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On the rooftop of the highest building in Mikihatara, light has triumphed against darkness once more. As the smoke clears from the battlefield, only two figures are left behind, their enemies destroyed.
The two are Pretty Cures, legendary warriors of Light and Hope.
One is Cure Radiosa, clad in a shade of yellow as radiant as the morning sun. Her posture exudes elegance, as beautiful as she is powerful. An awe-inspiring sight for anyone who beholds her.
The other is Akumi, the Anomalous Precure, dressed in purple and black. Unlike Radiosa, her beauty has a sharpness to it, an air of mystery always surrounding her.
Even when she is tied up in golden ribbons, bound to a wall and looking more like a wet cat forcefully wrapped in a blanket than a warrior in peril.
Still, should another Cure from somewhere else see this, it would be an extremely concerning situation to them.
Pretty Cures are meant to fight together against the forces of Despair, to protect the innocent and defeat evil. Not to fight against each other. For such an event to occur, something most disastrous must have happened, and tragedies often follow soon after.
Not in this case, fortunately enough.
In truth, the owner of the ribbons holding her companion hostage, Cure Radiosa- whose real name is Tomoe Mami, has one thing on her mind: this isn’t the best plan she could’ve come up with.
Homura- Akumi’s real name, as Mami has learned, struggles in her restraint, staring back at the blonde with an unreadable expression. Though that doesn’t do much to hide the anger she must be feeling at that moment.
“Tomoe-san, what is the meaning of this?” The ravenette asks in her usual monotonous voice, and Mami flinches at the use of her actual name.
Nonetheless, the blonde just gives her a placid smile.
“I just wanted to talk.”
“...You start conversations by tying people up with magic?”
Well, Mami messed up there. It’s not entirely her fault though! If Homura hadn't been so stubborn she wouldn’t have had to tie her up with ribbons like that.
Sure, it isn’t the best way to convince someone to be her friend but if she hasn’t then Homura might’ve run off afterward, like she usually does whenever Mami tries to talk to her alone.
Although in those cases it’s often because the blonde comes off as too aggressive, as Kyubey pointed out a few times.
Which isn’t helped considering the situation she’s put herself in.
Mami coughs, ignoring the heat crawling up her ears as she waves a hand.
Instantly, the ribbons retreat away from Homura’s body, fading away in a shower of sparkles. Is it a bit too overdramatic? Yes. Does Mami care about that? Of course not.
“Apology, I might’ve overreacted.” The blonde holds her hand up in a pacifying stance, carefully checking to see if Homura is hurt in any way. “Are you okay?”
Mami hopes she’s not, she made sure to be careful with her magic even in the midst of chaos. Homura stands up, patting herself slightly before flipping her hair and nodding at the taller girl.
She then pauses for a bit, studying the yellow Cure before speaking again.
“What do you want to talk about?”
"Quite a lot, but to start with something simple: You're not taking care of yourself." Mami moves to face the other girl when she turns away.
"I don't see how that's your problem." Before Homura can leave, the blonde has already grabbed her by the wrist.
“Well, as a senior Precure and your teammate,” Mami leans closer, maintaining a firm grip on the other girl’s arm, “it’s only natural to be concerned about your health.”
There are a lot of other things she’s concerned about, but that’s for later.
“You shouldn’t be. I am doing well by myself.” The ravenette replies without missing a beat. Not a speck of hesitation in her voice.
Admittedly, Mami’d be lying to say she isn’t annoyed by Homura… aloofness. Whatever the ravenette feels towards her and the others, it’s not hostility. At least, not for Madoka and maybe Kyouko.
Kyubey was hunted and attacked on sight for weeks, and clearly Homura still doesn’t want to have anything to do with him after they come to an agreement. Although the fairy himself seems to just appreciate her no longer threatening his nor anyone else’s life, he remains skittish around the girl.
Sayaka has had a much harder time dealing with Homura’s apparent “change of heart”, and remains harshly suspicious and wary of her, even calling her a ‘devil’. Things changed recently though. After… what happened, the two of them seem to get along somewhat better.
As for Mami herself, despite everything that has happened between them, despite the fact that they’ve spent more time being enemies than even knowing each others’ names, and even less being an ally.
She does care for Homura.
“How about caring for you as a friend then?” Now, that managed to catch the ravenette offguard.
Homura visibly freezes.
For a moment, Mami thought that she’s failed, but before she said anything, Homura finally sighs and mumbled out a soft “fine”.
It takes all of her strength to not just pull the other girl into a bear hug at that.
__________________________________________________________
Kyubey wasn’t home when she got back, but judging by the leftover magic he left behind- and also the fur at the hallway vent door, that fairy might just go bald at this point- he must’ve run outside the moment Homura stepped into the building.
It saddens her somewhat, but knowing how many times he’s arrived home looking like a burnt rat and smell of raw sewage the last few weeks, she can understand why.
Either way, a guest is here at her home and she will treat her well.
When Mami returned with the snacks, she was greeted with a most interesting sight.
Homura sitting quietly by the tea table, peacefully reading one of the books laying around. The girl’s eyes glow, not too brightly, but noticeable to someone who knows where to look. A silent indigo shade, shining through her glasses.
The afternoon light cast a gentle glow to her, making Homura look a lot softer than usual. When Mami sits down across from her, the ravenette simply puts down the book to give her a quiet look. It feels gentler, not as harsh as the glares nor cold as her usual impassive stare.
Seeing her like this makes it hard for Mami to believe just a few weeks ago they were at each others’ throats. And while they aren’t exactly on the friendliest term by now, the blonde is trying to change that.
“Let’s get this over with,” Homura said, “what do you want?”
“Very well then,” Straight to business, but not too hard for Mami to deal with, “with how active you are as a Precure… Aren’t your parents worried about you?”
It stings somewhat, thinking about the fact that another Cure can even have such an issue in the first place. But Mami knew something was off when she realized how often she saw Homura going on her solo patrol.
And while she doesn’t want to assume anything, if the ravenette is really by herself then Mami wants to offer her any support she can.
“That’s nothing to worry about, I live alone.” Homura seems confused by her question, but she answers anyway.
“Then how about you come live with me?”
“What…?” Maybe Mami is going about this too quickly.
“As I’ve said, you're clearly not taking care of yourself. You look exhausted, and for all that magic can do, it can’t always hide that.” Especially not to someone who’s used it for much longer, but she doesn’t add that in. “I just think that it’ll be helpful if I can have your back during daily life too.”
After she finishes, Homura just continues to silently stare at her, then at the teacup in her hand. She remains like that only for a short while, but it still feels agonizingly slow for the blonde.
Then, in the same monotonous tone as before, she replies. “If you truly don’t mind, then I accept your offer.”
That… That was easier than Mami thought it would be.
“Really? You’ll accept it, just like that?”
“Would you rather I say ‘no’ instead, Tomoe-san?” Purple eyes narrowed slightly at her.
“O-of course not, I’m just a bit shocked.” The blonde quickly shook her head, swiftly moving to pour more tea into the cups as a distraction. Luckily enough, Homura does seem to enjoy the drink.
“Anyway, now that that’s finished,” Mami smiles, finally the chance has come, “let’s pick an actual Cure title for you!”
“That’s not necessary, ‘Akumi’ works just fine.”
“But it doesn’t sound like a Precure title at all though.” The blonde pouts. “And it doesn’t match with the team either.”
Homura pauses, giving her a look Mami can only describe as extremely judgemental but not in a bad way. Somehow.
“I’ll… think about it.”
Mami gives a gentle hum at her answer.
“I’ll await your answer then. I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll be beautiful.” Homura blushes in response, averting her eyes as she sips on the tea with more force than needed. Though Mami notices the small smile on her face before the other girl manages to hide it.
Madoka was right, Homura looked adorable like this.
Now to break the news to the others, and especially Kyubey…
__________________________________________________________
Unbeknownst to the pair, on the roof of an adjacent building sat a crimson-eyed fairy, quietly observing them from afar.
The fairy was still a statue, only his white furs moved by the wind as he watched the girls from his vantage point. Up this far away, he couldn’t hear anything they said, and the pair could not see him either.
He can guess what the conversation is about, however. After a few minutes, he flicks his tail once. A quick, smooth movement before he turns and leaves.
Silently, Kyubey thought to himself…
“Bruh, guess I’m homeless now.”