Pocky and Soulmate (Akuma no Riddle / Madoka Magica - Crossover Fanfic)

Chapter Four

Haruki just watched as her protector, the red-haired Magical Girl, steadily walked farther and farther away.

The assassin didn't know how to feel, or why Kyouko would be 'important' to her in the first place.

What she did know was that she was in no mood for an assassination. The client could wait another night.

Haruki deftly leapt over the fence once more, and moved to pull out a stick of pocky-but that just brought the whole scene with Kyouko back to her mind, so she left the pocky and just stuffed her hand in her pockets as she sullenly walked back home.

After a little while, when recent events had finally began to erode from Haruki's mind, she stretched and yawned as she walked in the night.

Shoot, I have work at the construction site tomorrow, she thought, her exhaustion closing in on her.

She shook her head to clear it of unwanted thoughts, and focused on the sky above her. Black as pitch. Not a star in sight.

Fitting, Haruki thought. That someone like her wouldn't see any stars in that night sky.

But then, almost as if it had suddenly blinked into existence, a tiny red star appeared in Haruki's vision. Red. Like Kyouko.

Haruki threw her gaze downward once more and tried to stop thinking about it.

As per usual, her thoughts began to wander once more. This time, thankfully, their direction had nothing to do with red hair, pocky, Witches or Magical Girls.

Haruki's thoughts had turned to her past, and the assassination battle royale she had participated in just a short two months ago.

Class Black, in the prestigious Myojo Academy, had been a nest of assassins, all with the same target: a certain Haru Ichinose.

The one who successfully ended her life would be rewarded with whatever they wished-failing your attempt, though, meant expulsion from the academy.

Haruki, just like the other assassins, had made an attempt on Haru Ichinose's life. And failed, due to another assassin who had decided to protect Ichinose, Tokaku Azuma.

Ha, Haruki thinks. I wonder how those two are doing.

After her expulsion from the academy, Haruki had taken a job in construction, and along with her funds from assassination, decided that she was going to put herself and her siblings into school. By her estimates, she almost has enough.

Then... maybe... she thinks to herself. Maybe I can stop being an assassin.

Haruki had never enjoyed it in the first place-it just turned out that she was good at it, and it paid well, so she could support her large family.

Turn the corner and... home sweet home. Haruki put away her thoughts for now and slid the door open. "Tadaima~!" She called out.

"Okaeri, Nee-chan~!" Haruki's nine younger siblings all stopped what they were doing, turned to her, and gleefully called out a welcome back to her.

She smiled and kneeled down as they crowded around her. "Hey, hey, Nee-chan, where did you go?" One asked.

Haruki patted the little one's head. "I went for a walk-and to see a friend of mine." The assassin's brain blanked out. Why did she say that? A friend? Kyouko's not a friend.

...

Another one gasped. "You made a friend, Nee-chan?"

Haruki forced the smile on her face to stay there, and nodded. "Yup!" She said as cheerfully as possible.

The first one's face lit up in a grin. "Can you bring them here sometime, Nee-chan? Pleeeease~?"

"Hm..." Haruki pretended to think about it. "I'll ask." She said finally with a smile.

"Yay!" A few of them ran over to Haruki's mom. "Hey mommy, mommy, Haruki-nee-chan made a friend! She's gonna bring them over sometime!"

Her mother smiled peacefully. "I heard." She then looked up at Haruki, who stood by the door. "You should get some rest. Now that you're back, the kids will go to sleep without fighting."

Haruki smiled back apologetically. "Sorry for doing this to you all the time, mom."

Her mother shook her head. "It's fine, Haruki. It's the least I can do for you, since you're the one who's supporting the family the most."

Haruki grinned. "Well, I'll get some rest then. Oyasumi~!" She called out the last word to all her siblings.

"Oyasumi, Nee-chan!"

Haruki entered and closed the door to her room, and tiredly lay down on the mat on the floor.

Construction work tomorrow. Sigh.