text:
|2012-06-04, 20:23
|Link #221
Enjoying Snack Time!
You've pretty much answered all of my questions thoroughly and I understand where you're coming from here. Allow me to share my thoughts to you after being calm and keeping an open mind about this.
Let's get started:
1) I understand that the wish Hitomi made was the definite proof that she "won" the moment her and Sayaka's fight started. It totally added a lot of twist and drama to the aftermath, I truly praise you for that, but I personally felt like you could've evened things out between the two of them. I know you don't want to make the outcome predictable, that I understand, but at least give the other person a fighting chance...somehow.
2) I really like the work Kimidori puts in the VN too. Well, it's like you maybe I'll get a better appreciation when I see the visuals first hand instead of word. As they say: A picture is worth a thousand words.
Anyway back to the topic.
3) Seeing Mami acting a little different what definitely a weird change to me because I always thought of her as the older onee-san character who loves to look out for others. I know that she wants to keep the friendship between her everyone including Hitomi regulated, and it's obvious that her making a new friend while knowing an existing one can be conflicting when they're becoming great friends already.
As for Hitomi, it's natural that her doubts, paranoia, and consumption of power caused her to act the way she did, that's understandable considering that the world of Puella Magi was kept from her by her friends with good reason. It's because I'm sure that they didn't want to see their friend get hurt or do something she might regret, but when she found out her selfishness and arrogance obviously got the better of her and look where it ended up. The reason she motivated herself to make a contract was for the love of Kamijou, and she got what she wanted because it's like I said before in previous chapters, that she won't hesitate for a second to sell her soul to "devil" to get her hearts desire. In your reasoning of her character, I agree, she's not a "villain" per say, and her characterization can be quantified considering that girls often do the most foolish and desperate things for love.
I admit, I approached this chapter with a closed mind. Now after hearing what you had to say and understanding the chapter better, it's safe to say I overreacted. I'll keep an open mind about this Hitomi direction and see where this goes because I admit it does interest me, and I even previously admitted that her attacks and Puella Magi colors and costume look elegant and beautiful. The direction and everything is coming along nicely, it's just that the way my two favourite characters were portrayed in this scenario that got me the most upset. Please understand this.
Well, this is my more calm, calculative, and more professional feedback reply to you Triple R. Like before I'll keep an open mind about this and I hope that the next update you do, I'll read a lot of neat and interesting things, and see how each of their respective paths will take form. I wonder if there will be sexual healing route for Sayaka?
Sorry just trying to joke around...probably.
Well, I'll shut up and leave you alone now, so whenever I hear from you, until dude, until then.
Last edited by Kirito; 2012-06-05 at 18:38.
|2012-06-05, 18:35
|Link #223
Kneel Before Your King!
Well. Here we are. The rough "Mami Lives" equivalent of the latter portion of Episode 8... and "rough" would be a very accurate description of this chapter's events.
While I'd normally put the choice I made last, this one is a bit different. Simply put, this is a choice I didn't make because I can't reach it. And with that out of the way, let us begin.
Spoiler for Archer Madoka:
Spoiler for Martyr Madoka:
Spoiler for Smarter Madoka:
As for whether or not Hitomi's coming off sympathetic or not... I'm actually enjoying her playing the villain role too much to really notice. Sorry about that.
|2012-06-08, 23:21
|Link #224
Senior Member
Mami Lives Chapter 10
Madoka Stands Alone, Homura's Final Gambit, Special End
Sloppy. That was a bit sloppy of me. I shouldn't have hesitated like that.
Still, at least Madoka only managed to release a short sound of surprise before I tightly applied a rag doused in chloroform over her mouth. It's an old method, but it's relatively cheap and effective. After a couple moments of panicked struggle, Madoka now lies unconscious, held firmly within my arms. I won't lie. It made me briefly hate myself to make Madoka panic like this, but it's ultimately for the best.
This is two days before Madoka would have met with Incubator, in the most recent timeline. I myself have carefully avoided making contact with Incubator or Mami Tomoe in this timeline. It is now ideal for them to not know of my existence at all.
I lured Madoka to the same place where Sayaka Miki and Kyouko Sakura had fought in the third timeline. It's a place that is similar to a simple alleyway, but is much more important than that, as it contains some of the pipes and industrial mechanisms that help maintain Mitakihara Town. Ironically, I lured Madoka here by imitating Incubator, by crying out for help while garbed in a dark violet cloak. Madoka's altruism didn't fail me, as she came rushing to the sound of me calling for help. Thankfully, she was by herself at the time, so I didn't need to deal with Miki or Shizuki.
Now Madoka and I will disappear without a trace. It will no doubt cause great turmoil for Miki, Shizuki, and Madoka's family. But it has to be done. I hope that I will finally find Madoka's salvation, in the country of Canada.
Tomorrow, I will sneak Madoka and I unto a plane flying from Tokyo to Vancouver. And from there I will bring Madoka to a room in a largely abandoned apartment complex in one of the less busier sections of the city of Vancouver.
That apartment complex is somewhat spartan, as it was designed to provide affordable housing back in 2020 due to the extremely high cost of housing in Vancouver. But when housing costs went down drastically in the 2050s, many people abandoned these apartments for more spacious and now affordable homes. These apartments are still standing, but not likely for much longer. But they will work perfectly well for my purposes.
Uuuunnnhhh… my head…
It hurts so much… It feels like I'm been asleep forever! In a deep, dark sleep… I'm very disoriented. My vision is still blurred, and I'm trying to make out my unusual surroundings.
I think I'm in a small living room. I can make out a white couch about two meters directly in front of me, a blue carpeted floor, and an assortment of nice plants and flowers.
I'm sitting on something. Thankfully, it's soft and comfortable. But I feel my legs shackled in leg cuffs, and I think those in turn are somehow connected to where I'm sitting.
"Good morning." I hear a curt, yet oddly sweet voice, as the source of it walks into my field of vision, and sits down in the white couch I mentioned before.
This voice comes from a girl, around my age, a bit taller than myself and with long, dark hair. I'm briefly mesmerized and stunned by how beautiful and elegant she appears. Her attire is very feminine, dark violet, and somewhat unusual. She's a complete stranger… yet oddly familiar. Why?
"…Where am I?" I ask weakly, "Who are you? What are we doing here?"
"I'm afraid that I won't be able to answer all of those questions." she replies, while running one hand through her hair to push it to the side, "But I will give you my name and share some basic information with you. My name is… Senjougahara Homura."
"Senjougahara Homura…" I repeat breathlessly, "… What a pretty name! Cool and unusual too!"
I think Senjougahara-san blushed slightly over my compliment.
"You have been kidnapped." she then stated calmly to me, "By me. I have kidnapped you and brought you here for your own protection. I will be keeping you here for at least two weeks, possibly longer. Don't worry about food, drink, comfort, safety, or entertainment. All of those I will provide to you… within reason, of course."
My eyes went wide in shock over what she just said.
"W-why did you kidnap me?" I ask softly, but with a sense of dread and panic starting to well up within my chest.
"I already explained that." she answered, "It's for your own protection."
"…What are you protecting me from?" I asked, dumbfounded by what's going on here!
Senjougahara-san's eyes shift back and forth, as I think she's carefully considering how to answer that.
"…You probably wouldn't believe me even if I told you." she answered.
"…This is pretty hard to believe as it is!" I shout at her, starting to panic a bit.
"Please don't panic." she said softly, "I'm not going to hurt you. Like I said before, I will provide you with food, drink, comfort, safety, and even entertainment. I know what sorts of books and movies you like, and they are readily available, as is a TV for playing movies. You won't be allowed to access the internet or news programming, but anything else is at least open to discussion. I've also seen to it that many of your favorite plants and flowers are here."
In fairness, Senjougahara-san wasn't lying about that. As I looked about the room, I saw some of my favorite flowers, including gerbera flowers and tulips.
I felt myself become a bit more calm at seeing at least some of Senjougahara-san's words verified. She was very mysterious, but she didn't seem to mean me harm. Still, for her to kidnap me like this, and go to such lengths as to make this situation more to my liking…
"…Why do you want to protect me?" I ask a bit shyly and nervously.
Senjougahara-san hesitated a bit over that question.
"If you get hurt, so do a lot of other people." she answered at last, "There is someone very dangerous that is trying to make contact with you. I have kidnapped and taken you out of Japan in order to prevent you from being contacted by that individual."
"… Why didn't you just tell me what this individual looks like, and tell me to avoid him or her?!" I asked incredulously.
"… What's the last thing you remember before you awoke here, in this room?" Senjougahara-san asked me.
"I…" I begin, thinking back on it, although my memory was still a bit fuzzy, "I think I was responding to someone calling out for help."
"Right" Senjougahara-san replied to that, "That is in keeping with your very caring and considerate nature. You are not someone who can turn away a person crying out for help. And that is why I can't trust you to avoid the being that I want you to never meet."
That effectively silenced me, as it is true that I don't think I could turn away someone calling out to me for help. Senjougahara-san knows me well, very well. It's a bit creepy! … but also oddly flattering.
I feel very confused and divided. Part of me is scared, so very scared, at being caught in this current situation. Is Senjougahara simply some insane stalker? It's certainly possible! And yet… there's a calmness and authenticity to her that makes me think that maybe everything she's saying is completely true. After I dwelled on all of this for a few moments, the silence was finally broken by a cooking timer going off.
"It sounds like our Dinner is ready." Senjougahara stated, "I'll go get each of us a bowl of it and bring them back here"
"What are we having for Dinner?" I asked.
"It's your favorite food, cream stew." Senjougahara-san stated to me with a proud smile, "I hope you like it."
She's right, cream stew is my favorite food! How did Senjougahara-san manage to find out so much about me?!
Senjougahara-san then returned with two bowls of cream stew, and handed me one with a spoon already in it. She then sat back down in the couch she was sitting in before, and began eating her own bowl.
It smelled really good, and Senjougahara-san seemed to be liking hers, so I decided to eat some myself.
"~Mmmm…~!" I exclaimed over the powerfully pleasing taste, "It's really great!"
"I'm very glad that you like it." Senjougahara-san replied with a smile, after swallowing a spoonful of her bowl of cream stew, "See? I told you that there was no need for you to worry. I will see to it that you are well-fed and looked after while you're here under my care."
Senjougahara-san seemed very sweet and considerate for a criminal… That was very strange…
But then I thought of something Senjougahara-san said a few minutes ago. Something very important!
"Senjougahara-san…" I began weakly, trying to get accustomed to addressing this kidnapper.
"Please, call me Homura… It's shorter, and so more efficient to use for conversation." she replied.
"Homura-chan…" I said, as I became fixated once more on that coolly unusual name.
"…Yes?" Homura-chan asked me.
"You said that you took me out of Japan…" I stated in reply, "Just where are we then?!"
"That…" Homura began in answer, "Is one of the questions I can't answer."
Canada. I have yet to run into any other Puella Magi here, and I'm glad about that. But thankfully, I did manage to locate a witch this late evening, during a witch-hunt. Her barrier is located within one of the washrooms of the Rogers Arena, and there is currently a large crowd gathered here for a rock concert. So not only to cleanse my own Soul Gem, but also to protect thousands of potential victims, this is a witch that I must defeat.
After I enter into the witch's barrier, I soon come to what looks like a hockey arena, but instead of living spectators here, there are thousands of smiling skeletons sitting in the stands. A bluish mist permeates the stands as I walk down them, and a white mist is all about the ice surface.
There is something glowing, hanging from the rafters. I believe it is one of 14 championship banners displayed there, and it's the most recent of the 14. One banner says "1966-67" and the glowing one next to it says "2058-59". It begins to dawn on me what this witch wished for in the process of becoming a Puella Magi.
I did a little bit of research on Canada in the previous timeline. The sport of ice hockey is incredibly popular here. A girl was likely a fan of one of Canada's ten NHL teams, and wished for it to win a championship after almost a hundred years of futility. …What a thing to make a wish, and eventually become a witch, over. I may never understand the passion of pro sports fans.
But these thoughts would soon leave me as a strangely strong skeleton, wearing a highly flamboyant three-piece suit and tie, suddenly lunged at me from behind!
Thankfully, I was able to dodge it, but its actions seemed to provoke the large crowd of skeletons. Those thousands of skeletons then made a loud cheering-like sound as they rose out of their seats and began to attack me.
The next few minutes involved absolutely desperate fighting on my part, I have to admit. I have never before encountered a witch that had so many familiars or tiny subordinates at its disposal!
I used up over half of my ammo, a lot of time stops and restarts, and a lot of my own stamina, in slowly but surely blowing to smithereens each and every one of the skeletons gathered here. By the time I was done, this hockey arena of a witch's barrier looked like it had been the epicenter of a major war. Larges pieces of the stands had been blown off by my grenades, and dismembered bones had been send flying all over the place.
It was a wretched sight, but I kept my emotional composure, even as I breathed heavily.
Then the witch itself finally made an appearance. It was positioned at center ice, wearing a bluish hockey jersey with a white maple leaf emblem on its chest. From the neck down, this witch simply looked like a female human hockey player. But the witch's "head" was round and entirely white, with a small cut straight down the middle of it. It looked like a white full-plate facial mask without eye or mouth openings.
The witch then, in very rapid motion and while roaring, began hurling dozens of razor-edged hockey sticks at me. By using my time-stop powers, and by being as stealthy in my movements as I could, I managed to avoid getting seriously injured by this assault, although I did suffer a slight cut across my face and another across my thigh.
This witch may not be large or particular powerful, but it made up for that by the sheer numbers of subordinates and weapons at its disposal.
I then successfully tackled the witch at center ice. After bringing it down, I shot several rounds at it from point blank range during a time-stop. I then ended the time-stop, and leapt backwards. The witch screeched in pain.
Was it over? No, the witch now rose to its feet.
It then lifted its arms above its head, and a scintillatingly shiny silver trophy of sorts then appeared in its hands. It then pointed that trophy at me as though it were a cannon, and shot it off as though it were a cannon! But in place of cannon balls were shot gigantic hockey pucks, each about the size of a human head. I dodged the blasts, and threw two grenades down the neck of this trophy while I lobbed one directly beneath the witch.
Those grenades caused the trophy to explode violently, and the witch to become incinerated within flames.
The witch was finally defeated, and its barrier began to disperse.
…That was harder than it should have been. I will need to take a few days to stack up on ammo in order to replace the vast quantities that were used up tonight.
At least this Grief Seed should cleanse my Soul Gem, which had been made about a quarter darker due to this fight alone. And at least these people are safe.
Now it's time to turn my attention back to what is most important.
I've been here five days now. Unfortunately, I still don't know where "here" actually is. Homura-chan refuses to tell me that…
Still, I can't deny that she's been true to her word. I've had plenty of delicious food and refreshing drinks while I've been held captive by her. I'm not a heavy reader, but I've largely enjoyed the books that Homura has shared with me. We have watched a few movies together, and that was fun.
But the situation has also been very awkward at times. The first couple times I needed to use the toilet, and the first couple times I wanted to get a bath… those were embarrassing! Homura refused to let me enter the washroom without her there. I tried to assure her that I wouldn't try to run away, but she didn't seem to trust me about that. When I embarrassingly blushed and protested over the idea of her coming into the washroom with me while I use the toilet, she simply said "We're both mature girls, aren't we? There's nothing for you to be embarrassed about."
But even though we're both mature girls, I get unusual vibes from Homura. Let's just say that if she was a boy, I'd really think that "he" had a huge crush on me…
With all of that being said, I've slowly grown accustomed to life in captivity. The only real problem is that there are certain people and things I miss greatly. I miss the fresh air. I miss walking through forests and parks on a sunny day. I miss my friends Sayaka and Hitomi. I honestly miss going to school! Most of all, I miss my mama, my papa, and my brother Tatsuya…
But all of this loneliness and sadness temporarily rushes out of my mind due to the soothing strokes of a certain someone's fingers…
"Aaaahhh…" I release in breathless exhilaration as the sensation of Homura giving me a neck-rub while we're in the bath together is sooo good!
"I'm glad you like it so much, Madoka." Homura said, "It's my hope to make your stay here a pleasant one."
"…Thank you." I replied shyly to her.
I was sitting on Homura's lap while we were both naked in the bath. There was a strong sense of intimacy to this that was strangely both a bit unnerving, but also comfortingly thrilling! I felt slight thrills due to Homura carefully washing and scrubbing my back. She then washed my hair with a really reinvorgating shampoo. That shampoo also had a sweet strawberry scent, which was probably fitting given the color of my hair.
"No protests this time, I see." Homura stated in a tone of amused satisfaction, as she continued washing my hair, "Good. It's good that you're slowly growing to trust me, Madoka."
"… Then why don't you trust me?" I asked Homura, admittedly in a hurt tone of voice.
Homura's hands came to a stop as I posed this question to her. I could tell that my question had struck a nerve with her.
"… I have trusted you." Homura stated, while her hands returned to washing my hair, "Two days ago I agreed to allow you to move about freely in this apartment, without any leg cuffs on, as long as I was alone and awake with you. I've allowed you to sleep in the same bed as I do, with us handcuffed to one another. That's because you found it uncomfortable to sleep while restrained on the sofa. Many people in my position would not have taken the risks that I have, Madoka."
"B-but you haven't told me where we are!" I piped up in protest, as I pulled my head and back away from Homura's hands, to turn to look at her face.
"And you still refuse to tell me anything about this very dangerous person that you're protecting me from." I continued, "I've chosen to trust you, so shouldn't you trust me with that, now?"
I made steely eye contact with Homura as I voiced these complaints to her. I even frowned a little bit. I was surprised at how bold I was now being with someone that seemed so firm, resolute, and even a bit frightening to me! And yet, Homura's resolve seemed to melt a bit under my penetrating glare.
"… I guess you have a point." she stated, finally relenting.
"I'll make an offer to you." she continued, while closing her eyes and frowing a bit, "I'll tell you where you are. If you don't act on that by trying to escape within the next two days, I'll tell you about the individual I'm trying to protect you from. Are we agreed?"
"…Ok." I answered, "That sounds reasonable. …So where are we?"
And that's when I learned that we were in the city of Vancouver in the country of Canada. We weren't even in Asia any more! I opened my mouth wide in stunned disbelief over that!
But to demonstrate the truth of her claim, Homura handed me a newspaper, after we exited the bath, dried ourselves off, and put on some clothes. The newspaper Homura gave me had the English title of "The Globe and Mail". It's clearly a Canadian newspaper as all the news in it appeared to be about Canada, going by the pictures and locations mentioned at least. The English writing itself I couldn't read.
Homura then turned on a radio that was in the apartment. I heard the Japanese language version of a station called "CBC Radio", hosted by a woman called Ryoko Asakura.
"See?" Homura asked rhetorically, while gesturing one hand towards the radio, "We're in Canada."
"We really are in Canada…" I said beneath my breath.
"Now, if you refrain from trying to get away over the next two days, I'll then tell you about the specific individual that I'm trying to protect you from."
"Ok." I agreed.
Since Madoka now knows where we are, I decided that it might help take her mind off of her family and friends back home if I treated her to some local Canadian delicacies. Specifically, I treated her to a famous dish called "poutine".
Melted cheese mixed with gravy all over deep-fried french fries. …It's no wonder these Canadians seem so much more overweight than we Japanese are. Still, I have to admit that poutine is delightfully tasty, if a bit on the greasy side. Thankfully, Madoka seemed to really like it as well, though it did leave her feeling a bit bloated afterwards.
Madoka's first week as my captive had went as well as I could have hoped. She was steadily growing more and more accustomed to the situation, and I even felt like she was starting to consider me a friend in spite of how I'm the one that has kidnapped her and kept her in this place. Madoka's kindhearted and forgiving nature never ceases to amaze me. It's much of the reason why I deeply love her.
As for more practical matters, I have encounted about three witches while here, including the most fearsome one which I faced at Rogers Arena. All three I defeated, meaning I've gained three Grief Seeds. Two of those Grief Seeds I've already used, but a third I've kept as a backup supply.
Unfortunately, I also caught a glimpse of a couple Canadian magical girls working together. I managed to avoid their notice, but I'm not sure how long I'll be able to continue that if I also continue to fight witches. So I've decided to cease witch-hunting for now, using my Puella Magi powers strictly to acquire food, drink, and ammo from looting local gangs.
Madoka held up to her side of the place revelation agreement, so I would later reveal the nature and existence of "Kyubey" to her. I never told her about all of the horrors of the Puella Magi world, though, as I fear that could prompt her to take self-destructive action if she ever reunites with Miki only to discover that Miki is now a Puella Magi. I have no clue if Miki is a Puella Magi or not in this timeline, but it's not a risk I'm willing to take.
So I simply told Madoka "If you contract with Kyubey, it will lead to inevitable widespread destruction and loss of life", which is actually true in the likely event that Madoka turns into a witch. I've made a point to emphasize this to her, day after day, to sow a seed of distrust and resistance within her mind against the clever manipulations of Incubator.
Mind you, Madoka was initially highly sceptical of what I told her about Incubator and the Puella Magi world. But a simple demonstration of my own powers would prove sufficient for casting aside Madoka's doubts.
"H-how… how did you do that?!" asked a stunned Madoka.
Madoka was stunned due to watching me drop a glass on one side of the room, only to then have it appear instantly on top of the dining table on the other side of the room.
"I have the ability to freeze time itself." I explained to Madoka, "It is a power I gained from becoming a Puella Magi. A power connected to the wish I made to go back in time, in order to protect you."
It is probably fitting that Homura has the power to freeze time, for it feels like time has frozen in this place where I've now been for the past thirteen days. While I've come to really like Homura, and have even shared a few laughs and good times with her, I find myself increasingly missing my friends and family and life back in Japan.
Last night I cried to Homura. While sobbing through tears, I told her how much I missed my mama, my papa, and my brother Tatsuya. I begged her to bring me back to them, while I passionately promised her that I would not contract with this Kyubey!
While I'm not entirely sure, I think that Homura's own eyes began to water a bit in response to my begging and my tears. Beneath her cool exterior lies a caring and loving heart. Over these past two weeks, I've come to learn that. Homura promising to return me to Japan within the next few days is the latest evidence of that. It calmed my heart, as did Homura snugly hugging me and patting my head to try to comfort me after I cried to her.
I… I have come to have strange feelings for Homura. Feelings that I've never really had to deal with before, as I've never felt anything quite like this for another person! It's not just that I've become very attached to Homura, although it includes that as well. I think I'm starting to love Homura, although I'm not quite sure what type of love it is…
My dearest dream, as unrealistic as I know that it is, would be for Homura and I to return safely to Japan, without anybody ever finding out that Homura had kidnapped me. That way, maybe her and I could be good friends inspite of her admittedly criminal activity.
But on my fourteenth day here in Canada, Homura would be forced to pay a price for her crimes…
While Homura and I were engaged in casual chit-chat over a couple plates of poutine, I heard an unfamiliar voice shout out "Get back!" a split-second before a loud gun-shot went off.
Homura's face went a pale white at the sound of that voice, and she quickly leaped out of her seat. I think she was about to freeze time! But before she could use that magic, a barely perceptible bluish streak flew into the apartment through the blown open door, and proceeded to point a sharp sword directly at the nape of Homura's neck!
"Don't make a single move!" came an angry shout from… from Sayaka!
Sayaka was wearing some flashy blue outfit with a lovely white cape! And she was now threatening Homura with a sword!
But she wasn't the only one threatening Homura…
"I don't know who you are, but it doesn't matter." came the voice of a blonde big-breasted girl around my age, adorned in yellowish attire every bit as flashy as Sayaka's strange clothes.
This very mature-sounding girl, who I now noticed was wearing some sort of fancy headset over her head and one eye, now had a rifle pointed directly at Homura's face! Homura was perilously held between Sayaka's sword pointing at the back of her neck, and this blonde girl's rifle pointing at Homura's face! A cold sweat sweeped across Homura's brow, as she seemed to be as shocked by this sudden intrusion as I was.
"Say-Sayaka!" I shouted out to her, after rising out of my seat, "Wh-what is…?"
"It's Ok now, Madoka." Sayaka said to me, but while not taking her eyes an inch off of Homura, "I'm here to rescue you! And I'm here with my new friend, ally, and mentor Mami Tomoe!"
"Nice to meet you at last, Kaname Madoka." Mami said warmly and politely to me, while briefly shifting her eyes from Homura to me to Homura again, "But I'm afraid that further pleasantries will have to wait."
"Right!" said Sayaka sternly, as her gaze was so fierce you'd think it would burn a hole through Homura's head!
"Hands in the air… now!" Sayaka shouted at Homura.
"Listen to Sayaka, or we'll have to do something we'd rather not have to do…" Mami Tomoe said more softly, but also very ominously, towards Homura.
Homura slowly, and nervously, rose her hands in the air.
"… I have to admit, I'm impressed." Homura said, after the tense pause while she raised her hands, "How did you two manage to find out where Madoka was?"
"Hitomi's wish saw to that!" shouted Sayaka in answer.
"Sayaka is correct." Mami confirmed, "Sayaka, Hitomi, and I spent several days searching Mitakihara Town high and low for Kaname-san, but to no avail. Since Sayaka had already made a wish for another person's benefit, Hitomi decided to become a Puella Magi and made a wish to know exactly where her friend Madoka was."
"That admirable wish caused three maps to magically appear in Hitomi's hands." Sayaka continued, "One was a map of Canada, with a bright red dot over Vancouver. The other two maps gave more specific locations for where Madoka was."
"And so we are here now." said Mami, "Hitomi is also here, and through the scanner connected to my head, she is getting a good look at you, kidnapper."
"Unlike Mami and I, Hitomi knows some English!" Sayaka shouted at Homura, "So she's likely calling the local authorities as we speak, and with a physical description of you!"
"… And that call has already been made." confirmed Mami, after hearing an update from Hitomi over her headset, "Hitomi has just made contact with a Dudley DuWright of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. So even if you somehow manage to defeat Sayaka and I, you're not going to be able to keep Kaname captive any longer, kidnapper! I strongly suggest that you surrender peacefully, and let Kaname go!"
Homura looked positively shell-shocked over all of this. I could tell that she was sweating bullets, and she swallowed hard. I felt compelled to speak up on her behalf.
"Wait, no!" I piped up, "Don't have Homura arrested! She's done nothing wrong!"
"Ma-Madoka?!" Sayaka exclaimed in total shock.
So shocked was Sayaka by my words that she turned her head towards me in disbelief. This gave Homura the opening she needed.
She rapidly ducked down and lunged forward to tackle Mami to the ground!
And then, the next thing I know, Homura had completely disappeared into thin air.
"Wh-where did she go?!" Sayaka asked in an exasperated tone of voice, while Sayaka's head swivelled back and forth searching for Homura.
Mami then rose to her feet, and brushed herself off.
"Blast it, she somehow managed to get away!" Sayaka exclaimed.
"Well, that's not the most important matter here." Mami said, before turning to face me and smile warmly at me, "At least we've managed to rescue Kaname-san."
"Right." Sayaka said softly.
"We… we were so worried about you, Madoka!" Sayaka then cried, as she hugged me tightly and tears formed in her eyes.
"I… I missed you too, Sayaka." I replied to her, as I embraced her in turn, and as I teared up a bit as well.
That was the last I would see of Homura.
This Dudley DuWright, along with four other RCMP Officers, would soon show up at the apartment I was now in. Sayaka and Mami had both magically changed back into normal attire before those officers arrived, meaning they wouldn't need to explain their Puella Magi outfits at least. Still, the RCMP Officers did have some tough questions for Hitomi, Sayaka, Mami, and myself. A translator proved helpful there, but I could tell that the RCMP Officers were a bit suspicious about everything, as all four of us were questioned at length. At least they believed that I really had been kidnapped, and fully accepted that part of the report that Hitomi had made to them.
After a day and a half of police questioning and investigation, we were given clearance by Canadian authorities to fly back to Japan. Hitomi had used her family's private jet in order to fly Mami, Sayaka, and herself to Vancouver. Thankfully there was enough room on that private jet for me to accompany the three of them on the return trip back to Japan.
This had been my first trip outside of Asia, and it certainly was a memorable one! Due to it, I did develop a love for poutine, and would later ask my papa to try making it sometime. Sayaka ended up liking poutine as well due to my papa's attempts at it, but Mami and Hitomi both found it a bit too filling for their liking.
But all of that was very much secondary to what happened on our flight back to Japan. During that flight, some inexplicable natural disaster had completely levelled much of Mitakihara Town!
That disaster would result in Hitomi, Sayaka, and I all having to transfer to three different schools in the city of Tokyo, while Mami would decide to stay behind in Mitakihara Town, leaving school at an early age to try to find work. I tried to keep in regular contact with Hitomi, Sayaka, and Mami after we all went to different places, but after a couple of years I stopped hearing back from them. I guess they were all busy with their new lives in new schools or places of work.
But back during my return flight from Canada, I would learn that Hitomi and Sayaka both had a crush on Kyousuke Kamijo. Hitomi had graciously agreed to let Sayaka confess to Kamijo first, after the top priority of rescuing me had been accomplished. Kamijo rejected Sayaka's confession, which I think hurt her badly. I tried to comfort her through that, but I don't know if she ever got over it completely. Kamijo would end up accepting Hitomi's confession, which made Hitomi happy, and I felt happy for her. But it did greatly strain the friendship between Hitomi and Sayaka. Perhaps that has something to do with them not keeping in contact with me after a couple years had passed.
Another factor in them not keeping in contact with me might be how I reacted to Kyubey after finally meeting him after arriving back in Japan. Thanks to Homura's strenuous and consistent warnings, I politely but firmly rejected Kyubey's attempts to persuade me to become a Puella Magi. I think that Kyubey, and even Mami, Sayaka, and Hitomi, were all a bit disappointed by that, but I just couldn't help but to put complete faith in what Homura had told me. So I never became a Puella Magi, as fascinating as I found the Puella Magi world to be.
But due to not having seen or heard from Mami, Sayaka, or Hitomi in a while now, that world is starting to seem increasingly far off. I'm largely enjoying life in my high school of North High. I've made a couple new friends here, including a girl that interestingly has the same family name as Homura has. She even looks a lot like Homura!
But in any event, life goes on. I've recently determined that I like girls the way that most girls like guys. I haven't yet acted on that, but I suspect I one day will. I hope I will one day find a girlfriend that will move me like Homura-chan did… Perhaps one day I will meet Homura-chan again. I really liked her, and I hope she's not locked up in a prison somewhere in Canada. If she's not, I'm sure I'll meet her again someday!
The End (Mami Lives, Great White North end)
And there's the extended Special End resulting from choosing A for MSA Choice 1. For all my readers, but especially for those who actually made that choice, I hope you found it rewarding.
Even though this is not an actual settled Madoka/Homura romance end, I hope that fans of that canon pairing found this Special End rewarding, as it focused a lot on that pairing in a way that I've always wanted to explore in fanfiction.
Truthfully, I've always thought it might have been a good idea for Homura to just kidnap Madoka and get her out of Japan, and so here's a fanfic bit that shows Homura doing exactly that.
Any and all comments on this Special End are most welcomed, and I hope to get back to the main Madoka Stands Alone sub-branches soon!
Big thanks to Kogetsu, night_sentinel, and Kirito for their recent replies pertaining to the update previous to this one.
Last edited by Triple_R; 2012-06-09 at 00:02.
|2012-06-10, 12:24
|Link #225
Kneel Before Your King!
Well, mon ami, dis looks like it be a good... Okay, I'm not even going to try talking like that. He's not even Canadian, so it was a bad joke anyway.
Spoiler for Homu's Run:
... Now I'm wanting to see a Puella Magi who throws exploding cards...
|2012-06-12, 23:09
|Link #226
Enjoying Snack Time!
Hey Triple R, sorry for the late reply. I've been really lazy these past few days whether it's work or writing my feedback to you. I think I've got Oreki syndrome or something...weird. Now that I'm at 100% I've got ClariS playing and I'm ready to go.
As always, before I give you my final grade on your performance I'm going to go deep into what you've done. So let's get started!
Like with the PS3 power button Homura once again had to "reset" to gain another opportunity to change Madoka's fate. Kyubey being a constant but annoying threat to her and the other girls in general, she had to take extreme measures and it looks like she thought this out perfectly. To makes this even more awesome, it's on Canadian soil, our home court!
I really like that idea, great work I liked it!
Spoiler for Hitagi Fever:
Grading Time.
Spoiler for Pros:
Spoiler for Cons:
Phew, well I can't wait to see what you have in store next well until then dude, until then!
Last edited by Kirito; 2012-06-13 at 01:47.
|2012-06-13, 20:14
|Link #227
Senior Member
Just for a change of pace, I think I'll reply to my reviewers this time.
Spoiler for Kool Kaptivating Kogetsu reply:
Spoiler for Krispy Kreme Kirito reply:
I hope to have the next Chapter of this up within a day or two.
|2012-06-14, 01:25
|Link #228
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Auckland, NZ
Eagerly awaiting at long last the HomuMado good end! Know you won't disappoint as always. Keep it up~
|2012-06-14, 23:10
|Link #229
Senior Member
Mami Lives Chapter 11
Homura Romance
"Yes, I'll be confessing to Kyousuke after school."
That's what Sayaka just revealed to me as we sat next to each other on the pure white rooftop of the school, eating lunch together. I had asked Sayaka if she had intended to confess to Kyousuke today or tomorrow, since I had seen her act a bit more nervously than usual while chatting with him this morning. Kamijo himself had a slightly surprised look on his face based on what Sayaka had said to him.
"I told Kyousuke that there's something very important that I want to talk to him about after school today." Sayaka continued in explanation.
If you chose A for MS Opportunity Choice 1, read Section Very Nervous Sayaka. Otherwise, read Section Very Firm Sayaka.
Spoiler for Very Nervous Sayaka:
Spoiler for Very Firm Sayaka:
"So how about you, Madoka?" Sayaka asked, "What do you intend to do after school today?"
"If it's Ok with you, I'd like to wait around after school to hear right away if Kamijo accepts your confession." I answered.
Sayaka smiled at that.
"Sure, that's fine with me." Sayaka stated, before nervously grinning a bit, "Just make sure Kamijo can't see you, as that might be a bit awkward!"
"Right." I replied, as Sayaka and I both giggled a bit over the idea.
Then, much to the surprise of Sayaka and me, Homura appeared! She walked through the entrance to the roof, and she proceeded to walk towards us. Sayaka and I both rose to our feet, so we'd be standing to greet Homura.
"Miki-san." Homura stated to Sayaka, after coming to a stop about six feet in front of Sayaka and I, "I'd like to talk to Madoka privately for a few minutes. Do you have any objections to that?"
"No, that's fine with me." Sayaka answered, before turning her attention back to me, "So I guess I'll head back to class now. See you there, Madoka!"
"Right." I replied.
After watching Sayaka as she left, Homura turned her attention back to me.
"I want to apologize for last night." Homura stated to me, "Tomoe, Sakura, and I never should have allowed the situation to get so out of hand. Please forgive me for that mistake, Madoka."
"There's nothing to apologize for." I replied with a stunned look on my face, as I was taken aback by Homura's apology, "It was your decisive actions that were a huge help last night, Homura-chan!"
"I'm glad that you feel that way." Homura stated, while smiling slightly towards me, "But I'd still like to make things up to you. I know that I had said it would be a couple weeks before we could truly beginning our friendship, but given what's happened lately, I'd like it if we could start being friends now, Madoka. Would that be Ok with you?"
"Of course it would be." I answered, as I couldn't help but sense some sadness and longing in Homura's voice.
"After all, I'm the one who asked you if we could be friends, remember?" I pointed out to Homura while I softly smiled at her.
I think that Homura actually blushed a bit over what I just said to her!
"I could never forget that, Madoka..." she said to me, trailing off a bit before refocusing herself, "But in any event, I'd like it we could spend some time together later today, after school."
"Sure, that sounds like a great idea." I said to Homura.
But then I remembered what I had told Sayaka only a couple minutes ago.
"Well, it's a great idea as long as you don't mind waiting a bit." I stated to Homura, "I told Sayaka I'd wait after school to find out how her confession to Kamijo went. IT shouldn't take too long. After I find out about that from Sayaka, I'd be glad to accompany you to your place. Is that Ok with you, Homura?"
Homura then nodded to that.
"Ok, let's had back to class then!" I said enthusiastically to Homura.
Homura nodded to that as well, while half-smiling at me. We then walked side-by-side back to school, as we made casual chit-chat with each other.
I love how I've made friends with Homura. Homura has been a huge help through this entire situation with Hitomi.
Besides, Homura is very cool! She's so confident and effective in everything that she does. That does intimidate me a bit, but it also makes me feel kinda proud to be friends with a person like that. I hope I can become more like Homura. Maybe if I can be more strong and assertive like Homura is, I'll be able to patch things up between Hitomi, Sayaka, and myself.
As is, though, Hitomi has been silent almost all morning. Her and Sayaka have glared angrily at each other a few times during the school morning. I tried to strike up a friendly conversation with Hitomi, but she was curt in reply to me and stated in a low tone that she was too busy to talk right now.
In addition to this, Kamijo's eyes have frequently drifted towards Hitomi during the day. Sayaka had noticed this, and Hitomi had noticed that Sayaka had noticed. Hitomi made a proud grin to Sayaka based on this, which caused Sayaka to frown. It was a tense morning to say the least…
I truly do hope that Kamijo accepts Sayaka's confession. While I will feel sorry for Hitomi if she's denied the man that she loves, it's also true that Hitomi has been mean about this. She needs to learn that you shouldn't be mean to your friends like this!
Anyway, the school day finally ended. One of our male classmates asked Kamijo if he'd like to play the new Kanon: After Story VN with him, but Kamijo politely replied to him that he was going to be busy this afternoon, so maybe some other time. Kamijo briefly glanced over to Sayaka while he said this, to make clear to Sayaka that he would be waiting to talk to her.
Sayaka looked a bit unsteady, as Kamijo walked out through the door. There was a lot of tension in her face and limbs as she rose out of her classroom seat. I decided she could use one more show of support from me.
"Good luck." I said to her, after I took hold of one of her arms, "I'm sure it'll all be fine."
"Thanks." she replied with a soft smile to me.
Sayaka then raced out the door, heading to the same spot that Kamijo was. Homura and I were now the only two students left in the room.
"So your heart is more with Miki than with Shizuki?" Homura asked me, while looking up at me as she remained sitting in her desk.
"I don't like the idea of Hitomi getting hurt, but I think that… Sayaka deserves this more, I guess" I answered.
"I'm glad that we agree on that." Homura stated, "When you truly love a person you don't put your own attachment to them first, you put their well-being first."
"Homura-chan…" I replied to that, impressed and startled by Homura's surprisingly warm and generous sentiments.
"Please don't misunderstand the approach I've taken to you over the past two weeks." Homura said, while standing up out of her seat and looking at me, "I was harsh towards you, Tomoe, and Miki because I felt that was the best way to ensure that you and Miki didn't become Puella Magi. In your case, at least, it thankfully worked out, and I'm very grateful for that."
"… Is the life of a Puella Magi really such a hard and sad thing?" I asked Homura.
"It always turns out that way, even if it doesn't start that way." Homura answered firmly.
This caused me to frown and feel very sad, which I think moved Homura to try to ease my heart.
"…But the key for any Puella Magi is feeling satisfied with her wish." Homura continued, "So if Kamijo accepts Miki's confession, she'll at least feel happy about her wish, and there is some value in that."
"But it would also mean that Hitomi's wish was a complete waste for her…" I replied.
"True." Homura confirmed, "But that's not your concern. Often in life somebody must suffer and lose in order for another to succeed and know happiness. That is especially true when it comes to romance."
"That's so sad…" I said.
"But it can't be changed." Homura stated, as she walked towards me, "So there's no point in trying to change it. All we can do is provide comfort to the people we care about when their turn to be "the loser" arrives."
"Right." I conceded, "I guess that is the most practical and mature approach."
"I'm glad that you agree." Homura replied, while smiling at me, "Now, I'm going to get a drink while we wait for Miki-san's return. Do you want anything?"
"I'll just have a juice, please." I answered Homura, as I handed her some change to pay for it.
Homura would return about a minute later with the juice. While we both drank some juice we also chit-chatted for a bit. Homura and I talked a bit about the Crafts Club that I'm a part of. Homura revealed to me that she's a bit of an artwork aficionado, and so had thought about joining the Crafts Club. I told her that sure, I'd love it if she joined!
After Homura and I chatted for a bit, a very excited and teary-eyed Sayaka rushed into the classroom.
"He accepted my confession, Madoka, he accepted it!" Sayaka exclaimed, as she rushed over to my desk where I was sitting, and that Homura was currently leaning over.
Homura had just started looking over my artwork, when Sayaka had entered the room.
"That's great news, Sayaka!" I exclaimed in deeply relieved response to her.
"Kyousuke told me that he'll be busy with violin practice this evening, but that I'm welcome to come over to listen to him practice if I wanted to." Sayaka continued, "He also said that he'd like it if we went to a movie together on Friday night!"
Homura looked genuinely surprised at Sayaka's good news, while I simply smile at it.
"I hope that the two of you have a good time at the movies then." I replied, "See? I knew that if you were confident in confessing to Kamijo, given how grateful he is to you, that he'd accept your confession."
"You were right, thankfully." Sayaka stated, before she finally calmed down, noticing at last that Homura was also in the room, "Oh, sorry Homura, I was so excited I didn't even notice you were there!"
"That's fine." Homura replied, "I'm glad that it went well for you. But there's now something I need to go talk to Tomoe-san about."
Homura then turned her attentions to me.
"Madoka, I'd like to meet you at the fountain in the park around 6 PM." Homura stated to me, "Does that work for you?"
"Sure." I replied, "I look forward to seeing you then!"
Homura then bowed gracefully to Sayaka and I as she left. Sayaka looked a bit stunned by me planning to meet up with Homura later today.
"Wow, you and Homura really are friends now!" Sayaka said to me, "She's usually all-business and pretty distant, but she definitely seems to treat you differently, Madoka."
"Well, I'm glad that I've made friends with her." I replied to Sayaka, "After all, it sounds like you're going to have a lot of your spare time taken up with Kamijo starting soon!"
"Right!" Sayaka replied with a wide, toothy grin and hands on her hips.
After that, I finally left school for the day. Kamijo had been waiting outside the main entrance of the school for Sayak. Upon seeing him there, Sayaka raced over to him and gave him a big hug! Kamijo chuckled nervously over this, since I was also there.
I waved goodbye to Sayaka and Kamijo as they headed off to his place, while I walked home by myself.
Two thoughts dominated my mind as I walked home. My first thought was excitement over making a great new friend in Homura, and anticipation over meeting her later this evening! But my second thought was concern for Hitomi…
"You think that I should be the one to break the bad news to Hitomi?" I said to Akemi-san while she addressed me with the news of Kamijo accepting Sayaka's confession.
"Yes." Akemi-san replied to me, "Shizuki-san left school as soon as classes ended, so she's not aware of it yet. It'll no doubt devastate her once she finds out that her wish was in vain…"
"You're right." I replied, "It's very sad and tragic how Sayaka and Hitomi's competitive love has torn their friendship asunder, and is about to tear at Hitomi's heart."
"And I believe that you're the best person to help Shizuki mend that torn heart." Akemi-san said to me.
"Me?" I asked, a bit surprised by this, "I've only known her for a little over a day!"
"True, but she has nobody else her own age to turn to." Akemi-san replied, "She's severed her friendship, at least temporarily, with both Madoka and Miki. She has no other close friends in class. She likes you, and looks up to you as an experienced Puella Magi."
"Those are all fair points, I have to admit." I replied, "But I don't even know where she lives!"
"I do." Akemi stated, while waving her hair to the side, "I make it a point to know all key details about Puella Magi operating in the same prefecture as I do."
"That's impressive attention to detail." I stated to Akemi, before raising an eyebrow, "…But it's also invasive of another person's privacy. I'm not sure I feel comfortable going to a person's house without them telling me where their home is, let alone without an invitation."
"I'm sure that Shizuki would be pleasantly surprised by you arriving at her home to pay her a visit." Akemi stated to me, "But ultimately the decision is yours. Just ask yourself what the best way for Shizuki to learn of her failed wish is, and I think it'll become clear to you as well, Tomoe-san, what the right decision is. In any event, I have more important matters to attend to tonight."
Akemi then bid me adieu, and walked away. I sighed a bit over the situation, but I guess she's right. Sayaka should be very happy now, and so Madoka will be by extension. I think that Kyouko wanted to spend today by herself after last night's fiasco. And Homura can take care of herself.
Perhaps it would be wise if I paid Hitomi a visit, and offered to team up with her on a witch-hunt. After that witch-hunt is complete, I'll break the bad news to her. This should prove to be another interesting evening for me…
This should prove to be a very interesting evening! After finishing my dinner, I told my mama that I would be meeting up with a new friend this evening. Mama accepted that without question, only reminding me to mind my curfew. I'll have to keep that in mind tonight. Anyway, I eagerly raced off to Homura's assigned meeting place while still in my student uniform.
At about 5:59 PM, I would arrive at the fountain in the park. I saw Homura standing with unusually loose posture there, waiting for me, with a strangely blissful look on her face.
"Punctual as always, I see." Homura said, as she turned herself sideways to look me in the eye.
Homura smiled a little while she said that, and I have to admit, in this moment, she looked extremely… charming! Maybe even magical, although I guess that is appropriate for pretty obvious reasons. I giggled a bit as that thought crossed my mind.
"What's funny?" Homura asked, almost sounding hurt.
"Oh, nothing to worry about." I said, as I smiled widely and waved one hand dismissively, "I was just thinking about how magical you looked for a moment there! And then I thought about how you would obviously look magical, which made me giggle a bit."
"Oh. I see." Homura stated, blushing a bit, I guess since my comment was a bit complimentary.
"Anyway, where would you like for us to hang out this evening?" I asked Homura.
"I thought I would invite you over to my place." Homura replied, "I haven't had a friend in… longer than I can remember, really… So I thought it might be nice to have a friend in tonight."
What Homura revealed here really startled me! Homura made it sound like she didn't have many friends… but how could somebody as cool and attractive as Homura is not have many friends? Even so, I couldn't ignore the implications of her words. They made me feel a bit sad for Homura-chan, so I decided to do my part by earnestly agreeing to her suggestion.
"Sure, I'd love to visit you over your place tonight."
After a short leisurely walk, during which we chit-chatted some more about the Crafts club, we arrived at Homura's home.
Homura's home was a shape similar to my own, and it was a two-story house. Compared to my home, it had fewer windows and darker colours. There was also much less greenery surrounding it, as it was a house on a crowded suburb of Mitakihara Town, on a street lined with several houses of the same basic design. Anyway, Homura's home certainly looked nice enough, and so I decided to compliment her on it.
"Thank you." Homura replied to that, "But I know it's nothing special. …Although some of the artwork inside might seem rather different to you."
Homura's words had left me very curious over what this artwork might be!
And so I walked in through the front door of Homura's home, following behind her. After doing so, I took off my shoes, and eagerly took in the interior decor. The artwork inside of Homura's home truly was special! It showed that Homura had a really exotic taste! Homura had paintings on her home's walls that were of such a strikingly surreal quality.
"Do you like them?" I heard Homura asked me, after I took a couple moments to look at the paintings
"Yes, they're very creative and captivating." I replied to Homura, while my eyes remained fixated on the paintings before me.
"Initially, I didn't think you'd like this sort of artwork." Homura stated to me, "But after our discussion on the Crafts Club, it occurred to me that you might actually like this style of artwork."
"What style of artwork is it?" I asked.
"It's Post-Massurrealism artwork." Homura answered, "That art style tends to use the aesthetic styles and themes of surrealism in order to critique modern pop culture. Given your impressively optimistic outlook on life, I once thought that such dark works wouldn't appeal to you."
"But as you now know, I tend to like any artwork that is different from normal." I replied to that, "In fact, I tend to like anything that's a bit different from usual. That's why I like SHAFT anime a lot! It's also why I think your name is totally cool, Homura-chan!"
Homura smiled at that.
"Speaking of SHAFT anime, I'm a fan of light novels." Homura stated to me, "Some of the light novels I like have been adapted into SHAFT shows. Are you familiar with the Polygatari series?"
"Oh yeah, I'm a big fan of it!" I exclaimed.
"Then let me show you to my room!" Homura replied, a bit excitedly herself, "I'd like to show you my collection of light novels."
Homura and I then walked up the circular staircase which leads to her bedroom. I couldn't wait to join her there! It seemed like this was the beginning of a new and beautiful friendship for me. I was so pleasantly surprised that Homura has interests similar to my own!
In the days and weeks to come, I hope that I can become very good friends with Homura. Finally, after so many recent trials and tribulations have challenged my friends and I, things were starting to look up again. I just hope that they would stay that way.
Madoka is Alone
"How could Hitomi do something so cruel and cheap?!"
That's what Sayaka said to me last night, after she awoke from her kiss-induced slumber. Hitomi, Kyouko and Mami had already left by the time that Sayaka awoke.
If you never qualified for MS Opportunity Choice 1, read Section Sayaka Out of the Closet. Otherwise, skip over it.
Spoiler for Section Sayaka Out of the Closet:
There was now the question of how Homura, Mami, and Kyouko would react to knowing that Sayaka is attracted to girls. That was a concern of Sayaka's, I could tell.
But more than anything, of course, Sayaka was simply heartbroken over losing her fight with Hitomi, since that meant that Kamijo was lost to her. I tried to console her through that, but I could tell that she didn't want to talk much.
If you chose A for MS Opportunity Choice 1, read Section Madoka Considers Love Rebound. Otherwise, skip over it.
Spoiler for Madoka Considers Love Rebound:
And now it's Thursday morning, and I'm in school, and Sayaka is nowhere to be found. I guess that she didn't feel up to going to school this morning, which really worries me.
Hitomi was chatting with Kamijo a lot before classes started, and he looks almost entranced by her. Kyubey was perched on Hitomi's shoulder throughout the chat. Hitomi's wish has clearly had a major effect on Kamijo and it doesn't look like he'll be free of that anytime soon.
Homura seems to be very lost in thought over this, or over something else, judging from the look on her face as she currently sits silently at her desk.
These troubled waters will be very difficult to navigate. There are two positives, but also many negatives.
The main positive, of course, is that Madoka is still a normal human. That alone assures me of some hope of accomplishing my main goal.
The second positive is that there is definitely more than enough Puella Magi to deal with Walpurgis Night, thus negating any sense of need on Madoka's part to become directly involved in combating that witch. Even if it's impossible for Miki and Shizuki to make amends, I'm confident that Tomoe, Sakura, and I will be sufficient to defeat Walpurgis Night.
That's as long as Tomoe doesn't first learn about the horrible truth behind witches, of course. So it would be to my benefit if Miki doesn't turn into a witch between now and Walpurgis Night's arrival. The fallout from that could be ruinous, taking from me useful allies for combating Walpurgis Night.
The problem is that I've never understood Miki well. I can't think of a way to improve her mental state over the coming two weeks. The only additional piece of information I now have is that Miki is attracted to girls as well as men, but it's hard to see how that knowledge could be of practical use to me.
All I can do is encourage Tomoe and Sakura to help Miki through this difficult time. I am left with no other real options.
So I must make contingency plans in case Miki does become a witch. If Miki becomes a witch, it would be ideal if I'm there the moment it occurs, so I can eliminate her witch-form immediately. But that would require me to take my eye off of Madoka and pay much more attention to Miki. It is a difficult conundrum…
'Madoka, is Sayaka with you?' I suddenly hear Mami communicate to me telepathically, from a different classroom, using Kyubey to send that 'message'.
'No, she's not in class this morning.' I replied to her telepathically, 'I'm worried about her, Mami.'
'I'm worried about her as well.' Mami replied, 'So there's a bit of a personal question I'd like to ask you, relating to Sayaka, if you don't mind.'
'Sure, go ahead.' I stated.
'Do you know if Sayaka has ever approached another girl romantically?' Mami asked me.
If you chose A for MS Opportunity Choice 1, read Section Madoka Answers 'Yes'. Otherwise, read Section Madoka Answers 'No'.
Spoiler for Madoka Answers 'Yes':
Spoiler for Madoka Answers 'No':
My telepathic conversation with Mami did calm my worries over Sayaka a bit. Mami seems very knowledgeable and mature, so there's probably a lot of truth to what she conveyed to me. I'll choose to go along with Mami's approach, at least for now.
The school day progressed without too much incident. Homura and Hitomi seemed a bit tense towards one another, but I don't think the rest of the class really noticed it much.
Still, I did try to make amends with Hitomi once this morning. While we were both in the girl's washroom together.
"…Hitomi." I said weakly to her, as we both washed our hands at sinks that were next to each other, "I… I really hope that we can still be friends with one another."
"…Why? So you can try to manipulate me to give up on Kyousuke for Sayaka's sake?" Hitomi asked me, in a cynical tone.
"N-no!" I exclaimed at that, "It's just that I don't want to lose you as a friend."
"I wish I could believe that, Madoka, but you obviously haven't been very trustworthy lately." Hitomi replied in a curt, low tone.
"I'm sorry." I said, as I felt very sad, "I'm sorry for hiding a lot from you. I just thought you'd be better off not knowing. I really did!"
Hitomi sighed over that.
"… Madoka, I don't bear you any ill-will." Hitomi said, "But you must realize that friendship between you, Sayaka, and I is no longer possible. Obviously you're closer to Sayaka than you are to me, so I hope the two of you have a good friendship together."
"B-but what about the plans we made yesterday?" I asked, "The plans for you, Sayaka, and I to all have a sleepover at Mami's place together!"
Hitomi became visibly irritated at my question here.
"Madoka, you can't possibly be this naïve." Hitomi stated, "Do you really think that Sayaka would want that now?"
"I… well, I…" I began stammering in response.
"I'm sorry." Hitomi said in a soft tone to me, "You've never been in love with a person before, so I guess it's only natural that you wouldn't understand. I'm sure that in a week or two I'll be fine with us renewing our friendship if you feel the same way then as you do now. But for the rest of this week, my time will be taken up getting adjusted to life as a Puella Magi. That… and starting a new relationship with Kyousuke."
Hitomi made a wide open smile, accentuated by blissful eyes, when she mentioned her starting a new relationship with Kyousuke.
After that, Hitomi quickly left the washroom, and I was left without anything else to say. I guess if nothing else Hitomi had forgiven me. But it looked like hard feelings would persist between Hitomi and Sayaka…
After classes ended for the day, I saw Hitomi quickly stand out of her seat to go talk to Kamijo again. I wish I could be happy for Hitomi, but given the circumstances surrounding her budding relationship with Kamijo, it's hard to be.
So while keeping in mind what Mami had suggested to me, I left classes for the day and started to walk home. After walking for a few minutes, I was surprised to see Kyubey following behind me!
'Kyubey!' I said to him telepathically, 'Shouldn't you be with Hitomi right now? Or Mami?'
'Hitomi is too caught up with Kyousuke Kamijo to do much Puella Magi work at the moment.' Kybuey said, almost sounding annoyed with Hitomi, 'And Mami already has other plans involving Kyouko that doesn't really call for my involvement. So the person I'm mostly concerned with is you, Madoka!'
'Why's that?' I asked.
'Because you're deeply concerned about Sayaka.' Kyubey answered, 'If you were to…'
'No.' I interjected, knowing what Kyubey would say next, 'I'm going to trust Mami about this. I won't be doing anything drastic. I've made enough mistakes already.'
'Very well.' Kyubey replied, 'But keep in mind that Sayaka might not recover from her current situation without your help. I'm sure there's many different conceivable wishes that could be of great help to her now. Hopefully, you'll soon think of one. Goodbye until then.'
Kyubey then began walking away from me, but his words did leave an impact on me. Should I try to think of a wish to help Sayaka?
Maybe… maybe I should wish for Sayaka, Hitomi, and I to all be friends again!
…But then there's all the warnings that Homura has given me. This is something I need to think about. I can only hope that Mami is right in what she stated to me this morning. With that thought first and foremost on my mind, I finished walking home. I hope that Sayaka will feel better tomorrow…
And the branching into 'Homura Romance' and 'Madoka is Alone' begins. 'Homura Romance' branches off of Section 'Hot Heroic Homura!', whereas 'Madoka is Alone' branches off of Section 'The Kiss of Victory!' (you can find both sections in the previous chapter linked to in the Mami Lives Chapter 11 title at the start of this update).
I hope that's clear enough for my readers. If not, I'll explain in more details.
Madoka/Homura romance is finally here! I hope that my readers enjoy its admittedly mild beginnings.
Any and all comments are welcomed, as always.
Last edited by Triple_R; 2012-06-14 at 23:56.
|2012-06-16, 02:22
|Link #230
Enjoying Snack Time!
Hey there Triple R how's it going? I've been having a really bad and awkward couple of days regarding some stuff, but I think it has passed now...I hope. None the less -- I've got some ClariS to listen to and I'm ready to go.
Like always my feedback to you is 100% real and I usual love to go knee deep into what you've done. So without further ado let's get this party started!
Current Mami Lives: Homura Romance Scenario
Spoiler for When a "Knight" Becomes a "Princess":
Madoka is Alone Scenario
Spoiler for The "Closet" Blues:
Grading Time:
Spoiler for Pros:
Spoiler for Cons:
Phenomenal work as always dude!
Sorry to drone on and on to the point where it's annoying, sorry! Can't wait to see what other winner you'll pull out of a hat, well until then, until then!
|2012-06-16, 21:28
|Link #231
Kneel Before Your King!
Well, it's time to talk about how things turned out after the tumultuous battle involving Sayaka was ended by someone with an H-name who seemingly hates her for some reason or another. Of course, as this particular update seems to be centered more around her than anything, I'll be temporarily replacing the Tasty Dark Chocolate/Empty Candy Dish titles with very lame Sayaka-oriented song jokes. Because that makes perfect sense.
Like the Power Glove, I'm so bad...
Spoiler for Shiny Happy Miki Feeling Glad:
Spoiler for No Kyousuke, So Cry:
Also, I feel I should apologize for something. I would've gotten this out sooner, but it's been a somewhat rough couple of days for me. I know that's not really a good excuse, but I still feel bad about taking as long as I have.
|2012-06-25, 20:47
|Link #232
Senior Member
Mami Lives Chapter 12
Homura Romance
"Wow, Homura, your Light Novel collection is impressive!"
"Thank you." Homura replied to my expression of sincere surprise.
Homura had several shelves on the side of her wall, stacked from top to bottom with light novels and manga.
"Before I transferred to Mitakihara Middle School, I was plagued with serious health concerns that limited my physical activity." Homura stated, while she reached into her shelves to remove one of the Polygatari light novels that she had in her collection, "So I decided to spend a lot of my free time reading. I liked reading books that helped me forget about the real world. Books that I could get lost in, leaving my troubles behind."
"…I'm surprised." I said, after a brief pause, during which Homura handed me the Polygatari light novel that she had just removed from her collection.
"Why are you surprised?" Homura asked me, in an unusual tone of puzzlement for her.
"Well…" I began in slow and careful reply, feeling a bit bashful over telling Homura my impression of her, "It's just that you seem so athletic, strong, beautiful, and cool!"
Homura blushed deeply after I said that. So much so that it took me a bit by surprise!
"D-did I say something wrong?" I asked, concerned over Homura seeming a bit uncomfortable due to what I had just said.
"…No." Homura replied after a tense pause, "I'm very flattered by your words, and I don't think that highly of myself, but I respect your opinion. So please continue. What about your assessment of me makes my love of books seem odd?"
"Well, it's just that you have so much going for you!" I answered enthusiastically, while gesturing outwards with my arms to accentuate my words, "I like getting lost in crafts, artwork, gardening, music, watching TV, playing games, and reading books because they all help me forget about how I'm not very special or useful… But if I was like you, I'd feel good about myself, and I'd want to spend more time helping lots of people in the real world!"
Homura briefly looked angered after I said that I'm not very special or useful. But now, after I finished my last sentence, Homura looked oddly chastened.
"…Even now, I can't live up to you." Homura said, in a low tone, seemingly more to herself than to me, and while looking away from me.
"Heh?" I asked in response to that, while I tiled my head a bit to the side as I was startled by it.
"What do you mean you can't live up to me?" I asked, completely bewildered by Homura saying such a thing, "I'm the one who can't live up to you, Homura."
"No." Homura said very firmly in reply to that, as she made intense eye contact with me, "You're far more special and useful than you'll likely every know."
Homura then surprised me by cupping my chin with one of her hands, and gazing down lovingly upon my face. I felt shivers go through my whole body due to Homura approaching me like this. I felt myself go a bit weak in the knees…
"H-Homura, w-why are you touching me like…" I began in nervous reply.
"I… I'm sorry." Homura stated, as she pulled her hand from my chin, and also pulled herself back from me, "I let my emotions get the best of me. I…"
"It's Ok." I interjected, a bit shyly, "I mean… friends should be honest with each other, right? So I don't want you to feel like you need to hide your true feelings from me."
"My true feelings..." Homura stated in a low and contemplative tone, "My true feelings may be unsettling to you, Madoka. It may even threaten our newfound friendship, and I'd hate for that to happen."
"It won't." I replied, as I gently placed one hand on Homura's shoulder, wanting to reassure her here, "I'm not somebody that would ever turn on my friends. That's why I did what I did last night, to try to stop Sayaka and Hitomi from fighting each other."
Homura took a moment to think carefully on my words, during which I could see her eyelids lower a bit and her face grow firmer. She then turned about slightly, in order to once again make eye contact with me.
"Madoka…" Homura began in a low tone, before her voice gradually rose, "What do you think of girls that are romantically attracted to other girls? Do you have anything against them?"
"No, I don't." I answered quickly and honestly, "In fact, I think that I might be attracted to other girls that way myself…"
Homura's facial expressions changed quickly, and changed a few times, after I said that. First, she looked startled. Then, she looked lost in thought. Finally, a slight half-smile appeared on her face. I wonder what thoughts had just raced through Homura's mind?!
Homura then placed her hands on my arms, and began caressing them slightly. I once again felt shivers go through my whole body. It was so… it was so exciting! And it brought with it such a tantalizing release, like I was drinking sweet juice after I had been dying of thirst.
"You said that you found me to be athletic, strong, beautiful, and cool…" Homura said in a soft and sugary tone of voice, while she gazed lovingly at my face, "Now you reveal that you might be romantically attracted to girls. …Does that mean that you have a crush on me, Madoka?"
I think my heart skipped a beat over being asked that question by Homura! Part of me felt so overwhelmed by this unexpected turn of events, and yet… another part of me… another part of me wanted to take this further.
"Yes." I initially said weakly, as I trembled a bit, before I became more assertive in what I said next, "Yes, I have a crush on you, Homura-chan!"
"And I have a crush on you, Madoka." Homura replied with such impeccable smoothness.
While still holding my arms steady in her hands, Homura leaned her head towards mine, parting her lips while she aimed them at mine. I instinctively parted my own lips in response, and we kissed.
It was so soft. It felt so great!
The kiss was short, simple, sublime. It was so moving. It brought me such a mesmerizing sense of freedom. Intense inner inhibitions were washed wondrously away as an amazing kiss from Homura left me feeling like I was melting into a pool of joy.
The kiss, although only a few seconds long, seemed to last much longer.
Finally, Homura's lips parted from mine, and she looked dreamily into my eyes, while I felt small tears in my eyes due to how excited I now was. Homura then ran her fingers through my hair.
"I've wanted to share a moment like this with you for so long, Madoka." she said to me, "I've had such strong feelings for you for so long."
"W-why didn't you tell me about them until now?" I asked, as I felt my heart pounding inside of me.
"Like I said before, I didn't want to unsettle you." Homura answered, "Even now, you seem to be trembling a bit."
"Well, it's my first kiss." I replied, "Of course it would have a big effect on me!"
Homura smiled widely at that.
"I'm happy to be the person that you share your first kiss with, Madoka." Homura stated to me, while she shifted her two hands to rest softly on my shoulders, "But don't worry, I won't take things too fast for you."
"…Does that mean that you want us to be girlfriends?" I asked Homura.
"If you want that, then I would like it as well, yes." Homura answered
"I'd love to be girlfriends with you…" I replied, while I shyly looked away from Homura, and blushed deeply.
Homura then hugged me tightly, and placed her head next to mine.
"Then it's agreed." Homura stated directly into my ear, "We will be girlfriends. But first…"
Homura then released me from her hug, and stood back a bit, while making eye contact with me anew.
"First let's try to be good friends to one another." Homura stated, in an oddly relaxed tone of voice for her, "For one thing, I think it would be best if our feelings for one another were kept private and discreet, at least for a week or two."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Well, your friends, and my Puella Magi allies…" Homura began in explanation, "I don't want too much to be on their minds over the next week and a half. There's a lot that we'll have to prepare for. There's a lot of fence-mending that will have to be done."
"Between Hitomi and Sayaka." I said.
"Right." Homura confirmed, "Right now, I'm in a leadership position, Madoka. I don't have the best personality for the role, but my extensive experience with Puella Magi activities still makes me the best person to lead the five Puella Magi that are now in this territory."
"Based on how you handled things last night, I think that you have a great personality for being a leader, Homura-chan!" I stated, while smiling broadly at her.
Homura at first smiled serenely over that compliment, but then I could see tears rush to her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I asked, as Homura wiped the tears away from her eyes.
"I…" Homura began uneasily, "I just remembered the Puella Magi that I had once looked up to. I just thought… of how much it would mean to me if she was to agree with you."
"I don't know her, of course…" I replied to that, "But I'm sure that she would!"
Homura thanked me for that. Then to help us cool down a bit, Homura retrieved a couple glasses of orange juice with ice cubes in them. We then chatted a lot, and joked around a bit, while we looked through Homura's light novel collection as we sat next to each other on Homura's bed.
Homura and I talked about which Polygatari characters we both identified with the most. I told Homura that even though I liked the male lead best, I probably identified the most with the shy middle school girl that had a crush on him. But Homura said that the Polygatari character that she thinks I'm the most like is Hanekawa. Given how smart, smooth, and surefooted Hanekawa was, I felt very flattered by that! So I thanked Homura for it.
Homura and I then started to watch a movie together, but because of how late it was getting, and how I really didn't want to miss curfew again tonight, I told Homura that I would need to leave now.
Homura told me that she understood, and she also said that we could finish watching the movie some other time. Homura then walked me to the door. At the door, she gave me a quick peck on the cheek, and told me that she looked forward to seeing me at school tomorrow.
As I walked home from Homura's home, my heart was all aflutter! I felt really nervous, but also really happy, at the thought of becoming girlfriends with Homura. It felt great for me to be true to myself at last. I just hope all my friends and family members would accept this about me, once they find out the truth.
Of course, my friend Hitomi faces a very different yet no less difficult truth this same evening…
She's doing well, to her credit. I asked her to run interference for me so that I could take clear shots at the witch with my rifles, and she has followed that instruction with keen precision. Even as a rainfall of female legs wearing sharp skates came pouring down upon her, Hitomi did not lose her focus or her wits. A combination of her numerous small energy axes, and her own halberd swipes, managed to skillfully sweep sharply away this attack against her.
And now I'm in perfect position to deliver the finishing blow "up the skirt" of this witch that hangs on laundry lines. It's time to take out the dirty laundry!
"Tiro Finale!!!" I shout triumphantly, as my most powerful maneuver is discharged against the witch.
In mere seconds, the witch is destroyed, the witch's barrier dissipates, and a Grief Seed slowly descends from mid-air.
"What a glorious finishing maneuver…" Hitomi said with breathless admiration towards me, as both of us transform back into the normal attire of our school uniforms.
"It's nowhere near as elaborate and impressive as your Gates of Brandenburg, Hitomi." I replied to her with a smile.
"Maybe not, but your Tiro Finale is very quick, powerful, and effective." Hitomi replies, "My Gates of Brandenburg was not that effective against Sayaka."
"Fighting another Puella Magi is much different from fighting a witch." I said to Hitomi, as I knelt down to pick up the Grief Seed, "Against some witches, your Gates of Brandenburg will be the most useful attack that either of us can muster."
Hitomi and I were now standing between a large industrial area, and a small body of water. We were standing on a brief stretch of grass there, and large clouds hung in the night sky.
"Now, here is your reward for handling your first witch fight with great poise and precision." I state to Hitomi, while I throw the Grief Seed over to her.
Hitomi catches the Grief Seed, but looks startled by my gesture.
"No, Mami-senpai, this is rightfully yours." Hitomi stated, "You were the one who ultimately defeated the witch, so you should…"
"No, Hitomi, this witch fight would have been much more difficult for me without your aid." I said to her, "And besides, you used up a lot of magical energy when you fought against Sayaka last night. Your Soul Gem needs a Grief Seed cleansing more than my own does."
"If you insist." Hitomi replied, "Although the next time we defeat a witch together, the resulting Grief Seed will be yours to claim! It's only fair."
I smiled at Hitomi's stated sentiments, while she used the Grief Seed to cleanse her Soul Gem. But my happiness over my possible friendship with Hitomi proved fleeting, as it reminded me of the very sad state of affairs that I would soon have to grapple with.
While I can hardly condone how Hitomi has handled her romantic conflict with Sayaka, I also think that Hitomi is a generally good person with a good heart. Her politeness, temperament, and personal style all reflect my own, and that leaves me feeling very at ease when it's just the two of us together.
When I paid an unexpected visit to her mansion of a home, she was very surprised and pleased to see me. She made me feel very welcomed and respected. And when I asked her to join me on a witch-hunt, she showed not even the slightest hesitation in agreeing to it.
However, I carefully avoided bringing up Sayaka or Madoka, and I wonder if her agreeable nature would persist if I did bring them up? Of course, I soon will have to bring up Sayaka to Hitomi, in order to let her in on news that will no doubt prove devastating to her. It's quite sad to think of…
"Hitomi…" I began, a bit unusually uneasy for me.
"Yes?" Hitomi quickly replied.
"There's a couple sensitive issues I wish to discuss with you." I finished, with firmness.
Hitomi sighed over that.
"I guess I couldn't expect you to avoid the topic forever, could I?" Hitomi asked rhetorically, "You want me to make up with Sayaka and Madoka, correct?"
"Yes, that's correct." I confirmed in answer.
"Well… I'm not the one you need to discuss this with." Hitomi stated.
"Oh?" I replied, while raising an eyebrow, "Then who would you suggest I discuss it with?"
"That should be obvious." Hitomi replied, "Discuss it with Sayaka and Madoka. As long as they can get over Kyousuke being my lover, then I'll be more than happy to be friends with them again. Otherwise…"
"And what if Kyousuke becomes Sayaka's lover?" I asked, hating to play coy here, but deciding that Hitomi should be given at least a little bit of mental preparation for what I was to reveal to her.
"That's impossible." Hitomi quickly stated in reply, as she waved her head dismissively, "Since Kyousuke now loves me, there's no way he would accept any love confession from Sayaka."
"…He already has, Hitomi." I stated firmly, determining from Hitomi's dismissive tone of voice that there would be no effective way to prepare her for this emotionally crushing blow.
Hitomi could tell from my tone of voice that I wasn't joking here. She could tell that I was being deathly serious.
"W-what do you mean?" she asked, in a flustered tone of voice, "T-This isn't something to joke about, Mami-senpai!"
"No, it's not…" I began in reply, "And that's why I'm not joking, Hitomi."
Hitomi's face contorted in pain, and her mouth formed into an ugly frown, as she brought one hand over her heart.
"No… that can't be." Hitomi said, trying to deny it, "It can't be!"
Hitomi gestured theatrically as she spoke those words.
"I'm sorry for the pain you must now feel." I said with a deep tone of empathy towards Hitomi, "But I am telling the truth. Sayaka confessed to Kyousuke Kamijo after school today, and he accepted it. I decided that it would be best if you learned about that from me."
Hitomi began crying profusely, as she collapsed to her knees in deep sadness.
I couldn't help but feel deep concern for her as I saw her like this. So I walked towards her, and knelt down in front of her. I then gently wrapped my arms around her, while she cried into her two palms.
"It's not fair!" Hitomi screamed, as I attempted to soothe her by carefully caressing her back, "I wished for Kyousuke to love me… doesn't that mean that I should be the one to be with him?!"
"My wish…" Hitomi continued, as she became increasingly choked up, "My wish has been entirely in vain!"
Hitomi lifted her face from out of her palms, and looked into my eyes with such desperate need displayed in her own. Her cheeks were now reddened, and her eyes were full of tears. I wanted to offer some comforting words to her, but I admittedly struggled to find them.
Hitomi then started wailing in sadness, which caused me to cry a bit myself as I brought her closer to me in an attempt to comfort her.
Eventually, after a couple minutes of this, Hitomi composed herself. Once I could tell that her emotional outpouring was just about complete, I helped her back to her feet while I also stood up myself. I motioned my hands to help brush off her dirtied clothes, but she swiped my hands away.
"No…" she said weakly to me, while she quickly wiped away her remaining tears, "I don't want you to pity me like that. I… I'm sorry, Mami-Senpai. I'm ashamed of letting you see me in such a pathetic state. I promise you that I'll maintain better composure from now…"
"It's Ok, Hitomi." I quickly interjected, "You have perfectly understandable reasons for reacting the way you just did, to what I told you. I don't want you to think that the way I conduct myself means I don't understand severe loss, or pain, or rejection."
"…You've experienced something like this before yourself?" Hitomi asked me, with a surprised look on her face.
"Yes, I have." I confirmed, "There was… a person I had a deep crush on a few years ago, and I was deeply hurt when I was rejected by that person."
"He's simply a fool then." Hitomi stated confidently, "No sensible boy would reject a girl with the charms that you obviously have."
"I…" I began in nervous reply to that, not quite sure how I should take it, "I appreciate the sentiment. But still, it means I can relate to what you're going through right now. It's nothing to be ashamed of, Hitomi. It's perfectly human!"
"Can you relate to how it feels to have your wish be completely useless?" Hitomi said, with a tone of bitterness and self-pity.
"Well, yes, I can, in a sense." I replied.
Hitomi raised a questioning eyebrow over this.
"I never told you this before…" I continued, "But I first met Kyubey after I was involved in a tragic car accident. I was near death. I had to use my wish simply to save my own life. I never had a chance to wish for anything more than simple self-preservation."
"I… I see." Hitomi said, as I could tell she was shifting from self-pity to sympathy for me.
"So as you can see, Hitomi, you and I actually have much in common!" I stated to her, while I gestured one outstretched arm and hand to her in a friendly manner, "We've both suffered similar heartache and troubles. So please let me help you get through this trying time in your life. Let me be your friend in your time of need."
Hitomi looked deeply moved by my words. Tears seemed to rush to her eyes, but she forced them back, and regained her composure.
"I consider myself very fortunate to have a senpai like you, Mami Tomoe." Hitomi said to me, "I hope that we can also be good friends to one another."
"Excellent." I replied with a smile, after breathing a sigh of relief, "Then let's make our way back to your home. On our way there, we can plan out our activities between now and the arrival of Walpurgis Night."
"Agreed." Hitomi stated.
I think I had managed to get through to Hitomi. Hopefully I can keep her busy enough with Puella Magi activities over the next few days to keep her mind off of Kyousuke Kamijo. I also hope that through her and I becoming friends, I can also help mend broken fences that now exist between Hitomi and Sayaka. Plus, there are the inherent benefits of friendship.
I think that Hitomi was a good person prior to her romantic conflict with Sayaka. Hopefully I can somehow restore her to that place. In which case, Hitomi and I should become good friends. Perhaps even the best of friends…
The next ten days seemed to simply fly by!
Sayaka was caught up in her newfound romance with Kamijo, and also with her Puella Magi activities. I did make a point to chat with her a bit during schooldays, but I could tell she had a lot on her mind. Most importantly, though, Sayaka seemed very happy to me!
Hitomi and Sayaka spent several days actively avoiding each other, but Hitomi broke the ice with Sayaka the first Tuesday after they fought one another. Mami had gently prodded Hitomi into doing so, and Hitomi finally relented. I'm very relieved that Hitomi, Sayaka, and I might all be good friends again! This is especially true since Kyubey's words to me, implying that I should wish for Hitomi and Sayaka to become friends again, was starting to wear down my resolve to stay true to my agreement with Homura. And the last thing I'd want to do is let down Homura-chan…
Homura and I have spent a lot of time together over the past several days. Not every day, due to her Puella Magi responsibilities, but most days. We've grown very close to one another, and I know that I truly love her…
Homura confided in me the coming of Walpurgis Night. But she told me that Mami, Kyouko, Sayaka, Hitomi, and her, should be more than enough to handle it. Kyubey had argued that Sayaka and Hitomi's broken friendship could tear the entire group asunder, forcing me to take action. But that is no longer a real concern. At least I hope.
Now my family and I have been evacuated, as Walpurgis Night arrives at last. Now I hope and pray that Homura and all of my friends will overcome Walpurgis Night. My heart is heavy. Part of me feels I should make a wish to help them. But the larger part of my heart wants to be faithful and true to Homura.
But I certainly want her victory over Walpurgis Night to not take very long. Otherwise, fear and worry may overwhelm me. As I stand uneasily in the evacuation center, Kyubey's eyes seem to be piercing right through me. The key hour is now upon my friends, my girlfriend, and me…
To Be Continued…
This latest update was taking me longer than I thought it would, so I'm putting off the "Madoka Is Alone" section for later.
Thanks to Kirito and Kogetsu for their excellent replies, as always. ^_^
I really hope people enjoy this latest update, especially Homura fans and Madoka/Homura shippers.
Last edited by Triple_R; 2012-06-26 at 20:23.
|2012-06-25, 23:56
|Link #233
Enjoying Snack Time!
Nice to see you again with another update Triple R. Anyway, I just finished reading everything from top to bottom and all I can say is... I"m truly impressed but a little worried at the same time. But I'll get into that during the review so you can get a good idea what my likes and concerns are. As you know, I have ClariS playing and I'm ready to rock.
As always, I tend to go really deep and thorough into what you do during each update. So without further ado, let's this party started "raises fist in the air"!
Mami Lives Chapter 12: Homura Romance Scenario
Spoiler for Time Warp Finally Heals a Wound!:
Spoiler for Really Bad Love Refund:
Grading Time:
Spoiler for Pros:
Spoiler for Cons:
Really amazing update Triple R. Can't wait for the next update so keep up the phenomenal work as always, and don't forget to take your time and think about things. So until then dude, until then!
|2012-06-26, 09:46
|Link #234
Join Date: Mar 2012
I've spent the past few days reading this... I'm too lazy for lengthy reviews, but this is a wonderful story. I enjoyed reading every word of it. ^^ The way you write Madoka is very sensual, I wish I could become a part of her harem myself! I'm sad now though because I'm caught up and don't have anything more to read, so get to writing, RRR! *cracks whip*
|2012-06-27, 09:26
|Link #236
Kneel Before Your King!
Hm... would it be possible to just finish off Homura Romance before moving on to (Madoka's love life is) MIA? No? Didn't think so.
Anyway, onto the review thingie that will most likely be more of a summary than anything.
Spoiler for Tasty Dark Chocolate:
|2012-07-09, 17:45
|Link #239
Senior Member
Mami Lives Chapter 13
Homura Romance
"Now, Tomoe-san, finish it off!"
Akemi-san's command causes my adrenaline to pump even faster. This is it! The ultimate team-up between Mami-Sempai and myself. I find it so beautifully rewarding to play such a key role alongside her in finishing off Walpurgis Night. This is a night I will never forget.
I now ride alongside Hitomi in her chariot, summoned due to her having cast the Gates of Brandenburg. This is the final piece of Akemi-san's plans. We have been fighting Walpurgis Night for at least 30 minutes now. Akemi-san's opening attack had left us all in awe.
"Woah, just what is this, another World War?!" Sayaka had exclaimed at the sheer vastness and impressiveness of Akemi-san's weapons cache.
"No kidding!" Kyouko had agreed with her, "You better be careful with that much weaponry, Homura, or you'll destroy the city yourself!"
Thankfully, Akemi-san had been very careful with that weaponry. Following a bodacious blitzkrieg of bombs bursting in air, and of rockets' red glare, Sayaka and Kyouko would then give proof through this night that our hope was still there!
They did this by being the second phase of Akemi-san's elaborate attack plan, as they ran interference against all of the rainbow-colored, magical girl-shaped familiars frolicking fiendishly about to aid Walpurgis Night's destructive aims.
That interference, combined with Hitomi using her chariot to bring her and I near the smiling maw of our enemy, now puts me in position to end this fight!
The four black horses stampede with scintillating speed around the head of Walpurgis Night, causing this scene to appear even more apocalyptic. But that would soon end, as I used three ribbons to set up three gigantic glistening guns in a tight triangular formation around this monstrous witch!
"Now, Mami-Sempai!" I hear Hitomi cry in frenzied excitement.
I then leapt out of her chariot, and took hold of the final gun.
All three guns are discharged simultaneously, having the impact of three separate Tiro Finales! That drains my magical energies substantially, but it has the desired effect.
Walpurgis Night screams in horror as it is incinerated in the blast!
I then collapse backwards, disoriented in the wake of such a mesmerizing discharge of magical energy. Thankfully, I am caught by Hitomi, who beams down at me with pride.
I can hear Sayaka and Kyouko shouting triumphantly from below, though I can't make out their exact words. But it doesn't matter. Mitakihara Town has been saved!
Unfortunately, the wreckage left in the wake of this insane battle is immense. Though I'm not as good at this sort of thing as Homura is, I'd guess that about a sixth of the city has been entirely decimated. I guess the good news is that loss of life has been kept down to a minimum, and most of my city and its people have been left unharmed. Though this is still a scene of sad tragedy, I must admit to feeling some pride at playing a role in protecting my city, my friends, and my loved ones. Becoming a Puella Magi was truly a worthwhile choice for me! I will never regret it, especially after tonight.
I hope that Kyousuke and Madoka are safe and secure at evacuation facilities. With Walpurgis Night now dealt with, ensuring that my boyfriend and my best friend are Ok is my top priority! I'll want to search them out soon.
"Well, that was fun!" I said with a grin, while chewing on pocky, "Most exciting witch fight I've had in ages. It's been a blast! Now, I'll just be collecting the Grief Seed dropped from this witch, as payment for helping y'all."
"Hey!" the green-haired high-society girl complained to me, "That's not fair! Mami-sempai played the largest role in this victory."
"It's fine, Hitomi." Mami says weakly to her, "Let Kyouko have the Grief Seed. My Soul Gem wasn't darkened too much by my final attack."
"That's right!" I state in grinning reply, "Besides, Homura still owes me one more Grief Seed based on the deal she made with me. Speaking of Homura, where is she?"
That's a good question. Homura should be with the rest of us celebrating our victory, but she isn't!
Wait, what's that rustling sound I hear coming from under several large pieces of debris from over there?
Is that… Is that…!
"Homura!" I shout out in alarm, at the sight of her badly bloodied hand reaching out from under about a hundred pounds of debris!
Is she Ok? Is she even alive?!
I wonder if Homura is Ok right now. Is she… Is she even alive?
And are Sayaka, Mami, and Hitomi Ok as well?
I find my mind getting drenched in worry, while the glass wall that I lightly touch is getting similarly drenched by the heavy rain. I stand here apart from the gathered crowds of displaced people only a few steps away. That is not the only way that I feel so wretchedly alone…
'You've been at this evacuation center for almost fifty minutes now, Madoka' Kyubey states telepathically to me, 'And there is still no word from any of your friends that are Puella Magi. It seems to me that they might be in trouble!'
Kyubey's words are irritating to me. His persistence in trying to persuade me to become a Puella Magi has begun to test even my patience… and I almost never get impatient with people! And yet, I can't deny the logic of his words.
…I couldn't live with myself if Homura, Sayaka, Mami, or Hitomi were to die in battle when my involvement could have saved them. I'd especially hate myself if Homura was to die, of course…
I'm sorry, Homura… I'm really sorry… but it's time for me to make a wi…
"Madoka!" I hear Sayaka suddenly shout out to me, as I see her racing towards me from the nearby exit.
"Sa-Sayaka!" I exclaim in shock, as I turn about to face her, as she runs towards me.
Sayaka is now wearing her student uniform, just as I am.
"I'm really relieved to see you, Sayaka!" I shout at her with a smile, "Does that mean that Walpurgis Night has been dealt with?"
"Yes!" Sayaka replied to me with a smile, after she took a moment to catch her breath, "The threat has been dealt with, so you don't need to worry now."
"That's good to hear, and I'm glad to see that you're Ok" I replied, "…But what about everybody else that fought against Walpurgis Night?"
"Mami, Hitomi, and Kyouko are all doing fine!" Sayaka exclaimed joyously in a smiling reply, "Mind you, that Kyouko has already left the rest of us. She gets her precious Grief Seed payment, and then she just heads off. So cold…"
"What about Homura?!" I ask, as a sense of dread and foreboding take hold of my heart, fearful of what Sayaka not mentioning Homura could mean.
"Well, when it comes to Homura…" Sayaka said in a more subdued and slightly melancholic tone, "That's kind of why I'm here to fetch you."
"Fetch me?" I ask.
"Yeah." Sayaka replied, "Please follow me. There's somewhere we need to go!"
There's desperation in Sayaka's voice… and definitely desperation in my heart!
Unfortunately, though, my chat with Sayaka had attracted the attention of my mama. Sayaka and I both tried to explain to my mama that there was someplace that Sayaka needed to bring me. When mama objected due to how dangerous the weather was outside, I pleaded with my mama to trust me here. Sayaka fervently promised my mama that she'd make sure that I get back safely.
Thankfully, my mama finally relented, and Sayaka and I left the evacuation center together.
Just outside of the evacuation center, Sayaka did something that surprised me! She transformed back into her Puella Magi outfit, and summoned forth some sort of bluish hovering skateboard!
"Don't worry." Sayaka said to me, "I came up with this mode of transportation based on what I saw once in a really old but very cool movie! It's pretty small, so it doesn't take up too much magical energy."
Sayaka then gathered me up into her arms, causing me to go "Uuuwwwaaahh!" in surpise.
"Sorry, but I'll have to carry you there like this." Sayaka said, "It'll take too long if we go on foot, and there's not enough room on the hoverboard for both of us to stand on it. Anyway, now we're off!"
Sayaka then jumped onto her overboard, pushed one foot against the air alongside of it, and we started soaring off!
Wow, this was surprisingly fast! Travelling this way gave me a really strange sensation. It was like Sayaka was bringing me back to the future!
A few minutes later, Sayaka and I would arrive at a… very strange place. She lead me into a mysterious room.
In this room, a sharp pendulum swings overhead. It looks impressive, but it also looks dangerous! Strange images float about the room, all of them going back to one aspect or another of the Puella Magi world. Circular colourful seating arrangements are arrayed in a pattern throughout the room… Wait, no, the pattern has been broken, as several have been pushed off to the side. This was to make way for a makeshift bed of sorts. And lying on this bed was…
"Homura!" I cried out to her, as I raced over to her.
"Ma-Madoka…" she says weakly to me, as she turns her head sideways to look towards me, and I see a trickle of blood seep out of her mouth as she forces a slight smile at me.
I quickly fall to my knees next to Homura, tears seeping from my eyes, as I wrap my arms lovingly around her head. I feel my heart overflowing! I feel so extremely emotional over seeing Homura again!
On the other side of Homura's bed are Mami and Hitomi. It looks like they had been attending to Homura's injuries.
After I release Homura from my embrace of her head, I feel her softly reach her arm and hand out towards my face. She then gently caressed my cheeks and chin while she wiped away my tears.
"It's Ok, Madoka…" Homura said to me, "Mami and Hitomi been looking after me."
"What happened to Homura?" I asked Mami.
"During the fight with Walpurgis Night, Homura was struck by falling pieces of rubble." Mami said, "Thankfully, Hitomi has an interest in medicine, and did a great job in assessing Homura's injuries. So Hitomi is probably the best person to answer the rest."
"Akemi-san has suffered some minor internal injuries, some nasty bruises and lacerations on her head and along her arms, and…" Hitomi stated, picking up where Mami left off.
"…Yes, and?" I asked Hitomi.
"A broken left leg, to put it into layman's terms." Hitomi finished.
"…You can't walk?" I asked Homura, as I tilted my head down to gaze with deep love and sympathy towards her.
"No." Homura replied, with a slight frown, and a touch of shame in her voice, "Not right now."
"How long until Homura can walk again?" I asked Hitomi, while I looked back up at Hitomi.
"That may depend on Sayaka." Hitomi replied.
I then turned my head about to look at Sayaka. Sayaka had a somber but nervous look on her face.
Apparently, Homura's leg was broken beyond the point of modern medical science being able to heal it. A prosthetic leg might be possible, but costly, and far from ideal.
But now there's reason to believe that Sayaka might be able to heal Homura's leg! After Sayaka found Homura almost dead under a pile of rubble, she desperately tried to apply healing magic to a horrible and possibly lethal wound on Homura's chest. Sayaka managed to remove Homura's wound doing that, but in the process it caused a similar wound to appear on Sayaka's body. It was as though Sayaka had transferred Homura's wounds to herself!
After doing so, Sayaka started to choke on blood, until the wound on her own body had been magically healed. But that healing caused Sayaka's Soul Gem to darken substantially. Thankfully, Homura was carrying a couple spare Grief Seeds in case of an emergency, and so she instructed Mami to give them to Sayaka so that Sayaka's Soul Gem wouldn't fully darken. It was then decided by Mami and Hitomi that Sayaka should wait awhile before she even considered trying to heal Homura further.
After all of this was explained to me by Mami and Sayaka, Homura spoke up.
"I think the best course of action, if Sayaka is willing, would be for her to slowly heal my leg while the rest of my body heals." Homura stated, "That will likely leave me bed-ridden for a week or so, but the alternative is just too dangerous to Sayaka."
I hated the idea of leaving Homura in such a sad state, but at the same time I didn't want Sayaka to do anything too dangerous, so I agreed with Homura's suggestion while pledging to come visit her every day!
Over the next few days, there was a lot of hard work to be done in picking up the pieces left in the wake of Walpurgis Night's attack on Mitakihara Town. The first evening after Walpurgis Night's attack, Mami and Hitomi helped get Homura to a hospital.
Each day over the next week, Sayaka and I would pay Homura a hospital visit. During those visits, Sayaka would heal Homura a bit, but then give me some time to spend alone with Homura.
The one silver lining to all of this is that the feelings that Homura and I had for each other had become obvious to Mami and Sayaka. So when I went to explain that to them, they weren't surprised by it.
If you choose A for MS Opportunity Choice 1, read Section Lingering Hurts for Sayaka. Otherwise, Skip Over It.
Spoiler for Lingering Hurts for Sayaka:
Mami thankfully made things a bit easier for me, as she decided that she would tell Hitomi about my romantic relationship with Homura. It did take a bit of time for Hitomi to get used to knowing this about Homura and me, but I could also tell that this was secondary to Hitomi relative to the lingering issues between Hitomi and Sayaka.
Hitomi and Sayaka eventually managed to move on from their conflict over Kyousuke, but things were never quite the same between them. The blissful, innocent friendship that the three of us shared was now definitely a thing of the past.
But thankfully Sayaka was helped by being in a happy relationship with Kamijo, while Hitomi was helped by her growing friendship with Mami. In fact, Mami was stunned by Hitomi's generosity in offering Mami free room and lodging at one of the guest rooms in the mansion of a house that Hitomi's family has! Mami rejected the offer at first, but after some encouragement from both Hitomi and I, Mami finally agreed to it.
Hitomi now seems to view Mami as something of a big sister to her, and they've truly become best friends.
Finally, there's Homura and me…
I brought different flowers to Homura every day when Sayaka and I visited Homura in the hospital. I took pride in putting my gardening skills to this practical use. Homura expressed deep thanks to me for each of these flowers that I gave to her while she was in the hospital.
The day that Homura was finally released from the hospital, after the Doctors were stunned at her seemingly miraculous leg healing, we all decided to throw an overnight sleeping party for Homura over at Hitomi's home!
We watched movies, played games, ate cake and cookies, and drank all sorts of drinks and liquids. And those drinks gained a lot more punch… due to a surprise visit from Kyouko!
Kyouko said that she didn't want to miss out on a party like this, even if she does prefer living the life of a loner. But much to everybody's surprise, Kyouko smuggled in some sake with her, and she spiked some of our drinks with it!
While drunk, most of us did some very silly things… Hitomi started running around the house wearing nothing but a pearl necklace and a green blanket, while declaring herself the Lizard Queen! Mami started mistaking every cat-sized object for Kyubey, and started talking with them as though she was reliving past witch fights. I started seeing fluffy clouds and colorful pillows everywhere. This led to me accidentally mistaking Mami's breasts for a pillow.
I rested on 'the Mami pillow', while she said "Kyubey, why are you on my breasts? You need to move off of me so I can finish off that Candy Cane witch!" to me.
Seeing me on top of Mami like this managed to upset Homura, as it made her frown and blush a deep red. Homura dragged me off of Mami's breasts and she then had me lie on top of her own breasts.
"If you're going to use anybody's breasts for a pillow, then use mine for that, please." Homura said to me.
But before that, Homura did something much sillier than that. Homura somehow ended up walking around with a pair of underwear on her head! As embarrassing as that was for her, it was even more embarrassing for me, as the underwear she had on her head was a change of underwear that I had brought with me. In other words, it was my underwear!
"Ha ha ha ha ha…!" Kyouko had laughed uproariously, while tears of laughter seeped form her eyes, "Oh man, this just has to be the funniest scene of all time! What a riot!"
"While I hope that nobody gets hurt…" Sayaka said to Kyouko, while sitting directly across from her, "Yeah, I have to admit, it is pretty funny!"
"Is that why you're taking some pictures of it?" Kyouko asked her with a saucy grin.
"Something like this should be saved for posterity, don't you think?" Sayaka asked in turn, with a saucy grin of her own.
"True… but you've drank just as much as anybody else here has." Kyouko replied, "So how is it that you still appear perfectly clean and sober, huh? No offense, but you never struck me as somebody who's great at handling her liquor, like I am!"
"I guess it must be due to my healing powers." Sayaka answered, "They must be ensuring I don't get drunk."
"Oh wow, that must suck then." Kyouko said, while chugging down another glass of spiked juice, "I guess if nothing else, you'll make a great designated driver one day! Ha ha ha ha!"
Sayaka threw an actual pillow at Kyouko over the joke, and the two soon got into a playful pillow fight just so they wouldn't feel left out on all the "fun". It certainly ended up being one surprisingly wild party! Were we ever glad that Hitomi's parents were away for the night…
The morning after the party, must of us awoke with splitting hangovers. The one good thing is that helped dull the embarrassment for both Homura and me, with me awakening after sleeping the entire night on her breasts, and she having worn a pair of my underwear on her head the entire night…
It was so embarrassing! Especially since Kyouko and Sayaka cracked a couple jokes about it… at least they did until Homura gave them one very frighteningly fiery glare! That managed to make both of them nervously back down.
After everybody cleaned up, got dressed, and had a very late breakfast, we decided that it might be a good time for us all to start heading to our separate homes. Homura decided to walk me back to my home.
It was a very pleasant walk, during which we held hands, and I allowed myself to take comfort in frequently leaning my head against her shoulder. I think this occasional gesture caused Homura to smile very contentedly.
But even as she expressed great joy at getting to walk easily again, especially alongside of me, Homura also had a couple more somber points to make.
She said she would need to spend the next few days fighting witches, to ensure she didn't get too rusty at it, and also to ensure that she restocked her Grief Seed supply. But Homura said that after she was finished with those activities, which should take about a week, she'd like it if the two of us could start officially dating together.
That made me shyly blush, but it also made me very happy. I agreed with Homura's suggestion, and we shared a very passionate kiss about a couple blocks away from my home.
Homura and I were now deeply in love with each other, and I really hope that it will all work out between us! It made me so excited and joyous to think of Homura and I growing deeper and closer in our relationship like that. I could only hope that it would meet with a good conclusion.
To Be Concluded…
Phew. Finally managed to get more of this wrote.
I've decided that I'm going to finish off Mami Lives, Homura Romance before getting back to Madoka is Alone.
I decided to have this chapter be like Aquarion EVOL - A mix of intense drama and total silliness, lol. I hope it came together well for my readers.
Also, I thank everybody for their great replies to the last update, and I'd love to know what people thought of this update as well.
The next update will be the final chapter of Mami Lives, Homura Romance. That will close out the "No. 2 Route" for Madoka/Homura Romance (the main one will be in the Canon Chain that I hope to get back to sometime in the future).
Now, there's own chapter left, and I've only settled on the essentials. So if there's anything in particular that Madoka/Homura fans would like to see, I can probably squeeze in a little bit extra. So make your requests heard now please!
Also, when it comes to "Homura Meeting Madoka's Parents", I honestly think I can't hope to match what the Madoka PSP game has there, but I can write that anyway if people want to see it.
I'll leave at that for now!
Last edited by Triple_R; 2012-07-13 at 01:40.
|2012-07-10, 00:01
|Link #240
Enjoying Snack Time!
Yay! It's great to see that you're back with another update, and another great chapter at that. To tell you the truth, I've read this about 3 hours ago and was ready to get you my review, but got side-tracked by an unexpected visitor today. We've played Arcana Heart 3 for two and a half hours, we've played over 80 games, and I won...most of them, ggs and good times.
Back on topic. Now with guilty pleasures and disturbances out of the way. I've got ClariS playing, as always, and I'm ready to reach out for the truth.
A relatively short chapter with many neat and great things going on... truly impressed with what you've come up with in your semi-long period of absence. All I can is for this update is..."applause and standing ovations", I'm get more into that when I grade your performance. Now on to the summary of this update.
Spoiler for Magica Warfare:
Spoiler for A Magica Celebration...:
Grading Time:
Spoiler for Pros:
Spoiler for Cons:
Despite your writers block, you've pulled another winner out of your hat. Can't wait to see what will happen next. Well take and your time and think what you'll do next. So until then dude, until then!
Last edited by Kirito; 2012-07-16 at 14:35.
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