Puella Magi Midori ☆ Magica - Deceit

Chapter 20 | Sudden Separation

Mature content warning for this chapter:
Sensitive LGBTQ+ issues, abandonment, and mentions of death

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             As she sat silently in Imogen's room, Haruka began to think of what she could possibly do to cheer Imogen up. The pigtailed girl seemed to be falling further and further each day, despite all efforts to lift her up.

             Eventually, Haruka had an idea. Breaking the silence, she quietly suggested; "Hey, how about I read a story? Would you like that?"

              There was a bit more silence before Imogen replied. "Sure, why not. Although I don't have a lot of books in my room, so you'd probably have to go out into the living room to get one."

              "I'll try," Haruka replied, feeling uneasy about sneaking around even more than she had to. "Is there one in particular that you'd enjoy?"

              "Somethin' off of Grimm's Fairy Tales should do just fine," Imogen said, a small yawn tagging on afterwards. Even though she had slept through almost the entire day, one could tell by her expression that she was still incredibly tired. "Like Rapunzel or somethin'. We have all the volumes on a bookshelf by the couch in the living room, third shelf up."

              "Alright." Haruka stood up off the bed slowly, slipped off her shoes so they didn't make any noise on the wooden floor, and crept to the door. She peeked out to make sure no one was awake, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that the lights were out and the house was dead silent.

             Haruka made her way through the dark to the bookshelf and found the book she was looking for. As she walked back, a floorboard creaked under her foot. She froze, startled. After making sure no one was going to check and see what the noise was, she successfully reached Imogen's room as quietly as possible. She shut the door gently behind her and sat back next to Imogen, who was waiting for her patiently.

             "I'm not sure my reading voice is very good, but I thought we could try it out," she said as she opened the book on her lap.

              Leaning her head on Haruka's shoulder, Imogen replied softly, "If your reading voice sounds anything like your normal voice, it'll sound great."

              Haruka couldn't help but smile a bit. "We'll see about that." She cleared her throat, and began. "There was once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child..." she read it as clearly as she could, even though she could only really whisper. The story itself wasn't very long, but she grew captivated by the tale. 'When was the last time I read a book and enjoyed it?' she thought to herself.

             Soon the story was finished and she shut the book. She turned her head to look at Imogen, although they still leaned against one another. Haruka was about to comment on how much she enjoyed the story, when she realized that Imogen had fallen asleep. Once again, Haruka smiled to herself, and sat there enjoying the peaceful moment.

             However, she felt a sickening feeling soon overcome her. 'We're not supposed to be this close... Why am I letting this happen? I can't lie to her forever...' She got up, making sure to rest Imogen on the bed as gently as she could so she didn't wake her. Haruka noticed the blanket from the old logging camp, and placed it over the sleeping girl.

            As she put her shoes back on, Haruka looked over to her partner once more. 'She looks so... peaceful.' Her eyes lingered for a moment before she turned to the window, quietly prying it open. 'I guess I'm doing a good job of helping her feel better after all.' She closed the window behind her and made her way through the shadows back home.