them freeze, but Junko is distracted as she takes a sip of her water.

Madoka swallows heavily, and unable to answer, she reaches for her cup. She takes a drink, and everyone else keeps quiet as Junko waits for Madoka to finish.

"Madoka?"

She glances up, meeting her mother's eyes. "Yes, Mama?"

"Have you... spoken to Sayaka-chan recently?"

Madoka feels the words catch in her throat. Underneath the table, Homura places a reassuring hand on Madoka's knee.

"She..." Madoka drops her gaze to the table, "sent me a text, when we were in Tokyo. We're..." she sighs softly, "not really speaking at the moment..." She lifts her head, this time furrowing her brow to show off her concern, "is... there something wrong?"

"Mm..." Junko holds her cup in her hand, and traces the drops of condensation that run along the surface of the glass. She takes another sip, before, "it's nothing you have to be concerned about. Hopefully just a bit of a misunderstanding."

"Mama?"

Junko smiles, and when she places her cup down, there's a sudden change in the air. "So, tell me how you all met? Mami-chan is a third-year, correct?"

Here, Mami has no trouble schooling her face, "yes. Madoka-chan and I met after school actually. She was in a bit of trouble..."

"Oh?" Junko glances to her daughter who nods in agreement.

"I met—Mami-chan around the same time Homura-chan transferred in," Madoka interjects, absently playing with Homura's hand under the table as she thinks of an excuse. "Mami-chan—helped me find my school ID," she says this sheepishly, "we were looking everywhere for it, and Mami-chan offered to help search..."

Mami smiles, "and it ended up being in your school bag all along, right, Madoka-chan?"

Madoka winces; that had actually happened before. "Sorry about that, Mami-chan."

"Maa, it brought us closer, so it's not like I minded."

Junko nods to Mami, "thank you for looking out for my daughter. She's a bit air-headed; she takes after her father."

Madoka pouts, "Mama!"

Junko laughs, and her humour is infectious: Mami feels herself smiling in return.

Homura squeezes Madoka's hand, trying to comfort her, and Madoka falls back against her seat, huffing in fake indignation.

Off to the side, Kyouko finishes the rest of her water and is staring aimlessly at the remaining ice cubes when a sharp elbow is suddenly digging into her ribs.

She glares at Mami, but when the blonde nods to Junko, she realizes she had been asked a question.

"Er..."

Junko smiles, "how is your transfer going along, Kyouko-chan? I'm sure you're eager to start school with everyone else."

Kyouko shrugs. "S'okay." She tries to ignore the heavy feeling when she realizes she'll never be able to experience a school day with Sayaka.

Junko sighs wistfully, "ahh, to be young again. Don't forget to experience your school days to your fullest," she nods sagely, and as she holds her cup in front of her, Madoka is suddenly reminded of her Mama during those late nights when she's at home, relaxing with a cup of alcohol. "It'll all be over in a flash, and then you'll be working in an office with a bald head from HR always butting into your business because he's still old-fashioned and believes that women have no right to rise to a position higher than 'office lady.'"

"Mama?"

Junko knocks back the rest of her water. She looks disappointed as she frowns at her cup. "That, certainly lacks a bit of an impact."

"I apologize for the wait, here are your drinks," the headwaitress interrupts as she approaches the table with a large tray in hand.

Junko brightens immediately, "just in time!"

The older woman starts handing off their refreshments, followed by the plates of appetizers that Junko had ordered.

When everything is placed on the table, she bows, and with parting words telling them to take their time eating, she heads over to another table.

Junko waits until everyone has chopsticks in their hands, "don't hold back, girls, you're all at the age where you're growing." Her gaze quickly darts to Madoka, "well, some more than others."

Madoka responds by sticking out her tongue.

Four declarations of 'itadakimasu' are echoed, before everyone starts digging in.

As Junko takes a sip of her cold beer, she smiles at how much more relaxed the girls now are; how bright their young faces are as they enjoy their meal.

The small knot in her stomach eases a bit when she sees Madoka sitting next to Homura, both of them safe and sound.

She takes a longer drink this time, wondering how she will be able to break the news to her daughter. She pushes those thoughts back, and easily forms a grin on her face.

Her beer is exchanged with her chopsticks, and with a quick 'itadakimasu', she proceeds to join in. She seizes a large piece of karaage, and then deposits it onto Madoka's plate, before doing the same for Homura. "Here, eat up you two; if you move any slower, Kyouko-chan's going to eat everything."

"S'nowi'mwot."

Mami gives her a disapproving look, "Kyouko."

"Thanks, Mama."

"...Thank you," Homura mumbles quietly.

Junko nods. "Of course. Anytime."

Madoka looks up, and though she knows her mother only had a little bit to drink, her eyes seem a bit glossy. "Mama?"

"Hm, Madoka?"

Madoka blinks, but Junko suddenly points to her plate.

"...I was joking earlier, but it really looks like Kyouko-chan might eat everything."

Madoka turns as a bit of tofu is placed on her plate by a frowning Homura.

"Sorry Madoka, this was all I could get..." Homura looks about ready to hiss at Kyouko.

"Thank you, Homura-chan. We can share?" She splits the piece in half, and then holds it up. "Here you go, Homura-chan."

Homura gives her a blank stare. "...Madoka?"

"Kyouko, I was eating that!"

"You snooze you lose, Blondie."

"Say 'ah,' Homura-chan."

Junko takes a bite of her karaage; it's sweet, salty, and pairs nicely with the bitterness of her beer.

/

Just as promised, Junko treats the girls to dessert after their meal.

Kyouko and Homura are the only two that finish theirs, though Homura just barely manages to keep it all down.

As they all struggle back to the car, an invitation is extended to Mami and Kyouko as Junko invites them to join them at the park. With a bit of stuttering and a handful excuses, they convince her that they need to go home. She insists on dropping them off however, and before they part ways, manages to squeeze out a promise of another meal sometime soon.

In the wake of Kaname Junko, Madoka gives them an apologetic smile and wave as she follows her mother and Homura to the car.

Once their selt belts are clicked in, they start the short drive to their next destination.

As they reach the main road, Junko finally breaks the silence. "Papa and Takkun should be done soon," she tells Madoka as she glances at the rearview mirror: Homura is now dozing on Madoka's shoulder, no doubt in a food coma after polishing off all that sashimi, and then that large milkshake. "After that dessert..." Junko pats her stomach absently, "want to take a walk while we wait for them to show up?"

Madoka blinks sleepily; Homura's not the only one suffering from their large meal. "Sure, I don't mind, Mama. It's—not a good idea to sleep right after eating anyways..." She looks over to Homura, but doesn't have the heart to wake her up.

"We can take that path up the large hill," Junko says, flicking the signal to switch lanes. "The distance isn't as far, but it's uphill, so it'll burn more calories." She gives Homura another glance, "...though, maybe we should take something a bit easier. It's probably not good for her to move around that much just yet... I'm not even sure if I'll be able to make it up there..."

Madoka pokes Homura's face, earning her a frown from the napping girl. "She had a bunch of milk earlier too..."

Junko casts a wistful look in their direction. "I'm going to need to exercise extra this week, or else that meal will definitely come back to haunt me." Junko pauses, giving Madoka a quick glance, "you should be careful too, Madoka, you take after me; you're young now, but eventually you'll gain weight really quickly if you keep eating all those sweets."

"I know," Madoka huffs. She remembers her lie: "that's why we've been exercising afterschool..." Catching her mother's reflection in the rearview mirror, she pouts when she looks her way, "why couldn't you have a fast metabolism, Mama?"

Junko turns the car, and without skipping a beat, "because then Mama would be too perfect; I had to have a flaw somewhere, Madoka."

"...That doesn't mean you have to pass your flaws to your children though."

The park is a few streets away, and Junko eases the car into the far left lane. "You have your Papa to blame for that, Madoka." There's traffic ahead, and the car slows to a stop. As they wait for the light to turn green, Junko half turns in her seat to look at Madoka, "other than a slow metabolism, Mama's perfect. All your other flaws are from Papa."

There's a pause, before they both start laughing, and immediately regret it when their stomachs protest from the sudden movement.

Traffic starts moving again, and Junko concentrates back on the road.

Despite still being uncomfortably full, Madoka smiles to herself; she had missed being home.

When the car is parked, and the engine is off, Madoka carefully tries to wake Homura up without triggering her ears and tail. To her relief, she's successful, and manages to drag a sleepy Homura out of the car.

Afraid she will expose her magic while half asleep, Madoka quickly reminds her that Junko is watching. The name works as intended, and Homura is more awake as they wait for Junko to exit the car.

She's moving slowly, and halfway out, she suddenly sits back down. From her seat, she waves them over.

Madoka blinks, and approaches the car, "is something wrong, Mama?"

"...Go first, Madoka. Mama has to ease into this..." Her face is suddenly pained as she tries to straighten her back, "maybe we went a bit overboard with dessert... Is this old age? Am I getting old...?"

"Are you sure, Mama...? Do you want us to buy some medicine?"

Junko throws an arm over her eyes, but the dramatic flair is dampened as she remains slouched over. "Leave me, Madoka, save yourself. Mama's... not going to make it..."

Madoka is this close to rolling her eyes, but she figures her mother has to be okay if she can still joke around.

She starts to pull Homura away. "You heard her, Homura-chan. Let's leave before she embarrases us further."

Junko tries to respond with another dramatic flourish, but stops when she feels she might just actually throw up. She weakly makes a shooing gesture.

"Don't fall too behind, Mama," Madoka tells her, before they start walking.

After a few minutes, Junko tentatively straightens up. She's relieved to find it's not as painful as before. She squints towards the road, and sees Madoka and Homura up ahead. They haven't gotten very far, and she realizes that they're most likely waiting for her. It's confirmed when she sees Madoka glance back. She carefully exits the car, and after locking the doors, she takes a deep breath, before she starts moving.

She's slowly catching up, but before she can reach them, she waves her arm in their direction. She then points forward.

"...is she saying something? I can't hear anything," Homura murmurs as she watches Junko point again.

Madoka tilts her head. "...I think she wants us to go first." She points to the road behind her, and when Junko responds with a nod and an 'OK' signal, Madoka tugs Homura along.

They continue their leisurely stroll, their progress hindered as Madoka makes an occasional glance behind her to check on her mother. The next time she does this however, she sees Junko with her hands on her hips.

Both girls stop when she opens her mouth.

"Hurry up and walk already, Madoka! If Mama catches up to you, you don't want to know what happens!"

There's a beat as Madoka tries to determine if her mother is serious.

"M-Madoka...?"

Madoka turns, and seeing how nervous Homura looks, she decides she's probably very serious. She grabs Homura's hand, and they walk a bit faster to put more distance between them and Kaname Junko.

As their figures finally get smaller, Junko sighs in exasperation. "Madoka... you definitely take after your Papa." She shakes her head as an amused smile crosses her lips.

She waits for another few minutes, before she continues at her slower pace.

Up ahead, their sense of urgency sends them further into the park. It isn't until they reach the crest of a smaller hill, that Madoka feels that they're no longer in danger. After confirming Junko's position, they slow down, and take the opportunity to catch their breath.

Still holding Homura's hand, Madoka glances over in her direction. She smiles, but soon starts laughing when she sees how serious Homura looks.

Homura turns to her, confused, and Madoka merely bumps Homura's leg with her hip, before pushing against Homura's side.

"Y-You should've seen your face, Homura-chan," Madoka tells her, still laughing. She grins, slipping an arm around Homura's waist, "don't worry, Homura-chan, I'll protect you against big, bad, Junko."

Homura looks away, face flushing in embarrassement. She frowns, "I wasn't scared..."

When Madoka sees that Homura is all but pouting, she gives her a brief hug, "I'm sorry, you just looked really cute, so I couldn't help but tease you. Forgive me?"

This time, Homura tries to hide her face, "I wasn't mad..." she mumbles softly.

"Mmhmmm."

Despite her earlier statement, Homura glances behind them once more. She does a quick estimation in her head; they could easily outrun Junko from this distance. She finally relaxes ever so slightly.

As their breathing returns to normal, and the threat of Junko is no longer literally behind them, Madoka takes a moment to look around. Clear skies, and greenery that stretches as far as their eyes can see. The smell of grass tickles her nose. She looks down, confirming her fingers curled around Homura's.

Her hand is warm.

She gently squeezes Homura's hand. The other girl looks over in response, but slowly straightens up when she sees Madoka's expression.

"Walk with me?" Madoka asks her, voice soft.

There's something behind those words, and Homura hesitates, still unsure of her feelings. But when Madoka looks at her again, she nods. The smile Madoka gives her makes her heart skip a beat, in a good way.

With their hands linked together, they continue walking, but this time they are much more relaxed. After another moment, Madoka finally speaks.

"...I'm sorry for cutting our trip short."

Homura looks over in surprise.

"I know you were looking forward to going to the fish market," Madoka murmurs, remembering how excited Homura had been.

Homura blinks, "...It's fine. It's just fish."

Madoka gives her a sad smile, "we... didn't get a chance to go on our date, either."

At this, Homura falls silent. She stares at their held hands, unconsciously slowing her footsteps. She shakes her head, "that's—okay," she says as she resumes their earlier pace.

Madoka scans Homura's face—she's sure there was a hint of disappointment at the reminder. She licks her lips, and presses forward, "...we can go somewhere here, in Mitakihara."

Homura glances over, and they both slow to a halt to face each other.

"There's plenty to do here, too," Madoka tells her; Homura isn't saying no. "Movies... the aquarium... game center. We—" she stares into Homura's eyes, "can go to one of those instead."

Homura knows she should refuse. After all, a date, in the midst of when Madoka should be mourning, is the last thing they should be doing. Her mouth opens, but snaps shut when she sees how hopeful Madoka looks.

"We..." her resolve falters, "...could."

Madoka's beaming smile drives away that shred of doubt.

Madoka suddenly takes a step forward, and throws her arms around Homura, pulling her in close for a hug.

"I'll think of something," she whispers into her ear.

A tense pause, until Homura hesitantly returns the hug. "...Okay," she answers back.

Madoka holds her for a little longer, before reluctantly moving away. Still smiling, she grabs Homura's hand to continue their walk. The air feels lighter, and more relaxed, Madoka starts listing things they can do, while Homura occasionally chimes in.

They're passing an empty playground, and feeling nostalgic, Madoka veers off the path to enter, pulling Homura in with her.

"I haven't played on one of these in years," Madoka murmurs as she heads towards the monkey bars.

When she's close enough, she drops Homura's hand, and tries to reach for the bars. "Oof..." she stretches her arms, standing on her tiptoes. "Wait... Shouldn't this be lower...?"

Homura covers her mouth with her hand, turning her head away to hide her smile.

"Ahh! I saw that, Homura-chan!"

She blinks, turning back around, only to find Madoka now in front of. Her hand is grabbed, and she's dragged over to the metal structure. To Madoka's disappointment, since Homura is taller, she's able to reach the rungs just by standing on her tiptoes. When Madoka pouts, Homura deliberately moves from one end of the bars to the other, all while keeping her feet on the ground.

"I know these are taller than the regular ones," Madoka tells her, still pouting. "They're definitely for bigger kids, don't you think so, Homura-chan?"

Homura moves a step back to take a closer look. After a moment, she drops her act. With a shake of her head, "...I'm sorry. I'm not really familiar with how big these should be..." Her voice trails off when she notices Madoka's face fall. Panicking, she reaches into her jacket pocket, hand wrapping around her phone, "I can look it up—" Just as she's about to pull her phone out, Madoka's hand cover hers.

"Homura-chan..."

Her brows furrow in slight confusion.

With a sigh, Madoka shakes her head. "It's okay. Let's go wash our hands."

She slowly removes her hands from her pocket. "...Okay."

They head over to the small water fountain nearby, and the water is cold as they take turns rinsing off their hands. Homura is absently wiping her hands dry when droplets of water hits her face. She blinks rapidly, and turns around to find Madoka smiling.

"It was an accident, Homura-chan," she tells her innocently as she pulls out her handkerchief from her pocket. Still smiling, she proceeds to make a show of drying her hands.

Homura blinks again. After a moment, she brings her cloth close to pat the water away.

Madoka looks up, the smile never leaving her face. "Are you almost done, Homura-chan?"

She's thinking about it, and her eyes glance to the water fountain, now glistening in the sunlight.

"Homura-chan?"

The temptation is stronger now—

"Are you feeling okay?" Worried, Madoka takes a step forward.

Homura suddenly reaches over to compress the small switch, and a small arc of water flows out from the spout.

Wary, Madoka steps back, and watches as Homura brushes her hair behind her ear, before taking a long drink.

She stops once she's full, and straightens up as she licks the water from her lips. When she catches Madoka standing off to the side, she tilts her head. "What's wrong?"

Madoka shakes her head, and walks closer. "Nothing." She gives her a sheepish smile, "I just thought you were going to get me back."

Homura blinks.

"Sorry," Madoka looks apologetic. "I know you wouldn't."

"Mm," Homura presses the switch again, this time to lightly coat her fingers with water.

Before Madoka can react, Homura flicks water in her direction.

"...you mean, like this?"

Madoka blinks a few times, still trying to grasp in her head that Homura had just done that.

She lifts her arm, and wipes the droplets from her face.

A pause, before Homura murmurs, "it was an accident."

When Madoka doesn't respond, Homura continues, "plus, we're even now."

Madoka hums. She glances down to the water fountain, and Homura does the same.

They both move in unison, but Madoka reaches the switch first. As water flows, she tries to block the fountain with her body, and at the same time attempts to gather enough water to tag Homura with.

Homura manages to reach over her, filling her hands with water before Madoka can push her away.

Just as Madoka turns, water hits her face, and she sputters as some goes up her nose.

Water drips from her hands, and she stands there, using her sleeve to wipe the water from her eyes.

No longer sensing danger, Homura nervously waits nearby; maybe she had gone overboard. She takes a small step forward, "Madoka...?"

"Homura-chan..." Her voice is low, and Homura draws back.

"I-I'm sorry," she apologizes quickly. "Let me help you dry," she offers, holding out her handkerchief in appeasement.

She gulps when Madoka smiles.

It isn't long until Junko appears from the small path. She stops, and watches as a small game of cat and mouse takes place in the playground, though the longer she stares, the more she wonders just who the cat is, and who is the mouse.

Finally, Homura grabs Madoka by the waist, holding her as they catch their breath.

"We should stop," Homura tells her, voice soft. A light breeze hits, and they both feel a chill from the wet spots on their clothing.

Madoka looks into Homura's eyes. She smiles—a genuine, not scary smile, and Homura feels herself smiling back.

"Okay," Madoka says as she relaxes her body. "We don't have a change of clothes anyways, and we still have to wait until Papa and Takkun get here until we can leave."

Homura nods, and pulls her hands away. She reaches behind her, gathering her hair into a small ponytail to wring out the water. Once done, she gently combs her fingers through the strands to straighten out the tangles.

Madoka shakes her head, and sighs when she feels one side is heavier than the other; Homura had gotten her good that one time.

She holds her hair in one hand, and uses her handkerchief to dry it. When Homura looks over, she turns away again when she sees how poofy Madoka's hair has gotten.

Madoka steps closer, putting her hands on Homura's waist, knowing she was particular ticklish there, "I know you were laughing at my hair, Homura-chan."

Homura tries to bat her hands away, and successfully captures them by intertwining their fingers together. She holds Madoka's hands up as Madoka leans forward, trying to break free. "It's—" she looks at how one side sits flatter than the other, "...cute."

With a sigh, Madoka stops struggling. She drops her head, feeling her cheeks colour. "...Thats not fair, Homura-chan."

"Let me help," Homura murmurs. She lets go of their hands, instead reaching for her handkerchief that had somehow made it unscathed through their water fight.

Madoka patiently stands as Homura gently towels her hair dry the best she can with the small cloth.

"...I think that's good enough," Homura says as she eyes her work. Madoka's hair looks a bit more even, though a few more strands stand up unevenly from the static.

Madoka smiles, and reaches for Homura's hand. "Thank you, Homura-chan. Want to continue walking?"

"...Okay." She carefully folds her handkerchief, before she slips it into her pocket.

With one last glance to the small playground, they step back onto the path.

When Junko sees that they have started moving again, she starts to follow.

The day is winding down, and she knows she has put it off long enough. Her expression grows sad when she knows that Madoka's carefree world is about to come crashing down.

She widens her stride, and easily catches up. She extends her arms, and just before contact, Homura turns, acknowledging Junko with a nervous glance. Junko grins, and then throws her arms around their smaller shoulders, catching Madoka off-guard.

"Hey you two, how 'bout letting Mama join in, hmm?"

Madoka recovers quickly, and nods in response, "sure, Mama." She drops Homura's hand, and sneaks a glance; she's relieved to find her cat ears are still hidden.

They make room to allow Junko to squeeze in between them.

"Are you feeling better?" Madoka asks her.

"Mmhmm. Lots."

She gives Madoka a smile, and for a few more minutes, they continue walking in comfortable silence. The whole time, Junko keeps her arms around their shoulders.

They're reaching the end of the small path, and as they climb to the top of the hill, Madoka finally notices their shadows are much longer, stretching far enough to cover the ground underneath their feet. A glance around for confirmation; it's close to sunset.

When the incline slowly evens out, they take a moment to enjoy the view of the lake in the distance. Sunlight hits the water, and in the background, the sounds of laughing children carry in the wind.

The grin slowly fades from Junko's face, and when she pulls her arms away, Madoka and Homura both turn to look at her.

Madoka feels something wash over her when she sees her mother's serious expression.

"...Mama?"

"Madoka."

She straightens her back. "...Is something wrong, Mama?"

Junko imagines how it would be, if Madoka suddenly disappeared. She reaches forward, and gathers her daughter in her arms.

"Mama...?"

Madoka is still small for her age, but Junko remembers her being much, much smaller.

"Madoka..." She holds her a bit longer, before she finally pulls away. "I'm about to tell you something, okay?"

Madoka licks her lips nervously, but her mother is still watching, waiting. She nods. "...Okay, Mama."

Junko acknowledges the quiet Homura with a glance; she's a good girl, standing back because she knows that this is important. Junko turns to Madoka, and smiles sadly. She gently brushes back Madoka's messy bangs, still damp from their impromptu water fight. She sighs, "...Madoka, Sayaka-chan's missing."

Madoka pauses, before she tilts her head, feigning confusion, "w-what do you mean—missing?" Her voice is shaky, and Junko places her hands on Madoka's shoulders.

"She's—her mother thinks that she may have run away."

"...What do you mean, Mama?"

"You said Sayaka-chan messaged you when you were in Tokyo?"

Madoka nods slowly, "she—did."

"Did she say anything? About maybe her going somewhere? Or that, she was going to visit someone, or anything at all?"

Madoka shakes her head. "N-No. Sayaka-chan—didn't say anything at all—we're—we were fighting, and she wanted to see how I was doing... but—" her voice cuts off, because that's really what happened, and her mother's hand is gentle as they brush away her tears. "She—ran away...?"

"She's been gone since yesterday."

She chokes back a sob at the reminder. "Why—didn't you say anything...?"

Junko hugs Madoka again, "because you were in Tokyo—"

"I would've come back! I wanted to come back!"

"I know."

Madoka buries her face in her mother's chest, and her tears are real because she knows that Sayaka will never be found.

"We were fighting," she mumbles. "She didn't say anything. She never talked to me..."

"Shh, it's okay, honey. Sayaka-chan will be okay. She's probably just clearing her head somewhere. She's a smart girl; she'll be back. She knows there's lots of people here who care about her."

Junko's words cut deep into both girls. Madoka wraps her arms around her mother, feeling that lump once again stuck in the back of her throat.

Homura turns away. She presses a hand to her leg, fingers curling in, and hard enough to bruise; why was she so usel—

A familiar scent of perfume; a familiar warmth—

Junko sweeps Homura into her embrace, and hugs both girls tightly. "Promise me that you girls will come talk to me if something's wrong. It doesn't matter when—what it's about, I will always, always make the time to listen. Always."

Madoka sniffles, and with a small, wavering voice, "...I promise, Mama."

Junko kisses Madoka on the forehead, and then does the same to Homura. "Homura?"

Homura squeezes her eyes shut. There's a firm hand on her back, and after a long pause, she can only give a weak nod, but it's enough that Junko finally lets go.

"Good." Junko pulls away, and she smiles, gazing at Madoka, and then to Homura. "Alright, that's enough waterworks for today. If Papa and Takkun sees us like this, they'll think something has happened—and nothing has yet."

Madoka opens her mouth, but Junko shakes her head.

"Nothing has happened yet," she repeats, voice firm. Her hand moves under Madoka's chin, and she tilts her face up, "look up, okay, Madoka? We can't give up yet; Sayaka-chan can still come home—will come home. And we'll be there for her when she does."

Not trusting her voice, Madoka nods, before she brings up her sleeve to wipe her face.

"We'll get through this," Junko tells them.

Madoka wants to trust her; wants to pretend that everything her mother says will come true, that Sayaka, and even Hitomi will come home, safe and sound.

She knows better now though, but she's also better at pretending to be okay.

"...Thank you, Mama."

/

Her gaze is absent as she stares into the orange and pink brushed sky; a view that's starting to feel a little bit like home.

She leans heavily on the railings, body heavy, and not because of the large meal, and sickening sweet dessert they just had. A gust of wind passes through, and she closes her eyes, enjoying the chill as it soothes her slightly fevered skin.

"Kyouko, are you okay?"

She exhales slowly, before she glances over her shoulder. Mami hovers nearby, full senpai mode activated.

Kyouko props her head up, hand underneath her chin. "...She's something else, isn't she?" she says after another moment.

Mami pauses, digesting her words, before she realizes who she is referring to. She acknowledges the change of subject with a sigh, but lets it go for now. "She..." her lips twitch into a small smile, "...that's putting it lightly." There's a bit of awe in her voice that Kyouko catches, but she can understand that feeling.

Kaname Junko is definitely something else.

Kyouko narrows her eyes. "She's—nothing like how my mom was."

The slight shock from Mami's face quickly disappears, warping into one more fragile and introspective. A tentative inhale, "she is... kind in her own way. Strong." She pauses, mouth dry at the sudden breach of topic, "...Madoka-chan is lucky to have a mother like her."

Kyouko tilts her head back, glancing briefly to Mami, before once again facing the setting sun. "Man, something like that... something like that would normally tick me off. Why can't... why..."

Mami closes her eyes, "'...why can't I have something like that?'"

Kyouko abruptly turns to her. After a few seconds, she shows off her fangs, smiling humourlessly. "Yeah."

She angles her face upwards.

"...But that's how it is usually, isn't it? The hero, with the tragic backstory." She shakes her head, "... we're definitely the main characters. Against all odds..." she leans her head down, touching her forehead against the cool metal surface of the railing. "...Is that how it'll end...?"

Mami steps closer. "Hey, Kyouko?"

She grunts in response.

"...You're not alone, you know that, don't you?"

Kyouko lifts her head to stare at the waning sunlight. The pause is long enough that Mami's sure she's not going to answer.

But—

"Yeah," she agrees, voice low. "I know."

Mami bows her head, "we're not alone, so..." she places her hand on the railing, close enough to Kyouko's, "don't think... that you can just leave without me. Not again."

Kyouko closes her eyes. "...Yeah, I know."

The conversation lulls as the sun continues to disappear behind the high rise buildings of the city.

Leaning against the railing, Kyouko opens her eyes, "maybe..."

She remains staring straight ahead, and Mami is only able to see a part of her profile.

She scratches her cheek absently, "maybe, if this—maybe after everything blows over—maybe, I wouldn't mind, maybe transferring to school."

Hearing this, Mami is at a loss for words. "Kyouko..."

"A normal life, huh?" Kyouko extends a hand, and the sun is small enough that she is able to cover it with one finger. "Only until the sun sets." She pushes off the railing, and turns to Mami. "We should get ready to head out."

Mami frowns in response. "Maybe you should rest. I'll patrol tonight."

Kyouko rotates her shoulder, listening as joints pop and crackle. She turns her neck, and there's a satisfying crack heard in her ears.

"Kyouko?"

"Nah." She looks at Mami, "I'll be fine."

"Kyouko—"

"It's all I know," Kyouko tells her as she stares straight ahead. She places a hand on her stomach, "this is full, but—" she moves her hand to her chest, fingers pressing against her shirt, "this isn't. It's—the only way I know how to cope. So—" her voice cracks, and she turns to look at Mami.

After a moment, Mami nods. "Alright... but be careful, okay? If you need help—tell me."

"...Yeah."

When Mami doesn't say anything else, Kyouko heads over to the glass door. She slides it open, but instead of immediately entering, she takes a moment to stare into the living room.

Today, is like any other day.

There are still leftovers from Mami's baking session in the kitchen; the refrigerator is still full of groceries.

There's a gaping hole in her heart, but somehow, everything else is still the same.

"Kyouko?"

She takes a deep breath, and after a long sigh, she steps inside.

/

Night falls, and after a light dinner with her family, followed by a much needed bath, Madoka and Homura retire to their shared room.

Hair still damp, and bodies warm in their pajamas, Madoka smiles as she sees Amy draped over the blankets. She's suddenly reminded of this afternoon, but sighs as she is unable to stay mad at both of them. She approaches her bed, and when she's close enough, she picks Amy up, cradling her in her arms as she takes a seat. Amy's one eye lazily cracks open, and she acknowledges Madoka with a lick, before her eye once again closes.

Madoka absently pets Amy, smiling when she starts purring. She raises her head, automatically searching for Homura, and finds her standing near the closed door.

Even after all this time, and after all they've been through, she's still so unsure.

Madoka's eyes soften. "Homura-chan?"

A shy glance is given in response, and Madoka pats the spot next to her.

Homura tenses, and her hands are suddenly entangled together. Her eyes nervously dart back and forth, before she slowly pads over, head slightly bowed.

Madoka shifts her body, facing Homura once she takes a tentative seat on the bed.

She doesn't say a word, hands clasped in her lap as she waits for Madoka to speak first.

Madoka runs her fingers over Amy's ears, comparing the sensation of a real cat, to Homura's magical ones: they are both soft in their own way.

"Homura-chan?"

Homura freezes, and with her head bowed, she glances over behind her bangs, "yes, Madoka?"

"Can I ask you something?"

She only realizes that she has taken too long to answer when Madoka places a hand on her knee, waking her from her thoughts. She licks her lips nervously, and after another long pause, she nods.

Madoka scoots her body closer, until she's side by side with Homura. "Can... I ask you what my original wish was? It wasn't something silly, was it? Like... wishing for a cake...?"

Homura takes a second to collect herself. She breathes in deeply, and after a slow exhale, she reaches to scratch underneath Amy's chin. There's a gentle smile on her face—a smile she only reserves for Amy, and occasionally, for Madoka.

"You... saved her," Homura tells her, voice soft. "Your wish was to save Amy after she was injured in a traffic accident."

Madoka breathes a small sigh of relief. "That's—good." She quickly corrects herself, "I mean, not that Amy was injured, but that my wish wasn't something so silly..."

Homura's gaze is absent as she's still lost in her memories. "And then... you saved me." She remembers Madoka's backside, ready to face Walpurgisnacht all by herself.

A hand touches her cheek, and the vision is gone. Her eyes focus, and Madoka's earnest face stares back.

"Homura-chan?"

They lock eyes.

"...Yes, Madoka?"

Madoka withdraws her hand, and leans over to rest her head against Homura's. "Have you... thought about what I told you?"

Homura immediately pulls back. She hadn't been expecting to confront this again so soon.

"I—" Madoka hesitates, but she knows it's now, or it really will be never— "...I love you, Homura-chan. I—can I know, what I mean to you?"

Homura swallows hard, feeling her face heat up at the confession. A hand is placed on hers, intertwining their fingers together.

Her mind screams at her to run away, but her body refuses to move. She opens her mouth as a lie starts to form on her lips "I—"

"Do you hate me?" Madoka asks her softly.

She quickly shakes her head. "N-No! I—could never hate you."

"Then...?"

Homura hunches over, pulling her hands away, bunching them into fists. "...W-What do you want me to say...?" she whispers. "I... already told you, how I felt..."

"Please, don't look like that, Homura-chan."

She closes her eyes as Madoka takes her hands once more. It's quiet as she gently tries to coax Homura into relaxing her tightened grip.

"I-I love you, Homura-chan," Madoka repeats as Homura's fingers slowly unfurl, revealing a line of red impressions on her palms. She holds Homura's hands, rubbing her thumbs over the markings to ease her pain. Her actions has Homura opening her eyes, and Madoka is waiting for her with a smile. "...The shy, gentle, crybaby Homura-chan—" she brushes a stray tear from Homura's face, "the milk loving, rat chasing Homura-chan," her lips raise in slight amusement, before her expression softens again, "the strong, and willing to help her friends at all costs Homura-chan. All of you—I love everything that makes you, you, Homura-chan."

She pauses, letting her words sink in.

"But, what am I to you? I—want to know what I mean to you, Homura-chan. If—" she breathes in slowly, "if... you can truthfuly tell me—I mean nothing to you... I'll—" she forces the words out, "I'll stop."

"I—" Homura knows this is for the best, knows that this is the only way it should be.

She knows this, but—

"I—you're—" She makes the mistake of looking at Madoka, and everything that she's been holding in, suddenly spills out, "...you—were my first friend. My—only friend. You're—" she cuts herself off, swiping the tears away, "when you told me that you had to—had to go, I wanted—to stop you, but I couldn't..." She shuts her eyes, face dampened by her tears. "You're strong, and kind, and amazing; of course..."

Madoka holds her breath, waiting.

Homura opens her eyes again, vision now blurred. She blinks, and their held hands briefly come into focus. She turns her head, looking away, "...of course... Iloveyou," she mumbles softly.

Madoka smiles, her own eyes filling with tears. "...Are you sure, Homura-chan?"

Homura feels her heart drop; did Madoka not believe her—is this another one of her punishments for lying for so long?

She turns back to Madoka, hands shaking, unable to keep the hurt off her face, "w-what—do you mean...?"

"I'm... not the same Madoka you know," Madoka tells her. She takes a deep breath, "I'm not a magical girl... I've—never really fought against a Witch. I—" she stares into Homura's eyes, "...didn't save you, Homura-chan. That Madoka... wasn't me. I'm just—plain Kaname Madoka. I'm short, and my grades aren't too good; I don't have any real talents, and I'm really bad at making decisions. Do you—really see me as Kaname Madoka? Or—do you see... someone else there, instead of me?"

The pleading tone fills her ears. She takes in a shallow breath as she repeats the question in her mind—

Could she in full conscience say that she isn't still chasing after a dream?

"Homura-chan...?"

The voice shakes her from her thoughts; she's taking much too long to answer.

She swallows hard, and once again turns her attention to the present. She can admit that even during waking moments, sometimes her memories distort, and she feels like she's still living in the past.

But—

She has made a lot of new, and good memories this time around.

She slowly places her hand over Madoka's, and unknown to her, that rare, gentle smile is once again across her face.

"I see..." she thinks back to one of her first, real encounters with this Madoka, "a kind, trusting girl, who offered to share her lunch with a complete stranger; who..." she looks around the room, pausing at the dresser that's filled with her own clothes, "...gave me a home—and a place to belong. I see someone who's willing to sacrifice herself," she strokes Amy's head, "to save an animal's life..."

She hasn't realized it yet, but she's starting to cry again.

"...Every time I come back, and I see you—" she pauses, sniffing lightly, and uses her sleeve to dab at her eyes, "...you remind me of who I lost..." She looks up, meeting Madoka's eyes, "but—then when I watch you, and see you living your life—you're..." her resolves wavers, gaze unsteady as she looks away, "...how—could I not fall in love with you all over again...?" she whispers. Embarrased, she squeezes her eyes shut, unable to bring herself to see Madoka's reaction.

When there's no answer, and just as she's about to awkwardly make an excuse to leave the room, there's a touch on her hand.

She cracks one eye open, watching as Madoka threads their hands together.

"Homura-chan...?"

Both eyes open, and Homura nervously glances up, unsure of Madoka's response. Her breath leaves her when she finds Madoka staring at her intensely.

She somehow finds her voice. "H-Hm...?"

Madoka slowly leans forward. "Can... I kiss you...?"

They lock eyes, and Homura feels her mouth go dry.

Madoka tentatively leans closer, giving Homura enough time to move away if she wanted to.

"Homura-chan...?"

It's on the tip of her tongue, and Madoka is close—

A gulp of air—

They both jump as the door echoes with a hollow knock. The sound wakes the napping Amy, and she shakes her head in response, bristling at the sound. She meows once, and after a quick stretch, heads over to her own bed.

"Madoka? Are you still awake?" Junko's voice calls to them through the door.

Homura clutches a hand to her chest, heart thumping loudly as she tries to control her heartbeat. She glances to Madoka, and at least feels a bit of relief when there's a splash of pink across her cheeks.

"Y-Yes, Mama, I'm—we're still awake." Madoka quickly gestures to Homura, pointing to the top of her head at the ears that have popped up from the interruption.

Homura quickly makes them disappear as Madoka tries to recompose herself.

"I'm coming in." The door knob twists, and with a small creak, followed by a light gust of wind, the door opens.

Madoka nervously brushes down her shirt, hoping her face won't give anything. She turns to greet her mother. Her sheepishness at almost getting caught slowly disappears when she sees the grim, thin line of her mother's lips; there's none of her usual playfulness.

Something else was wrong.

The reminder of Sayaka's absence gnaws at her stomach, and that guilt she had almost pushed away comes back round.

She braces herself, "is... something wrong, Mama?"

Junko approaches the bed, still remaining silent. Her eyes are hard, but when her gaze falls back to Madoka, that steel is gone, replaced by a weariness that Madoka knows all too well.

"...Mama?"

Without saying anything, Junko steps forward. Her arms extend, and she's cupping Madoka's face with her hands, and then she's closer, wrapping her arms around her daughter.

"Madoka."

"Mama?" Madoka's voice is muffled within her mother's embrace.

Still holding on, Junko takes a seat, occupying the empty space that her appearance had created.

Madoka leans against her mother awkwardly, but her mother refuses to let go.

"Mama?"

Finally, "I just got off the phone with Hitomi-chan's parents."

Madoka tenses, and Junko holds her for a moment longer, before pulling back.

She had been expecting it—and even knowing the news beforehand doesn't stop the tears that well in her eyes.

Before she can move, a gentle hand brushes them away. "...Hitomi-chan didn't come home last night."

The pressure around her chest grows, and her vision is blurry as she lifts her head to meet her mother's eyes.

"Madoka... are you sure you don't know anything? About Sayaka-chan? Hitomi-chan? Did you hear anything from them? Anything at all?"

Madoka closes her eyes, feeling the trickle of water run down her cheeks. A pang of guilt—but she shakes her head.

Junko sighs softly.

The bed moves, and light rustling is heard.

"Thanks, Homura."

Curious, Madoka cracks one eye open, and there's a blur of purple, before she closes her eye again as something brushes against her skin.

The familiarity makes her body ache. She slowly opens her eyes, and after a few blinks, accepts the extended tissue that she knew her mother would be holding.

After a moment, Junko continues, "...a police report has been filed for the both of them. Apparently, there's been some kind of drama between the two over a boy."

Madoka sniffles, and wipes her nose with the paper. "...Kamijou-kun."

Junko nods, face grim. "...They're calling him in for questioning tomorrow morning. In case..." her voice trails off, and Madoka feels her mother's hard stare.

Before she can voice her question, Junko turns, and Homura flinches when Junko looks at her.

"Love... is a very strong emotion," Junko tells them. "It can make people do things they normally wouldn't... It can be used for manipulation, even if it's not intended." She glances over to Madoka, making sure that she is paying attention. "Don't you girls ever forget that."

Homura and Madoka both turn to face each other.

A held breath, and Homura is the first to look away. She casts her eyes to the floor, her thin shoulders slumping suddenly under an invisible weight.

Madoka feels something in her chest stir. Homura didn't deserve to look so small, bearing so much on her back.

Junko takes a deep breath, easily reading the now awkward atmosphere in the room. There's a lot she can say, but for now... she'll trust her daughter.

"They'll start their investigation for Sayaka-chan and Hitomi-chan's disappearance by questioning those who are closest to them. Family... friends. I know you two just returned from Tokyo, but they also want to talk to you, Madoka. Will you cooperate with them? I can put it off, but..."

Madoka swallows heavily. "I—" she clears her throat, "of course, Mama. I want-I want to help them find Sayaka-chan and Hitomi-chan. If—I can help them, I will."

Junko gives her a small smile, "I'll get the details from them tomorrow and see when they want to stop by. In the mean time," she stands to her feet, "it's been a long day, and you two must be tired."

She leans down to kiss the crown of Madoka's head, and then does the same to Homura.

Straightening up, she takes a moment, looking between both girls. "Get some sleep you two."

"Goodnight Mama," Madoka murmurs softly.

Homura looks away, "...goodnight..."

Junko glances back once more, before exiting the room. The door swings close behind her, and there's a small click when the latch catches.

Once she's sure her mother is gone, Madoka falls back onto the bed, letting out a large sigh.

When she remains lying there, Homura calls out to her. "Madoka...?"

Madoka breathes out slowly, and then in one quick motion, she lifts her arms, and forces herself to sit up. She turns to Homura, and sensing the moment is already lost, "...we should probably head to bed."

Homura nods, looking visibly relieved. She unconsciously pulls her hand close to her chest. "...we should."

Suddenly worried, Madoka moves closer. "Does your heart hurt, Homura-chan? Do you need a grief seed? Let me go get—"

Homura quickly shakes her head. "No, I'm fine. We should sleep."

"Homura-chan. Show me your soul gem."

Her brows furrow slightly, but when Madoka looks serious, Homura obediently complies.

After a shine of light, Madoka breathes a sigh of relief when she sees the purple gem: other than a few dark spots, it's still bright.

With another sigh, "...we should sleep," Madoka repeats again.

Homura quickly dispels her soul gem, sending it back into its smaller ring form. Once done, she hides her ears and tail, and then waits for Madoka to move first.

When she remains sitting, Homura gently nudges her with her shoulder.

"Madoka?"

Madoka reaches for Homura's hand, but stops when Homura pulls away.

"We should—sleep," Homura tells her, trying her hardest to ignore the hurt that flashes across Madoka's face.

Madoka tries to search Homura's eyes, but when the other girl refuses to look at her, she slowly gets to her feet.

"...I'll turn off the lights," Madoka says as she heads to the switch.

When Homura sees how dejectedly Madoka looks, she guiltily turns away, moving to crawl into bed. Junko's words repeat in her mind; maybe—

She clamps down on her thoughts; they had no more grief seeds to spare.

She slides her arms under the blankets, feeling the coolness of the fabric on her skin.

"I'm turning off the lights now, Homura-chan."

She makes a small noise of acknowledgement as she takes her place by the wall. She lowers her body to bury her face into the pillow. It's a comforting, familiar smell, and she rubs her cheek against the soft cushion.

The short trip to Tokyo already feels like a lifetime ago.

"Homura-chan?"

She blinks, drawing out of her daze as arms slip around her waist. The lights are already off, and Madoka is next to her.

"...It's good to be home, isn't it?"

She breathes out slowly, and closes her eyes. "...Yes."

Madoka tenses briefly, but suddenly relaxes. She pulls Homura closer, "goodnight, Homura-chan."

"...Goodnight, Madoka."

Words failing her, Madoka lets her frustrations deflate with her breath. She settles herself comfortably against Homura, and closes her eyes.

As Homura's breathing slowly evens out, Madoka remains wide awake.

She tries counting sheep, but after losing count for the fifth time, she carefully tries to extract herself from Homura's side. There's a small sound of protest, and when she stops moving, Homura immediately quiets down. She waits until she's sure Homura has fallen asleep, before she tries again.

Her second attempt is successful, and she quietly slips out of bed. With one last glance to the sleeping figure, she carefully makes her way towards the door.

It's a quick trip to the bathroom, and once done, she stands in the hallway, debating on her next move. She knows Homura will wake, but it's just a matter of when, and how bad the nightmare will be.

She hopes she has a little of time before then.

Throat feeling slightly parched, she decides to grab a glass of water; maybe it'll help.

Slowly, she makes her way to the kitchen, her way lit by the dim nightlights they leave on around the house. Her Mama claims it's in case Takkun wakes in the middle of the night, but Madoka knows it's more for when a drunken Junko tries to stumble her way to her room; she knows because her Papa had told her.

It's quiet, and the floorboards dip lightly under her weight as she slowly walks down the hallway.

She doesn't hear the usual sounds indicating her parents are still awake, so when the hall ends, opening up to the living room, she stops as soon as she spots her mother hunched over the dining room table.

Donning her familiar robe, her hair is tied up with her trademark towel band around her head.

Madoka is still deciding whether or not to interrupt when her mother suddenly looks up. She freezes as she's caught in her mother's gaze.

A familiar, kind smile is offered, and when her mother beckons her over, her feet automatically start moving before she can stop herself.

As she approaches the table, she finally notices the cup and bottle pushed off to the side. She curiously scans the papers scattered around; charts, diagrams, all filled with her mother's neat handwriting.

"Is everything alright?"

Madoka forces her eyes up, only to find her mother staring as if she's expecting the answer 'no'.

That is true, but she doesn't want to admit it.

She remains quiet, once again dropping her eyes to stare at the floor. She has many, many things she can say, but her mind has gone blank, and she can't even find the words to reassure her mom that she is doing fine.

"Is it about Sayaka-chan and Hitomi-chan?"

She lifts her head again, and this time her mother's expression looks tired.

Still tongue-tied, she can only nod in response.

"We'll find them," Junko tells her, voice clear and as hard as steel.

They stare at one another, and the sureness her mother exudes subsides her worries a little. She manages a weak smile, followed by a small nod.

Junko returns the smile, and then gestures to the chair in front of her. "Join me?"

Madoka nods again, and finally finds her voice. "Sure, Mama."

Before taking a seat, she heads to the kitchen to grab a cup of water. It gives her a chance to clear her thoughts, and when she finally has the cool glass in hand, she feels she can finally face Kaname Junko.

She takes a tentative seat across from her mother. "Is Papa sleeping already?"

"Mm, he had an early day today since he had to volunteer at Takkun's daycare."

Madoka nods.

"But," Junko gives her a wink, "don't worry—they'll both be home tomorrow. I already put in a request for lunch, so look forward to it, Madoka."

Madoka nods again. "I'm sure whatever Papa makes will be delicious," she murmurs absently.

She can feel a piercing gaze in her direction, but she takes a moment to sip her water, knowing her mother will wait patiently for her to speak her thoughts.

Not yet willing to talk just yet, her eyes look around the room, until they once again land on the papers on the table. She latches onto them, still unable to put her feelings into words.

"...Are you still working on your project?"

Junko glances down briefly to her notes, "just working ahead a bit. Everything's already been submitted and approved, so we're in the clear for now. Most likely we'll start the next part by next month." She quirks her eyebrow, giving Madoka another smile. "But—I'll spare you the details, since the last thing I want to do is talk about work at this moment."

To emphasize her point, she pushes the papers away, and instead reaches for her drink. Ice clinks as liquid swirls, and Madoka watches as her mother takes a large gulp, draining more than half of her cup in one swoop.

Junko breathes out a loud sigh. "That really hits the spot." She looks down at her drink, and then looks up at Madoka. To her surprise, her mother pushes the cup towards her. "Want a sip?"

"I thought—" she fumbles from the sudden offer, "I'm not old enough..."

Junko nods slowly, but more as a response than in agreement. "You're not old enough," Junko tells her, body slouching slightly, "and yet, it somehow feels like you are."

Madoka nervously licks her lips, "w-what do you mean, Mama?"

Junko stares absently at her drink; the condensation around the cup, and the small crescent shaped pools of water on the table shows she's been out here, drinking for a while, but when she casts her eyes back to Madoka, her gaze is as sharp and as intimidating as usual.

"Something happened to you in Tokyo."

Madoka freezes.

Junko shakes her head, "no, even before then. If I had to pinpoint it, it was around the time that Homura arrived. You've grown up, Madoka."

Madoka tries to calm down, bracing herself against the table, hoping her anxiousness isn't showing on her face. She knows if she looks away, she'll lose, and she forces herself to meet her mother's gaze. With each passing second, her resolve wanes, and she feels her defenses slowly crumbling.

Just as she's about to open her mouth, her mother suddenly turns away, lowering her body to rest on the surface of the table.

Her arms are stretched in front of her, and her eyes are now closed. "You're still young, Madoka, rely on Mama moreeeeee. Mama's not past her prime yet. I'm still cool, and 'in' with it."

The sudden change catches Madoka offguard. "Mama...?"

"Kids these days," Junko mumbles, head still down, "thinking they have to grow up so fast. Then again, I was around her age when I started acting out. No-no, my cute little girl isn't pushing away from me. She's just..."

Madoka blinks, and leans closer when her mother's mutterings drop in volume. "Mama...?" She waits for a response, but when there's no answer, she realizes that her mother has fallen asleep.

She sits back in her seat, letting the tension drain with a slow sigh. After another moment, she moves to take a drink.

The water is cool as it hits her tongue, and half her cup disappears before she places it back down. She looks over again when her mother mumbles something under her breath; she's still asleep.

This weekend had to have been hectic for her, and yet she was still there, bright and early to greet them at the station.

She's once more reminded just how much she loves her family. She quickly wipes the tears away before they can fall. She takes a few deep breaths, and after finishing the rest of her drink, she pushes her chair back. She'll need to call her Papa over to the kitchen, as it'll take the both of them to carry Junko to her bedroom.

Before she does that, she walks over to her mother. She hovers over her figure, and watches as she peacefully sleeps. She leans down, and gently kisses her mother on the forehead.

"Thank you, Mama," Madoka whispers softly. "I love you, too."

She straightens up, and starts walking to her Papa's room.

\\

After waking up her dad, it doesn't take them that long to carry Junko to bed, and the expended energy is just what Madoka needs in order to get to sleep.

"Goodnight, Papa," Madoka tells him, right before stifling back a yawn.

He smiles. "Goodnight, Madoka. Get some sleep, okay?"

She nods, and just as she's about to turn around to leave, he pulls her in for a hug.

"If you need anything, Papa will be just down the hall."

She smiles in response, knowing that he is also worried about her, just like her mom. She hugs him back. "Thank you, Papa. Goodnight."

With a wave, they part ways, and after another quick trip to the bathroom, Madoka makes her way back to her room, finally feeling ready to go to sleep.

She carefully pushes her door open, and glances inside out of habit. She squints, and pushes the door open wider to let more light in.

She pauses mid-step, finally noticing Homura sitting at the edge of the bed, body hunched over, face held in her hands.

Amy's soft meow sets Madoka in motion, and she quickly steps forward. Thinking quickly, she shuts the door to her bedroom, and after her eyes adjust, she moves to flip on the desklight, pointing the light towards the wall to dampen the brightness.

Homura still has not reacted, and Madoka approaches her slowly. "...Homura-chan?"

Homura does not respond, instead curling her body in, body still shaking, mind still trapped in her nightmare.

Hands are firmly placed on her shoulders. "Homura-chan."

She flinches at the touch, but Madoka wraps her arms around her, taking a seat on the bed as she hugs Homura close.

Panic breathes tickle her ear, and Madoka whispers reassurances in response, trying to calm her down.

She's pushed away, but Madoka holds on tightly, until finally, Homura collapses against her, unable to break free.

Amy bats her hand with her paw, and meows once more.

"Shhh, it's okay, Homura-chan. We're both here for you," Madoka says softly, stroking her head.

After what feels like an eternity, Homura finally takes in a shaky breath.

"...Sorry..."

Madoka sighs again, quickly counting backwards in her head to dispel her anger. She opens her eyes, and gently pulls away. Homura blocks her face with her bangs, and Madoka swipes them to the side.

Shame flashes across Homura's face, and she quickly averts her eyes.

Madoka pulls her in to kiss the top of Homura's head. "Did you just wake up?" She guiltily wonders how long Homura had been trapped in her nightmare.

"Maybe... a few minutes ago...?"

Amy meows in response, and Homura turns to her, frowning.

It only confirms Homura's lie, and with a sigh, Madoka starts to play with Homura's hair, brushing out the tangles from her tossing and turning. "...Did you want to talk about it?"

Homura is suddenly tense in her arms, and tries to extract herself from Madoka's embrace. "It—was nothing," she lies.

Madoka doesn't let her go, instead hooking her hands together behind Homura's back, holding her in place. "...Can I tell you one of mine?"

Homura immediately stops struggling.

Madoka fits her head on top of Homura's shoulder, taking a moment to feel each breath that Homura takes.

Homura hesitates, "you... you can tell me anything."

Madoka closes her eyes. "...I dreamt about Sayaka-chan, and Hitomi-chan." Their names cause a small hitch in Homura's breathing, but Madoka pushes on, "we were—it was like, any other day. We were walking together, maybe to school? But then—they started walking faster, and I couldn't keep up. No matter how much I called to them, they just kept walking, leaving me behind."

She can still remember their angry faces and accusing words when they had finally turned around.

Hands press on her back, "...I was too late, and I couldn't save you or Amy," Homura whispers softly.

Hearing her name, Amy licks Homura's hand. Homura peers over Madoka's shoulder, finding Amy looking up at her. She reaches over to affectionately scratch Amy's chin.

Madoka opens her eyes, pulling back for a glimpse of Homura's face. Fresh tears stain her cheeks.

Homura sucks in a breath, remembering the consequences of being too slow. Her hand stills, earning her a meow of protest from Amy. "I—c-couldn't—"

"We're here, Homura-chan. We're both safe." Madoka gently bumps their foreheads together. "...Do you need a grief seed?"

Homura turns away.

Madoka moves to retrieve the remaining grief seed leftover from their trip. She leaves their suitcase open, and quickly retakes her seat on the bed. One shine of light later, Homura's soul gem is almost clear. Dark spots linger at the edges, but there's only one grief seed left, and it's not something Madoka wants to use.

"...I'm fine now, thank you." Homura stores the spent grief seed into her shield, before she sends her gem back to her finger. Her ears and tail disappear shortly after.

Madoka sighs. She leans against Homura, tilting her head against hers. They sit there, each lost in their own thoughts.

Until, "Homura-chan?"

"Yes, Madoka?"

"...can I kiss you?"

Caught off-guard, Homura falls silent.

"...I won't, if you don't want me to."

"I—" Homura quickly draws back. "W-Why...?"

Madoka smiles, meeting the timid gaze peering at her. "Because—" she gently uses her sleeve to dry the remaining tears from Homura's face, "...I love you, Homura-chan. Because—" she takes Homura's hands, "I want to. Because—" she stares into Homura's eyes, "we don't have much time left..."

The truth once again comes round.

Madoka sees various emotions flash across Homura's face. She smiles in amusement when Homura looks to Amy for help, but the black cat merely flops onto her back, as if insulted Homura had to ask her.

Homura looks up again; Madoka is still waiting.

Finally, she dips her head.

"Look at me?" Madoka tells her softly.

Homura's gaze nervously flits from side to side. Her body tenses as Madoka repositions herself so that they face each other.

She moves closer.

When she sees how stressed Homura looks, she stops. Worried about Homura's heart, she gently places a hand atop Homura's chest, "relax, Homura-chan." She pulls back, giving Homura some space to breathe.

Homura takes in a deep breath, before exhaling. She repeats this a few more times. When she glances up, once again meeting Madoka's eyes, she quickly looks away.

She hears Madoka sigh, and glances over.

Madoka gives her a disarming smile, "maybe—tomorrow?"

When Homura doesn't agree or disagree, Madoka moves to get ready for bed. Halfway to her feet, a hand around her wrist stops her short.

She turns to Homura in surprise.

"...What if—tomorrow never comes...?" Homura whispers.

Madoka wordlessly sits back down. She glances to Homura in confirmation, and when she sees how hard she's trying to not run away, Madoka smiles, and leans in close.

Before Madoka makes contact, Homura reaches over, using her hand to cover Amy's eyes. It earns her a meow in protest that both girls ignore as Madoka moves closer.

A breath's away, and Madoka slowly closes her eyes.

There's no fireworks, no electricity, no explosions in the sky—

It's just her, Homura, and the subtle taste of tears.

For a brief moment, everything is still: the voices in her head—the demons in her mind. Madoka allows herself a little bit of joy—she's smiling as she pulls back.

"...are you—really okay...with someone like me...?"

The smile drops from her face, replaced by a surge of anger that she barely keeps in check. She leans in, bumping her head softly against Homura's.

"...it's because you're you, Homura-chan. No one else—just you, Homura-chan."

Homura does not respond, and Madoka holds her close, letting her cry. The frustration comes back, and she soon finds her own tears joining Homura's.

Eventually, the crying stops, and feeling drained, they both pull away.

Madoka gives her a watery smile, knowing her appearance is just as bad as Homura's. "...Want to wash up?"

Homura nods, looking embaraased.

They both stand. Amy lifts her head when she feels the bed move, but lowers it again when she sees them walking to the door.

Hands held, Homura shyly leads the way, walking a bit ahead of Madoka. Madoka follows behind her, using their distance to collect herself. She places a hand to her cheek, face slowly burning as their actions finally catch up.

They reach the wide bathroom, and though Homura walks in without flicking on the light, Madoka hits the switch when she follows after.

They both stop, blinded by the sudden light.

A few blinks, and then the door is closed, before they continue inside to the sinks.

As Homura washes her face, Madoka studies her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes are puffy and swollen, cheeks still tinged a light pink. She turns on the faucet to collect water in her hands. The water chills her skin, and she closes her eyes to splash water on her warm face.

She repeats this a few more times, until it feels like she has cooled down enough. Eyes half closed, she shuts off the water, and then blindly reaches for her face towel off the nearby rack. When she feels the fabric underneath her fingertips, she grabs it, and proceeds to wipe her face dry.

Once done, the stillness in the bathroom hits her ears.

She lowers the cloth and turns, unexpectingly meeting a stare of pale lavender. Homura's clutching her own towel in her hands, and her eyes are just as swollen and puffy. With skin as pale as hers, she is unable to hide that embarrassed blush still on her face.

Madoka breathes in deeply, before taking a step forward. Homura blinks as Madoka reaches her, and immediately throws her arms around Homura's shoulders.

The sudden weight catches Homura offguard, and she stumbles back a bit. A second later, she catches her balance, supporting them both.

Before she can ask, Madoka tugs Homura down to her height, bringing their faces close again—she's off her mark by just a little, but close enough that Homura freezes at the contact.

Madoka's a bit more desperate this time, and when she pulls away, they're both out of breath.

Arms still holding her in place, Homura slouches as they stare at one another, breathing heavily.

Madoka presses their foreheads together, "...I love you, Homura-chan. Don't forget that."

The weight around her shoulders disappears as Madoka steps back.

Her bravado disappears, and she flushes as bright as her hair. She quickly turns away, hanging her face towel onto the rack as she tries to gain her bearings.

She gives a quick side glance, and when their eyes meet again they both look away. She clears her throat, "I'm—going to get some water. Did you want some?"

Homura fidgets with her face cloth, keeping her eyes to the tiled floor. "Y-yes, thank you..." she murmurs quietly.

Madoka nods, and stiffly starts walking to the door. Once there, she looks back, catching Homura's reflection in the mirror. Her ears and tail have popped out, unconsciously flickering about as she holds her hands to her face.

A triumphant smile sneaks across Madoka's lips.

Before Madoka disappears out the door, Homura glances behind her, catching a glimpse of pink. She swallows heavily, and turns back to the sink.

Seconds later, water rushes from the faucets, and Homura tries her best to cool herself down once more.

/

A cup of water later, and after a bit of awkwardness that earns them an annoyed meow from Amy, they settle back into bed. As they lie there, hands intertwined, Madoka suddenly sits up, twisting her body so that she can see the clock on her desk.

"Madoka...?"

She does a quick calculation, before sinking back down. She sighs as she scoots closer to Homura. "We only have a couple hours before we meet Mami-chan and Kyouko-chan."

Homura makes a small noise in response. "...Can you sleep?"

"Mm..."

It's a weighted question, directed towards the nightmares that have been frequenting what should have been their dreams. But at the moment, all she's feeling is warm and content, and with Homura by her side, she knows she'll have no trouble sleeping.

"Yes," she breathes out.

"Okay," Homura whispers softly, "I'll be here."

She suddenly hugs Homura tighter, and Homura returns the gesture, hoping to ease Madoka's fears. She unconsciously starts purring, and the soft rumbles distracts Madoka from her dark thoughts. Her eyes slowly close, and her grip relaxes. Just as she feels herself falling asleep, something flashes in her mind, and she jerks awake.

Pulse racing, she pats her hands on Homura's back, confirming the solidness, and reaffirming the feeling of heat underneath her fingertips.

"...Madoka...?" Homura mumbles, obviously in the midst of falling asleep.

"...You'll be here when I wake up, right, Homura-chan?" She holds her breath, and feels the seconds tick by when Homura remains quiet. Just as it feels like her heart is about to burst from her chest, Homura finally speaks.

"I'll be here."

Madoka curls closer, this time placing her head against Homura's chest. Past skin and these thin, fragile bones, Homura's heart still beats, aided by the magic that's helping to keep her alive.

Madoka sighs softly, "Homura-chan?"

"Hm...?"

"...I love you."

Those three words again.

Madoka feels Homura tense. After another moment, Homura breathes out slowly.

Madoka waits, and as much as sleep calls to her, she stubbornly refuses to let it claim her.

Not until she hears it again, loud and clear.

Homura slowly breathes in, and then out. She stops. "...I—"

Madoka holds her breath—

"...I love you too, Madoka," Homura whispers. She swallows quickly, and forces air into her lungs.

Madoka smiles at the victory. She closes her eyes, snuggling close. "Thank you, Homura-chan."

Homura falls into silence, once again lost in her thoughts. It isn't long until she realizes that Madoka has fallen asleep.

She gulps in air, mouth dry, and suddenly wanting to drown her thoughts in milk. With Madoka sleeping so close, she's unable to move away, and unconsciously starts purring to calm herself.

Slowly, she relaxes, and soon enough, her eyes droop close.

She'll be here for Madoka—for as long as she can be.

Even if that won't be very long at all.

AN: Question: how long does it take to update a chapter?
Answer: almost 1.5 years

Happpppyyyyy belated birthday to Madoka-

Thank you to whoever's still reading, and thank you for reviewing

Now, let me just... crawl into this hole and—