The sky was tinged a brilliant pink-gold by the setting sun. Already, stars were visible, peeking among the reddish clouds hanging about in the heavens. A flock of birds overhead called out an end to the long day, wheeling about in an aerial display of colour and agility.

Luna and Estella stood at a hilltop, observing every minute detail of the scenic view before them. Back at Lordanum City, which was still very much in sync with nature, they rarely had the chance to see high-rise buildings, let alone tech-savvy parks and malls. Ever since they had arrived at Mitakihara, their life had taken a whole new turn, though for the better or worse, they didn't know. They still couldn't let go of their previous life back at Lordanum - all their friends, the wildlife, the forests and outbacks...

Luna sighed, lowering her eyelids slightly. "I'm so homesick, Stella. Aren't you?"

Her twin grunted, shifting her weight to her other foot while sticking a hand into her short hair. "Well, nothing much we can do but cope with it for now. At least, until mom and dad's boss tells them to shift again." She ran her hand through her short, dark-blue strands, adding, "I wouldn't call Lordanum home if I were you. We've only been there for six months-"

"I'm so sick of all this moving!" interrupted Luna, throwing her hands up into the air in exasperation. "Why can't we just settle down somewhere permanently? First, it was U.K., then it was India, and then China, Japan, Russia, Canada, Brazil, U.S., and now, Japan again," she counted off her fingers and sighed. "When will we ever go back home to Granar Plateau in Australia?"

Estella glanced at Luna with a wry grin, cocking her head to one side. "Well, to settle down for good... that's just not our destiny, now is it?"

The black-haired girl pouted, readying another remark but was stopped when Estella wrapped her arms around her twin, nudging her playfully. "Aww, c'mon! Don't mope like that, it's not like the world's ending. Besides, we've got a whole evening to ourselves since mom and dad aren't at home. Let's go have dinner somewhere nice!"

Luna couldn't help smiling at her irrepressible twin. Giving up, she allowed herself to be hauled along down the hill and towards the city.

"Where do you want to have dinner?" asked Estella, skipping around her sister.

"Hmm, how about that first place where we had lunch together with mom and dad?" replied Luna. "You know, the one near the apartments. The food there was quite nice."

Estella beamed. "Okay!"

Hand in hand, they walked into the city, reminiscing about the past.

***

A light breeze picked up, whistling around the busy streets and its people who were eager to go home after a long day of work. Oriko and Kirika made their way along the throng of city-people, heading for the eatery near the apartments.

"Say, Oriko," began Kirika, "Do you think something is up with the atmosphere tonight?"

Oriko gave her a puzzled glance. "What's wrong with it? I don't feel anything."

Kirika shrugged. "I dunno, I just feel something's off. Like, that feeling you get when you just know that your chemistry results are gonna be bad. Really bad."

Her friend looked upwards into the red-blue sky. She slipped her hand into Kirika's, saying, "Well, if you think something is wrong, then I trust in your judgement. You will take care of both of us, won't you?" Oriko's eyes narrowed, her face a grave mask.

Kirika blanched, embarrassed at Oriko's sudden request. "Whaa-at?! O-of course I'll take care of us! I won't let no weird thing get between our friendship, trust me!"

More people walked past them, giving no thought to the two girls. Oriko and Kirika stood at a pavement, observing the clouds as night began to fall. Both were lost in their own thoughts - of the past, the present, and the future.

It was Kirika who broke the silence. With her playful mood returning to her, she tugged at their connected hands and said, "What happened to dinner? I'm famished... starving... no, ravenous! I could really use a pancake right now!"

Oriko giggled, allowing Kirika to pull her along as they ran to the eatery. Halfway there, they stumbled upon a pair of surprised Australian twins. The siblings halted when they noticed Kirika and her friend. The other senior girl looked very intimidating, with ash-blonde hair pulled up in a messy ponytail and stern, piercing green eyes that seemed to see more than merely surface details.

As usual, Estella stepped up and greeted them in her awkward japanese accent. "Good evening, Kirika-senpai and..." she paused, unsure what to call the ash-blonde girl.

Oriko smiled. Releasing her hold on Kirika's hand, she introduced herself to the twins. "Hello there, my name is Oriko Mikuni, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Estella and Luna Queen. Kirika here has told me about you two," She extended a hand to shake those of the stunned twins as she continued, "So, you're from Lordanum City in Australia?"

Estella and Luna shook hands with Oriko, feeling relieved that the senior girl was friendly despite her appearance. Estella replied on behalf of the both of them, "Nice to meet you too, Mikuni-senpai. Actually, we're from Granar Plateau of Australia, but, really, we could have come from anywhere in the world."

"Hey!" hissed Luna, whispering to Estella in their native tongue, "Why did you tell her that, Stella?"

"Hmm? Is something wrong?" enquired Oriko, noticing the small exchange between the twins.

Luna stuttered hastily, pushing Estella behind her, "Errrr... n-nothing's wrong, senpai. Just ignore what my twin said."

Oriko looked surprised for a moment, then she let the subject drop, changing the topic. "So, what brings you girls out here tonight?"

"We're out for dinner because our parents aren't at home," said Estella, twisting the silver ring on her finger unconsciously. "They're always away due to their business projects."

"I see," Oriko nodded her head like she understood. "And where are you two going for dinner, if you don't mind me asking?"

Luna piped up, gesturing in the direction of the apartments. "We're going to the eatery near those apartments. The food there is quite nice, I have to say, especially their desserts."

Kirika, who had stayed quiet during the whole conversation, now spoke up, delight evident in her voice. "Ooooh! That's where Oriko and I are going! What a coincidence!" She skipped around, clapping her hands, the voodoo doll bouncing on her hip. "Well, what are waiting for? Let's go now, I'm hungry...starving...no, I'm-"

"Rapacious," Oriko finished the sentence for her with a hidden smirk. "You're rapacious, Kirika."

The brown-haired girl's face fell as she stopped skipping. "You meanie, Oriko. What does rapacious even mean?"

Oriko dismissed the question with a wave of her hand as she began to walk. "Search it up in the dictionary and you'll know. Come on, everyone, let's go for dinner now!" Her suggestion was eagerly agreed, and the foursome made for the eatery, laughing and chattering and getting to know each other. Little did they know that something was about to change their lives for good.

The wind shifted its direction, blowing in a sudden strong puff. Kirika's senses became alert, temporarily drowning out the sounds of her friends.

The atmosphere was off. She just knew it was.

***

Being very popular as a hot-spot for hungry tourists, the eatery was jam-packed by the time they reached. Kirika stood on tip-toe, surveying the area for any empty seats. She spotted one at the far right corner, to which she immediately shouted, "There! Luna, quick, grab it before anyone else does!"

Unbeknownst to Kirika as of yet, Luna was quite the airhead and day-dreamer when it came to matters of the un-academic. She gave Kirika a blur look and said, "Huh? Whazzat?"

Estella slapped her forehead. She grabbed Luna's wrist and pulled her, none too gently, to the empty table while reprimanding her. "You dolt, quit dreaming and pay attention to what others say. What is it this time, werewolves howling death threats to vampires?"

Luna put a finger to her lips, making a confused face. "No, of course not. I was thinking about whether kangaroos could jump backwards. I've heard they can't." She looked at Estella expectantly as Oriko and Kirika came over, asking, "What do you think, sis? Can kangaroos jump backwards?"

Estella rolled her eyes upwards. "No they can't, and that's a given fact. You've never seen one jump backwards, have you not? And to think you call yourself Australian. Now sit down and stop dreaming."

Her twin sister huffed. "Just because you're 121 seconds older than me doesn't mean that you can boss me around, Stella."

Kirika's lips parted in a grin as she sat down next to Oriko. "121 seconds apart, eh? Guess what, twins?"

Oriko chuckled, looking at the sisters' curious expressions. They creased their brows, saying in unison, "What is it, Kirika-senpai?"

Kirika spread her hands, replying, "Oriko and I are exactly 121 days and 3 hours apart in age, just like you both are 121 seconds apart. I'm the younger one, so I guess that makes me like Luna."

"What a coincidence!" squealed Luna in delight as she clasped her senior's hands. "Oh, Kirika-senpai, do you think I'll ever be as cool as you?"

Her gold eyes twinkled in merriment as Kirika tossed her shoulder-length hair and laughed carelessly. "Me, cool? You flatter me, Luna, hahahaha!"

The two went on complimenting each other with much zest, much to Oriko's amusement. It was nice to see Kirika talking and socializing with other people besides her. Turning to Estella, she said, "Let's leave those two admirers to starve. Why not you go ahead and order something first, Queen-san? Waiter!" Oriko waved her hand in the air to call over the black and white-clad waiter.

He hurried over, carrying some menus with him which he placed in front of the four girls. There was much bickering and debate as to what to order, because, as Kirika said, "Everything here is just too nice. It's like trying to pick the perfect leaf off of a perfect tree." In the end, Oriko settled for cold soba, Kirika chose a beef bowl with eggs, Luna took ramen noodles in miso soup and Estella went with a sushi platter and tempura.

*Half an hour later*

The four girls sat back in their chairs, feeling nice and full after the scrumptious meal. The full moon was already out, casting a pale, white glow onto the many trees along the pavement swaying gently with the night breeze in a moonlit dance.

Oriko stood up first, beckoning the waiter for the bill while saying, "The meal's on me, as the mark of our first meeting!"

The twins were taken aback. "But..." began Estella, thinking of a way to refuse Oriko's kind offer. "We couldn't just let you pay, Mikuni-senpai. We've just met you!"

"Aww, take it cool, guys. Oriko's being nice today, so why not accept her good will?" winked Kirika, putting her arms behind her head. "Think of it as a treat from your senior."

The twins watched as Oriko paid out the sum at the cashier while Kirika gathered their belongings and started to walk towards the exit. The two girls followed suit after pushing in the chairs and stacking up the plates.

Outside the shop, the night air was cool and crisp. Stars blinked above, their view of the earth below occasionally blocked by the mischievous clouds. Estella and Luna thanked Oriko for paying for their food, promising that they will do something in return for her favour. Oriko just smiled at them, saying, "I did not pay for you two just to get gratitude and repayment, you know? It's fine, don't fret about it."

As they made to go back home, with the twins chatting in front of them, Kirika suddenly noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye. At once, the feeling of dread that she had felt came back to her. She grasped at Oriko's hand, keeping her voice low so that only she and her friend could hear. "Oriko, remember that 'off' feeling that I had earlier on? Do you think it has anything to do with that?"

Oriko's green eyes followed the direction of Kirika's finger, which was pointing to the direction of the apartments. She gave an audible gasp, which made the twins turn around.

"What is it, Mikuni-senpai?" asked Estella, concern etched into her features. She didn't have to ask more. She immediately noticed the huge apparition that had settled over the apartment like a multicoloured dome. Inside, it was filled with blurry figures, but she could make out a large trash can and a winged person who seemed to be battling against it.

By now, Luna had seen it too. The four girls stood rooted to the spot, terror seizing their hearts, and along with that, an unexplainable feeling that, somehow, this phenomenon had something to do with them.

"Stella, are you seeing what I think I'm seeing?" whined Luna, holding onto her twin tightly. Estella nodded dumbly, mouth hanging open.

All of a sudden, Oriko's knees buckled, and Kirika caught her just in time. "Oriko! What's wrong?!" The twins hastily went to help Kirika lower Oriko onto the ground, their hands trembling. Luna gave a shriek when she saw her senior's face.

Oriko's green eyes had turned into glowing orbs. Turning them upwards to the blackened apartment, she raised a hand and pointed, uttering a single word which sent chills down the three girls' spines.

"Witch."

***

Homura murmured non-stop, holding onto Madoka who had fallen into a stupor.

"You will all forget this incidence. This was nothing but a fire drill. Go back to your apartments and carry out whatever you were doing before this happened."

"Mami Tomoe, Sayaka Miki, Nagisa Momoe, you will forget that Madoka was a Goddess, and that you were once Puella Magi. Kyoko Sakura, Yuma Chitose, what you saw just now was just an illusion. You are not Puella Magi, and you will not remember this attack. Now, go back home."

"As for you, Madoka...Stay as you are. Don't make me do something drastic. Please...I cannot lose you another time. You are my one and only precious friend, do you understand?"

Hot tears coursed down Homura's cheeks. She had hurt her three friends in a bid to stop Madoka from reverting to her Ultimate form, how could she have fallen so low?

She hugged the unconscious Madoka closer as she allowed her energy to pool around them, and subsequently, spreading it to the whole of the apartment. A shining purple barrier appeared around the building so that normal passers-by would not notice anything strange going on while she was working her magic. Her purple aura slowly restored the damaged building, pulling back bits and pieces of debris and furniture, reforming broken glass and bricks. Down at the evacuation point, the people started to disperse, going back to their own rooms while discussing the results of their 'fire drill'. Kyoko and Yuma promptly began to head for their home, the runes on Kyoko's ring disappearing rapidly. In just under five minutes, everything was back to normal.

Homura wiped at her tears, letting go of Madoka and changing back into her normal appearance. Her wings disappeared in a shimmer of purple, and she was back in the casual clothes that she was wearing. She gently put Madoka against the sofa and helped the other three sit upright against the wall, putting a fork and a plate of some leftovers from their cooking session into their hands so that they will not suspect anything. She gave them one last order.

"When you wake up, you will remember nothing of me at all. You all fell asleep after eating. Kyoko and Yuma have left because it was getting late. Now, awaken!"

She snapped her fingers once, at the same time leaping out of the open window, wings of energy forming around her to give her a soft landing.

She was gone.

Madoka came to first, rubbing at her eyes groggily. The food was so good, they must have fallen asleep. She looked around the room and noticed the slumbering forms of Mami, Sayaka and Nagisa, and crawled over to wake them up.

"Hey, wake up sleepy-heads," she said, prodding at Sayaka and Mami's arms. They woke with a jolt. "Huh? Wha-! I didn't fall asleep, no I didn't!" stammered Sayaka, floundering around with her plate.

Mami yawned, stretching her arms. "Oh dear, look at the time. Sakura-san and Chitose-san must have left already." She then looked fondly at Nagisa, saying to Sayaka and Madoka, "It's late already. Why not you two head for home? I'll clean up and put this little girl to bed by myself. You must be tired after such a long day."

The two nodded gratefully as they went out of the room, bidding Mami a good night and a thank you.

"See you tomorrow, Mami-san!" said Sayaka, stifling a yawn, as she and Madoka walked towards the elevator. Mami waved them a goodbye and locked her door, proceeding to clean the cooking utensils and plates.

Outside, Homura smiled sadly as she looked at Madoka and Sayaka's receding forms. It wasn't good to manipulate other people's minds, but what could she do? It was all for the sake of Madoka.

***

"The purple light's gone," remarked Luna, who had, along with everyone else, witnessed the full event of happenings at the apartment.

"And so is that winged figure that leapt out of the window," added Kirika, still holding onto a very silent Oriko.

"What does this mean? Why is it that only we could see that trash can monster?" Estella tugged at the dangling pieces of her hair ornament, recalling the baffled faces of the passers-by when they asked if they could see a huge monster at the apartment.

To their surprise, Oriko suddenly spoke up, her eyes still glowing. What she said immediately loosed a flood of memories within the three girls' minds.

"It's because we're Puella Magi. And it's our job to see and defeat them, like it or not..."

Hey guys, so sorry for the very late update ^-^" I'm quite busy these days, having to run around here and there doing all sorts of stuff, so I hope you all understand. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this non-action-packed chapter. Thought I needed a break from all that fighting XD But to you fans of combat, there will be another coming very soon, most possibly the next chapter, if things go well XD
By the way, the girls in the picture are what I imagine Estella and Luna to look like XD It's drawn in Photoshop XD
~SaitheVivana