The Way Home (Madoka Kaname)
| The Way Home (Madoka Kaname) | |
|---|---|
| Date of Cutscene: | 04 August 2023 |
| Location: | The Adachi-Mitakihara Bus Route |
| Synopsis: | On the way home after the Drowning Witch, Madoka Kaname has a lot to think about. |
| Cast of Characters: | Madoka Kaname |
The bus line going from Adachi to Mitakihara was the easiest way for Madoka to get home. It might have been faster to ask papa for a ride, but she didn't want him involved. Madoka was quietly grateful when Kyubey left her side. She wanted to be alone. Her hair and clothes were damp from a surprise attack that she never could have seen coming. One moment she was hiding behind a singing magical girl while Teresia and others battled the Witch. The next moment, the air had become water and she was drowning.
She still didn't understand what happened. All she knew for sure was that if the others hadn't been there to protect her, Madoka would have drowned in that Labyrinth, and no one would ever know. There wouldn't even be time to call Homura for help.
How many times could she risk herself like that? How long could she depend upon the protection of others, or on luck holding out?
Madoka remembered watching as Homura took on a Witch alone, right in front of her. It never really felt like the Falling Petals Witch stood a chance. Yet, Adalinda made it clear that going into a Labyrinth alone was something you should never do. Was it just... random, how dangerous a Witch could be? Was Homura just so strong that she didn't need to worry?
No, that's not true. It hurt her to think about, but Madoka knew that Homura could die, too.
Raindrops slapped against the windows of the bus, pulling Madoka out of her contemplation. The streaks and dots of water told her that the rain had been falling for a while. She had been too self-absorbed to notice. Her stop was next. She got ready to leave. No one else was here aside from the bus driver and herself.
The bus stop, protected by glass walls and a roof, was Madoka's one refuge against the rain. The thought of walking home in this downpour was too much. She texted her dad for the third time tonight.
Madoka: I'm at the bus stop near our house. It's raining now.
Tomohisa: Do you need me to pick you up?
Madoka: Could you please? I'll wait here.
Tomohisa: I'll be right there, sweetie.
Of all the difficult things to happen tonight, this one favor struck her as being surprisingly easy. A few simple words, a small ask, and her burdens went away. Papa acted like it was no big deal, and maybe to him it wasn't. If she but asked, Kyubey would answer her just as quickly.
Homura came to mind again. Her warnings weighed against his offer.
Unless you are absolutely certain it is the only way forward, after every possible alternative from you and others has been explored and exhausted. If the only hope remaining is your Wish and Miracle, only then should you make a Contract with Kyubey to become a Magical Girl.
Well? Had she exhausted every possible avenue? Explored every alternative? Not hardly. Madoka had only just barely gotten started. She felt guilty for even thinking about it.
Madoka was startled by the appearance of a dazed, mindless figure lurching in front of the bus stop, caught out in the rain. She thought of a Witch's victims, and panic crept up her spine. When she saw who it was, she shrieked.
"Momma!"
The rain no longer mattered to her. Madoka sprinted out of the safety of the bus stop and into the torrent, blocking Junko Kaname's path. She gripped the edge of her mother's jacket. "Momma, snap out of it!"
Junko gave her daughter a groggy, dazed stare. A wide, lopsided smile crept across her face. Her speech was slurred, clumsy, and completely bereft of grace. "Madoka-cha~an, my sweet little angel!" Junko all but collapsed on top of Madoka, dropping to her knees on the concrete sidewalk and throwing her arms around her daughter. "You'll help your poor, tired momma make it home, right? You'll walk your momma home?"
Madoka stared forward with wide pink eyes. Relief washed over her so quickly that she almost cried. Her mother wasn't cursed. She was drunk. The pinkette held her mother tightly, as much to support her as to seek her own comfort.
"Papa's coming to pick me up. Why don't we just wait here, momma?"
Junko held Madoka a little tighter and laughed. "So~unds like a GREAT idea!" Mother then patted daughter's hair, and whined, "My little girl's all soggy."
"So are you." Madoka's voice and tone were both flat. A part of her wanted to feel happy, but the best she could do right now was 'tired'. Madoka was grateful that it wasn't 'terrified', instead.
"That'sss not my fault!" objected her mother. "It's raining!"
Madoka smiled. It was a soft, sad smile, but sincere all the same. It wasn't long at all before the family car pulled up, and Tomohisa helped get Junko into the back seat where she immediately fell asleep. "Thanks, papa," was the last thing Madoka really said on the way home.
