Chapter Text
"Madoka! Madoka!" a 4-year-old boy cried happily, showing a stranger in school uniform a drawing of a magical girl on the ground. The girl gave a soft smile "That's right. It looks just like her," she replied. The boy curiously reached out to the familiar ribbon tied to the young girl.
"No, Tatsuya! That's not nice," a man said, lifting the boy as he giggled. The man who lifted him appears to be his dad. "You don't pull a girl's hair, okay?" he gently scolded, and the boy's giggling continues.
The boy happily cried "Madoka" once again, raising his hands in the air. "I'm so sorry, are you alright?" the mother from behind asked her. The girl stood up and replied with, "I'm fine. Excuse me for intruding." She looked at the boy and asked, ""Madoka"... Am I right?" The boy stopped giggling and smiled "Yeah!" he nodded.
That memory happened 10 years ago... The boy is now 14 years old. His name is known as Tatsuya Kaname. He studies at Mitakihara School as an 8th grader and a Nurse's Aide in the class.
He left this "Madoka" girl out of his mind ever since he turned 7. He never heard of that name in a while now...
The sound of the alarm clock woke the boy as he groaned and reached out to his desk clock, stopping the disrupting noise. He stretched his arms out as he yawned. He prepared his uniform, took a bath, and went downstairs.
Downstairs was his father; Tomohisa Kaname who works as a house-husband—and his mother; Junko Kaname who works as a businesswoman.
He sat at the table with cream stew for his breakfast. The teen curved his lips upwards as he pick up his utensils. "I see, someone's up for some cream stew, your favorite!" his father teased as Tatsuya chuckled. His mother was just finished her breakfast as she stood up. "You're early today, mom. Didn't you get home late last night?" Tatsuya said, chewing the food. Junko giggled "I have an early business, Tatsuya. I can't be late for that" she tiredly sighed, "I even have to force myself to wake up by myself. I just feel bad you have to wake me up every time." she added. Junko walked off with her small suitcase of make-up. Tatsuya watched her walk away to the bathroom as he put the food in his mouth. "Come on now, Tatsuya. Eat your cream stew quickly, you don't want to be late. You still have to take a toothbrush with your mother," Tomohisa reminded. Tatsuya nodded with his mouth full.
"Ah, you're here. Make sure to brush your teeth properly, okay?" Junko said, picking up her toothbrush. Tatsuya picked up his toothbrush and passed the toothpaste. As both the mother and son brush their teeth, they later on gargled and spit out the used toothpaste in their mouth.
Tatsuya zipped his uniform closed as he watch Junko put on her lipstick. "Mom, don't you think you're already beautiful for make-up?" the boy said, fixing his hair.
Junko blinked but smiled, "That's so sweet of you. Is that part of a beauty standard that I haven't heard of?" she dreamingly asked. He shrugged, "I just noticed you wore your lipstick every day to work."
Just when it went silent, Tatsuya glanced at his mother. "Mom, is it okay to be a Nurse's Aide especially when I'm a boy?" He asked, washing his hands. Junko just cocked an eyebrow "Why are you asking? Are you getting bullied for being one in school?" she said, putting on blush. Tatsuya hummed "It was nothing. I just want to know."
As Junko closed her case, Tatsuya picked up his bag. "I will be going off early for now. I have early work to do with someone and I can't be late, okay?" she said. Tatsuya blinked but gave her a thumbs up. Junko smiled and walked out to the kitchen with Tatsuya and bid Tomohisa goodbye.
As Tatsuya quickly walks his way to the school happily, that is...
...
"Ohh, Tatsuya-san!~ I feel sick, can you bring me to the Nurse? You are the Nurse's Aide after all!" One teased, laughing with a group. Tatsuya twitched his left eye, his eyebrows furrowed. Ever since he became the Nurse's Aide of the class, the group's been having a toxic mindset that it was only for girls.
Just as classes began, he won't stop getting himself bothered by the quiet whispering and chuckling in the back. He silently sighed as he tried to ignore it.
...
That happened 6 hours ago, it's already time for the students to go home. He walked his way to the gate until one whistled. "Look, it's the Nurse's assistant," the same student from class shouted. With him and the other 2 students, they laughed. "I bet he wears make-up, right?" one said and the other added, "Or maybe even afraid of mud, eh?"
Tatsuya groaned "Listen, if I wear make-up; I bet I'll look better than now. You can't just make fun of me for being the Nurse's Aide, either; You'll need me later on." he slipped. "Maybe if you have some respect, I wouldn't have to listen to your crap." Uh-oh. How could he let that slip out?
"What did you say? You better take that back," the leader stood up, his hand balling into a fist.
Tatsuya backed up and furrowed his eyebrows, putting down his bag, ready to fight. "Hey, leave him alone! Where are your manners?" A voice from behind shouted. It was the nurse. Despite her being gentle, she would never allow bullying on the school property, or outside the school property. "If you keep up this behavior, I will call your homeroom teacher; or worse—your parents."
The members backed up as the leader growled "This isn't over, nurse freak." the group walked away.
"It's okay, now. If they ever mess with my assistant ever again, I'll make sure they won't go back to school at this point," she comforted the boy. Tatsuya just blinked in confusion, but the anger won't go away from the corner of his mind.
...
Walking home slowly, he put his head down and thought, "What's wrong with being a Nurse's Aide, anyway? Do they think I'm not the true definition of being brave?" The scene pretty much replayed in his mind over and over again, until his environment changed. He never went here before, he's supposed to be by the road to his home.
But that's not it... It's something else...
It's the same place, but it slowly turns red with every anger he felt "Who are they to call me that? Do they even care for everyone else, or only for themselves? If it means thinking I'm not brave or strong, then they're wrong! I can handle a wound better than them!" He balled his hands into a fist, gripping his bag. "They should've known how important it is to become an assistant of a nurse, they should be grateful I can't hurt them even if I want to!" he shouted in his mind.
At this point, the environment changing went into Tatsuya's mind. The place was red and black, but the ground was white with blood stains. There were paper machetes of nurses and badly injured children. The noises of students crying in pain and the nurses' rude scolding. The place was filled with giant syringes and used bandages. The ginormous drugs were not medicines, and they strictly can't be used as something to heal someone.
"What... is this place...? Where am I?!" he shouted. But he couldn't get his mind through the question. The noises of needles colliding and the constant crying of children and scolding of nurses. "This isn't how it is when you're supposed to heal someone... This should be bad! I need to get out of here!" he thought, but the place never had an exit. He feels stuck. The smell of toxic gas made Tatsuya cover his mouth and nose, holding his breath. It took time until he almost passed out.
As his eyes feel heavy, a cat-like creature came out and a girl fell with a mysterious light source. The light was absorbed into the bow as she shoots from the sky and spreads the attacks to the mysterious enemies. The pained crying gradually got louder with every shot.
But the thing is, this girl seems familiar. As the final enemy was defeated, her weapon disappeared into thin air. Her clothes transform back to the Mitakihara School uniform, looking back to the boy. Her black hair, pale skin, and the familiar red ribbon tied to her head. "You're..." Tatsuya's jaw dropped. It's her! She's from 10 years ago! The girl turned at the strange animal and threw some rocks from behind. The creature surprisingly caught it all with its opening back like it was a snack.
She turned to the boy with a worried look "Tatsuya Kaname, are you okay? What happened? Why were you being caught up with a curse? At this time of hour?!" she hurriedly put both hands on his shoulder. Tatsuya's smile beamed "You're from before! You're the one who has that same ribbon!" he giggled, "I've always wanted to meet you again!" he hugged the girl. The girl blinked and mumbled, "Homura. Homura is my name."
"Homura... That's a really nice name..." Tatsuya mumbled.
The boy hummed in question when he saw the cat-like creature. The creature waved its tail to the side and tilted its head "I'm Kyubey! I guess you already knew Homura's secret of being a magical girl." The creature said, waving its tail once again. "Magical girl?" Tatsuya mumbled. "But... I thought those were fictional?"
Homura sighed, "I know we both go to the same school. So if anything happens, please call me. I don't want anything like this to happen again." Kyubey blinked "Or, you can protect yourself by making a—"
"Denied."
Homura's personality completely changed when Kyubey spoke. Tatsuya was confused because of their bonds. The incubator emotionlessly blinked, not feeling a sense of fear or nervousness.
"You must go back home before another shows up. I'm not done with my job yet." She said, her clothes transforming again as her weirdly-carved shield moved clockwise. Tatsuya was surprised by her prop until he blinked and appeared in front of his front door.
This made him even more confused as he rubbed his eyes and opened them again. Nothing changed, he really is in front of his front door. Was that teleportation? The memory of Homura fighting with mysterious enemies won't stop playing in his mind.
"... What... Just happened...?"
◇To be continued...◇