Summary: Mami's life is hanging by a thread. There is, however, one person who will not give up on her…

Genre(s): Romance/Drama

Character(s): Madoka K., Mami T., Homura A., Sayaka M.

Pairing(s): Madoka x Mami

Story Type: AU; One-shot

Disclaimer: I do not own Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Author's Notes: This story takes place in an alternate universe version of episode 3.

* I Promised *

The late afternoon sun strongly shone its fading, golden rays down on the large apartment complex where Mami Tomoe resided. The light of the sun trickled in through her apartment's bedroom window where inside, a young girl lay on the bed, her blonde pigtail locks splayed out around her head. She was completely immobile except for the labored rise and fall of her chest beneath the sheets. Madoka Kaname sat at Mami's bedside, Mami's dangling left hand clutched firmly between her own and her brow furrowed in concern.

"She still hasn't woken up?" Sayaka asked as she entered the room to check back on Madoka and Mami. Madoka slowly shook her head and did not say a word, her eyes firmly set on Mami's pale and motionless features. Sayaka frowned in worry and her eyes shot over to the small, white creature perched atop Mami's dresser, watching over the three with its beady, red eyes.

"What's wrong with her?" Sayaka asked fiercely, sounding as if she was accusing the creature of being responsible for Mami's condition, but truly she was simply upset. Kyuubey glanced between Sayaka and Mami for a moment, his unblinking eyes taking in the scene. A long pause ensued as he seemed to think.

"I'm...not sure," he replied, though the hesitation in his voice seemed to suggest otherwise.

Madoka squeezed Mami's hand tighter at hearing Kyuubey's unsure words. 'Mami-san...'

Mami had been gravely injured when the decoy tactic that the witch Charlotte had used nearly ended her young life. However, Homura Akemi had broken free of Mami's restraints just in time to save her, leaving the blonde girl with her life, but just barely.

Hours passed with no improvement in Mami's condition, yet Madoka faithfully remained at her side. Sayaka also stayed to watch over Mami, but soon the sun was hovering just above the horizon, with night coming up just behind it. Sayaka walked over to Madoka and gently placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Madoka, it's getting late, we really should..." Sayaka trailed off as Madoka slowly shook her head.

"I can't leave her, not like this," Madoka replied, sounding as if she were about to break down into tears at any moment. 'I promised...'

"It's getting late, Madoka, we can't stay out. I'm sure she's going to be alright..." Sayaka urged, but even she sounded as if she did not believe herself. Madoka broke her vigilant watch over Mami to glance back at Sayaka and give her a reassuring smile.

"You can go home, Sayaka-chan," she said before returning her gaze to Mami's unresponsive features. "I don't want her to wake up alone..." Madoka continued quietly, almost mumbling. Sayaka's mouth twisted into a frown, torn between staying and needing to leave.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Sayaka said reluctantly as she gave a little wave and headed for the door.

The room was filled with silence once had Sayaka left. Time passed and soon the silver glow of the moon shined in through the window and across Mami's still body. But still, Madoka did not move an inch; she remained a constant presence at Mami's side.

'I won't let you be alone anymore, Mami-san,' Madoka thought as she held onto Mami's hand tightly, as she had for the entire day. Kyuubey, who also had not left, hopped up onto the bed and looked at Madoka, who did not even take notice of his presence.

"Madoka, maybe you should listen to Sayaka and go home, it is very late already," Kyuubey urged.

"No, I won't-" Madoka began to protest, but a soft groan caused her breath to catch in her throat and go silent. Mami's form began to move beneath the covers as the life seemed to return to her. Her head rolled slightly to the side, towards Madoka, and her eyes slowly opened.

"Kaname-san..?" Mami asked weakly, her voice hoarse, as her golden orbs blearily focused on Madoka's features. Madoka's eyes filled with tears of joy and her lips spread into a jubilant smile.

"Mami-san! You're alive..!" Madoka cried as she fell forward onto Mami's lap and let the tears that she had held in the entire day fall.

Mami was surprised, but her mouth quickly turned up in a happy smile as she brought her hand up to caress Madoka's head. "Thank you, Kaname-san..."

* Puella Magi MadokaMagica *

Once Madoka had cried her suppressed fears and worries out, she quickly headed out of the room to retrieve Mami more pillows so that she could sit up, and a cup of tea.

"Thank you for this, Kaname-san..." Mami said as she gingerly took a sip from her cup. "...For everything," she added with a gentle smile as she set her cup in her lap.

"It was nothing, Mami-san," Madoka replied blushing lightly and smiling at Mami's gratitude. Mami's smile grew at Madoka's bashfulness, but soon her expression became distant as she stared down at her reflection in the teacup.

"I was afraid...no one would be here..." Mami trailed off, her voice sad, her eyes distant as if looking through the cup entirely.

"Mami-san..." Madoka said in a hushed voice as she gazed sadly at Mami's sorrowful expression. Mami seemed to come out of her daze and quickly put her smile back in place.

"I'm sorry, my mind was elsewhere for a moment," Mami said as she moved her cup to her bedside table. Mami suddenly went pale and the teacup fell from her hands, shattering on the floor as she fell back limply against the pillows, breathing heavily.

"Mami-san!" Madoka cried out as she jumped to her feet and rushed to Mami's side, kneeling beside the bed.

"I'm...alright..." Mami panted out as she seemed to recover a little. "Just...a weak spell," she assured, but Madoka's features remained shrouded in worry. Madoka slowly returned to her seat as Mami waved her off. Mami seemed to recover and sat up straight again.

"You really should go home, Kaname-san, it's late," Mami said after a moment, the calm having returned to her voice.

"What? No! I can't leave you alone, Mami-san!" Madoka replied immediately with conviction as she stood to her feet in protest.

"I'm alright now, you've done more than enough for me," Mami replied calmly, her comforting smile growing.

"But, Mami-san..!" Madoka again tried to protest but Mami held her hand up to silence the young girl.

"Go home, Kaname-san, I'll be fine," Mami said firmly but reassuringly.

Madoka looked conflicted for a moment before her shoulders dropped in defeat. "Are you sure?"

Mami gave a single nod. "I'm sure."

"Alright..." Madoka replied, her voice meek with sadness as she stood to her feet and dragged herself towards the door.

"Kaname-san..." Mami called out to get Madoka's attention. Madoka paused and turned back to Mami; whose face was suddenly downcast for a moment before brightening up a bit. "I'm glad you stayed with me..." Mami continued, her voice sounding elated but at the same time as if she were about to cry.

Madoka could not help but smile at Mami's words. "I was happy to, Mami-san," Madoka replied cheerily, but quickly added. "But I'm going to come back tomorrow after school!"

Mami chuckled lightly at Madoka's passion. "I'll be waiting," she replied happily.

"Goodnight, Mami-san," Madoka said in farewell as she gave one final smile and a little wave before leaving the room.

Mami waved Madoka off, her expression cheerful, but as soon as Madoka had left, her expression became grave and serious. She brought her left hand up and looked at the ring on her finger before stretching her hand out, her palm exposed and fingers curled back. The ring began to glow and transformed into a small crystalline orb seated neatly in the center of her palm.

Mami brought her Soul Gem close to her face and inspected it; the once vibrant gem was tainted with seething, pulsating darkness. Mami's mouth stretched into a thin, displeased line as she lowered her hand and looked to her dresser, where Kyuubey sat, out of sight and out of mind until that moment.

"What's happening to me?" she asked flatly as she stared the creature down. Mami and Kyuubey exchanged a long, wordless look before Mami's head dropped. "I see..."

* Puella Magi MadokaMagica *

The next day, Madoka could barely concentrate at school; she kept staring through the glass wall that made up her classroom and into the senior classroom next door, where Mami's vacant seat could be seen.

'I hope she's alright...' Madoka thought as her gaze lingered on Mami's empty desk. Madoka's lack of attention did not go unnoticed as Homura stared at her throughout the entire class, though she did not notice.

When lunch finally came, Homura confronted Madoka in an empty hallway.

"Homura-chan?" Madoka asked in confusion as Homura had appeared in front of her as if out of nowhere and now blocked her path.

"Forget about her," Homura said flatly as she gazed at her impassively.

"'Forget about'..? You mean Mami-san?" Madoka replied quizzically.

"Yes, forget about her, she's beyond your help now," Homura replied in that same flat tone. Madoka became incensed by Homura's callous attitude.

"I can't just abandon her! I won't let her be alone anymore!" Madoka yelled back fiercely. Homura's cold expression did not falter at Madoka's ferocity and she continued to stare at Madoka for a long moment, her apathetic gaze burning back into Madoka's determined one.

"Madoka, what's wrong? I heard shouting," Sayaka said as she came walking up to Madoka from behind. Sayaka spotted Homura and looked surprised to see her for a moment, but her eyes quickly narrowed in a hot glare at the indifferent girl. Sayaka and Homura exchanged a long, silent look, before, without a word, Homura turned and walked back down the hallway and out of sight. Sayaka glared after Homura for a moment longer before her expression softened as she laid a comforting hand on Madoka's shoulder.

"You alright?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah..." Madoka replied absently as she stared after Homura gloomily.

* Puella Magi MadokaMagica *

Evening came and as soon as school ended Madoka hurried as fast as she could over to Mami's apartment. Madoka was panting lightly as she ascended the final stair to the floor of Mami's apartment.

"Mami-san! I'm coming in!" she called out breathlessly as she let herself into Mami's apartment, her heart beating with the anticipation of checking on the blonde. "Mami-san?" she called again as she slowly made her way into the apartment.

Madoka knew Mami had been very weak the previous day, but she had at least hoped that she would be up and about by then. Finally, Madoka ventured to Mami's bedroom and slowly cracked the door open.

"Mami-san, are you OK-?" she began but gasped mid-sentence at what she saw when she entered the room. "Mami-san!" she cried out in shock as she rushed over to Mami's bedside. Mami was slumped against the pillows, her eyes closed and her head limply lolled to the side, facing the window. Her features were ghostly pale and she was breathing heavily, even more labored than the day before.

'She's even worse than yesterday!' Madoka mentally cried in a panic as she visually examined the weak girl.

"Mami-san, wake up!" Madoka urged as she gently shook the motionless girl. After a few more shakes, Mami still had not come out of her comatose state.

'What am I going to do..?' Madoka thought helplessly as she fell back into the chair at Mami's bedside. Tears began to well up in Madoka's eyes and she brought her hands up to wipe the tears away, but soon found herself sobbing uncontrollably into the palms of her hands.

'What if she's really dying..?' Madoka thought as cold dread washed over her. 'I shouldn't have left her alone yesterday!' she mentally berated herself as her guilt fed her weeping. 'I wish there was something I could do...'

Madoka's thought echoed in her mind as she suddenly stopped crying. 'Wish...' she repeated in her mind. 'What if I could use my wish to help her..?' As if on cue, Kyuubey appeared in front of Madoka, his small eyes seeming to bore into her soul.

"Madoka, you could help her with your wish," he said, his words seeding the worry and dread building up within the sorrowful girl.

"My wish..." Madoka mumbled to herself, feeling conflicted and vexed over the decision and brought her gaze up, looking at Mami's motionless features.

'What if she really is dying..?' she thought as she reached her hand out towards Mami as if to caress her face. Madoka drew her hand back and gasped in surprise as Mami suddenly began to seize, crying out in pain as her body contorted in pain.

"M-Mami-san!" Madoka cried in distress as Mami writhed on the bed. Then, as fast as it all began, she went limp on the bed once more.

Madoka stood at Mami's bedside, frozen in shocked horror until Mami's limp arm fell from beneath the sheets, an object falling from her unclenched hand and clinking to the floor. Madoka looked down and saw that it was Mami's Soul Gem and knelt down to pick it up.

"What's happening to it..?" she asked to herself as she examined the small orb.

The light had almost completely faded from the gem, now replaced with an angry, pulsating blackness that tainted the gem's golden remnants. Madoka gasped as a crack suddenly formed in the Soul Gem and her eyes quickly returned to Mami's motionless form. A creeping growth of swirling darkness had appeared on Mami's dangling left hand and was slowly spreading upwards like a supernatural infection.

"What's happening to her?" Madoka cried out at Kyuubey as she thrust the crumbling Soul Gem at him. Kyuubey remained silent and only blinked once at Madoka. By then, the darkness had spread all the way up to Mami's shoulder and her chest no longer rose and fell in pained breathing.

"You can save her, Madoka," Kyuubey said after a moment.

Madoka looked to Mami's pale face once more before looking at the deteriorating Soul Gem in her hand and gazed at it intensely. She then clutched the Soul Gem between both of her hands and held it firmly to her chest. 'I promised...'

And, without a second thought, Madoka looked to Kyuubey and gave a single, firm nod. Kyuubey's smile seemed to curl upwards even more as his ears extended out towards Madoka's chest, the room filling with a bright, blinding light.

* Puella Magi MadokaMagica *

Mami's chest rose as she took in a sharp breath, gently releasing it as her eyes slowly cracked opened.

"I'm alive..?" she asked to the room as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Mami-san..."

Mami turned her head to the side when she heard her name called. "Kaname-san..?" she asked in surprise as she saw the young pink haired girl sitting at her bedside; but, something seemed different about her, she was not wearing her school uniform. Instead, she now wore a frilly, pink Puella Magi dress.

"Kaname-san...what did you-?" Mami began, but Madoka wordlessly cut her off as she extended her clenched, gloved hands, opening them to reveal Mami's Soul Gem, now shining brightly and purely once more. Mami sat up in bed, feeling oddly revitalized, and hesitantly took her Soul Gem, returning it to its ring form before looking back up into Madoka's gently smiling face.

"What did you do?" Mami asked, almost fearfully. Again, Madoka said nothing, and instead exchanged a long look with Mami. Mami then began to understand what Madoka had done.

"Why?" Mami asked as tears began to fill her eyes. "Why did you waste your one wish on me?" she choked out as she began to sob freely. Madoka stood from the chair and kneeled down by Mami's bed, bringing her face just below the crying girl's.

"It wasn't a waste, Mami-san," Madoka said gently as she stared up at Mami's face, tears streaking down the blonde girl's cheeks.

Mami took in a sharp breath of air and her tears stopped flowing as she brought her face up, looking down at Madoka with a few remaining tears still brimming in her eyes. Madoka's gentle and caring smile seemed to stab at Mami's guilty heart, nearly causing her to break down again.

"But, why?" Mami finally asked, nearly choking up as she did so.

"Because...I promised I'd stay by your side, Mami-san," Madoka said after a moment's pause. Mami's eyes went wide with shock as she took in the young girl's words. Madoka slowly rose to her feet and drew the stunned blonde into a comforting embrace.

"Madoka..." Mami said in a soft, awed voice, calling Madoka by her name for the first time, as she slowly brought her arms up to return the embrace. A smile slowly spread across Madoka's face as she nuzzled her head against Mami's shoulder.

"You're not alone, anymore..."

END

Author's Commentary: This is my first Puella Magi Madoka Magica story, so I hope it was enjoyable! Please forgive me for any speech pattern or lore discrepancies. All feedback is happily welcomed!