Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sunday, May the 1st

Somewhere in this world, there is a cycle. A cycle that spins around again and again, in time, possibly unto eternity.

But this is no ordinary cycle, not one of formula or mechanics. No, not at all.

This is a cycle of choice.

The girl responsible for it, refusing to give up each time, possesses an unwavering will to save her friend. She made a deal with the devil, gained amazing powers, and created this cycle for the one purpose of saving her closest friend, whose destiny is to always die. Her mission had always been to change an unchangeable future, and even after having repeated the same month so many times now that she had lost count, she still hasn't given up yet.

She always has the option to walk away safely, and live a peaceful life far away from the city and the one girl she cares about.

She always has the chance to end this nightmare and begin anew, without any attachments to the old world.

But she will never take it.

Instead, at the end of yet another failure, she will always reach for the mechanical shield and click it, restarting her mission yet again. A cycle.

Yet even at the height of her potential, she cannot accomplish anything but failure.

And yet, there is no end.

To say that there is an 'end' would be to assume that this girl will eventually give up on her friend after so long. The human mind is flawed, but her unwavering determination to save her friend is something that will never ever change. 

Because of this, it can rival even the most miniscule of possibilities. Infinity dictates that within infinity, anything can happen regardless of the chances. By this logic, even a circle with a perfectly logical circumference can spiral out of control, as nonsensical as this may sound to a human being who has never attempted to fully understand the concept of 'eternity'.

In other words, within infinity, what is seemingly an infinite circle may end up being finite. And in that unlikely event, should the details of this circle ever change by even the slightest note, the future that the circle dictates may just change forever.

It won't even be a proper circle anymore, once infinity overtakes it. It will have become a circle of spirals.

*click*

And that is how the story of Akemi Homura goes.

Wednesday, March 16th

Another failure.

Homura's eyes reluctantly opened up, only to find that there were tears in her eyes. Wiping them away, she shook her head as she pushed away her own personal feelings.

She had learned a lot this time, so she wasn't about to let this new information go to waste. With each reset, she was getting closer and closer to her goal. She had to be.

So there was no way she was going to give up now.

Getting up, she didn't even bother to move her gaze about. She'd lost track of the amount of times she had to go through this. Having woken up in this room so many times now, every detail of this room had ended up being burnt into her mind, so much that she couldn't forget it even if she wanted to.

The nearby desk with a purple pen, a glass of water, and the admittance information slip on it. The bright morning sunlight, penetrating diagonally towards her through open gaps in the wide blue curtains. The opened window near at the end to the right which was open, allowing the sounds of blowing wind to come in. The rolling stand in front of her bed, which could easily fall with but a light push on her part. The pale turquoise blue sky showcased in the window not too far behind it, with two small clouds floating high up, one them obscuring the top-left corner, and the other of which would float out of her current line of sight within the next seven minutes. The green trees which were visible below, and would rustle to the wind about three times a minute. The bird that would begin chirping within the next three minutes and stop by the fourth. The nurse who would come to meet her within ten minutes to inform her about the discharge, by which time she would already be prepared to leave.

There was no need to glance at the calendar behind her, which had the '16th' all scribbled over. Once upon a time, Homura might've been excited about this day, but that was long before she had to relieve it over and over again.

Homura picked herself up from the bed, only to find her arms wobble as she did so. That was odd, but she quickly dismissed it as her own weakness. There was also a throbbing in her head, and a numb feeling in her chest. She couldn't let things like these get to her.

She'd managed to get this far, after all.

This time, I will definitely save Madoka.

With determination, she threw off the sheets and jumped down from the bed…

…only for her feet to lose their balance, and Homura hit the floor hard on her face.

She took a moment to groan out in pain.

What's wrong with me?! Convinced that this was a result of her own mental state of mind, she scolded herself. Get up!

Gathering her strength, Homura picked herself back up. There was a pain in her chest and slight numbness around her right cheek, but she dismissed it. It was unimportant. What was important was Madoka needed her right now. She couldn't just stand around here and do nothing. Reaching out for her Soul Gem, she suddenly realized that it wasn't there.

Calm down. I must have misplaced it somewhere. Maybe it's on me somewhere, or maybe I left it in the bed. I can't let myself worry about that right now.

Upon reassuring herself, Homura took a step forward. It was weaker than usual, but after a bit of thought, it was only natural. It looked as if the past was finally catching up to her.

Brushing it off, she forced herself to retain her balance and made her way to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she looked reminiscent of a certain girl she used to be, only with a sharply cold look behind those purple eyes. Apart from that, it also looked tired somehow, most likely just from the stress, something she could easily overcome. She untangled her thickly-braided, letting her dark hair flow straight. Then she moved to take off her red-framed glasses.

All of a sudden, everything around her blurred.

In confusion, she put them back on again, and her sight returned back to normal. There was something really strange going on here. But it was most likely just fatigue. Stress. What was that thing called again? Post-traumatic stress disorder? It was probably that. But she had come this far, so she couldn't let something like that hinder her now. 

Taking off her glasses again, she stubbornly tried to force her eyes into focusing on her surroundings as she left the room and sat back down on the hospital bed.

Any minute now, her body should return back to normal.

Breathe.

All she needed was a little relaxation, and then she'd be good as new.

Relax.

This time...

This time for sure, I'll definitely save her!

…

Nothing was happening.

As Homura sat, a thought crossed her mind – I can't waste my time here.

Having learned from countless experience, anything could happen. One event easily led to another, and even if she did nothing, things changed. Like the timeline when that Kyousuke guy used a guitar instead of a violin for some reason, or the timeline when someone called Oriko showed up out of nowhere and royally screwed up all of her plans.

She had spent so much time repeating the same formaics over and over again that it was beginning to get really distracting. Even the tiniest factor could potentially change what she understood about this timeline and influence her decision into making a contract.

But this time, she decided, I won't let that happen.

Forcing her body to move normally even though it was feeling so weak, she went towards the open window and felt fresh air blow against her skin, though that wasn't her intention. The winds were a little heavy from up here, and glancing at the surface below, it appeared to be just two or three stories in height. This height was nothing to someone like her, who'd previously dropped from skyscrapers without any problem.

Still, it was getting difficult to breathe for some reason, and her heart was beginning to beat faster as she felt something dull press against it. Maybe it was panic.

Homura was a Puella Magi, and thus, something like this should be nothing to her. Her body had to be reminded that it wasn't human anymore. For Madoka.

All this, for the one goal of saving Madoka. Nothing else mattered. Not this hospital, not school, not her parents, not even the whole world itself, just Madoka.

"With my own power, I'll carve a future for you," she swore to herself in conviction.

That said, Homura pulled the window fully open with all her strength. The ground looked a long way away, but to a magical girl, it was nothing. As her heart raced, the throbbing in her chest had begun to intensify.

She ignored it to the best of her ability, forcing her terrified body to move forward, and prepared to leap out—

"OH MY GOD!"

The sound of a nurse's shriek echoed throughout the entire hospital hallway.

Friday, March the 18th

Akemi Homura should've been discharged two days ago.

Instead, she had to spend another two days going through psychiatric treatment over what was perceived as an attempted suicide. As much as she protested against it, the hospital viewed her action as such based on the nurse's report.

What had happened was that right after the nurse shrieked, a surprised Homura lost her grip and awkwardly stumbled back onto the floor.

It was only a couple of hours later after the event that she was speaking with a therapist and a report had been filed to her parents – wait, parents? She'd almost forgotten she had such people. They were always so busy, but due to this, she doubted that they would ever notice her circumstances. Having never bothered to send a message or anything to her in all this time, in every alternate timeline, why start now?

In any case, Homura had to keep on insisting that it was only a misunderstanding. While they still weren't convinced, the hospital reluctantly relented and allowed her to leave today.

Two days late.

So far, everything about this timeline had turned out to be absolutely infuriating. She wouldn't be surprised if she arrived at Mitakihara Middle School only to find out that Madoka had already made a contract.

Then there was the core of the problem, something that would take a while to get used to.

Her Soul Gem wasn't gone because she lost it. It was gone because it had just stopped existing, taking all her powers with it. Meanwhile, her soul itself was back where it belonged.

That's right.

Akemi Homura...

...was no longer a magical girl.

Right now, Homura was just a frail little girl with heart disease, serious mental issues, and a pair of glasses.

When she first realized it, her mind had started to tear apart at the horrible, horrible factors involved in this timeline, and even now, just the fact that this was happening was overwhelming her mind... She began internally screaming at how horrible this timeline had turned out so far, letting her frustration out on a pillow, which only served to reinforce the hospital's belief that she was suicidal. There was no way she could protect Madoka like this. She wasn't even sure if she could reset the timeline in this state. Right now, all she wanted to do was shove a grenade down Kyubey's throat.

But there was some hope. Maybe Kyubey didn't exist in this timeline, which explained why she didn't have her powers anymore. If that was the case, then Madoka could live an ordinary life without any witches or insane magical girls to suddenly step in and threaten her life. Yet even so... as much as she wanted to believe it, she couldn't convince herself about the fact. It was too difficult to believe that the Incubator would just disappear like that. Just in case, she would have to stay on guard at all times.

At this point, she couldn't let herself be stricken by this. Even with this minor setback, she had to keep going!

Trying to motivate herself and make the best out of this hopeless situation, Homura spent her final hour at the hospital writing on a blank piece of paper, jotting down everything she planned on doing once she and Madoka had gotten past Walpurgis Night safely. It wasn't exactly healthy to think about the future when there were so many challenges to overcome in the present, but as long as she could keep herself going, she was sure she could do anything.

Once she was done, Homura crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it into a trashcan. If anyone ended up reading it, things would end up too troublesome.

Walking out of the hospital with a blank smile on her face, if such a thing was even possible, she tried to look hopeful for the future. In her right hand, she held a box of medications that contained multiple pills and syrups that she would need to take for the next... six months? Year? Two years? The doctors weren't sure, but at least until she could make a full recovery. It was a joke, really. After all, how could she possibly take on Walpurgisnacht this way?!

She really needed to stop thinking about her own circumstances. Even though she was behind schedule, she had learned a lot from her previous experiences, so surely this body of hers wouldn't make too much of a difference.

"Nyan!"

A black cat?

Running past a group of bicycles, it paused to glance at her before going off by itself towards the main road with total disregard as to its surroundings. She couldn't help but have a feeling that she was forgetting something as she watched it.

Wait.

Madoka's original wish was—

There was no way. It had to be a different one. After she first made her contract with Kyubey, it disappeared as if it had never existed in the first place. Therefore, there was no way they could be the same, right? Right? Right?! It was just a stray, and there were plenty of black cats anyway out there in the world. It wouldn't be the first time she had mistaken a stray cat for Amy.

But wait, wait, just wait.

Today is—

March the 18th, the day Madoka would first make a contract.

She had always been there to stop her behind the scenes, but at the moment, she was utterly powerless. This was bad, bad, bad, seriously seriously bad.

Frozen, Homura panicked silently to herself, and she could feel her heart throb as if resonating with her terror. Madoka couldn't be allowed to make the contract. She made a promise to stop her from ever doing such a thing, and right now, just thinking about it terrified her.

Calm down, Homura.

She couldn't calm down.

Calm down.

In fact, she felt like she was hyperventilating.

You have to calm down!

Madoka was going to make a contract, die a horrible death again, and she wouldn't be able to do anything to help her poor friend, and everybody was going to DIE, and this entire city would once more get annihilated by some spinning witch, while Incubator would be sitting in a room LAUGHING ABOUT EVERYONE'S SUFFERING like the emotionless bastard he was

"Calm DOWN!"

Shouting at herself somehow did the trick.

Looking away awkwardly from the confused stares of passersby, Homura gripped her glasses tightly as she ran off into the direction of the cat. She couldn't take any chances this time. She had to save Madoka no matter what!

...but even though her determination was burning bright, she found that her feet wouldn't move as fast as she wanted them to, forcing her to jog desperately against a world of darkness and everything in it. After a moment or two, it couldn't even be called a jog. She had quickly depleted her painfully-low stamina and now she was just sort of wobbling forward. Any onlookers would probably get the impression that she was drunk. What could Homura the Human possibly accomplish anyway?

Having gotten used to having the powers of a magical girl, being reverted back to such a state was pitiful.

By the time Homura arrived to the main road, she felt like she had run a marathon, and took her time so she could catch her breath. But as pitiful as it was, it would be hypocrisy for her to want her Puella Magi powers back, so she tried to savour her newfound humanity.

It wasn't easy.

Shaking her head, Homura tried to get her thoughts in order.

I acted too hastily, she mentally told herself, and began to formulate a plan.

What I need to do first is get home, build some grenades, and buy a baseball bat. Afterwards, I'll disguise myself as a bush, lie in wait by Madoka's house, and hide until Kyubey shows up so I can pound him into oblivion and then demand some answers about my current circumstances. Then I'll convince him that he shouldn't even think about making a contract with Madoka, or... else...?

Homura's train of thought was disrupted by the sound of an approaching car engine.

Ah―

"Nyan?"

Then, without the use of her shield, time came to an absolute halt.

Was it because of her experience as a magical girl? It didn't matter. In that one, split-second instant, the very instant she heard that sound, her mind understood everything.

Before her was a lone, black cat. Crossing the road at a casual pace. Almost as if daring the universe to throw something at it. Thus, the universe had responded in kind. In the distance a silver Subaru XV car was approaching rapidly, quite possibly speeding beyond the legal limit. There was no way this vehicle would notice the in time, let alone stop for them. And so, clear as day, this creature was directly in its path. Amy – if it was Amy anyway – was fated to die right here and now.

Once upon a time, in the very first timeline, a cat was hit by a car. Madoka's original wish had been to revive it, transforming her into a magical girl for the very first time. Truly, a very noble wish - but a contract was absolutely unacceptable. This was an event that had to be avoided at all costs.

Why was Amy reappearing now, anyway?

Ever since the first timeline, that cat went completely missing! It never showed up again, not once!

No, she shouldn't complain. It pained her to let Amy die after this sudden reunion, but it was impossible to save it at this rate - if Madoka found that cat, Kyubey would definitely take advantage of its corpse to form a contract for sure. Fortunately, since the girl in question was nowhere in sight, she could simply dispose of the roadkill right afterwards, ensuring the body would never be discovered. It'd just take seconds!

However, in the next few milliseconds, as her gaze moved to the opposite end of the street, a trace of pink caught her eye.

And her heart skipped a beat.

Mado—?

That wasn't an option anymore.

There wasn't any more time for standing, thinking, planning. If she was going to do this, she had to do this now.

Without any remaining, hesitation, Akemi Homura found her feet rushing forth, racing forward, onto the road with a shot of extreme adrenalin. Tossing aside the box in her hands, her surroundings transformed into a blur, no longer registering within her mind. Right now, there was only one priority in this reality. 

Saving that STUPID, DANGER-SEEKING CAT!

However, she wasn't moving fast enough. Car tyres crunching through the gravel road, accompanied by a whirring electrical engine, were rapidly becoming clearer and clearer as they approached. The car was already very very close.Her senses was utterly overwhelmed in noise. If she had to make an estimate, it was merely a dozen meters away. She hadn't even managed to grab the cat yet. Right here, at this very moment, she might just die.

Yes. Akemi Homura may very well die here, trying to save the life of a cat. Of all things.

After all that she'd been through, having enduring countless amounts of tragedy, having battled against the impossibly-powerful Walpurgisnacht so many times now, having made it through everything alive via sheer will, she was about to die in a car crash OF ALL THINGS?!

YOU IDIOT

IF MADOKA

IF MADOKA SAW YOUR DEAD BODY―

'Then she would certainly become a magical girl to save you'. Such was the logic.

It wasn't the faith that a friend would pull through for her, but the innate understanding that Kaname Madoka would always do what she believed to be best. Whether it involved saving a cat or even a complete stranger, then she wouldn't hesitate to help them if she had the option - regardless of whatever the option involved. When faced with the shock of a car crash, she wouldn't stop for a second to use her wish to save the victims. For better of worse, that was the sort of person she was.

I, no―

So once more, she would become a magical girl, and the cycle of despair would continue on.

NO!

My life doesn't matter, but you- 

I won't, I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY―

There wasn't any time left to regret this reckless decision.

Since Madoka was watching, she absolutely could not let herself die here! And therefore, she absolutely could not let this cat die either! If she couldn't even save some stray cat, how could she ever expect to save Madoka?!

Pushing her body beyond its limits, as every inch and every cell of her self burning open in agony, the raven-haired girl shut her eyes, shut off all her senses... and just like that, reality broke apart around her.

Her mind focused only on running forward. Forward and forward, driven by the end of her dreams. Imagining the future beyond that hopeless horizon, secured. Imagining the relief of an impossible burden, reached. Without any further need to worry about Incubators or Witches, without any further suffering, or despair, or loss, with everyone free to live their own lives. Her frail muscles were blazing, but she focused on that singular image. Truthfully, this was something she dared to let herself think about every now and then. The selfishness she let herself feel in the briefest, rarest of gaps that came with every timeline, the image that steadily transformed into something more and more concrete with each reset. Never something she dwelled on, merely something to push her onward. A simple concept turned into a fantasy. She focused, focused, focused, visualizing that image, visualizing running towards that image... A clear blue sky, with the sun casting gentle light onto the world. An open field of flowers, white lilies stretching out across the horizon, filled with sweet fragrance. Standing at the centre of it all, a girl with radiant pink hair and equally pink eyes, and a silly grin on her face, and her arms held out. Free at last.

This was Homura's 'fantasy'. An unrealistic idea, conjured up by the most selfish corners of her mind. With its sweetness, came the crushing pain of its inherently delusional nature. Still. It was kinda nice. Her own little guilty pleasure.

Overcome by a massive burst of energy, Homura leapt forth with outstretched arms, grasped hold of the cat - which let out an alarmed shriek - and launched herself as forward as she could―an instant later, strong gusts of wind swept against her whole body. She felt the hulking, metal Subaru XV blast behind her like a cannonball, mere inches away from her body. Might've even scraped past the sole of her right shoe.

Her glasses went flying off, and she slammed directly into the pavement's rough, hard gravel. Exhausted. But accomplished. What a terrifyingly close call.

I—

I made it.

However, her relief in being alive didn't last long, especially once she realized her own state.

Heavy pants escaped her mouth.

Desperation clung against her lungs.

The air tasted stale, and as much as she tried to breathe, she couldn't.

Indeed, she felt much like a suffocating fish. And throughout it all, a pounding pain was eating away at her heart, again, and again, and again...

Homura knew exactly what this was. Her heart disease. Or more specifically, Long QT Syndrome. The source of her arrhythmia, the condition that both hospitalized her and changed her life forevermore. An inadequate blood flow to the heart blending with a dangerous build-up of cholesterol, to disastrous results. She'd spent so much time without it that she had overestimated her own limits. In a strange way, the pain was nostalgic. Almost like the return of an old, bittersweet friend. The memories of her time at the hospital, as well as that of the first timeline, were so distant, yet this exact pain was something she used to endure for years without end. This was the condition she used to live with on a daily basis. Now, in this moment of unfamiliarity, she'd just driven herself to its very edge.

A faint memory of what felt like many years ago floated up to the surface, a certain March the 15th when she was warned by her doctor that she shouldn't overexert her body. To do so would be to risk severely damaging her heart. Her mind was being set into a panic, scrambling to readapt in mere seconds, to invoke all that advice she was once told, to recall the best methods she used to have to handle it. Yet it was for naught. Her mind, overwhelmed with pain, could feel nothing but an invisible constriction, could be aware of nothing but her own lack of oxygen.

For all the suffering she'd gone through as a magical girl, her physical senses had always been dulled. Now, there was no such convenient barrier.

Ma...

Ma... do...

This was pathetic. Even after risking her life and successfully getting away with it, she was going to die anyway from something as minor as heart overexertion.

How humiliating.

The only comfort she could take in this was the furry creature on her chest, the assurance that she had successfully saved the black cat. The one once called Amy. Of course, it proceeded to escape from her grasp in fright, not that she blamed it for doing so. She probably wouldn't want to be held by a seemingly-suicidal panting maniac either. At least unless it was Madoka.

Speaking of Madoka, she couldn't help but wonder to herself what she would say in this sort of situation. If the girl ever saw her like this, she'd probably say something along the lines of,

"U- um, hey, are you alright?!"

Yes. Just like that.

That tone of worry mixed in with amounts of shock and panic, the same tone that was used whether it was her closest friend or a complete stranger who'd just done something stupid in front of her. Because that girl cared for all living things. The way it sounded, it was perfect in every way. Homura couldn't help but praise her own imagination for how vividly she'd managed to imagine Madoka's voice, and savoured it for what it was worth.

Wait.

Although Homura felt like she was forgetting something very important, she didn't have any strength left to figure anything out. At the moment, the world was retreating before her very eyes.

"H- h- hey?!"

A shade of pink.

The warmth of two petite arms as they tried to support a frail body.

Those were the last two things that her consciousness registered before plunging into the darkness of oblivion.

Chapter Text

Everything around her was in a haze, consumed in a swirl of darkness. The world had disappeared, momentarily giving way to oblivion, only to change its mind and come back for her again. A dizzying sensation surrounded her head, and there was a harsh thumping in her heart, perhaps having stopped for some time only to start up again as if by a miracle. Just like that, blood was being pumped all throughout her body, and yet she felt cold. Tired. Exhausted. 

Ma...

How did she end up here? It hurt to try and remember anything, but she still tried her hardest to think back. Something about magical girls. An Incubator.  Time.  A mission that she couldn't ever abandon. Someone she had to save. A girl. A precious friend.

Her mouth opened. "Mado..."

 No matter what happened, there was no way she couldn't ever let herself forget that. The very fact that she had almost forgotten was itself unforgivable, for in this world, it was her one and only comfort. It was unbelievably precious to her, but at the same time, so far away, like a paradise that was close to unattainable.

 "Y- you're awake...? You're finally awake!" A voice chimed in cheerfully, her tone relieved like no other. "I was so worried!"

MADOKA?! Homura's eyes snapped open, all of her memories rushing up to the surface.

"Uh, um, is something the matter?"

Madoka shifted uncomfortably for a moment at her strange lack of response and quietness, as well as the fact that she was being stared at. Although Homura was still a little disorientated, as soon as she realized that she was acting weirdly, she quickly turned away and muttered an apology.

Through the lens of her glasses, she could see that it had gotten a lot darker than when she left the hospital, and that her body was lying on the bench of a bus stop. So after saving that cat, was she found by Madoka? Her mind putting the pieces together, she could pretty much tell what happened while she was out.

"Sorry," Homura said quickly, looking back. "For wasting your time, I mean. It must've taken a while for me to wake."

 "Mm, it's okay." Madoka shook her head and smiled, as though there was something pleased her. "You know, you were really brave out there, you know, jumping in to save that cat! I've never seen anything like it before! I- I'm actually still in a bit of shock right now, but I'm glad you did it!"

"I wasn't thinking though. I could've easily died."

"Well..." An uncertain look crossed the pinkette's face for an instant, before being replaced by an even bigger smile. "I'm glad you didn't, then... You know, when you collapsed, I was worried sick and th- thought for a second that you might've been hit after all or, or something...!"

Her voice was a little shaky, to the point that it made Homura wonder whether she'd actually been crying before. But that thought disappeared as Madoka sighed in relief, clasped her hands together and looked at Homura gratefully, unaware of the fact that she was making the girl's heart beat faster.

"I'm really, really glad you made it, you know."

A light, luminescent blush began to glow on her cheeks.

Now that she was thinking straight, it was getting more and more difficult to ignore the fact that they were sitting directly next to each other, enough for one of them to lie against the other. But she resisted the urge and tried to act natural. In truth, she wasn't actually sure whether to go through with this or push Madoka away, but this was a rare opportunity. Without her powers, she needed all the ground she could get in this timeline.

"Oh, that reminds me," Madoka said suddenly, and reached down under the bench as if to pick something up. "You dropped your um... things, when you rescued that cat, so I brought them here with me for you. Here."

Holding out the white box with a single green stripe, the one from the hospital, Homura felt embarrassed as she took it. There was no doubt that Madoka would know that it came from the hospital, and if she'd looked inside, it might affect the way she thought about her. The amount of medications inside would be enough to make anyone dizzy.

 "So, um... Ummm... Hope you don't mind me asking, but-"

"Yes. I have arrhythmia," Homura said with her eyes closed. "It's a heart problem. If I strain myself too much, then I'll most likely end up collapsing like just now."

At this, Madoka's eyes widened, and her expression changed to a really worried one.

"Wait, but then why did you…"

"I simply couldn't let it die. That's all." Opening her eyes again, she stated this in a cool tone whilst crossing her legs. "It was a duty I had to fulfill."

 It might not have been the complete truth, but it wasn't a lie either, so she absolutely found no problem with putting it that way.

 Madoka seemed unsure about what to think of it at first, yet in the end, she smiled yet again brightly. "I don't think you should do that again, but you know, that's, that's really cool! Even though you have a condition like that, you still tried your hardest to do the right thing. I kinda wish I could be braver to do things like that too..."

"Oh, I'm sure you're fine just the way you are."

"Still..."

As the younger girl looked on in admiration, Homura kept her breathing steady, being secretly glad that it was already dark. Otherwise, her blushing face would've been plain and clear. What was with her feelings today? Normally she'd be able to act cold and composed under these circumstances, but now that she was actually a human again, things like this were getting to her so easily.

After a passing silence, Madoka continued, "Um! If you don't mind, what's your name?"

"It's Akemi Homura."

"Ehhh?! You even have a cool name to match!"

If this continued, then she might end up having another heart attack out of sheer embarrassment. It was even beating faster. It was silly, really, since it wasn't like this was the first time they'd been so close, but maybe being a human again was contributing to her accelerating heartbeat.

"What about you?" Homura asked. Not that she didn't know, but she didn't want to accidentally raise any suspicions. "What's yours?"

"I'm Kaname Madoka. It's nice to meet you!" After introducing herself, the pinkette pouted. "It's not nearly as cool a name as yours though, Homura-chan."

"Madoka means 'circle'. It's simple, but I think it's cute," Homura reassured her with a smile.

"T- thanks, I guess," Madoka replied awkwardly. "But you know, it's written in hiragana..."

"Don't put yourself down. For example, I have severe heart disease, but what do I look like?"

"You look very gloomy, Homura-chan."

A baffled expression formed on the raven-haired girl's face.

"Eh—?"

Saturday, March the 19th

Homura wiped sweat away from her forehead, before putting the manual onto the desk in front of her once she was finished. That should do it. Using the instructions from Hara Hara Tokei as well as materials she bought on the way, she had successfully created a set of grenades to help with her mission.

There were still some things she retained from the previous timelines, and even if she no longer had her magical girl powers, this way she wasn't completely defenseless against Witches and their familiars.

This apartment had been an expensive one, coming with a unique design and many ultramodern settings from within, and when she took out the keys to open it a short while ago, she remembered how her parents had given her this before leaving her on her own. For many timelines now, she'd been taking it for granted, so it was strange to remember this now of all times.

She glanced at her phone, which now had Madoka's number. Only a single contact, but the thought of it was comforting. It was a miracle that they'd managed to become friends this fast as well.

Looking at the time, it looked to be almost one o'clock in the morning. It wouldn't be long now until Kyubey made his first appearance, and she could remember the exact time that he would appear on Madoka's windowsill. While she knew that she couldn't prevent their meeting, at the very least, she could delay it. Taking a golf-stick along with her and putting on a thick jacket with a hood, she left the residence before heading out towards Madoka's house.

Her body felt weak and tired, her mind sleepy, but she dismissed it and pressed on. The Kaname residence wasn't that far, located within a suburb north from her home, so it didn't take long to reach. As expected, all the lights inside of the modernist house were off, but she hid within the outside bushes just in case. Any second now, and that bastard demon would appear.

As she waited, she briefly entertained the possibility that he might not exist in this timeline. If that were so, then there wouldn't be anything left for her to worry about, and she would be able to enjoy this new future without having to do anything. There wouldn't be any Puella Magi, or Witches, or despair. No Walpurgis Night to worry about, and no need to be so concerned over her friends. The time ticking by without anything out of the unusual showing up, her hopes for this were starting to rise...

...but they were shot down completely as a familiar feline creature, with white fur, haloed long ears, and ruby eyes descended from the skies and landed onto the ground in front of the house.

There needed no further proof.

"What—?"

Kyubey was caught completely off-guard as a strange, rabid girl with a bloodlusted look suddenly jumped out from the bushes and pummeled him to death without mercy.

Constantly beating his defenseless body over and over again while trying to make as little sound as possible, devoid of any remorse, the only thing left when it was over was an unrecognizable, fluffy, bloody mess. Homura wasn't sure whether this was a triumph or not. She had delayed Incubator's contact with Madoka for the time being, but now she knew that nothing else had changed apart from her own predicament. If things were like this, then there was no telling how many more times she would have to put her life on the line in order to accomplish her goal.

Having come prepared, she scooped up the remains using her hands and put them into a plastic bag, leaving the area before her presence could be noticed. In the middle of the night, with a hoodie that shadowed her face, a golf-stick with dark stains on it, a plastic bag with blood-red splotches, her footsteps uneven, she must've looked incredibly suspicious.

But although she felt faint, she had to keep on going until she could reach and store the 'trash'.

She'd heard that in western cities, disposing of things were much easier. There were trashcans lining the streets, and nobody ever bothered to sort them out. It sounded disgusting, but it would've been extremely convenient if there was something like that here. But instead, she would have to hide it inside her own home.

Just as she arrived back, facing an aging European-style building that contrasted with the modern interior, she found a second Kyubey sitting patiently in front of the door.

"You can see me, so that means you must have magical potential," he stated in a calm, cute voice, disguising the heart of an utter monster. "But why did you do that? I don't get it."

The creature gestured towards the plastic bag in her hands, and even though he knew that it carried the remains of his own kind, he showed no trace of caring. It was no surprise, since it didn't possess any emotions.

Gritting her teeth together, trying to contain her anger, Homura responded.

"Leave Madoka alone."

"Why?"

That was more than enough to make her snap.

 "Do I need a reason?!" Withdrawing the golf-stick using her free hand, she threw it towards him with a yell. However, he ignored this, letting it sail over his head and slam into the wooden door behind him, opening it while leaving a slight mark. "Just leave her alone! Don't make a contract with her! It's that simple, dammit!"

Kyubey remained nonchalant at her words, keeping that catlike smile fixed on his face.

"You're not making any sense. Explain."

"JUST DO IT!"

 Its tail swinging to and fro, the Incubator remained quiet for a few seconds, as if actually thinking about it.

"Well, perhaps if you can find someone else in her place, approaching her may not be necessary," he told her after some consideration.

Without even stopping to think, Homura threw the plastic bag straight towards him. Inches before it hit, Kyubey telekinetically froze it in mid-air before tipping it over, letting its disturbing contents spill onto the ground. A nasty smell came from it. Then he observed the fluffy remains for a short moment, as if examining it for its nutrition.

Knowing what would follow and knowing that her stomach most likely wouldn't be able to take it, Homura ran back into her home and slammed the door shut just as the sounds of crunching began.

Even afterwards, they could be heard outside, but they were eventually drowned out by her own sobbing. By snapping out at Kyubey, she had unwittingly let down the barrier holding back her emotions, and her worries started to come forth like a tidal wave.

Things were getting worse and worse, to the point that it was getting hard to imagine how much worse it could get. Would she really have to sacrifice other, nameless girls for her own gain? And even if she did, was there any guarantee that Kyubey would stay true to his words? No, there was no way in hell that he would, judging from her previous experiences. Trusting him and following his directions were a mistake, attempts to mislead her. Even the very way he phrased that was most likely rendered vague enough for him to justify approaching her at a later time.

So far, it appeared as though she was powerless to stop anything, to change anything. There wasn't ANYTHING she could do like this, and things weren't going to change. In fact, they were probably going to get even worse. The only option left, it seemed was to make a contract.

But . . . she knew that she had to conserve her wish. She knew that it was her greatest trump card, and that wasting it wouldn't do any good.

 Upon making her way back to her room, Homura took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, but it wasn't working. Rather, her heartbeat weas getting more and more out of control, increasing in intensity like a beating drum, and it was becoming even harder for her to keep the tears from flowing. It wouldn't do her any good if she let herself be affected this easily be the hopelessness of the situation. She couldn't save anyone this way. Especially not Madoka. 

Forcing her hands to move, she spent the last five minutes taking some of the many medications laid out for her, before ultimately lying down on the bed and silently crying herself to sleep.

Later that day, sometime in the afternoon after school hours, Homura decided to make a call.

"Eh? You're transferring into my school?! Into the same class?!"

Madoka sounded really surprised, unable to contain her shock even over the phone. Homura smiled a bit at this. She had never actually thought about it before, but it was nice to have a friend to make her first, lonely week seem more colorful. The events of the earlier morning were 

"Yes. Due to instructions from the hospital, I'm supposed to limit any movement and take a week of rest, but things should be sorted out by next Friday."

"Oh, o- okay, um... Oh yeah! I'm the nurse office's assistant, so if you're feeling weak, just tell me, alright?"

"Got it," said Homura with a nod, forgetting for a second that she was on the phone. Then, sensing an opportunity, "oh, Madoka, if someone gives you a chance to grant your wish, don't acce..."

Her voice faded away as she heard someone call out in the background, resembling the voice of a certain blunette. Shortly afterwards, Madoka returned to the phone with a concerned tone.

"Um, sorry, Homura-chan, I'm gonna go out with my friends now. You can take care of yourself, right? Sure there's no need for me to come over?"

It couldn't be helped. "I'm fine by myself. What's important is that you have fun. Don't let me stop you."

"Well, if you say so… I'll introduce you to Sayaka-chan and Hitomi-chan when you come, okay? See ya!" And with that, the call ended.

Upon placing her phone on a desk besides the bed, she sighed heavily. That conversation really exhausted her, and though she did try, she couldn't find a single opportunity to talk to Madoka about wishes. Or maybe she did, but she was just reluctant to bring it up. After a bit of reflection, she decided that it was probably the latter.

In the previous timelines, Homura would have spent this time gathering necessary equipment from the Yakuza and military, in preparation for the time when Walpurgisnacht finally appeared. But right now, until her first day at Mitakihara Middle School started, giving her the opportunity to interact with Madoka, her friends, and potentially Mami as well, there honestly wasn't much she could do apart from rest and recover. The past few days had drained her of what little energy she had.  

So for now, all she could do was wait and see how things progressed. 

With enough luck, she may still be able to grab a hold of this circle before it spiraled out of control.

Chapter Text

Friday, March the 25th

Today was a peaceful day.

As Homura walked out from home, wearing the all-so-familiar uniform of Mitakihara Middle School for the 'first time' and holding a small bag in her hands, her red-framed glasses keeping everything clear as her dark hair flowed behind her, she felt better than usual. Even as she walked past piles of worn-out buildings that disrupted what would otherwise be a beautiful, clear sunny day, she didn't mind nor notice.

Having managed to make friends with Madoka beforehand by sheer luck, she even felt a bit excited, although she knew deep down that this was the day when things truly began to heat up. This was only the beginning of this timeline, and there were going to be many obstacles in the near future, which was why she would have to be as prepared as possible. Her grenades were prepared inside her bag just in case, disguised as soda cans. That way, she would be prepared when something unexpected happened.

"Nyan."

Her attention was caught by a by a little black cat sitting by the pavement, as if having waited for her. It was the same one she saved two weeks ago, and this time, she wasn't very surprised to see it.

Certainly a strange cat, one without a collar or owner yet perfectly clean with barely any traces of dirt. Perhaps it had some way of cleaning itself. Looking down at Amy, she felt like she was forgetting something.

"Little black cat, are you alright?" she asked spontaneously, and it made a gesture that might've been a nod before looking down at the ground.

"Nyaaaan…" it purred weakly.

"I I know. You're hungry, correct?" It made her smile as she recalled a distant memory. "Look, I have cookies. Would you like some?"

Reaching into her bag, she took out a small box, opened it, and took out a few cookies. Then, kneeling down, she gave them to the cat. It stared at her at first, then nibbled the edges suspiciously, but once it was convinced that they were safe, it started munching on them with enthusiasm.

So small, and yet all alone, Homura thought as she got up again. Every day, it has to take care of itself, lick its own wounds, find its own food, and if it dies one day, nobody will care. "Amy, do you think you'll ever give up someday?"

The cat looked up from its meal with a puzzled expression, and seeing it almost made her giggle.

"Forget it. I was just talking to myself."

Then, after flicking her hair to help her relax, she went on her way. Having talked to a cat and given it all of her cookies without a reason, she couldn't help but feel a little silly, though maybe a little silliness was what she needed to keep herself calm. There was no way that she'd ever be able to save Madoka if she spent her time being depressed about every single little thing.

Stopping before the school gate, Homura had to take a deep breath first before entering. Even after having done the same thing over dozens of times, still she felt the need to mentally prepare herself. After all, if she went into class in a nervous, stumbling mess, then it was only going to make her current situation worse. Now that she thought about it, why hadn't she gone to meet up with Madoka on the way to school? Oh well, it was too late for that now.

Finally, after taking a deep breath, she went in.

"Okay! Now that that's done, I'd like to introduce a new transfer student to everybody."

The familiar voice of the teacher, Ms. Saotomo, could be heard speaking to her class from the glass corridor, though perhaps that was because she was so attuned to listening to this scene that she could hear things even from half a block away, even over her own echoing footsteps and thoughts. She was ready for this. Having repeated it so many times now, there was no way she could mess it up even if she tried to.

"Come on in, Akemi-san!"

Calmly, keeping her pace not too fast but not too slow, Homura walked into the classroom. Whispered exclamations spread across the students, such as 'she's cute!' and 'whoa, she must be super-smart!', but she remained quiet while making her way to the whiteboard, before glancing at an excited, waving Madoka. Noticing that Madoka had just started wearing the familiar red ribbons in her hair, her heat beat faster. With a smile, she waved back, which only served to stir the crowd even more. But as she paid a little more attention, from the corner of her eye, she could feel the blue-haired Sayaka regard her with great suspicion.

"Now, please introduce yourself," the teacher, gesturing towards her.

"My name is Akemi Homura," she spoke out in a confident manner. "It's nice to meet you all."

Turning around, knowing what would happen, she could see that Saotomo-sensei was having trouble with writing her first name in hiragana, so she took the marker herself, her hand moving on its own. How many times had she written her name on this same whiteboard in the past, again, and again, and again, such that she had long since lost count, such that her writing style had long since ceased to be recognizable to herself? Once more, like an echo of those times, the marker traced a 'ほ' (Ho), then a 'む' (Mu), and finally a 'ら' (Ra).  Even her own name, written with high finesse, seemed alien to her.

Once she was done, she bowed to everyone, and as if breaking a spell, they all broke into applause, with Madoka clapping the loudest. Knowing this was more than enough to warm up her heart.

"Well, er…"

At a loss of words due to the impressive show, the teacher nearly forgot what she was going to say, but managed to remember it before it slipped her mind.

"Ah yes! Akemi-san has been hospitalized for a long time due to a heart problem, so it's been awhile since she's been to school. That's why, please understand that she may not be familiar with some things. Everyone, do your best to help her when you can!"

Sometimes the teacher would remember, and sometimes it would slip her mind - this time, it was the latter. This information acted as the fuel for the class to start chattering amongst themselves, and many of them probably wanted to unload a ton of questions onto Homura as she made her way to her seat at the back. Indeed, shortly afterwards when break came, her table was surrounded by other girls in her class. She tried to answer each of their questions patiently, as she'd done so many times before.

"Akemi-san, which school did you go to before?"

"I went to a Christian school in Tokyo."

"What club were you in? An art club? Or the literature club?"

"I wasn't in any."

"Your hair looks so gorgeous! What shampoo do you use?"

"U- um, excuse me! Homura-chan!" Standing at the back of the small crowd was a nervous Madoka, and as their attention turned to her, it probably didn't help one bit with her confidence. In fact, she was shaking. "Y- y- you're still a bit unwell, right? So um, since I'm the class n- nurse, I think I should show you where the nurse's office is..."

"Is that so? In that case, Akemi-san, would you like us to accompany you as well?"

"Eh?!" Having not expected this, she gave Homura a pained expression, begging to help her with this. It seemed like she wanted to talk about something, though it wasn't clear about what.

With a nod, the raven-haired girl held her forehead to show that she was sick.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," she told the crowd, getting up from her chair. "I feel somewhat lightheaded anyway, so it would be best if I'm taken by the one in charge."

Madoka let out a breath of relief, and proceeded to lead the way out. Just before they went out, Homura turned around to see that Sayaka was eyeing her with deep suspicion, possibly even more so than in past timelines. That wasn't a very good sign. Still, it had to wait another time.

Once they left the classroom, she let out a sigh, though they were still in plain sight due to the glass-like structure of this school. The sound of the other classes talking amongst themselves could be heard, though faintly, and their presence outside of class no doubt attracted a few stares.

"I- it's this way," the timid schoolgirl called out, awkwardly walking around a corner and turning her head round every few seconds to see if her friend was still there.

"You don't have to be so nervous." Homura was bemused by her weird behavior. "Is something the matter, Madoka?"

"S- s- sorry! I, um," Fumbling about her words for a bit, it took a while for her to figure out what she wanted to say. "I just wasn't expecting you to be so cool, that's all… Wehehe~"

"Sorry if I scared you," reassured Homura, and she stopped to breathe a little.

It looked as though they'd stopped by an empty hallway up in the air, and a familiar one at that. Then again, there wasn't much that wouldn't be familiar to her in some form. From here, it would look as though they were standing upon a platform in the sky.

"So, is that what you wanted to talk about?"

"No! I mean, well, how should I say this?" Waiting patiently, it looked like Madoka was trying hard to find the proper words. "Um, okay. If I tell you, promise not to laugh, okay?"

"I won't, I promise you."

She couldn't help but admit that she was both confused and intrigued by this, since this event wasn't something that happened normally. Standing still, she paid close attention.

"Alright. Well, last night I had a dream. About you," Madoka began, but she stopped just to see if Homura was going to start laughing or anything.

Instead, she looked completely serious, which encouraged her to continue.

"So um, I remember that you were in this strange outfit fighting a huge monster in the sky all by yourself with the city in ruins. I think I was screaming out your name, and there was this little furry animal talking to me about wishes and magical girls, but I can't really remember what he was saying since I was so scared for you, and the last thing I remember is you running up towards me in the middle of all the ruins…"

"I..."

How?

 "I see."

How how how how how how HOW HOW HOW HOW DOES SHE...?!

...Homura, calm down.

It took a little while for Homura to process this through her mind, and then once Madoka's words had finally sunk it, she had to try her best to contain her complete and utter shock upon hearing this. It seemed to be an accurate retelling of what transpired in the previous timeline, but how could it be possible for Madoka to dream about it?

Was this Kyubey's doing, by any chance? Was it? Could he possibly be trying to sabotage her mission already?! Had he reacted so badly to their previous encounter that it had driven him to go on the initiative? How did he even find out?!

The thought made her fists clench, but on the outside, Madoka looked scared after misinterpreting her dark expression.

"D- d- d- don't misunderstand! It's not that I wanted you to get hit by one, and it was a really really strange dream!" Since this was coming about all of a sudden, Homura gave her a very confused look. "Please don't get angry at me, because I do care for you a lot, Homura-chan, and I don't want to see you hurt! I'm really glad you're okay! So that's why…"

"It's... It's okay, I-" Homura mustered the strength to respond and explain herself, but it turned out that it wasn't needed.

"Oooooh, what do we have here?" Another voice chimed in impishly, and Madoka jolted. "Confessing on the spot, Madoka? Hehe, how brave! But you know, it's known as forbidden love in here, so I can't say I approve of this!"

"E- e- eh, Sayaka-chan, since when were you there?!" Her face blushing heavily in embarrassment, she turned around to see Sayaka. "It- it's not what it looks like, okay? I was just telling Homura-chan that I care about her, and well, I, I'm not interested in that kind of stuff! At all!"

"U-huh."

"Really! Really really!"

"Yeah, yeah, just wait until Hitomi hears about this~" Sayaka joked, taking her by the hand. "By the way, classes have almost started, so we should get back quickly! Come on!"

"Sayyaaaaakkkaaaa-chaaan, you're not listening to meeeeeeeeeee!"

At a loss for words, Homura watched as Madoka was dragged away by her best friend, unsure as to whether or not she should just let it be. Taking a step towards them, she was tempted to raise her voice and call out—

However, her intentions were silenced as Sayaka turned around and glared at her coldly. It was only for a split second, and she could've easily missed it had she blinked, but the venom contained within was unmistakeable. Watching them return back to the classroom, being friendly with each other, it wasn't something she wished to disturb anyway, but she knew from personal experience that she needed to be constantly wary about the other girl. For now, it didn't matter.

More importantly, how could it be that Madoka dreamt about the past timeline? That couldn't be possible, could it? She considered asking Kyubey, but after a bit of thought, it might be for the best if he didn't know what was going on, else he try to interfere with her goals. This was, of course, assuming that he played no part in it, which Homura severely doubted.

This is only the beginning, she repeated to herself, and this time she wouldn't have her magical powers to help her.

Since she only had one wish, she would have to think it over very carefully. Wishing for something as reckless as 'don't ever make a contract with Madoka' straightaway, and then being unable to repeat the cycle if things went horrible anyway, would be extremely dangerous.

Because of that, she would have to proceed carefully from this point onwards.

"I had no idea you could keep a secret," said Sayaka with a wide grin on her face. "I mean, you didn't mention her at all, so when you said something about a 'secret friend I'm gonna introduce you to' this morning, I didn't really believe it until the transfer student walked in and the two of you were like, really friendly with each other!"

"I'm surprised as well, Madoka-chan," Hitomi added.

Madoka giggled in response. "Well, I wanted it to be a surprise for the two of you! Wehehe~"

"It's nice to meet you both," Homura greeted them in a calm manner.

Having only just entered the café, she felt tense, but hid it beneath an air of subtlety and coolness. She was sitting next to Madoka, while the tomboyish blue-haired girl called Sayaka and the refined green-haired one called Hitomi sat on the opposite side of the table.

When she entered through the glass-domed mall, she could remember attracting more than a few stares from other people around her, but she was used to them by now. She'd already ordered her drink, so if the speed was anything like the later dates she came here, then it would take approximately one and a half minutes to come. But these were minor notes, and all thoughts about them were swept away by the fact that she was sitting next to Madoka again.

From here, being so close to her pink aroma, it was nearly impossible to resist the urge to snuggle up against it, yet at the same time she was far too self-restrained to ever let herself to do so.

"Did the two of you meet online?" asked Hitomi all of a sudden, upon taking a sip from her straw. "You both seem tense and not very used to the other."

"Well, that's…" Homura opened her mouth, but was cut off.

"Eh? Madoka, sure I can agree with, but Akemi looks as still as a rock," Sayaka interjected, waving her spoon about. "How could you tell, Hitomi?"

"I don't think you'll be able to understand. You see, when you grow up in a certain way, you learn to suppress your outer emotions," Hitomi explained in a gentle voice. "Being too expressive can be a bad thing sometimes. I've been raised that way myself, so it isn't difficult to recognize signs from others."

"That so? Oooohhh."

"That's an amazing talent, Hitomi-chan," Madoka added in, clasping her hands together.

Homura blinked in surprise. If anything, she certainly hadn't been expecting that to come from somebody she'd barely ever gotten to know in all the past timelines.

For a second, she glanced at the greenette, examining her for the very first time in a long time. The last must've been when she lent out her mathematics notes to help a then-inexperienced Homura, in a distant timeline she could no longer remember. After that, the girl had just sort of faded away from her mind as unimportant, but with a talent like that…

Can she tell what I'm thinking? She wondered warily.

"We met two weeks ago, under a strange set of circumstances," Homura explained, her drink coming shortly afterwards. Deciding it wasn't important, she nonchalantly sipped the coffee from her straw.

"Hey, Homura-chan," Madoka began, and Homura's attention quickly turned towards her. Maybe a little too fast. "How come you're so good at everything in school? Everyone was really impressed with you."

"She totally failed at the athletics though! I'm not going to forget that scared look of hers when she was told to jump!" Sayaka laughed out triumphantly, actually sounding relieved at this, making a gesture as if wiping sweat away from her forehead. "Seriously, I should've taken a photo of that."

"Sayaka-chan, that's not very nice," pouted Madoka.

Hitomi sighed. "She's been staying at the hospital for half a year now, so it's only to be expected. She must have used that time to study academics, right, Akemi-san?"

"That is correct." Homura nodded. As she moved her head, her glasses tipped down her nose somewhat, and so she calmly pushed it back up.

It wasn't actually true, but she hoped to hell that Hitomi's foresight didn't include figuring out about how magical circumstances had her repeat the same tests and questions over and over again until they'd been fully memorized, about how she made a wish to a devil from the stars so she could repeat the same things over and over again in order to save her very best friend, about how she had to suffer over and over again while having her hopes crushed time and time again, and so on and so forth.

"Akemi-san," Hitomi said. "Do you mind if I make a comment? Some constructive criticism, if you will?"

Though she didn't show it, Homura was starting to panic beneath the surface. Don't tell me she really can—

"It's about your glasses."

Oh, that was all? As relieved as she was, she couldn't help but be curious as she raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think they suit you very well," continued Hitomi. "You have this amazing aura, Akemi-san, and maybe they fit better a year ago, but those glasses look childish and out of place currently. In all honesty, it makes you look like some sort of otaku, or even chuunibyou."

At that, Sayaka almost choked on her drink as though she'd been the one addressed, and Madoka turned to her best friend with a shocked expression, but Homura herself simply nodded, seeing her point.

"So what do you suggest I do?"

She hadn't actually put much thought much into the glasses after being forced to wear them again, and apart from being constantly reminded that they were a necessity in this new timeline, they just sort of went by unnoticed in her mind. It never occurred to her to change them to better fit her new, hardened self before.

"I'd normally say to take them off, but that won't help if you're near-sighted. Instead, you should go find a better pair of glasses. If you want, I'll help pick one for you."

"Hmm." Unsure about it, she turned to the girl sitting next to her for an answer. "Madoka, what do you think?"

"Uh, um, I think it'd be great if you could help her look cooler, Hitomi-chan!" Madoka replied awkwardly, surprised that her opinion had been asked. "I mean, I guess it's true that Homura-chan's glasses right now look a bit silly~"

A little...'silly'?

Somewhere in Homura's mind, something cracked.

She just called them 'a little silly', right?

A little silly...

A little silly a little silly a little silly a little silly a little silly A LITTLE FREAKING SILLY...?! 

As those three deathly words repeated themselves over and over uncontrollably in her mind, taking up most of her thoughts, Homura had obtained the newfound conviction of searching for a new pair or glasses.

"Oh, look at the time!" Hitomi exclaimed suddenly, looking at her phone, and she began getting her things as she stood up. "Excuse me, I have to leave now. Sorry, Akemi-san, maybe we can do this another time."

"Which is it this time? Piano lessons, classical dance?" asked Sayaka.

"This time it's Japanese tea. We'll be tested soon, so I don't know how long I'll have to study there."

"Heh, it must be nice to be born into a middle-class family…" Sayaka remarked in a fake-remorseful tone. "Akemi, you're probably in one as well, right?"

As Hitomi left, Homura turned to face her and answer her question. Her mouth opened—only for nothing to come out.

It was a simple question, wasn't it? About family. She just needed to say so. Simple.

She just needed to—answer.

Thoughts without form raced into her mind, and without even realizing it, she was mentally scrambling for the answer to that question. It was weird, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure it out. It was weird. She couldn't remember. She couldn't remember anything before that sudden day when she got a heart attack for the first time and was hospitalized.

Did they ever visit her? Did they ever even send flowers? What were their faces like?

It had been so long now that she was finding it very difficult to remember. Within moments, she found herself mentally panicking as she tried to find an answer to that simple, yet impossible question.

Luckily, Madoka saw through her distress almost straightaway, and stood up from the table.

"W- we should leave too, don't you think?"

"Probably."

With a shrug, Sayaka let it be and got up, before leaning over the table with a grin. It seemed like she had some plans of her own.

"Hey, Madoka, wanna go to the CD store on the way home?"

"It's for Kamijou-kun, right? Alright," replied Madoka, smiling in understanding. Then, as if just remembering about her other friend, she decided to add, "Oh, can Homura-chan come too?"

A subtle, cold breeze passed by. The blunette frowned for just a short instant before replacing it with a smile, a forced smile where the edges were twitching in annoyance. Mechanically turning towards Homura, with this forced expression, she wasn't sure what to answer. But after some consideration, she let out a tired sigh, as if admitting defeat.

"Yeah, yeah, she can come too. If she wants to, anyway."

"That would be appreciated," said Homura.

It was five o'clock, and the sun had begun to set.

Despite having a bad feeling the whole time while checking out music with Madoka and Sayaka, having felt as if there was some sort of ominous presence close by, nothing happened, much to her relief. It must've been paranoia then, since she was so used to unexpected things happening. Now, she was a little disappointed that she hadn't bought a CD or two. It might've been nice listening to music in order to pass the time.

However, at the same time, she felt as though she was forgetting something, something that was supposed to happen today. It was probably something related to Kyubey though, and should he dare to approach them out in the open, she would be ready for him. In her mind, she was already forming multiple scenarios to get rid of him without the other two noticing, even in her current state.

"See you tomorrow, Homura-chan, Sayaka-chan!"

Smiling, Madoka waved goodbye to her friends before going on to merrily walk down a separate path.

Satisfied with this, Homura proceeded onwards to walk down the other path. Carrying her bag the whole way through was tiring, but as long as she didn't exhaust herself by running and kept a steady pace, she should be able to make it without any problems.

Though to her distaste, even if she knew that this was going to happen, she and Miki Sayaka found themselves walking down the same path. The air was cold between the two of them.

It's only three minutes before our roads differ, she reassured herself.

Surely enough time to reach home before something happened.

"Hey, Akemi—san."

Sayaka's footsteps stopped in their tracks, and her tone was one filled with reluctance.

"What is it?" Homura asked.

The sunset was directly ahead, the sun itself almost completely over the horizon.

"Er, er, I'm sorry if I've been a little cold to you today, Akemi-san!"

Sayaka admitted this in a regretful voice, forcing herself to say the words out loud, and she bowed in apology as she did so.

"I wasn't sure what to think of you at first, and to be honest, if I hadn't seen you struggling during sports, I wouldn't be able to trust you. I guess it just came as a shock when I found out that Madoka had a secret new friend, and you're probably going through a lot within since this is your first time hanging outside the hospital, so um . . . yeah. I'm sorry! Truly sorry!"

The type of tone she used was a vaguely familiar one, and thinking back, it was very similar to the tone she used in the first few timelines back when they were closer friends. There'd always been a void between the two that neither of them seemed able to cross no matter how hard they tried, conflicting even when they agreed on the same thing, and Homura never once believed that it was worth getting close to her again after all the trouble she caused for Madoka and the others.

But here, things were going in a different direction. Because she had shown an unsolvable flaw during school and Hitomi pointed out about another, Sayaka was currently making the effort to trust her, as Madoka's friend.

Perhaps the friendship they once had a long time ago could still be repaired. With this in mind, Homura turned around with a faint smile as she was about to accept Sayaka's apology—

However, she froze in place as a butterfly caught her eye.

Please don't tell me.

It was quickly followed up by her and Sayaka's vision being derided with hallucinations, colors of green and yellow were beginning to paint over their surroundings, the ground getting softer, and a faint pounding could be heard as quick flashes of butterfly patterns, flower patterns, and many other things were appearing all over the place, the entire scene being highly unnatural and psychedelic in nature. Her senses were screaming out to her that something just outright wrong was happening, and somewhere at the back of her mind, a voice was subtly telling her to kill herself kill herself kill herself kill herself.

Please, no! Not here... Not now!

Worst of all, she knew exactly what was happening, and cursed the world for this timing.

But it was happening, and there was nothing to change this as the pavement and buildings distorted, transforming into something akin to a hallucination given form.

The background sounds of cars and urban life were drowned out, replaced by excited, inhuman chattering that emanated from not too far away. The sky had turned into something that looked like a sliding ceiling resembling it, and the buildings had been taken over by random cardboard cutouts of things that made no sense, including long thorns, faceless businessmen, circles, candy canes, garden fences, and most of all, walking butterflies.

Just looking at these things were enough to make Homura's heart beat faster, and she covered her mouth with both hands, trying to contain her panic.

"W- wha- what's happening to the town?! Where'd the road go?!"

Behind her, Sayaka appeared to be even more terrified. "H- h- hey, Akemi-san, w- where are we?! What exactly is happening?!"

"That's…" Unable to answer, Homura's voice trailed off.

Her thoughts were scrambling through what little options they had, searching for some sort of solution if there was any at all. This was a horrible, horrible situation to be in.

"Seriously, just what's going on here?!" Sayaka screamed out.

In response to her plea, abnormal creatures emerged from their hiding spots, looking like tiny fluffballs with mustaches, butterfly bodies, and impossibly thorned limbs, gathering together and circling around the duo with obvious hostility, creeping out Sayaka and blocking out whatever chances they had at survival. The most they could do was throw their bags at two of the familiars and hope that it would give them some sort of opening to run away, but even if it worked, where to? There wasn't an exit in sight.

Du mußt verstehn

The familiars paused, as if examining the two girls.

Aus Eins mach' Zehn

Und Zwey laß gehn

Und Drey mach' gleich

So bist du reich

Their scissor-like hands snipped again and again, in tune with their high-pitched, chanting voices. Homura was sweating, desperately searching her mind for a way out of this utterly hopeless situation. Kyubey was nowhere in sight.

Verlier' die Vier

Aus Fünf und Sechs

So sagt die Hex'

Suddenly, she remembered the grenades she made. Well, of course. They'd been made specifically in case an occasion like this happened. But Sayaka was here as well, and if she used them in front of her, then that would mean destroying what little hope for friendship and trust they had. Could she really do it?

Mach' Sieben und Acht!

So ist's vollbracht!

No. It couldn't be helped. It was either survive or perish. There was no other option.

"Stay close behind me, Miki-san!"

Due to her racing heart, her mind was getting fuzzy, and she clumsily fumbled around with the zipper to her bag as the familiars began their slow approach, starting to reach a decision that seemed to include their sharp bladed limbs, their malicious intent now obvious with hellish black eyes having formed on their 'faces', more thorned limbs protruding out from them.

Dumping the bag onto the ground so that she could concentrate better, once she managed to open it, she shoved both hands in and took out two seemingly-normal soda cans.

Und Neun ist Eins!

Und Zehn ist keins!

"T- the hell?! Akemi-san, this is a really bad time for a drink right now!" Sayaka yelled at her.

"Be quiet," replied Homura, who was trying to concentrate as she held them against her mouth.

Das ist das Hexen-Einmal-Eins!

Then, using her teeth, she tore the pull-tab off the first disguised grenade and then the second in quick succession, before hurriedly flinging them to the left and to the right. It was just in time too, because the strange beings had been almost upon them when their attention was caught by violent explosions blowing up a fair number of their ranks.

Knowing that this was their chance, she took Sayaka's hand and tried to run through a gap in the creatures' formation, only to find herself lagging and being dragged forward by Sayaka's superior strength and speed instead.

As they ran through the bizarre realm as fast as they could, being closely pursued by the enraged familiars, neither of them bothering to waste their breath on asking questions or talking, Homura trying her best not to trip while holding onto her bag, they came across a door and entered it without hesitation, slamming it shut afterwards.

However, on the other side wasn't freedom, but a deeper level of the barrier. This time they looked to be in a room with crisscrossing staircases, indistinguishable portraits floating about, and there were many more familiars roaming the area.

Not only that, but Homura was feeling weak. Her vision was getting blurry, and somewhere along the lines a crack had formed on the lens of her glasses. Her breathing was becoming uneven. Sweat trailed down through her body. Truth be told, she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to last before fainting, and she had to lean onto Sayaka in order to prevent her feet from giving way, forcing the two of them to walk.

If they were noticed by the familiars, then there would be no way for both to outrun them. At this rate, there was no way they were going to make it like this.

"Damn it!" The blunette cursed, and Homura might've done the same were she not utterly exhausted. "How do we get out of here?! Is this even real?!"

"There's one more . . . grenade . . . in my bag," Homura managed to muster in between pants, trying in vain to slow her breathing.

"Why do you even have stuff like that, Akemi?! That's just insane! Do you know what's going on?!"

Even though they were practically walking for their lives, barely clinging onto survival, she still had the urge to yell. Less than a minute ago, she'd been filled with regret for her uncalled-for behavior and wanting to make up for it, but now ended up being suspicious of everything once again. In order to save their lives, Homura had to bring suspicion upon herself again.

Why did this have to happen? Honestly, why?!

As if things couldn't get any worse, Sayaka shrieked as a gigantic, deformed monster jumped down from the top of one of the staircases and hit the floor smoothly like an insect.

Devoid of any resemblance to humanity whatsoever, its body was composed from the many parts of a butterfly, but perverted, displaced, even inverted, giving it an unsettlingly disturbing appearance. Homura recognized it from her past experiences. It was the Witch of this barrier, one which she'd killed many times without a second thought in past timelines. But this time, both girls were too paralyzed by terror to make a move against this twisted monstrosity of nature.

"This must a dream," Sayaka muttered in a trance. "I'm having a nightmare, right...? RIGHT?!"

Even with one grenade left over, there was no way that they'd be able to take on something like this. It was all over.

In her last moments, Homura's thoughts were rushing wildly.

This was all Kyubey's fault! Everything was Kyubey's fault! THAT DAMNED KYUBEY MUST'VE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SOMEHOW. Homura couldn't be fooled. She knew his plan. She knew what he hoped to gain. It was a perfect plan of his, and it was executing flawlessly. She knew that he planned on her dying here, she knew that he wanted her out of the picture so that he could manipulate Madoka via her and Sayaka's deaths and then have her make a contract with him, and then STEAL HER SOUL and TORTURE HER TO THE BRINK OF DESPAIR. AGAIN. AND AGAIN. AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. She could even feel his presence close by, coming closer and closer, based purely on her instinct. No doubt he wanted to savour their deaths like the sadist he was—

"Looks like we found you just in time!"

Wait, was that Kyubey's voice?

Just as the Rose Garden Witch lunged for the two human girls, it was suddenly sent flying into the air by a powerful barrage of glowing yellow bullets coming from behind, each and every one erupting in rhythm.

"Are you alright?" A composed voice asked, and Homura turned around, recognizing the person instantly. "That was really dangerous, huh? But it's safe now, so you can both relax."

Sayaka stared at her in a daze, and murmured "Who are you?"

"Right. I suppose I should introduce myself... But, before that!"

Opening up her hands, two magical muskets materialized out of thin air, and she spun as she grabbed hold of them. Even as the witch opened up its wings and began to dart straight towards her, seeing her as a threat, she didn't seem to care. Showing absolutely no fear, as if she were used to facing things like it, the magical girl launched herself into direct combat against the abomination.

"Let me take care of this first!"

Within that moment, seeing her like this, Homura had never been so grateful to meet Tomoe Mami in her entire life.

Chapter Text

"My name is Tomoe Mami. Like you, I'm a senior at Mitakihara Middle School…but not only that, I'm also a magical girl who made a contract with Kyubey!"

"And I'm Kyubey! I want you to form a contract with me and become magical girls!"

They made it sound like a good thing. What a joke.

The Rose Garden Witch had been dealt with shortly and elegantly, and shortly afterwards she and Sayaka were led to Mami's apartment. While her heart condition gradually managed to recover, mentally, she'd been so exhausted that the next few hours had passed by in a rush. She didn't even notice the crack on one of the lens of her glasses.

"Since the two of you have been chosen by Kyubey, you're not strangers to me anymore, so I'd like to explain some important things."

The person sitting before them now was called Tomoe Mami. With fair skin and long, blonde hair stylized into drills, she had a sort of warm aura around her. She was a veteran magical girl who had fought plenty of Witches in the past. However, she didn't really understand what it meant to be a magical girl. Not yet. Even though she'd been one for years, she knew nothing of the horrible truths that lay beneath the surface.

"This is a Soul Gem. It's a precious stone, made from the contract formed between Kyubey and a chosen girl. It's a source of magical power and proof of a magical girl's identity."

She didn't know what a Soul Gem really was, or how exactly it was related to the nature of a magical girl.

"I can grant a single wish. It can be anything, and I'll be able to grant it how matter how miraculous it is!"

It took all of Homura's energy to keep herself from shoving her fist into Incubator's face, and she despised every moment of seeing him talk. Every single second this abomination existed was a second he might use to make Madoka's life more miserable, and the way he gazed at her with those mocking crimson eyes made it clear he was aware of how she felt.

"But in doing so, a Soul Gem will be made."

He didn't care.

"The receiver of the stone then has to fight Witches as a magical girl."

Manipulating little girls, corrupting their innocence and dooming them to a fate of nothing but darkness.

The emotionless bastard really didn't care at all.

The apartment they were in had always been a nice, comfortable, and spacious place with a nice view and delicious food, but as time passed on and dusk settled in the sky, the light coming in through the window had an orange tint that made the atmosphere somewhat eerie to Homura, making it difficult for her to contain herself throughout the flawed explanation. The feeling was so strong that she couldn't even bring herself to drink the tea and cake in front of her.

No one else could possibly understand what she was feeling.

"What are Witches? Are they any different from magical girls?" asked Sayaka, having seemingly let go of the whole grenade thing by then. Compared to all these recent fantastic events, magic and wishes, she must've forgotten.

"If magical girls are born from wishes, then you could say that Witches are born from curses," answered Kyubey. "Magical girls spread hope, while Witches spread despair. What's more, they can't be seen by normal people. They're pure evil. Doubt and suspicion, rage and hatred, they bring seeds of catastrophe to the world."

"Unreasonable suicides and killings usually stem from the curses of Witches. This unseen enemy is moving against the hearts of the people," Mami continued on in a grim, serious voice.

"If such dangerous monsters exist, then why doesn't anyone know about them?"

"Witches always remain hidden and would never reveal themselves to anyone. The maze-like structure you were trapped in earlier was a reality marble, a barrier of theirs."

"It was really dangerous, wasn't it? People who are swallowed by that world never return alive, and I was only able to reach you two in time because of Kyubey."

Homura reconsidered her opinion. Actually, it isn't that she doesn't understand. She knows how dangerous it is better than anyone. It's just that she doesn't know the true nature of a magical girl, she thought. If she ever learned the truth, then it would be too much for her. It's all she has left.

"When you were fighting that butterfly monster, you made it look easy. But all the same, isn't it really terrifying?" asked Sayaka.

"Yes. Every time I go out, I put my life on the line. That's why the two of you should think this over carefully. Since you've been chosen by Kyubey, having been given the opportunity to fulfill any dream, would you be willing to face death at any given moment?"

The blunette sighed. "It's a pretty hard decision to make, huh?"

"Therefore, I have an idea. Why don't you accompany me in vanquishing Witches for a while?" Mami suggested calmly. At that, Sayaka stood up from her seat in surprise, while Homura kept herself under control. "In doing so, you will come to understand exactly what it means to be a magical girl. Use your very own eyes to verify, whether fulfilling your dream is worth risking your life. You need to consider this seriously."

Having not spoken a single word throughout the whole thing, Homura reached to pick up her own now-cold cup of tea, only to realize that her hand was shaking. Why was that? It wasn't characteristic of her.

Was she frustrated at being unable to set right all of Kyubey's lies? Was she scared of facing Witches as a normal human? Was she worried about failing?

No.

She was excited, because right now, Kaname Madoka was very, very far from this cycle of suffering and despair.

...not that this triumph of hers would be worth much.

When Mami was done with her introduction to the world of magical girls, they exited back out into the second floor of the apartment, it was already late, the sky dark with a waning gibbous moon up above. Presumably, the time was around six or seven o'clock. Not stopping to look behind at Mami's waving figure, she continued on, with Sayaka following from a distance.

Once they were outside, the raven-haired girl gazed past long, ominous street as it stretched all the way towards a bridge, on the other side being their homes. The natural river that ran alongside the path was calm, but unsettling all the same, as it reflected the last weak moonlight and was contrasted by the many tall buildings on the other side.

She considered saying something to the girl behind her, perhaps to ask her if she planned on making a wish, or perhaps to talk about magical girls. Small talk. Surely, there was enough time to do so before they reached an intersection. Perhaps if she just made an effort, then their friendship could still be salvaged, somehow.

"Hey. Akemi."

Or perhaps not. Sayaka's footsteps stopped in their tracks, and her tone had a certain edge about it.

"What is it?" Homura asked, slowly turning around to face the girl in question.

The air was filled with tension. It was obvious that neither really wanted to hold this conversation, but at the same time, there was no way it could've gone by ignored.

"Back then, while we were in that Witch's, er, a barrier, was it? I'm really grateful that you saved my life and all, but I just wanna know. What were you doing with hidden grenades in your bag? I can't see how someone who just came out of the hospital would even have them, and now that we've learned about magical girls and other stuff, I guess there's something bigger to the picture. There is, right? I really want to trust you, Akemi, I do, so... could you please tell me what's going on?"

The type of tone she used was a vaguely familiar one, and thinking back, it was very similar to the tone she used in some timelines when the two of them were allies whom struggled to trust each other. There'd always been a void between the two that neither of them seemed able to cross no matter how hard they tried, conflicting even when they agreed on the same thing, and Homura never once believed that it was worth getting close to her again after all the trouble she caused for Madoka and the others.

And now she saw that this void would always be there, that neither of them would ever be able to have the same connection they had a long time, and that a partnership between the two was no longer possible. Sayaka was currently making a big effort to try and trust her, as Madoka's friend, but the problem was that she just couldn't be trusted.

The weak ideals and the emotions of this girl would always get in the way, no matter what, and she would never understand about what was importantly, until it was too late. That was why she couldn't know, and why Homura couldn't answer.

The next few moments went by without a sound, as though silence had fallen onto the city around them.

"I see," Sayaka said after a long while, her face darkening. "So that's how it is."

"I- I apologize," Homura began, starting to panic. "But it's just, that I can't—"

"Save it."

Even after having gone through this kind of thing over and over, it still felt like a dagger piercing into her heart. She was losing control of herself, and a headache was beginning to beat in her mind. Without even giving so much as a glance, Sayaka walked past her, the wind blowing against them coldly.

"Are you... going to... make a contract with Kyubey?" she asked dryly, finding it difficult to say anything else.

Sayaka stopped in place, just for a moment. "I'll have to think about it, but probably, yeah. There are so many people in the world who really deserve this opportunity more than we do, and at the same time, I'll be able to protect my friends as a hero of justice. That's good enough for me."

"Of course." She knew what she was referring to, about that disabled boy in the hospital whom she had a crush on, but it was pointless to attempt to dissuade her, nor was it worth trying. Things were exactly the same as they were before.

The girl moved to walk further on ahead.

"W- wait!" Homura yelled, maybe a bit louder than necessary. Sayaka stopped once more. "Just promise me one thing. Please."

"Oh?"

"Keep Madoka out of this. I don't want her to risk her life or become a magical girl. Don't tell her anything about this, and don't let Kyubey get anywhere close to her. Please. For her sake. "

After a passing moment, Sayaka turned around one last time to give Homura a cold, sideways look.

She said only a single thing before leaving.

"You creep me out."

Saturday, March the 26th

The winds were a bit stronger today, and the sky wasn't quite as clear as it was a few days ago, with clouds here and there. Even so, it may have been relaxing had there not been so much tension in the air. It was midday, and she was currently sitting at the large, pearl-white school rooftop, having lunch with Madoka by her side.

She should've been able to enjoy it, but after yesterday, it wasn't very easy to do so.

"Hitomi-chan and everyone else were really panicking when you turned up with a broken lens, Homura-chan! And wasn't it embarrassing to go through the whole day like that, wehehe~?" Madoka asked lightly, trying to lighten up the atmosphere, but her words didn't do much.

"Yes, Shizuki-san said she'll take me out shopping later tomorrow," replied Homura.

"Oh, okay, um… Oh, Sayaka-chan! I just realized something! Since we have two friends who are model students now, don't you think we should study harder?"

"I guess so," replied Sayaka.

As Madoka looked here and there between the two, a worried expression crossed her face, and all of her efforts weren't doing much. Homura wanted to comfort her, but it wasn't easy to laugh after having very nearly escaped death, and if she did anything, it might set Sayaka off even more.

"U- um, Homura-chan, did something happen between you and—"

"We're fine!" Sayaka breathed out, from the opposite end of the bench, sitting as far away from Homura as possible without falling off.

"Did you two fight? If so, you should make up, you know! It's not good to—"

"Nothing happened," Homura maintained in as calm a voice as she could muster.

"Homura-chan, Sayaka-chan, I'm kinda worried..."

"Madoka, if you had one wish that could be granted, what would it be?" Sayaka asked right out of the blue, a blank look on her face as she stared up at the sky.

"Eh?" Surprised, it took her a little while to understand the question. Homura looked towards Sayaka as if to convey a telepathic message saying 'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING', but with Kyubey having been pushed out of the way, she was unable to do anything of the sort. "U- um, I'm not really sure, I've never really thought about it. I dunno, um, but maybe…"

Homura drew a sharp breath. 

"I don't think making a wish is worth it," she cut in. "If you cherish the life you have now, and if you consider your family and friends precious, then you shouldn't try to change it. Otherwise, you might end up losing everything you love."

"I guess that's true," muttered Madoka.

"But what if there's someone who really, really needs it?" Sayaka said harshly, standing up.

"Such as?" asked Homura.

"What if he's an injury or something? What if he can't do the things he used to anymore?"

"Then that person should learn to enjoy what he does have, and what he can do."

"Well, what if he's unable to enjoy his own life?!"

"Then he should cherish what he has, instead of risking it all on something he doesn't even fully understand."

The truth was that everything Sayaka believed in was flawed. No doubt she'd put some thought into making a contract and the potential consequences a night before, but she lacked the understanding to do so properly.

Whether they knew it or not, all human beings are inherently selfish - that is what Akemi Homura believed in.

Selfishness itself wasn't bad, and the selfish desire to achieve a goal or desire a person was perfectly natural. It was normal to act selfish, and therefore, a lot of people would wish for money or prosperity. Yet, this would rarely turn out to be a good thing. Some people had lives that they never realized was perfect, and thus by making a wish, they threatened to ruin it by introducing a factor that should've stayed within the realm of imagination. If anyone had to be given such an opportunity, it would have to be someone whose wish was either completely selfish, or completely selfless. Otherwise, they would be betrayed by their own desires and fall into Incubator's trap.

No matter how the details varied between each timeline, this sort of thinking had always been what led to her downfall.

"Alright, let's say that he's trapped in a hospital room, unable to leave or do anything, he has a talent he loves to do but can't do it anymore, and people rarely ever visit him. Can't you understand what that's like?! To be alone like that, and never live a normal life?!"

Did she...

Did she honestly just say that?

For a moment, Homura just stared at her incredulously.This was another of Sayaka's flaws. She always let her emotions get ahead of her. Always saying things without thinking. Always thinking of herself, her own priorities, her own life. Anger started to bubble up inside of the raven-haired girl, stepping forward, raising her voice to meet this aggressiveness in kind. "Damn it, Sayaka! Why, why are you always so-"

"Stop it! Just stop, RIGHT. NOW!"

Madoka interjected sternly, standing up from her seat. The expression on her face looked extremely distressed.

"Sayaka-chan, Homura-chan, please, both of you, cut it out! Fighting over a wish like this... It's NOT RIGHT!"

Silence fell upon the rooftop.

Then, Madoka added with a pout, "Now apologise to one another."

U- um, okay," stuttered Homura. While she appeared calm on the outside, her heart had nearly stopped in fright.

"Y- yeah," replied Sayaka, also shocked by Madoka's sudden outburst.

.

.

.

Over the next ten minutes, the two opposed Puella Magi candidates ended up having to make themselves work together to try and convince her that there was nothing wrong and constantly apologizing, as well as continuously pleading for her forgiveness. In the end, they were forced to smile and shake hands with each other. While this didn't actually accomplish much in terms of mending their friendship, at least Madoka was satisfied with it.

Shortly afterwards, familiar figure walked out from the shadows of the entrance.

"I see that the two of you are getting along," Mami said warmly, and Homura couldn't help but frown.

Had it been a coincidence that she appeared then, or had she watched the whole event unfold? Judging by her instincts, Homura had a feeling that it was the latter.

The blonde was holding a yellow jewel in front of her as she approached. Judging by the faint glow coming from it, there was either a familiar nearby, or a Witch some distance away from the school. 

Mami turned to face Madoka.

"Excuse me for intruding, but can I borrow Miki-san and Akemi-san for a little while?"

"Uh, ummm, did they do anything wrong, senpai?" Madoka asked, looking really worried and trying not to make herself look as if she'd almost cried.

"Well, not really," chuckled Mami.

"It's alright, Madoka," Homura reassured her as she got up and put away her lunchbox. "We'll be fine."

"Okay, but..." Madoka glanced at Mami for a moment with a wary expression. "That doesn't make me feel any better…"

"Don't listen to her! We'll be back before school ends, I promise you that!" Sayaka exclaimed, giving her a thumbs-up as she ran off to Mami's side, in direct contrast to her attitude not too long ago. "See ya later, Madoka! Now, let's go and kill some witches, Mami-san!"

At that, the pinkette seemed to freeze. "K- k- kill?!"

"Miki-san, you have to make an effort to be more secretive," The blonde reminded her lightly.

As the duo walked off, leaving a very puzzled girl, Homura stayed a little while longer to ease her mind a little.

"Don't worry about Miki, it's only an expression. We just need to do an errand for the third-year students."

"Oh... That so?"

Madoka let out an uncertain sigh, before looking up to face Homura directly with what seemed to be a serious look, surprising her.

"Homura-chan, I know this might be a bit abrupt but... can you take care of Sayaka-chan? I know she can be rash sometimes and say things without thinking, but she's a really nice person! That's why, if you have the chance, don't let her do something stupid. Promise?"

This was odd. Even though she knew nothing about magical girls, even though she didn't know about all the lives that were on the line, she was still requesting such a thing. Even though they spent almost all of two weeks talking on the phone to each other and establishing a friendship, they'd only met in person the day before.

"Why... why are you telling me this?" she asked, stunned.

"Huh?" Madoka blinked in confusion, as if it were obvious. Then, upon realizing that Homura really didn't know, she grinned and said, "Hehe. Well, I can trust you. We're pretty close friends, aren't we~?"

Once again, Homura's heart skipped a beat.

Sunday, March the 27th

A few things to note.

First off, the enemy Mami showed them ended up being a familiar. While no Grief Seeds were dropped, she'd used the chance to replenish her Soul Gem using the one she obtained from the earlier Witch. She also explained some more things to her two apprentices.

Second, Sayaka now acted nice towards her whenever Madoka was around, before reverting back to an aloof persona once she was gone. Mami had definitely noticed this odd behaviour.

Third, Hitomi had taken her to the shopping mall to find a new pair of glasses, and somewhere along the lines she ended up being dragged along to buy unrelated things such as dresses, hats, and other fashion accessories for her to go with it. Since it all went by in a blur, at the moment, she had yet to determine who had spent most of the money.

Homura was standing in front of a mirror, with somber, silky long hair flowing behind her, and on the other side was a girl of intelligence and determination. The glasses that she now wore were nothing like the childish, squared red frame she had before. They were black and had a sort of classic feel, being firm, well-rounded and fitting her perfectly, as well as better when it came to correcting her vision, as the previous one had unknowingly been a bit off by a few feet.

Appearing like this, she felt more confident. If Madoka were here, then she would definitely call her 'cool'.

Speaking of which, even though it was absolutely ridiculous in this situation, she decided to uphold that promise she made.

True, there were various obstacles in the way, first and foremost being the whole dilemma with her crush, the violin kid Kamijou Kyousuke. He had a seriously paralyzed hand, and the only way to heal it was with a wish - the standard healing magic of magical girls didn't work, as she'd already tried out more than several dozen times in the past. Realistically speaking, it was extremely unlikely that she would be able to make him just accept his cripple and drop playing the violin altogether.

But even so, Madoka must be right, about there being a chance to save Sayaka. There had to be some way, something she hadn't thought of yet. She just needed to make the effort to find out what that way was, then do it.

It can't be helped. I'll stop her.

Without my powers, she might listen to me better, and if I can avert the future somehow, then a large amount of pain for Madoka might be averted!

"I won't let Sayaka make a contract," she affirmed to her reflection.

"I don't understand you," Kyubey's voice rung through her head, as he entered in through an open window and settled on an empty desk by it. "I assumed you planned on allowing me Miki Sayaka in place of Kaname Madoka. Have you changed your mind?"

Disgusted by his presence, Homura didn't respond at first. She'd been expecting him to appear, yet all the same, made a mental note to keep all windows and doors shut tightly to prevent him from entering like this again.

"You won't leave her alone, and you never will. It's just another one of your lies," she spat out. "Isn't that correct?"

"Well, no."

"Sure."

"I did suggest to you that we had a deal, but nothing held us to it. It merely allowed me to approach her without any further hindrances. It's safe to say that you're aware of her unusual potential as a magical girl, so I'm currently wondering if you were a factor in it."

Instead of replying to this calculative, inhuman statement, Homura turned to shove her fist into the white creature's face,

only for her to stumble down.

A sudden, throbbing wave of pain had burst from her chest, spread across the rest of her body like wildfire. Her vision blurred, and her senses failed her.

Dammit!

Writhing on the floor, her breath was escaping her, and trying to take in more oxygen only made the pain hurt even more. Her consciousness was threatening to black out.

Why is this happening here of all places?! What's with this bad timing?!

But as she mustered the strength to look at him again, she saw that his eyes were glowing—and then she realized what he was doing to her.

"I haven't approached Madoka in quite some time, so you can relax. Instead, I have spent my time researching you. No matter how you look at it, it isn't logical for a human to randomly kill an unsuspecting unit, and demand that we avoid a specific target," he continued with an unchanging tone, his voice as obnoxiously clear as ever, but it was difficult to listen what with the heart attack that was KILLING HER and all.

"You have met Tomoe Mami only recently. As you rarely seem to use the internet, an online magical girl friend is out of the question as well. You spent a long time in the hospital due to an unusual case of arrhythmia, and you've been ignored by your family as an disgrace. We never encountered you while you were conscious, so there is no plausible way for you to have ever known about our existence and the nature of Madoka at the point in time you chose to attack me, and even if you did, the amount of violence used was unprecedented."

She didn't want to hear anything, and she couldn't even muster enough energy to try and decode whatever he was talking about. His words only muddled up as a pressure exerted its force onto her mind. Everything was fading away.

It hurt, it really, really hurt to concentrate upon anything, anything at all, and numbness was starting to take over from all the pain. It almost was like relief, as all her senses drained away and stopped her from feeling anywhere. However, it was also even scarier, as it felt as though she was disappearing into nothingness.

"But it seems that your medical records weren't a fabrication. You do have an irregular heartbeat brought about by multiple symptoms, and it's easily triggered, considering that both your physical and your mental state are in poor condition."

She mustered the strength to say, "I'm still a candidate. You wouldn't kill me, would you?"

She hated him.

SHE HATED HIM SO, SO MUCH.

"Don't misunderstand, Akemi Homura. While your potential doesn't even come close to Madoka's, it's still unusually high. Do you really think I'll let you go?"

And then it stopped.

Taking in large gasps of air, Homura's head started to clear up, but she still struggled to pick herself up with an even weaker body, mentally cursing and yelling swear words at the one responsible all the while. She should've known before that since she wasn't a magical girl, opposing Incubator would be almost impossible.

Without the power to stop time, gather guns, or even cure herself of her arrhythmia, a sickly human couldn't possibly hope to stand against the designs of an alien race.

But she would still try.

She didn't need to save the entire human population—just one girl. All she needed was for that one girl to be saved.

"Don't you dare come close to Madoka!"

"I still cannot determine the cause of your behaviour." Then, "Do you want to make a contract with me and become a magical girl?"

"Out, NOW!" As soon as she could stand, Homura gripped one of Kyubey's long ears and hurled his body out of the window, though instead of falling, he gave her a glance before floating away. One of the many things he was capable of was levitation.

Once he was gone, she took out her phone with hands even paler than before. The device felt heavy.

Madoka needed to be called right away, and they were going to have a long, important discussion about making wishes and avoiding creepy rabbit-like cats with ruby eyes that could talk. More important than anything was preventing her from making a wish.

Then, with all of her accumulated knowledge, she would utilize it to successfully prevent Sayaka from making a contract.

Afterwards, once Kyouko inevitably visited Mitakihara, she would somehow arrange for her and Mami to team up for the eventual appearance of Walpurgisnacht in just over a month, and prepare them for it.

If even that wasn't enough, then Homura would have no choice but to form a contract herself and have her wish granted. This was her trump card, her final back-up plan.

As much as she wanted to use it to protect Madoka, to make it so that she wouldn't be able to see Kyubey or something along those lines, the possibility remained that she might end up in a dangerous situation, and if that were to happen, then there wouldn't be any way to save her. Moving Madoka into another town wouldn't help, because then, she would still be targeted by the Incubators.

There didn't seem to be any clear way out of this.

That was why, all she could do right now was hope. Hope that everything went smoothly, and hope that they could make it past the dreaded Walpurgis Night safely.

Not that hope ever did anything for her in any of the past, countless times she had to repeat this cycle.

Please, let it be different this time.

Chapter Text

Friday, April the 1st

Darkness.

Everywhere, darkness.

No matter where she looked, only darkness.

The only light here existed in her own mind, and even that was being eroded by this world.

No, I can't let myself succumb to this. I need her. I need... to save her.

There was something she had to achieve, something important, but in this darkness, such a thing was impossible. In fact, it had been impossible from the very beginning. Without realizing it, she had surrounded herself in a web of delusions, from which she may never wake. Did she even want to wake? The world she dreamed of was a world where all hopes were realized, but she knew that she would be met only with even deeper despair than this.

Here, there was nothing but darkness, and pain, and misery, as well as suffering.

Therefore, wasn't the best paradise her own dreams? If she dreamt of a world and let herself succumb to it, then she would never be able to tell the difference. It would be as if the dream had become reality, and reality had become the dream.

That would be... good.

Surely there was no reason not to. Everything would be better. She wouldn't have to keep repeating things. She wouldn't have to keep watching that certain person die, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. That certain person would be happy, and that certain person would be with her.

All she had to do was disappear, so that the dream overtook this bleak, hopeless world. Just let go of the repeating circle that she'd been keeping together with nothing but her bare hands, and have it spin into oblivion. It was such a simple task.

Just let go. Drift further down through this ocean of darkness.

And then everything would be better again. Yes. She could just let herself drown here. Right here. She just had to let go. Of everything. Everything but her dream. And then her dream would become reality. Her hands began to open out, as if to let go—

Suddenly, a blinding beam of light blasted violently overhead through the darkness, tearing open the fabric to create a hole. Grey wisps could be seen scrambling away from her as fast as possible, and muffled, inhuman screams of a demonic entity echoed throughout the world she'd thought was her own.

"Akemi-san!" Mami's voice called out in a distressed tone.

From the opening, Homura saw Mami come into view, followed by yellow ribbons that invaded into the space, diving through the black mud around her and tightly wrapping around her body. Then Mami towed back with both hands, struggling to pull Homura out from the darkness with a pained expression on her face, to no avail. Even as she channeled magical energy through her ribbons, they were negated as they came into contact with the substance.

For a moment, Homura could only stare onwards in a daze as all her efforts seemed to be in vain. What was she doing? Why didn't she just let go? It was better for the both of them.

"Akemi-san, I—need you to move—! I can't pull you out like this!"

It took a while for those words to register, but as she tried to do just that, the pitch-black, murky substance reacted against it, attempting to pull her in deeper, and Mami had been jerked forth a few feet.

At the same time, she felt flashes of Madoka cross her mind. Madoka dying. Again, and again and AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN! WHY COULDN'T IT BE JUST ONCE THAT SHE SURVIVED?! WHY DID SHE ALWAYS HAVE TO DIE? IT WAS A CRUEL JOKE. A MOCKERY…of reality. Any motivation she might've had crumbled on the spot.

By then, Homura's entire body had been submerged, leaving only her head, and the gap was closing faster. She was trapped. The Witch's wails continued to echo overhead.

"Just let go," Homura replied blankly.

Hearing this Mami's face only twisted into something even more anguished, and brought out even ribbons in a vain attempt to delay the closing hole. "Don't be stupid, Akemi-san! I'm not going to let my kouhai die here! Never!"

"Let go, or you might be pulled in as well. Tomoe Mami, I'm sorry, but it's over. You must let go." Even though her mind was too dulled to work, none of her emotions functioning the way they should, a single thought managed to occur to Homura. Something meaningless, yet so very important. It made her smile. "Oh, and tell Madoka…"

"Tell her yourself!" Another voice declared loudly, interrupting what was meant to be her last words, and she couldn't help but frown as Sayaka appeared, rushing past Mami and—

"S- Sayaka, what are you—?!"

Dived into the mud. Seriously.

Did she actually just do something so stupid? Did she understand the peril? Did she even understand anything at all? She hadn't even contracted. She didn't even possess the powers of a magical girl yet. She didn't have a motivation either. She didn't have anything! She had no useful abilities that might help her, and because of that, there was no possible way for her to survive an ordeal like that!

"MIKI-SAN?!" screamed Mami.

What the hell?

What the hell did that Sayaka hope to achieve?!

The blunette pushed away the mud surrounding her with all her strength, even though it was obviously taking its toll on both her strength and her mind. It was attempting to wear away at her muscles, and drawing out her darkest memories, distorting them at the same time, shoving them upon her. Even then, she resisted against all odds and took hold of Homura's arm before heaving her out from it, all the while keeping herself from drowning. The inky substance definitely didn't like this, as grey wisps were coming up to the surface to drag the two humans back down, and the gap was less than a meter wide now.

Whatever it was, it was making a concentrated effort to tear away at Sayaka's mind, and her eyes widened in horror for a split second—but then shut tight as she attempted to block everything out and focus on the matter at hand, moving onwards with nothing but sheer determination.

"Mami-san, pull us out!" said Sayaka, just as she'd dislodged the rest of Homura's body, and without hesitation Mami pulled back her ribbons one last time with incredible force, wrenching the duo out from the space just in time.

They hit a hard, cold surface, on a lone pathway of rock surrounded by dark clouds and floating pitch-black monoliths, the air thick and the only light coming from golden orbs that floated around Mami.

It was only then that Homura could see exactly why her struggle had been so difficult. 

Before them was a huge, spherical Witch of Darkness with hands and spikes protruding out from it, having been completely restrained by dozens upon dozens of yellow ribbons without being killed, just so Mami could've taken the risk of rescuing her from within.

"Are you two okay?!" Mami asked worriedly, creating a barrier around the two girls. Kyubey was sitting nearby, unfazed by what just occurred.

"I- I think so…" replied a pale-faced Sayaka, though somehow, she managed to smile. "I can't say the same for Homura though."

Hm? What's she talking about? She's in a worse condition than I am.

Homura was about to point this out when she realized that she still couldn't move. The effects of the black substance were beginning to take its toll on her, and it was having a much worse effect on her than it was on Sayaka. Her breathing was fast, even hoarse. The only thing she was able to control properly was her eyes, and she had to keep a firm grip on them just in case they went limp as well. There was also a burning pain at the back of her neck, which was fading away, but not fast enough.

"I see. Both of you, stay there, I'll be right back!"

After nodding in understanding, Mami turned to face the Witch with rage in her eyes. She didn't bother talking to it, to deliver a meaningful monologue or anything like that. It had tried to consume one of her only friends, and because of that, it was going to die. Focusing all of her energy into a single, massive gun, she shouted out "TIRO FINALE!" in a fit of hatred and blasted the creature with large amounts of yellow energy before it could free itself. Its wailing cut short, a huge explosion followed that that consumed it in an instant.

There was something satisfying in seeing it burn, a feeling she never had the many other times Homura had killed that exact same monster. It had very nearly convinced Homura to surrender her mission, to give up Madoka in favor of an illusion, which was utterly unacceptable. In her current condition without any powers, she would have to get used to the fact that she was far more vulnerable to Witches, and somehow make plans against it.

Then the barrier faded away, replaced by a dark, empty street in the middle of Mitakihara at night with lamp posts surrounding them and a fountain nearby. Mami let out a deep breath.

"That was really close," said Mami, picking up the dropped Grief Seed before quickly running over to Homura's side. "I'm so, so sorry about this. Are you okay?"

Homura tried to relax. She had a feeling that if she could see herself in the mirror, then she would probably be disheveled from head to toe. Even after the mud faded away, the effects caused by them remained. Still, one thing that had gotten out unscathed was her glasses, which was kind of a miracle. Then again, perhaps it was a testament to the design, or perhaps to Hitomi's keen eye. Moving her gaze away from Mami, she looked up at the sky.

The moon was a waning crescent. In a few days, it would become a new moon and be obscured from view for a little while. Knowing this bothered her.

"I hate new moons," she muttered quietly.

"Yep, pretty sure she's okay," confirmed Sayaka.

Worried, Mami put her hands on the raven-haired girl's chest and they glowed with a golden aura in an attempt to heal her. It was working, as shortly afterwards, Homura's senses and strength began to return to her, all the internal damage being repaired and the dizziness she hadn't earlier noticed now going away. The blond magical girl didn't specialize in healing, but luckily the damage wasn't that serious, being within her range. However, halfway through she frowned.

"Akemi-san, your heart…"

"Can you heal it?" asked Homura, still looking up at the night sky.

"I- I'm not sure. I could try, but I'm a little scared that trying to heal the scar might trigger a heart attack." Her voice was filled with uncertainty.

"Then there's no need. My condition has never been easy to deal with, but I can bear with it. Don't worry about me right now, isn't there someone else you should be paying attention to?" Homura gestured towards the girl next to her.

"Don't mind me. This is nothing," Sayaka said with a faint smile, trying to look energetic. And failing horribly at it.

Not only was she sitting in an awkward manner, struggling just to keep her back upright, but her skin was deathly pale, cold even, as if she'd only just been dethawed from a block of ice. She must've felt exhausted, nearly all her energy having been drained away by the mud, but more important than that was the state of her mind, visible in the manner her eyes stared out into space. What had she been forced to see? Madoka in danger? Kyousuke Kamijou's disabled hand? A combination of different things?

No matter the case, this was her own fault, and even if the physical effects could be remedied, whatever psychological horror she'd faced within her consciousness was something she had to deal with alone. If anything, this would hopefully prevent her from making a contract.

"Miki-san, it's your turn now," replied Mami, and she went over towards her other pupil.

"Huh? Oh… Right. You don't really need to though, really, I'm fine- Ow! OW OW OW OWWWWWWWWW!"

Homura watched as Mami healed Sayaka, and truth be told she wasn't sure what to think. She was glad that she had managed to survive despite her arrhythmia slowing her down, but her survival had come about from a stroke of luck. Things could've easily gone wrong, and there were definitely going to be repercussions sometime in the future.

Mami had already recognized this and did later suggest that they stop, with Homura agreeing, but Sayaka was adamant about continuing the Witch hunts nevertheless. Even after two life-threatening situations and direct encounters with the monsters themselves, experiencing both the danger and the pain, she was still determined to do this and decide on whether or not to become a magical girl. Truly, it was ridiculous. Knowing that she couldn't just leave her alone due to the promise she'd made a while back, Homura had to stay to keep watch over her and make sure she didn't do anything else dumb.

Shortly afterwards, this was what Kyubey offered as an explanation to the events that just occurred:

"Nobody has ever succeeded before, but it's lucky that Sayaka saved you. The Witch's inner chemicals negated any magic that came into contact with it, which was why Mami's ribbons weren't able to work. Only a normal human would've been able to do so and make it out in one piece, and even they would last little more than a few seconds. You were under the effects of a Kiss and didn't resist, so it mostly didn't affect you. However, I expect side effects to arise for Sayaka sometime in the future."

"What side effects?!" Homura had replied, against her better judgment.

"I wouldn't know. As I just stated, Sayaka is the first to accomplish such a feat."

Naturally, as soon as Homura got home, she slammed the door in his face. Being able to think clearly by then, there was only one thing on her mind.

Sayaka almost got herself killed.

I nearly failed Madoka.

Saturday, April the 2nd

Though she knew it was illogical, she despised every single wall and corner of this building, and knew enough about the staff to understand that none of them were worth her time. They were all too busy dealing with dozens of other, more immediate patients to deal with a single, insignificant girl.

Even the doctor before her now, sitting across the desk with a 'concerned' expression behind his own glasses, didn't truly care. He was simply repeating the same formaics over and over again, having to talk to others 'like her' in the exact same manner, every day. He had gotten so tired of it that he didn't even bother to look at her, instead fixing his gaze upon the paper in his hands that detailed her condition.

She had never intended to come near the hospital again, but what choice did she have?

They'd given her a call that morning to remind her of a checkup straight after school. Though they shouldn't have had her phone number, apparently, she'd let it slip during the delay that set back her original schedule by two precious days. The delay was one of the things which frustrated her most at the back of her mind, the other being, of course, the fact that she was somehow no longer a magical girl.

It was because of the latter that she was here now, because as much as she hated to admit it, she had as much of a chance dying of a heart attack right now as getting eaten by a Witch. According to the test results, the chances of another one were fairly high, but miraculously not so high that it would require more hospitalization.

If she had to spend one more night at this place, alone, then she might not be able to take it anymore. She'd choose the stomach of a Witch any day—at least they could make her feel like she mattered. How ironic in that a prison forged by the most aberrant side of humanity's desires given physical form, designed only to consume her soul, could give her more comfort than a sanctuary built by humanity themselves to heal and save lives.

"So that's why, Akemi. I'm not sure what you've been doing over the past couple of weeks, but it appears that you've pushed your limit multiple times. I know you think that this might help with recovery, but it won't. Focus on regular, daily exercises instead. You have to understand that your kind of arrhythmia is a serious issue, and I can't stress enough how important it is that you avoid any harsh activities. As you are now, you might suffer a full cardiac arrest at any given moment. At least you're better now than you were two years ago."

He arranged the files neatly, before putting them onto his desk in an orderly manner.

"I suggest you try to adopt a more peaceful hobby. If you ever feel any discomfort or pain in your chest without explanation, it's recommended that you take the day off to rest. Remember, your health is of a higher priority than a few skipped classes and activities. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Are you done?" asked Homura.

"Yes. Yes, I am," the doctor replied, looking tired. By the looks of it, he hadn't gotten any sleep last night, and thus seemed like he simply wanted to get this meeting over and done with. "You can leave now."

"Thank you." Standing up from the chair, she picked up her schoolbag and was just about to leave when he remembered something.

"Oh. One more thing, Akemi. I'm afraid you'll have to come back here this Sunday for an assessment of your mental health. Try not to forget."

Homura paused.

Then she opened the door, and left without a word.

Outside, there was a pearl-white corridor, the left leading towards a glass elevator, and the right towards the spacious, waiting area, where there were plenty of chairs neatly lined up, with various people sitting in them.

Through her glasses, she could see that some were worried sick about the ones they cared about, some were nothing but bored as they waited for something, some were quiet, not giving so much a hint for their reason of being there. And one was Madoka, who was sitting somewhere near the middle of the front row, whose radiant pink hair would be impossible to miss even if she were a million miles away.

The first thing that Homura thought was 'she came to see me', but then she realized that she'd forgotten to tell Madoka about coming here. So if anything, then the pinkette must've been here to accompany Sayaka in seeing that that violin boy. Which meant that Sayaka was here as well.

"What are you doing here?" Sayaka's voice questioned, from behind her back.

Homura didn't bother turning around, and flipped her hair as she responded in a calm manner, "I had an appointment today about my heart condition. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Really? The way you were standing in place like that, it looked more like you were stalking Madoka."

After being met with silence, as was usually the case whenever they had to talk with each other nowadays, Sayaka only shrugged it off.

"Whatever. You saved me, and I saved you. That makes us even now, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps."

Even? It would take much more than that to make up for all the times Sayaka had screwed. Up. EVERYTHING. After all she'd done, there was no way they could possibly be 'even' again. This girl was a lost cause, wasn't she? It didn't matter what happened, didn't matter how many times she talked to her or how many times she offered to help, because it was starting to become apparent that 'Sayaka screwing up' was a fixed point in time.

"I nearly died trying to rescue you, you know!" Sayaka protested, slightly hurt that she wasn't getting any appreciation for what she'd done. "How about a thank you? You could at least give me that, don't you think?!"

It didn't even matter if she'd risked her life to save another in a 'selfless' way, as it was only another testament to her idiocy.

"For what? Risking your life?" Tilting her head so that she made direct eye contact with Sayaka, Homura gave her a cold glare, the look only intensified by her sleek glasses. "You must feel so proud of yourself, like you're some kind of hero. Good for you. But tell me, did you even think when you jumped in there to save me?"

"What, so you aren't grateful?"

"It's not that. But if both of us died, then who would be there for Madoka? The only reason we're standing here now is due to luck. You're her best friend, but do you really have any idea how much you mean to her?"

At that, Sayaka moved her eyes away in guilt, but still forced herself to give out an answer.

"O- of course I do!"

"That's the problem with you, Miki. You do something without thinking, and then you hurt someone, whether it's Madoka or anyone else. You never think about the consequences of your actions, and you never realize them until it's too late."

Homura had been expecting a retort, or some other kind of counter, but instead the blunette remained silent. A moment of silence passed between them before Sayaka came up with an answer.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe that's the reason why earlier, Kyousuke-kun seemed so…" However, then she looked back at Homura with more determination than before, meeting her glare head-on with renewed disgust. "Even if that's the case! Even so! What about you, Akemi?! It's like you never, ever—"

"Jeez. Sayaka-chan, Homura-chan, I thought you two made up!" said Madoka suddenly, appearing out of nowhere. She'd spoken so close to Homura that it made the other girl jump in place with a squeaked 'Madoka?!', effectively ruining the dramatic tension between her and Sayaka. Madoka's stern expression changed. "Um, sorry, Homura-chan. Did I surprise you?"

"It's okay. I was just taken off-guard, that's all," replied Homura, pretending that the past few events hadn't occurred. "As for Sayaka and I, we just ran into each other and started talking."

"And we weren't arguing at all, so it's okay! We were just, uh, chatting normally! Yeah! Totally!" Sayaka followed up with a grin, though she had to force her face muscles to move in order to do so.

"Sayaka-chan, you know I can tell when you're lying, right?" pouted Madoka.

"Ack, I've been found out! But don't worry, Madoka, because you'll always be my one and only wife! Believe me! I won't marry anyone else in a million years, wa ha ha~! Now let's go! Hah!"

"Eh—? W- wait, I'm still talking! Sayaka-chan, w- w- wait a second, where are you even taaaaaaaaakkkkkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinngg meeeeeeeeeee?"

Not quite sure what to make of the scene, Homura could only watch as Madoka was dragged further and further away by her best friend, out from the waiting lobby and down stairs. Madoka managed to give her an awkward wave goodbye just before they were out of sight, which she responded to with a wave of her own. Truth be told, she couldn't help but feel jealous.

While she was concerned for her wellbeing, it was for the best that Sayaka stayed together with her. Hopefully, that kind of positive influence could help prevent, or at least delay Sayaka from making a contract. At this point, it was almost impossible to predict what was going on inside the girl's head.

Somewhere in the distance, Homura could've sworn that she saw Kyubey hiding, observing her every move. Right now, she really wished she had a gun.

Sunday, April the 3rd

Tomorrow, Tomoe Mami might die.

Mami didn't always die on that day, but more often than not, she did. It seemed like it was fate for her to be tricked by the newly-birthed Dessert Witch and end up losing her head. Homura couldn't count how many times she'd seen the same event unfold, though occasionally this fate would be averted, usually when another magical girl stepped in and save her. In the original timelines, Madoka had taken this role, and either Sayaka or Homura herself would do it in later ones.

However, without a doubt, confronting this Witch would be dangerous. It was always such a key event, and right now, if she wanted everyone precious to her to make it through this alive, then her only option was to avoid it.

Not only that, but tomorrow, or the day after, it was almost guaranteed that Miki Sayaka would make a contract.

For the sake of the promise, and for Madoka's own happiness, she had to be stopped. What she'd done with the Witch of Darkness didn't change things, in fact, it might've made it worse.

"Homura-chan, Sayaka-chan's been acting strange lately," said Madoka with an uneasy look on her face, sitting opposite Homura in their regular cafe. She hadn't touched her drink at all, which lay cold on the table.

"I noticed," replied Homura. "I tried to talk to her in-between classes, but as you saw, it appears that I've only brought her unwanted attention from the rest of the class." She let out a sigh. "Hitomi said she'll try talking to her after school tomorrow."

Madoka fidgeted a bit in her spot, as if unsure about what to say. Homura noticed and gave her a look of bemusement, which she responded to with even more fidgeting. After a bit of consideration, she decided to speak out.

"Um, I already told you why Sayaka-chan and I were at the hospital, right? About Kamijou-kun? I kinda wish you told me that you'd be there too…" A pang of guilt went through Homura's heart. "So anyway, she's admired him for a long time now but never really got the chance to talk to him until after the accident. Before then, he was more like an idol to her, and she never thought that they could be close. When it happened, it really shook her, and she had to work up the courage to visit him. I was there with her the first time and, well, he was really cold and distant to us."

Though confused about why she was telling her this, the raven-haired girl wordlessly listened, taking in this information.

"Since that day, while she's still the same as always, I think something in her changed. She's always been trying hard to visit whenever possible, always reassuring him that he'll get better. It's because of her efforts that Kamijou-kun was able to cheer up, she gives him hope that he'll be able to play the violin again someday. She understands that it's what he wants most in the world. But yesterday, I heard from one of the nurses that his hand might never recover... I don't think she knows yet, but she's beginning to suspect it, and maybe so is he. I think that's why Sayaka-chan's been so distant lately."

Once she was done, Madoka looked down at her food, poking the rice with a spoon but otherwise leaving it alone.

"So what you're saying is, Sayaka's efforts are now only bringing him pain, which is also causing pain for her," concluded Homura, closing her eyes. "And this is ruining their friendship, bit by bit."

"Yeah, um, I- I think that's about it…"

"Thank you for telling me this, Madoka."

Though she may never be able to grasp what went on in Sayaka's head, at least she gained a bit of insight into her character. If Sayaka was able to resolve her current dilemma normally, and understand what it would truly mean to wish for healing Kamijou Kyousuke's hand, then it might just be possible to prevent her from making a contract without doing anything drastic. All it would take was a simple confrontation.

"Oh, I'm just curious, but if you know this, then why don't you go talk to her yourself? You're much closer to her than I am."

"Ummm…"

Nervously twirling her spoon about, Madoka blushed for some reason as she averted her eyes away from Homura in embarrassment.

"You remember those first two weeks we talked over the phone, right? It's like no matter what we talked about, you were always right. When you talk, you talk really coolly and d- d- don't stumble on words like I do. You're good at explaining things, and u- understanding things. Like before, I was just sort of rambling about Sayaka-chan, but you caught my point anyway. Sayaka-chan doesn't listen to others much, but I think you might be able to get to her better than I can."

As she explained her reasons, complimenting the girl, Homura's face grew redder. Her heart beated fast, and she only barely managed to keep it under control.

"Uh... Um." She cleared her throat. "Thank you, Madoka. As your friend, even if I can't understand Sayaka very well, I'll do my best to help her."

With a nod, she stood up from her seat, holding her glasses in place as she did so, and looked up at the sky with determination. Tomorrow, I'll stop Mami from dying and stop Sayaka from making a contract. I'll find a way to keep everyone from dying. Even without my powers, there's still a way to achieve this!

…

"Oh, but you're also bad at expressing yourself," Madoka awkwardly added in. "You really care about Sayaka-chan too, don't you? I don't get why you try to hide it so much. I mean, normally you call her 'Miki', but when she's not around, you call her 'Sayaka' instead…"

Homura gave her an incredulous look.

"I do?"

Chapter Text

Monday, April the 4th

Homura maintained the expressionless look on her face as she left the psychiatric ward, and she had the feeling that she'd performed awfully during the mental evaluation.

The look on the therapist's face seemed a little surprised at her outright cold attitude, having said a few things about her behavior that she didn't quite catch. But there was no way her mind could possibly focus on acting 'normally' today, since there were so many thoughts building up in her head that it was a struggle to contain them all. Out of them all, the one thing that pressed on her mind the most at the moment was the appearance of the Dessert Witch, and the potential death of Mami.

The thing about Witches was that, for one reason or another, they never quite appeared in the same location. It was nearly impossible to be able to know when or where they appear. Sometimes, one she defeated in one timeline wouldn't make an appearance at all in another. Could it be because her actions changed the fates of magical girls around her that she wasn't even aware of? Or could it just be because the movement of the abominations themselves couldn't be predicted?

In any case, this meant that the Dessert Witch could appear at any time. Even though she'd make sure that Mami wouldn't get involved with it, there remained the matter of how to deal with the thing, and unfortunately, Kyoko wouldn't be appearing for another day or two, so she wasn't an option.

What am I... going to do?

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Madoka sitting in the waiting room. No doubt waiting for Sayaka to come back from yet another visit. However, she refrained from going straight to talk her, since the last thing she'd like is having her only friend perceive her as a stalker.

Speaking of which, she still hadn't made up her mind on how to deal with the state of things involving that crippled violin guy. Could she somehow convince Sayaka that she was only hurting him this way? But then again, they couldn't even talk to each other without it exploding into some kind of argument. It was ridiculous, really.

Exiting the hospital without a word, Homura positioned herself by the nearby bicycles.

Despite all the many problems, there was at least one thing certain in all this confusion; both girls had to be moved far from this place as soon as possible to avoid any contact with the Witches.

The plan itself was simple enough. Once Sayaka and Madoka exit, she'd 'coincidentally' stumble upon them and then lead them away somehow. The method was unimportant. Especially now of all days with the Dessert Witch running about, she couldn't afford to have Madoka caught up in any barrier, and would have to do whatever it costs to prevent such a thing from ha-

"H... hel̛ļo-"

A weak, childlike voice suddenly came from behind. It was unfamiliar, but the tone made an extreme chill sweep through her bones in an instant. 

It can't be…

Out of all the times I've done this, why does it have to be now?!

She didn't want to turn around. If she turned around, then she'd only confirm it. But if she didn't, then her fate might be sealed.

After all, there might still be a chance to save that girl…!

Against her better judgment, Homura moved to see a young girl crouched in a dark corner of the section meant for bicycles, and judging by her appearance, she had to be a gradeschooler of sorts. Hugging her knees with a deep, vacant look, not even bothering to glance up at the person she was speaking to, she didn't seem to care about anything. She had white hair and wore an odd brown and orange outfit with a cat-eared bandana that looked out of place here near the hospital.

Most tellingly, there was a Soul Gem in in her right hand.

"My na̷me is... N͡ag̵is҉a. Good eṿ̢͓͇̬ͅe͏͕̱n̜͈i͓̩̺ņ̼̦̦g̺."

A pitch-black Soul Gem. There wasn't even the faintest glimmer of colour within.

"I- I'm Homura," the raven-haired magical girl introduced herself, though her shaky voice was filled with uncertainty about how to handle this. "Are you okay? Um… Would you like me to call anyone for you? Do you need help? Anything? Anything at all?"

Though the thing that stood out most was the gem attached to her waist. Formerly a radiant pink, it was now almost fully consumed by darkness. It served as the proof that she was a magical girl, but not only that, that she was about to turn into a Witch.

"H̷o͡m͟u̡r҉a—s̴a̡n."

Even as she spoke, it was hollow.

Devoid of emotion.

"I͝ ̶feel͏ ͘c͞ol̸d.͟ I̴ ͘f͡ee͏l ͘r̷e̛all͞y, ͟r͝e͜ally co̡ld. ̡A̵n͟d it̷ ͠hur̷t̷s̴. ̨H̨el̛p me̶.̡"

"Okay, Nagisa. That's... You... You're gonna be okay!" Launched into an unexpected situation, her mind was in a panic, scrambling to think of a solution. "Hey, you, you're gonna—"

What could she possibly say? Even after she'd thought of so many things, so many things to do, it never occurred to her to borrow a Grief Seed from Mami in case something like this ever happened.

"Don't... Don't give in! Fight it! Please don't give in!"

Homura's own words felt fake, but even with this stranger, she couldn't let herself break down. Even if there was no way she could stay calm like this and save her, she still had to try. "Please!"

After all her experience dealing with magical girls, after all the times she'd had to watch others succumb to their own curse, their own despair, she still couldn't think of any way to deal with this. At the moment, the best chance was for her to call Mami - but considering the state of the girl's Soul Gem, it was simply unrealistic to expect her to ever make it in time.

Still. Looking at this young girl, despite the fact that she was about to turn into a Witch and be a hindrance towards everyone, endangering the lives of others, Homura couldn't possibly hate her. The only person here to hate was Homura herself, for being so powerless to stop the inevitable. I have to do something... Anything!

"Nagisa!" She grabbed tightly onto the child's shoulders. "Isn't there anyone you care about, Nagisa? Anyone at all? Are you going to just give in? Are you just going to abandon them, Nagisa?!"

Nagisa finally glanced up, her golden eyes reflecting Homura in them.

A silence passed between them, before she answered, "M͜am͟a͜."

For a second, it seemed like there was hope. Homura's tone took on a more positive note. "Yes! Your mama! She'll be worried if you don't come home, won't sh—"

"Mama's dead."

"..."

Silence.

Silence.

And more silence.

If Homura had any delusions, if she'd managed to fool herself into thinking that she could somehow save this total stranger, that sentence alone was enough to make her realize otherwise.

"...of course. Of course she is."

After having gone through the same thing over and over and over and over and over again, being given the chance to analyze everything over and over and over and over and over again, Homura wasn't an idiot. This was the fate every Puella Magi had to go through, something she'd had to learn on her own the hard way.

For everyone, including Kyoko, Mami, Sayaka, and especially when it came to Madoka, a peaceful life simply did not exist for a magical girl. It was childish to think that a future could ever exist where a servant of Incubator could ever experience something as outlandish as happiness. To be a magical girl meant to suffer tragedy and despair.

"I ͘didn't̡ rȩall̕y͞ think things through. Aha... I kinda tḩoug̶ht̴ ̶a̢ ҉cheęs̶e̷cak҉ȩ w̧oul͞d hȩlp̨, but-" Before the doomed magical girl could even finish, Homura was already slipping away from the area.

Or rather, running away. Running as far away as she possibly could.

She knew the result wouldn't change no matter what she did. Even if she had a Grief Seed, it wouldn't be enough to stave off such overwhelming despair. All she could do now was act as quickly as possible, and prevent Madoka and Sayaka from getting anywhere close to this particular area!

In that one moment, as Homura walked from the bicycle stands back onto the pavement, gazing to her right where the hospital entrance was, she could've sworn that the universe was out to get her.

For Madoka and Sayaka were coming in this very direction.

No, no, NO!

"He basically loves Rachmaninoff, so I just don't get it, you know?"

"Kamijou-kun is worrying you, huh?"

"It was a bit scary. And I mean, it did take us a while to get he- W- waaaah, it's Akemi!" The look on Sayaka's face changed as the raven-haired girl came into view, immediately pointing a finger out towards her as though she were some kind of exotic animal.

"Homura-chan?!" Madoka quickly followed up.

As much as Homura's heart skipped every time she heard that voice, now really wasn't the time. Terrified with this set of circumstances, she threw a hasty glance towards her left and was able to see that Nagisa—though obscured from view from where the others were standing—was succumbing to the curse, cracks spreading throughout the gem. At this rate, it would be a matter of seconds until a Grief Seed emerged.

Coincidences like this simply couldn't be possible. This must've been deliberately plotted out by Kyubey so he could trap Madoka within the Witch's barrier and then coerce her into making a contract with him. That must be it. There was no other explanation.

WELL, I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT, KYUBEY!

She was losing far too much time and there were so many things to think about, so many things she wasn't able to do. If she didn't do something this instant, and fast, then everything she'd worked for would crumble just like that. If she had her powers and her magical shield, she could've stopped time and be able to move the duo out of the way without worry, but that wasn't an option.

Just one more reason to scorn the horrible circumstances she'd found herself within.

"I'll explain later, Madoka!" Homura yelled apologetically, and leapt forth with her hands held out, pushing back the pinkette as far as she could muster with her puny strength.

"H- Homu—?!" Madoka's voice began, startled.

"What—?!" Sayaka's eyes widened, possibly having realised what was about to happen.

A dark light erupted from the bicycle stands and engulfed Homura's whole vision, a dark, otherworldly force dragging her into another realm entirety…

Walpurgis Night, May the 1st

Once again,

the end of the world had come.

The gigantic monster known only as Walpurgisnacht floated above, not even for a moment ceasing its laughter, mocking the puny little magical girl even as she threw everything against it. She hated it. She hated it so, so, SO SO SO SO MUCH.

Again and again, she stopped time, taking military equipment out from her shield and lining them as close as possible to the enemy before resuming time, having them all fire at once. It didn't matter what they were. Rocket launchers. Missiles. Explosives. Even various weaponry hidden from the public which hadn't yet seen the light. Despite lighting the cloudy sky with flames, all the military equipment she'd gone through the effort of obtaining wasn't even beginning to scratch the gear-like monster of carnivals. The hurricane continued to blow and many of the buildings around them were crumbling. With each blast it sent, how many people died? It was impossible to count.

Suddenly, Homura was swept up by rubble, presumably being manipulated by the Witch, and she found herself in midair at level with it. This way, she was extremely vulnerable, and a massive violet laser came rushing towards her. Holding out her shield, she focused her magical energy into one sole defense against it. No matter what, she couldn't let herself be obliterated. If she did, it would all be over. And Madoka's fate would be sealed. That was something she could absolutely not allow.

The blast smashed onto her, shattering her shield, draining all her energy, and very nearly obliterating her in an instant. Just the act of being able to survive such a destructive attack was itself a miracle, and she was thrown back into a large building, smashing through the glass pane and several office desks before finally stopping at a wall. If it weren't for her being a magical girl, it would've killed her right there and then. Pain shot all throughout her nerves. She understood that it was mostly numbed due to her magic, but even then, there was only so much that magic could do against this sort of power. Even if she survived something like that, her bones had all been badly damaged, and it'd most likely take months for her to heal from such a thing.

Her body was covered in serious, gaping wounds, and within moments she was standing in a puddle of her own blood. As she summoned the strength to get back up, she could see it closing in on her. It had acknowledged her presence, and now it was going to annihilate her in an instant.

For her, an instant was all she needed as she activated the clockwork shield and had everything around her freeze effortlessly, but the current situation wasn't good. Even after saving as much as possible, the sand in the hourglass attached to her shield was almost out. Very soon, if she couldn't come up with a plan to solve this, then she'd lose the ability to stop time and would have to go back once more.

She bit her tongue as she trudged on towards the edge of the tilted building, and jumped, sliding down from it while holding her right side in place until she hit the flooded ground, keeping her internal organs from falling out. Time resumed an instant afterwards, and immediately, another laser obliterated the entire structure above her. There was no telling if there had been any other people up there.

Her feet wouldn't move, but she moved them anyway. She walked. Towards the source of the hurricane and utter destruction.

Turning her mind to steel, she pulled out a Desert Eagle from her shield with a mere seven rounds of .50 AE ammunition and approached the stage-constructing Witch with it in hand.

The city around her was collapsing, and by then, hundreds if not thousands must have been killed. What were they thinking? What were their last thoughts?

Surely, each and every one of them must have regrets about the life they had, but Akemi Homura had no such thing. For she had no choice but to concentrate and push on. Her own life was clear. There was only one way to save that girl, and that was for Akemi Homura to destroy Walpurgisnacht. She had to fight alone and defeat it, no matter how hard it was, no matter how much she suffered for it. If she kept on trying, again and again and again, then she had to eventually succeed. She had to. She must.

But if not, then the cycle would have to continue on forever. She wouldn't let it stop. She would never let it stop. If it meant saving that girl, if it meant that SHE was safe, then nothing else mattered.

" Homura-chan."

However—if that were the case, then what was that girl doing up there?

The look on Homura's switched from cold determination to sheer terror, all her confidence draining in an instant. Then again, she'd been scared right from the very beginning. The truth was that she just held up a façade, one that could break down at any given time.

" Madoka… WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" she screamed out, her shrill voice echoing through the air, but the pink-haired girl with her tattered school uniform had a determination in her eyes that was pure and simple, unlike Homura.

A determination that was eerily familiar.

Far

too

familiar.

It was the kind of look she had, when she was about to make a wish.

" Sorry, Homura-chan... But I've made up my mind."

Even from this distance, even with the utter destruction being caused everywhere, and even though Madoka's back was turned, Homura had been able to hear those words. It crushed her will, her spirit, to know that despite all her efforts, events had still led to this exact same destination.

Near the girl was a white creature, unscathed by all the destruction, which was only to be expected. He was smiling triumphantly, and the Witch's continuous laughter high above as countless lives were ravaged only made it worse. Why did this have to happen? Why did this ALWAYS happen? Out of all the places in the world, why did it have to come to this lone city each and every single GODDAMNED TIME?! Once again, that Incubator had gotten what he wanted.

"Now then, Kaname Madoka. What is it that you desire?"

Running past rubble and corpses, disarray and misery, while shoving her own intensely painful condition to the side, she couldn't remember much about what she was doing or thinking exactly, only that she was trying her best to reach them... And that she was screaming out as loud as she could to the point that her vocal cords were being torn apart, as if that alone could change fate and shatter the cycle. She didn't know if her words could be heard and, if that were the case, if Madoka was actively attempting to block them out.

NO... NO NO NO, DON'T DO IT!

DON'T BECOME A MAGICAL GIRL!

HE'S A DEMON! A LIAR!

IT'S NOT THE RIGHT WAY!

HE'S JUST GOING TO TRICK YOU!

At the very last moment, Madoka turned to face Homura directly, and their eyes met—before she opened her mouth and said,

"I wish..."

.

.

.

.

.

.

When Homura came to, she first had to shake her head to get rid of the memory, pushing back the flood of tears that threatened to break through.

As long as the cycle continued, she couldn't let herself cry. It didn't matter what sort of events she was tangled within, or even if she had no powers. She just had to keep on sharpening her mind and move onward. She couldn't afford to stumble, or lose sight of her goal.

After all, this time... THIS TIME FOR SURE, THE CYCLE WILL BE BROKEN. AND MADOKA WILL BE FREE.

As she adjusted her glasses and looked around, she found herself surrounded by crude, ominous items such as large pins and needles, as well as pencils stabbed into the soft dessert and icing that made up the cave. There were other stuff scattered about the world which one would expect to belong to either a hospital or a primary school, such as fluid plastics, simple numbers, and especially sweets of all kinds from chocolate to cake.

It was apparent that this was the barrier that Nagisa's inner feelings had created. Hold on, Nagisa? No, she understood enough that this was nothing but the product of a Witch that had taken over yet another innocent girl's place in this world.

In any case, with so much piled up everywhere, it gave off a rather dark and claustrophobic feeling. One thing that stood out amongst the others was the blue-haired human who looked like a friend of Madoka's, and was glaring straight at her with a suspicious look.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" Sayaka asked coldly, her arms crossed.

"Don't be ridiculous," responded Homura. "I hate this as much as you do, if not more."

"Well, you appearing out of the blue like that, and then suddenly we're here… How can that be a coincidence?"

"It just is." Just speaking with this person wore her out, so she turned in the other direction and started walking away. "At least I was able to get Madoka out of the way." A pause. "Something you didn't think to do."

"Dammit, you…!"

Her voice seemed really pissed off right about now, but there was nothing to be done about it. This was just something that tended to happen, in many different timelines. Sayaka was the kind of person who wouldn't settle without an answer, while Homura had to keep away answers from everyone for their own good. To the other, their actions and words must've been really frustrating.

"Whatever. As long as you're not a Witch, I guess that makes you my ally—oh, and, er, thank you for saving Madoka. There."

Despite this difference though, she could tell that Sayaka was actively trying to suppress her bitterness, making an effort to be non-hostile as she actually apologized and trailed behind her. That was, perhaps, good enough. For now.

"So… Now what do we do?" asked Sayaka, once she'd cooled down, her tone having become more unsure. She'd been acting tough, but really, she was fearful of the labyrinth. Scared. Without someone as powerful as Mami to protect them from any oncoming Witches, it was only natural to feel that way.

"I'm not sure. But the Witch of this world must still be sleeping, so we're safe for now," Homura replied in a stoic manner. "There's not much else we can do."

"Can't we try to search for an exit, or something? Just thinking isn't gonna help us," said Sayaka nervously.

"You remember what Tomoe said, don't you? Once a human enters the barrier of one of these things, they can never leave on their own."

"Then we should call Mami-san for help." Sayaka checked her pockets, but a disgruntled look crossed her face. "Ugh, I forgot, my phone's still with Madoka!"

"Even if you had your phone, do you honestly think you'll get any signal in this place?" Homura stated, shooting a glance towards her.

"…Point taken." Sayaka looked dejectedly, annoyed by the situation herself. "But still. We're powerless like this. I can't just let that happen!"

Homura nodded in agreement. "I know that. We still have some time before the Witch awakens, so let me think of a solution."

But as she'd said, they were indeed powerless. There was nothing they could do, and they could only bear with it until a better solution arose.

Truth be told, Homura had hid the fact that she had her own phone with her, and that a potential phone call towards Mami really would actually be able to make it through the barrier, as she knew from past experience. But also from past experience, she understood more than anyone what would happen if they brought Mami here.

An image in her mind popped up, that of the massive, black caterpillar popping out of nowhere with ridiculous speed, closing in on the blonde's head with its sharklike teeth—it was a possibility that she wasn't willing to allow.

Yet, this way, she was only going to push herself into a corner. Wasn't there another way? As her mind raced through everything she knew, searching for a solution, the two of them walked through the barrier of the Dessert Witch, together in silence. There wasn't anything to talk about, really.

The labyrinth remained dark, silent, like a carnival that had yet to be opened. Familiars passed by them every now and then, with the shape of round-shaped spotted creatures with nurse-like attributes, but they were harmless. Although, that wouldn't last for much longer.

With each step, Homura had to keep her emotions under control. This situation was nothing but disadvantageous to her. All she had for defense was seven grenades, and even if this were a normal Witch and not specifically that one, there was no guarantee that they'd be able to harm it. Getting close to any Witch was an incredibly risky move, and for a human, it was like a death wish. Especially for herself, since while Sayaka was at least athletic enough to last a short while, any form of physical exercise would have Homura collapse in seconds.

Think, Homura.

And while thinking, she had to ignore the short electric bouts that were, yet again, beginning to grow inside her chest. She'd learnt over time that whenever her mind felt panicked, her arrhythmia would respond, so calming down had become more important than ever before.

Even though she'd successfully managed to keep Madoka from being involved in this, there were no clear options to escape from the clutches of the barrier. Logically, the safest and most rational choice would be to call Mami, but could she really risk having her die?

Otherwise, Sayaka would have to make a contract with Kyubey for their survival, but even if she did, was she really powerful enough to take on something as powerful as the Dessert Witch all by herself?

Then again, there was always the ultimate, surefire option, which would be…

No. Now wasn't the right to use her own wish. Even if the lives of either of those girls had to be risked and even sacrificed, she couldn't afford to compromise Madoka's safety for theirs.

But then what? Should they try to kill the enemy on their own? If she used all her grenades, there was a small chance they could kill it - but it was only a possibility, and how could they possibly hope to fight it without being devoured in an instant anyway?

If Mami comes here, then she'll be killed.

If Sayaka makes a contract, then she'll be killed instead.

And if Homura and her tried engaging the Witch on their own, without any powers, then they'd both be killed for certain.

Even if they did nothing, they'd be killed anyway. No matter what she chose to do, it would all lead to nothing. There was no solution to this dilemma. All her knowledge and experience was worthless right here, right now... What WAS this nightmare scenario?!

"Hey. Just curious, but… Are you afraid, Akemi?"

"What?" Homura looked over her shoulder to glance at Sayaka.

"You heard me. You look like you're taking all this awfully calmly. Well, since you carry grenades around everywhere, you're definitely not a normal person. Heck, I don't even know if you're human," she said, and then looked at Homura in the eyes. She wasn't exactly a deathly pale, like she was a few days ago after what happened with the Witch of Darkness, and she'd gained a lot more confidence since their first encounter, but the fear remained. Some fears never really go away, just buried temporarily.

"But… Come on. Aren't you a little scared? Even just a bit?"

"Well..."

Homura paused, as if in thought. It's useless to pretend you're not, isn't it?

Then, she silently admitted defeat. And answered with sincerity.

"Yes. Every single time. When it comes to the Witches, I..." She turned away. "My mind goes blank. I can't help but want to cry. It really is, beyond terrifying."

Sayaka's eyes narrowed, as if examining her suspiciously, but then relented and let her arms drop after a while. She must've understood that she wouldn't be getting any more answers out of the girl who rarely ever gave any.

"I guess that's good enough."

The tenseness relaxing, even if only for a short while.

"You know, I really do wish you'd just... trust me. Sure, you're a total creep and all, but I'm sure you have your reasons. I dunno, why, but I really get that feeling.I wanna like you, Akemi. But you make it so hard!" Sayaka let out a sigh. "Well... At the end of the day, you're Madoka's friend too. We gotta get along for her, you know?"

At the mention of Madoka, Homura's stoic demeanor nearly faltered—but she kept it together before anyone could notice. She did appreciate Sayaka's effort to try and understand her. Regardless, it was more imperative that she didn't let anything about herself show. It was only for the best. Not just for her, but for everyone.

"You're right. We do. Even if you're reckless, nothing's going to change the fact that you're her one true best friend. Even I know that. Madoka's always worried about you," remarked Homura. "On the other hand, I... must seem like a total stranger to you, don't I?"

"Well, I dunno about that!"

At that, Sayaka chuckled, for some odd reason. It was a boyish chuckle, not something you'd expect to come from a girl, but then again, she'd always been kind of a tomboy.

"Madoka talks about you all the time, ya'know, like you're some kind of idol. All these little details and stuff. She even changed her style of shampoo to be the same as yours! The stuff I hear from her, it makes you sound like a really cool person." A pause. "And not, you know, the stalker we both know you are."

"Is that so." Homura blinked, surprised to be hearing this.

"Yeah! Before me and Hitomi met you, she'd been acting really strangely like she was hiding this really huge thing. I thought it was like a secret boyfriend or something, but nope—turned out it was just a weirdo. But eh, I guess she has a talent for making friends with the most unlikely people."

"She does?"

Homura raised an eyebrow, her curiousity peaked.

"Like Hitomi. Hitomi was like a, erm, what you call an 'ojou-sama' when I first met her. Our parents were friends, see, but the two of us were like rivals and we'd fight all the time. She thought that I was unfeminine and lacked class, while I thought that she was far too pompous for her own good." Sayaka let out a momentary grin. "But then when she moved to my school for Junior High, she became good friends with Madoka somehow, became a whole lot nicer, and before I knew it, I was her friend too! It's weird!"

It was beginning to dawn upon Homura that this girl might've been trying to connect with her. As in, genuinely trying to connect with her. Here. Here in the lair of a Witch. It was ridiculous, really, but it did help decrease the tenseness in the air, calming them both down. How the two of them were able to hold a normal conversation so casually like this, it was unusual. Kind of like a ceasefire, in the presence of greater danger.

They might have their differences, but at the end of the day, there was one thing that they shared in common.

"Madoka," said Homura. "She's really kind and sweet, isn't she?"

"I guess~" came a cheerful reply. "Although, I do wish she'd be more sure of herself. She's always really insecure about the silliest things."

"Indeed..."

From there, the conversation just kind of dropped without explanation, and the two walked on in silence.

Eventually, they passed through all the childlike desserts and entered a black corridor with various bottles of medicine everywhere, strange runes replacing what would otherwise be katakana. Who knew what would happen if any of them were touched.

"So." Sayaka's previously energetic voice dropped back down to a withdrawn, frigid state, all signs of friendliness vanishing. "Got any ideas on how to escape, Akemi?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Great." It seemed that Sayaka had reverted back to her former self. "Gonna take a shot in the dark and guess you've got those explosive cans on ya. Think it's enough to kill a Witch?"

"Impossible," answered Homura sadly.

"Tch." The blunette didn't like the response, but wasn't surprised either. There was no denying it. No matter what they had, humans  were bound to face death if they tried to directly confront a Witch. Weaponry alone couldn't even the odds in a million years. That was a fact even childish teenage girls could comprehend.

"So what're we gonna do…"

As they advanced deeper and deeper into the labyrinth, things only warped into more twisted visuals, with large birthday candles lined along the path which lit the way forward, leading to a childlike area where icing and polkadots made up the surroundings. At the end, they reached a white, childlike door with an 'Emergency Room' sign flashing above, written in those same mysterious runes that always seemed to be present inside the barrier of each and every Witch Homura had ever encountered.

However, before they could proceed, that was when the devil decided to make his appearance.

"Homura! Sayaka! I finally caught up with you two!" a disgustingly cute voice interjected, followed by that white, feline creature appearing from behind, leaping up onto Sayaka's shoulder.

"Kyubey, you made it here!" Sayaka exclaimed, apparently more delighted by the company of a sadistic alien working towards entropy, than by a fellow human being. "Do you think you'll be able to help us escape?"

"Hmmm… Sorry, Sayaka, but there's nothing I can do. Not on my own." Blatant lies. "But, one thing I can do is turn you both into magical girls!"

The sight of him alone was enough to make Homura's blood boil.

Of course he would appear at this very moment. This was exactly the way he'd planned it after all, and as much as she hated to admit it, it was flawless. Even though she'd experienced other timelines and ultimately understood many of the things that happened around them, to evade Incubator's trap was a feat that was practically impossible without any magical powers.

" We don't have much longer, so. Sayaka. Homura. You both need to decide on your wishes as soon as possible!"

Dammit.

Just, dammit.

"No," affirmed Homura, her gaze sharply fixated upon the heartless Incubator. "Just no. There's no way, no way at all that I'm going to allow that. You're not making a contract with me... or Sayaka either!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that she might've put it a little too harshly. She should've taken some time to think before speaking, or maybe put a little reason into her words, or maybe even say something else entirely and divert any mention of the contracts. 

"That's a very strange decision." Kyubey tilted his head in bemusement.

The other girl turned to her with a baffled look.

"You can't be serious," muttered Sayaka, her fists clenching once more.

But then again, could she really dissuade her from making a contract? Like this? The second she'd revealed those grenades back then in the butterfly Witch's barrier, any trust they might've had between each other vanished into thin air.

"Homura, what the hell are you trying to say?!"

"Miki Sayaka." Their eyes locked onto each other, and Homura went on. It was too late - she wouldn't back down on her words now. "I won't let you do that."

"What are you..."

Those words alone set off the blunette, her controlled anger snapping as she turned around, moved towards the transfer student with a visibly pissed off look, and proceeded to raise her hand up high.

"You're gonna act like this... even NOW, TRANSFER STUDENT?!"

A split second afterwards, Homura had been abruptly slapped across the cheek. 

And it hurt. It actually hurt. Not the numbed kind of pain that she was used to as a magical girl, nor the sharp, electrical kind that came with her heart condition, but a rather blunt, raw kind of pain that stung badly. Her glasses had been knocked off in the process. With it came a nostalgic feeling, like someone had done this to her once in the distant past.

Her hand rose to touch her cheek, where a harsh, red mark had been left, but didn't say a word. She glanced down at the glasses on the floor, and calmly picked them back up.

"Homura, look, I don't really care who you are or what you really want, but look around you! Look where we are!" Sayaka outstretched her arms, gesturing towards the exceedingly dangerous nature of the labyrinth that they were trapped in. "Any second now, the Witch is going to wake up, and we'll be eaten! If we don't do something now, we're dead. Don't you understand that?!"

"Of course I do," replied Homura, unfazed by the slap itself, but all these things happening were enough to unsettle her. She'd been locked into an event which she had absolutely no control over. With such a hostile aura being directed at her, maintaining her stoic mannerisms were proving to be hard. "But… But there has to be another way. I can't let you go through with this. I won't let you make a contract with that, that thing."

"What are you talking about?!" yelled Sayaka. "The way you think doesn't make any sense, transfer student! Sure, I guess you're right in that we need to think about the wishes we have to make, but in case you didn't notice, we don't have any other options. It's now or never! We do this, or we die! It's that simple! What's so hard to understand about that?!"

For once, the blunette was the one being logical here, whereas the girl with raven hair was the one demanding something unreasonable. Their lives were in danger due to the fact that any second now, if they didn't do anything, then the Witch would awaken and the labyrinth would become deadly hostile to all intruders. It was childish to act like this. She knew it deep down in her heart.

"Homura, we don't have time for this! If neither of you make a wish, then you're gonna die! Don't you humans want to live?" Kyubey added unnecessarily.

"Fine then. Miki Sayaka, I'll make it clear for you."

But even then, she'd made a promise to keep Sayaka from doing anything stupid, from doing anything she might regret. Even if there was absolutely nothing she could do to prevent things from getting any worse, she'd try anyway! 

"You really do not want to become a magical girl," she warned. "Only regret will await you."

Even though she possessed absolutely no power, even though she was physically much weaker than Sayaka, she stated thus with a burning determination. She would move on, and aim for the happiest ending, in hopes that everything would fall into place. All Homura could do was advance.

"You absolutely, absolutely can't do this. I won't allow you!"

"You… You're…?" At that answer, Sayaka seemed to be in a daze for a second, as if her mind was having trouble processing that. But then she shook her head, and all her annoyance and hatred burst up to the surface. "You're making no sense! You won't allow me? Why?! WHY'S THAT, AKEMI, HUH?!"

Utterly frustrated with everything about this cryptic, bizarre, undecipherable, impossible-to-deal-with freak, Sayaka went up to Homura and violently grabbed onto her collar, glaring at her with ferocious eyes as she held her neck up, threatening to shove her down right there and then. Surprise crossed Homura's expression for a moment, surprise that Sayaka was actually going this far.

"WHY won't you LET ME become a MAGICAL GIRL?!"

"B- b- because—"

Speaking was nigh impossible. Even the act of speaking a single letter was a strained effort, which in itself made her throat feel like it was about to explode. Without a doubt, Homura understood that she was being choked. She almost couldn't believe it.

"I—"

Being held this way so forcefully, it was impossible to take in oxygen, and every ragged gasp that escaped from her mouth was harsh, crude.

"I made a—"

"MADE A WHAT?!"

It wasn't like she was in pain, but more like an extreme pressure was exerting itself upon her, like it would tear her apart, and her panicked efforts to try and get it away, to claw these hands off only resulted in her heartbeat accelerating even faster. Dizziness and fear were taking over all her senses, like a fire blazing through her nerves. There was no way to free herself from this force that was also a human, yet so much stronger than her anyway.

Strength was fading. The light around her was fading into oblivion.

But, she had to finish what she was saying.

"A- a- a- a promise—!"

Once she'd somehow managed to get it out, the pressure disappeared and Homura fell, hitting the ground first on her feet, then stumbling over onto her side once they lost balance.

Having been released, she was free to open her mouth and inhale a ton of air, though each breath was far too quick and sent a sharp pain through her chest each time, making her wince. Her hands instinctively went to tough the bruise on her neck, caused by the pulled collar, and it stung on contact. Her thoughts had been scrambled too much for her to consider anything about what just happened, and black spots covered her vision all over.

Concentrating on anything was mostly impossible, yet she knew that she had to force herself to do so and regain her senses. Her consciousness was attempting to slip away, to black out, but she couldn't let herself faint here. Not this time.

"I see. So that's why," Sayaka stated dully.

Her anger hadn't gone away, but it had subsided somewhat, as if it made some sense. "It's her, isn't it? Madoka? Did she make you promise to take care of me or something? I thought you were the kinda person who did things logically, but... Guess you're not much better than me then, huh?"

Breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

"Well, I'm sorry. But we don't have a choice."

Systematically ordering herself to do things, Homura struggled to bring her respiration back to normal, along with her strength and thought process. Even in her disorientated and fragile state, she knew she had to get off the floor and stop Sayaka, but when she tried to get up, she stumbled back down almost immediately.

Once the fuzziness had eased somewhat, she was able to think. Was Sayaka really the kind of person who would've done that? Sure, they might've disliked each other, but even for her and her stupid recklessness, that was a little too extreme. Or was it one of those side effects from being exposed to that other Witch's chemicals the other day, which Kyubey had warned? It was plausible.

At this point, there really was no telling what was happening.

"You didn't need to go that far, Sayaka." To be defended by Kyubey of all things was sickening, but whatever.

Sayaka stared at her own hands for a moment, silently, before looking up. "She'll be fine. Let's go."

" We better hurry then. I'm afraid this little argument you two had has roused the Witch's attention, and now it's waking up!"

"N- no! You can't go! Please don't!" Homura gasped out, reaching out a hand from the ground to stop them, but all she felt was empty air.

By the time she'd finally managed to gain enough strength to stand up on her own two feet again and lower the rhythm of her own heart, both Sayaka and Kyubey were gone. Leaving only an open doorway.

No! No no no NO NO NO NO NO NO!

There was no time to think about what to do now. Each second she spent not doing anything was wasting precious time. Urging her feet onwards, quickly swiping her glasses along the way, she rushed into the door leading to the lair of the Witch, regardless of her own condition.

While everything was blurry at first inside, it all became clear as soon as she put her glasses back on. Her mind absorbed each and every detail of her new, yet oh so familiar, surroundings, from the creamy-like substance that made up the floor, to the large spoons and one-legged tables scattered around, to the donuts and ice cream and chocolate and biscuits and cookies and candies of all kinds, pretty much everything—that is, except for cheese. One table stood out amongst all the others by being the tallest, with two really high tablestools to match. Chocolate and strawberry was melding with the vanilla that seemed to make up dome ceiling around them, and a really tiny doll was floating down from above…

However, all this was rendered unimportant for now as her vision was immediately engulfed by a blue light that came from her front, forcing her to cover her eyes for a bit.

The light faded away just as fast as it appeared,

It can't be…

but in its place,

I was too late.

there was a blue-haired girl, dressed in a matching blue-themed outfit, with a long, flowing white cape, a fortissimo-shaped hairpin, and a radiant sapphire gem attached to her belly, as well as long, steel blades with decorated hilts gripped tightly in each hand. A strong cobalt aura surrounded the area upon which she was standing, giving off the impression of a new hero, bound to slay the monster threatening everyone's lives and save the day!

What a joke. What a complete, utter joke. As if there were room for such heroic notions to exist for a magical girl.

Homura's fists clenched heavily, to the point that they started hurting. Even after she'd been bruised on her cheek and on her neck, those were little things that would heal on their own, given some time.

But once a contract was made, there was no going back. There was no returning back to a normal life no matter how much they would want to.

Sure, one wish may be granted granted, but at what cost? Their soul is removed, placed into a tiny container. Aging permanently comes to a halt. They must fight deadly monstrosities again and again just to stay alive, and it is practically unheard of for magical girls to last more than a few years. Happiness simply could not exist for those countless girls who fell into Incubator's schemes. She would know. She was once one of them, after all.

As soon as one becomes a Puella Magi, they are contracted into the everlasting cycle of despair, and all hope of having a fruitful life vanishes.

Miki Sayaka, I—

Without saying a word, Homura took out her cellphone.

—I've given up on you.

The look on Sayaka's face was hard to make out from this distance, but, even as she turned around to face the descending Dessert Witch with her wish granted and amazing new magical powers, that slight hint of fear was still there.

Chapter Text

"Oh, good afternoon, Akemi-san."

A bright, oblivious voice came from the other side as soon as the call got answered, but this wasn't any time to pause for useless greetings.

Holding up the phone to her ear with both hands, both trembling so badly that she had to squeeze her hands to prevent it from falling down, Homura opened her mouth and spoke as quickly as she could into it with, "Mitakihara Hospital, back entrance, bicycles, powerful Witch, we're in danger, HURRY! PLEASE!"

Doing her best to summarize the current situation in the most concise way possible, she was all the while trying to maintain her composure and tone, trying to keep her heart under control, with her eyes locked on the scene before her – Sayaka having turned into a magical girl, and the Dessert Witch having already woken up.

As much as she wanted to scream for the blonde gunslinger to rush over here as soon as possible, she had to keep her cool, since such things would only make this worse. If her arrhythmia chose now of all times to act up, then it'd be completely hopeless. Even the smallest amount of time they could buy was a precious advantage, and right now, trying to prevent Mami from encountering this particular opponent was pointless if they all died right here, still a long way away from Walpurgis Night.

"...I understand. Hang in there."

That was all the response she needed as the other side hung up, presumably to head off towards their position as quickly as possible.

Homura's thoughts were rushing fast, processing every detail of the situation and systematically considering her options in the span of seconds. She understood that, as soon as they'd ended up trapped inside its barrier, there couldn't have possibly been any win-win solutions.

What had she been hoping to achieve anyway, not only trying to stop Sayaka but also keeping away Mami? Why did she even think to take such risks in the first place, especially considering her own lack of powers? It all seemed so illogical now. She should've called the veteran fighter right from the beginning and told her all there was to know about their upcoming enemy afterwards, without bothering to keep up a façade of ignorance. What, did she think that they'd miraculously find a way to escape the barrier despite being mere, fragile humans?

And now… she'd failed Madoka. Even if they were to make it out of this alive, it wouldn't change the fact that her best friend had made a contract and turned into something she couldn't ever turn her back on again. It was a lost cause. As much as she wanted to blame Sayaka for it, she understood that it was her own fault for failing to come up with an adequate solution in time.

Homura took a glance at her surroundings, analyzing the nearest objects. The cherry cupcake would have to do it. Hence, once it was over and done with, Homura's only chance would be to take cover and stay as hidden as possible until Mami arrived, however slim the chances of hiding from a Witch were.

Several meters in front of her, the newly-made magical girl stood at the ready.

"Alright. Time to show you what I got!" Sayaka declared with a grin, watching as a doll-like figure slowly floated down to its tall chair...

Just like that, Sayaka broke off into a charge with two high-quality cutlasses materializing into her hands, unaware of the sort of enemy that awaited. Of course, how could she? Not only was she a beginner magical girl who had yet to develop foresight in battle, but she was also up against one of the most deadly Witches Homura ever had to deal with throughout her countless cycles. It was practically the worst arrangement ever.

The blunette thrust both of her blades forth, slicing through the chair legs in an instant just as the ominous hooded doll had landed on its seat, making it tumble down. Once it did, she perceived it as an opportunity and projected two more, before throwing them up with a burst of blue energy to increase their strength without giving it a chance to retaliate.

"Take this!" Sayaka yelled out, and they went on to pierce through the 'poor little Witch'. While it continued to fall, now with two metal blades protruding out from it, a faint smile grew on her face as she created one more sword, gripping it with both hands. "I'll finish you off before you can wake up properly!"

Here it was.

The inevitable moment that had been bound to happen, that had transpired over and over in previous timelines.

Even though it normally only occurred to one particular person, it could very well happen to any other challenger that charged in with even a slight degree of recklessness, let alone high tons of it. Such a person couldn't hope to be saved.

There was no possible way that she could defeat it. Once the Dessert Witch went on the offensive, that girl wouldn't last even a second alone…

…but hold on.

She wasn't alone, was she?

"Sayaka, MOVE AWAY, IT"S A TRAP!" Homura screamed out at the top of her lungs, appearing from behind the giant cupcake.

"What?!"

By then, Sayaka had reached the doll and was about to slash downwards to sever its head off, her hand going downwards in midswing. However, just her eyes met with the dolls' crayon-like own, unexplainable feeling of dread coursed through her veins, as if something wasn't quite right with this enemy...

Choosing to believe in Homura's words at the very last second, she channeled her own momentum into her feet and jumped back with as much force as possible - just in time.

In that very moment, the doll's head ballooned.

And out came DEATH.

Just like that, erupting from the doll's body was a massive, polkadotted monster with a mischievous expression, its gaping mouth lined with razor sharp teeth. The true form of their enemy. Of the Dessert Witch. It burst downwards with unbelievably blinding speed, closing the distance between itself and its prey in an instant, giving the newly-made magical girl a full view of what Witches were truly like - and its jaws clamped shut.

"Ah—"

With barely any time to react, a small shriek escaped Sayaka's mouth. The Dessert Witch was mere inches away from her, having quite literally snapped her cutlass in half. If, if she'd only been the tiniest bit closer-

Using this as what perhaps may be her only opportunity at survival, the magical girl abandoned the hilt, jumped up, and kicked herself off from its face with a burst of incredible power. Her white cape fluttered behind her as she rocketed through the air, all the while looking over her shoulder to make sure that it wasn't following. She might've underestimated just how strong she had become, going at over thirty kilometers per hour until finally crashing into the ground near the area's border. Of course, what with her life at risk here, there was no time to stop and pause to marvel at this strength.

Homura let out a great sigh of relief. But, it wasn't going to last long. This was only the first step, and just because its surprise attack had been avoided wouldn't mean that it was over. Very far from over, considering the actual power of the worm-like creature. Not only was Sayaka a beginner, but her suicidal short-ranged method of combat had the worst possible compatibility with it.

Behind her, the Dessert Witch had stopped momentarily as it adopted a peculiar look, curiously chewing on the blade in its mouth for a moment before making a sour face, then shooting a look back at her prey in annoyance. It immediately went to pursue her, flying up into the air and following her course at rapid speed. No matter how fast she was, she was inexperienced when it came to running with her now-enhanced legs, and she'd tire out anyway given time.

Just as it looked as though it was about to gain on her, Sayaka stopped in her track as if coming to a resolution, turned, and summoned various swords around her before throwing them all forth at it on a direct assault. However, that wasn't going to work. Each and every one of her blades stuck themselves into its body, but this was only the first shell, so chances were that damage like this was equivalent only to pinpricks. There really was no way for her to win by herself, and even holding out until Mami arrived was close to impossible. Ignoring her futile attacks, it rushed straight for her.

"Sayaka, you idiot, THIS IS BEYOND YOUR LEVEL!" On an impulse, Homura found herself yelling in a vain attempt to help.

…Yet, that itself was a mistake.

As soon as she'd raised her voice, the Dessert Witch paused, as if having heard something unusual, before slowly turning its face—with a growing smile, it had now focused its attention onto the convenient, tasty black forest human treat just standing there. Her.

"Damn it, transfer student!" Sayaka yelled back, realizing the situation, and concentrated magical energy at the tip of her feet. Launching herself forth, she proceeded to make a beeline towards Homura in hopes of outrunning the monster which had consequently dived into the air.

If the reality of her powerlessness hadn't sunk in during the encounter with the Darkness and Garden Rose Witches, it was definitely sinking in now, the Dessert Witch charging ahead animalistically. It didn't matter whether or not she had six grenades hidden in her bag and another in her pocket, since she wouldn't be capable of detonating even a single one without getting killed anyway. She clenched her fists as she watched it approach, her mind filled with frustration about everything.

Then, by some miracle, the blunette was the one who reached her first, and she swept Homura off her feet just like that before continuing to run forth. It had been so sudden that she had to quickly reach up to keep her glasses in place to prevent them from falling off. Just as the massive black caterpillar tried to close in on them with its many bladed teeth, she leaped to the side, darting behind the nearby large cupcake to take cover, buying them some time.

"I can defeat it on my own, so don't try to stop me!" Sayaka told her harshly, using this chance to take a deep breath.

"No. You really can't. If you want to live, then follow my instructions," Homura replied in a blunt manner.

While she was annoyed that she was being carried in this girl's arms, uncomfortably at that since her body and legs were being held way too harshly, it couldn't be helped for now.

If they were going to make it out alive, she had to be as concise and to the point as possible with her words.

"Instructions?! How would—" Before the words could come out of her mouth, Sayaka cut herself short upon remembering how it was her warning that had saved her from becoming a magical lunch. She had to make a decision, and fast.

"Well, I suppose I…" Just when it seemed things might be right, she noticed the device clutched in Homura's right hand. "Y- YOU HAD A CELLPHONE THIS WHOLE TIME AND DIDN'T USE IT?!"

This immediately caught the Dessert Witch's attention while it had been peeking beneath a chocolate bar, and its gaze excitedly turned towards their position with a look that oozed out 'I FOUND YOU'. Silently, to herself, Homura cursed at having not put the phone away or anything beforehand. But it couldn't be helped. There was no time to waste on regretting the past.

Sayaka groaned, deeply frustrated with the fact that she had to spend effort to save someone who was too cold and mysterious for her own good, but she had no choice as she broke off into another sprint. Despite the tenseness of their circumstances, she was beginning to get used to her newfound strength, and it helped a lot that she'd had a fair amount of physical training before, which allowed her to maintain her speed even when carrying someone else. Well, Homura weighed very little to begin with, which helped.

Not that any of these things would be of much use against the monster pursuing them, gaining speed with each passing second. As things were right now, if they continued to act separately, their deaths were a certainty rather than a possibility.

"Okay, so you want me to do what you say?! Fine! But only if you answer a few questions of mine!" Yet, even with death looming over them, rushing through an alien realm of sweets and candy, the idiotic girl still chose to stubbornly stick to her morals.

DO YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE TIME FOR THAT? Homura wanted to scream, but had to restrain herself. Very well. If she wanted the truth, then she could have it.

"First, why didn't you want me to become a magical girl?!"

"Because you don't get that there's no going back. When you made that wish, you threw your own life away." She answered straightaway, keeping her eyes locked on the monster looming behind the duo. "And, if Madoka were to find out—"

"Second, why do you care about Madoka so much?!"

"She's my dearest friend… too."

At that overly blunt response, Sayaka nearly tripped in surprise, but managed to regain her footing panickedly.

Knowing that they couldn't keep on running forever, she summoned another sword and kicked it at the pursuing Dessert Witch, sending it flying like a dart. At first, Homura was afraid she was going to stop again and engage it directly, but it seemed that she actually had a bit of a strategy this time. Intentionally aiming it so that it'd miss, the childlike persona of the creature caused it to divert its gaze as it watched the sword go past, then chase it like a dog fetching a stick, giving the two of them a chance to dive behind a large cereal box adorned with undecipherable runes.

Putting Homura down on the floor, Sayaka leaned against the box as she took in deep, uneven intakes of oxygen, trying to regain her breath. No matter how strong she was with her new powers, she could only sustain running away for so long.

And yet, even like this, she still insisted on seeking the truth. It was noble and all, but simplistic concepts like righteousness and heroism shouldn't have any room in the real world, where hope is constantly balanced out by despair.

"Next question—if you had a phone, why didn't you call Mami-san sooner?!"

"I didn't want to risk her dying." Homura answered truthfully, understanding that trying to get around the question would only make things even longer.

"Wha…?"

"Sayaka, listen." Returning her frustrated, confused look with a cold one, Homura used a firm tone to emphasize her words. As much as she didn't want to, she had to gain her cooperation as soon as possible. "If Mami encounters this particular Witch, there's a high chance that she'll die. No time to explain why."

"I… I see."

Looked down at the ground in uncertainty, Sayaka clenched her fists, shutting her eyes tight.

Upon gathering her thoughts together, it seemed as though she'd finally come to a decision, though she was still very much reluctant to go through with it.

So then, what was she going to do? Was she going to stubbornly stand by her ideals and doom them both, or was she going to use her head for once in her entire life and cooperate with the one person who could possibly get them both out of this deadly lair alive?

Even for as long as she'd known her, with each new timeline, each time she had had to reset time and go back to the beginning, Homura had never been able to understand what went on in that thick mind of hers, so for all she knew, this girl would take the most illogical choice whenever given the opportunity. Or rather, she was certain that was what would happen.

But then,

"Fine."

Thus, Sayaka opened her eyes again and forced herself to say it out loud, as if making a resolution.

"You know what, FINE! Just this once, Akemi, I'll make myself believe that... that you're a good person!"

The other girl actually blinked in surprise a little, having to process it through her head.

She… actually agreed?

While she'd been hoping for this to happen, the truth was that at the back of her mind, she'd been absolutely certain that her offer would've been refused.

Thus far, this whole troublesome day had been filled with nothing but inconvenience after inconvenience, from the hospital's mental diagnosis to the transformation of that little girl into a Witch, to the two people she least wanted around actually appearing, to getting yelled and strangled by the very girl she was trying to convince not to make a contract, and of course she just had to go and make a contract, and it was all so, so, so, so SO SO SO FRUSTRATING. Homura had very little doubt that Kyubey had a large hand in these turn of events. He must've been around somewhere, plotting everything, step by step, making sure to unravel all her attempts with his elaborate schemes damn him. Hence, she'd been fully expecting Sayaka to refuse.

But once, for once, something good had actually happened.

And she would take it for what it was worth.

"Thank you," Homura replied with a nod.

"Let's beat this thing before Mami-san gets here." With that, Sayaka got up from the box with a determined look. "Now then, tell me what to do!"

Homura got up from the floor with slightly more energy than before that they actually had a chance to defeat the Dessert Witch, however small it was. There was no point in wasting any more time. This may very well be the only good thing that would be happening anytime soon, so she had to seize this opportunity and use it to the best of her ability. By now, their enemy must've gotten bored of the thrown blade and should be searching for them right now, so they had little time left to plan.

"Kyubey." She signaled for him to come, knowing that he was always around somewhere.

As if proving this fact, the feline creature popped out of nowhere and jumped up onto her shoulder. While she hated to rely on him since he was responsible for all this, she also understood that he didn't possess the right to ignore someone's plea for help. "What is it, Homura?"

Turning back to Sayaka, she took off her small bag and held it out. On a human, it was useless, but it could be made to good use in the possession of a magical girl, no matter how incompetent they may be.

"Wear this, there are six grenades within. Keep in mind that your swords won't deal much, if any damage to this Witch in its current form. It possesses six shells, and whenever one is sufficiently damaged, it gets rid of it, but whittling it down is too dangerous with the speed and strength it has." Homura detailed, making sure not to miss anything important. "Hence, your goal will be to explode the grenades within its mouth and force it to shed each shell, drawing out its core so it can be destroyed. It won't be easy, but—"

"I got it."

Taking the bag and putting it over her shoulder, the blunette summoned another cutlass into her right hand, gripping it tightly. While she'd been listening closely to Homura's words, memorizing them all, it was plain and clear by her expression that she still had a lot of questions to ask, the most prominent of which being 'how do you know all this'?

However, obviously enough, there wasn't any time to ask them. Pushing those thoughts away and steeling her resolve, she rushed out into the battlefield, with the raven-haired girl watching her under the cover of the cereal box, ready to provide support when needed.

It's fastest when it's moving in a straight line, but it turns slower due to its long body. Take advantage of that and move in when it does so, Homura conveyed to her telepathically. Also, you'll have to goad it so that it opens its mouth... Be sure not to waste a single one of my grenades.

Only moments after Sayaka had ran out, as if knowing where she'd been hiding all this time, the Dessert Witch swooped down from the sky with its mouth open wide and razor-sharp teeth laid bare. It was a terrifying sight, an otherworldly monster that defied the laws of physics treating her like nothing but a game, but this time, now that she knew how to beat it, she wasn't about to run away.

In order to seize victory, she would have to throw away her dread and follow the commands of an otherwise totally untrustworthy person.

Each time you hit it, you are to get as far away as possible. Don't make yourself believe that you're faster than it, because you are not.

Once it was close, she abruptly leaped to one side with a burst of magical energy. It turned to follow her, and she saw then that the other girl was correct in that it was slower this way, giving her a clearer target. Taking out one of the soda can-looking items from the bag, she pulled its pin using her teeth before hurling it ahead as hard as she could manage, focusing on the target. The grenade successfully went past its mouth and promptly exploded, causing the Witch to pause for a moment in a mixture of confusion and disgust, making an awful face as smoke came out of its mouth.

Then its mouth suddenly opened even wider, and a second, slightly smaller version of the same monstrous caterpillar emerged, leaving behind a flat black skin.

If she'd had any doubt about Homura's information, not anymore. Good.

Then, if they kept this up, they could—

Idiot, you're too close!

As soon as the second shell came out, it rushed towards her with unexpectedly tremendous speed as if to demonstrate that she couldn't afford to lax or leave her guard down, its eyebrows crossed to show that it was pissed.

Instinctively, Sayaka created several large blades and immediately stabbed them into the ground in front of her, forming a temporary barrier that it ended up slamming into headfirst. Taking advantage of this, she turned around and leapt away, breaking off into another sprint.

You drew out its first shell, but you were too close the first time. Could you throw a little further? Homura suggested.

Huh? I know this may look easy to you, Ms. Bottom-of-the-PE-Class, but that was my best throw yet! She protested back.

Even so, it was hard to deny that there was a point in her words. If the Witch had that much speed each time it left its shell, Sayaka would need to be at a further away distance to avoid getting chomped on. True, she got lucky with the barrier once, though it was highly unlikely that it'd work a second time.

However, that was indeed the longest she could manage, and this was with her newfound strength too. Any further, and there was a fair possibility that it might end up not reaching its target. Not to mention how it got smaller and perhaps faster too with each new shell.

…Then use your head, Miki Sayaka. Find a way to use what you have effectively, Homura told her, unable to come up with a proper solution herself. Though really, she didn't have much faith in such a thing happening. It was simply the only option they had.

Ugh, you're kidding, right?!

Leaping up onto one of the standing lollipops with her gaze turned ahead to focus on running, Sayaka could sense that her trail was being pursued ferociously like a starved wolf, getting closer and closer. If she was going to make it out alive, she would have to think of a way out. Right now, she had to dump a grenade into its mouth from far away, but could she do that?

Hm. Do you see that table in the center? Perhaps you could use that, suggested Homura, which made Sayaka eye the table with ridiculously long legs in the midst of the lair.

Ohhh, I get it.

If nothing else, it seemed like a start. Utilizing the lollipops as platforms to get higher, making sure that the Dessert Witch was following her exact course, she threw her body up into the air once she was high enough, trying to get it as high as it could, before hitting the top of the tea table, smashing into an empty cereal bowl along the way.

Now on the highest surface in the realm, she turned around with a grin, beckoning the flying worm to come at her.

"Come on, catch me if you can!"

Annoyed at being mocked, it responded by darting even faster, opening its mouth wide, but that was exactly what she needed. Dropping the grenade onto the table surface, she followed up by thrusting herself off just as it chomped onto the table she was standing on mere moments ago along with the grenade, letting gravity itself form the distance between them.

Whilst in midfall, she watched as the second grenade exploded, causing it to shed its current skin and re-emerge even smaller than before. Two shells down, four to go.

It worked, but only once. We won't have the opportunity to do that again. A voice said in her mind, interrupting her moment of triumph.

Well, what then…?

Look out, it's close behind you. Be ready as soon as you land.

Not giving her any room to gather her thoughts, the Dessert Witch had dived down, beginning to get really pissed with its prey. Just as Sayaka hit the ground after having fell about hundred feet, she rolled over multiple times, leaving nothing but scratches, and she used her momentum to kick herself off the ground.

This hit-and-run strategy she'd been using had worked twice, but now that she no longer had either the element of surprise or a terrain advantage, it didn't seem likely that it would work a third time. At this point, it should be clear to both of them.

Now would be a really good time to offer me some new groundbreaking advice, transfer student, requested Sayaka.

Meanwhile, the girl in question was gazing at the battle going on ahead with a distressed look, with the Incubator on her shoulder observing quietly as well. He probably wanted to say something, but knew enough about the mentally unstable girl he was sitting on that she'd lash out at him without reason.

Homura had already realized this prior, but even though she gave the beginner magical girl an edge in terms of information and provided her something that could inflict some damage, there wasn't a whole lot she could do apart from that.

If she still had her own magical girl powers and clockwork shield, all she'd be required to do would be to stop time whenever it opened its mouth and place the grenade within. The matter of outrunning it had never been an issue to her in the past, and hence, battling on the frontlines was not something she was an expert on. If there was anyone who could really offer useful advice for Sayaka right now, it would be…well, who else but Kyouko, the one fighter she could have the utmost confidence in when it came to battling Witches?

However, it wasn't time for Kyouko to appear yet. They were on their own.

Or to be more precise, Sayaka was on her own.

Not receiving any response from the other side this time, Sayaka frowned.

Uh, hello?

Or… Had it been part of her plan all along to dispose of her this way? Misleading her into thinking there was a way to win, just so she could be ridden of? But that was a bit of a stretch, since would Homura want that?

She could never understand anything about the girl, having had her suspicions right from the start. Even though she did have vulnerabilities here and there, case in point being that time during P.E. class, the more she found out about her, the less she wanted to trust her. Her actions were so bizarre and never made any sense. If she just stopped to explain everything, then everything would be fine, but since she refused to each and every time, it was hard to tell whether she was really a good person or not.

The only thing that seemed to stay consistent for her was her concern over Madoka. It became clear what kind of person Homura was when she begged her back then, not too long ago, not to involve Madoka in the world of magical girls. She considered her as her dearest friend, despite having only known her for a few weeks. Seriously, what a creep. Madoka was nice to way too many people, such that it attracted even lonely weirdos like that.

'Akemi Homura'. To be honest, as strange as the person in question was, the name itself was pretty cool.

For her, whenever she heard the name 'Homura', the first thing that would pop up in her sport-orientated mind would always be the English word 'home run'. Baseball was the sport she considered herself best at, so she was really familiar with the concept of scoring a homerun. A batter being able to run all the way without resistance, by hitting a ball so far out that no one could catch it—

Oh, of course!

Though her legs were finally starting to wear themselves out, she forced even more energy into it, trying to put as much distance between the two as possible. While doing that, she also materialized swords and stabbed them into the ground behind her, moving in constant zigzags to force it to keep in turning, as well as maneuvering all the gigantic snacks scattered about, causing it to crash through object after object, slowing it down bit by bit, however insignificant they were.

Then, once enough distance had been put between the two, Sayaka abruptly came to a stop, turning around with a light broadsword prepared in her right hand to see that she'd put a hundred meters of distance between her and the gigantic hungry caterpillar, such that they were now on opposite sides of the candy-filled lair.

Sayaka, Miki Sayaka, what the HELL are you doing?! Homura's telepathic voice appeared after a fairly long absence, having a slightly frantic tone.

Shut up, transfer student, she responded. You wanted me to use my head, didn't you?

Well, she only had a basic idea of it, but it wasn't like there was anything else she could try out..

To be honest, a hundred meters would normally be an unthinkable distance for baseball, especially considering that she didn't have a pitcher to at least give her some base velocity first, and the fact that she actually had a target to hit made things a lot more complex. It was only even remotely possible due to her magical girl powers, which apparently hadn't just enhanced her strength but also her eyesight and senses.

Clearing her mind of all thoughts and taking a deep breath, Sayaka assumed a batter pose, holding her blade up high by her side as a makeshift bat with her right hand, while her left hand gripped onto a grenade. Annoyed by the overly confident attitude she had, the Dessert Witch charged for her with its mouth open wide and its eyes like those of a rabid dog's. She had to act quickly—pull the pin, toss it up, aim, and strike it so that it hit the faraway target, all in the span of a few seconds.

If the grenade exploded even a split second beforehand, it was over. There was no guarantee that things would go her way, and she had to do this four times to add. It sounded completely impossible. Still, what other choice was there?

"Take…"

Ripping off the pin with her teeth, she immediately thrust the can-shaped object up into the air, took the blade hilt with both hands, and swung as hard as she could muster.

"THIS!"

Hitting it with incredible strength that even she herself didn't know she had, a shockwave was sent all over as the grenade shot forth like a fired bullet directly towards the charging Dessert Witch, crossing the hundred meters in an instant before passing into her throat, detonating on the spot with great intensity boosted by its velocity. It was strong enough that it blew the monster off its course, sending it veering to the right for a moment in a combination of pain and shock.

"It… it actually worked?"

You did it? Homura was apparently very surprised too.

Though, just because she succeeded once didn't mean that she could take a rest, since the Witch was quick to shed the next shell and resume its charge, ready for more.

Not stopping to pause either, Sayaka took out the second grenade and removed the pin, thrusting it up into the air like before. If it hit once, then it could hit once more. With her blade prepared, she aimed at the approaching monster that was probably around seventy-five meters away, and did exactly the same thing as before, swinging forward with confidence, pouring in the same amount of strength. Then, another shockwave of air erupted outwards as the grenade darted forth, once again hitting its target.

Ha... Haha, it's working!

The resulting explosion made it crash into the ground, but as if refusing to give in, the next shell practically shoved its way out and made a beeline for her position, with a crazed look on its face due its blueberry food always moving from place to place, always retaliating. If it reached her, she didn't doubt that it'd crunch her up into little pieces until there was nothing but bits of blood left.

"Yeah, like that'd ever happen!"

No matter how strong it was, it was nothing but a lowly Witch from another dimension that underestimated the strength she had.

She would teach it a lesson, since that was her job.

To defeat the Witches that threatened humanity.

Once again, she went into position and repeated the same movements as before. It seemed as though each time she paused to get ready for the next batting, her enemy crossed another twenty-five meters, so now it was about fifty meters away from her. That was fine. The closer it got, the easier it was for her to aim.

The next grenade flew into its mouth and exploded, leaving behind a black skin and forcing the last shell outwards. Now desperate, it rushed faster than ever before. It was now only twenty-five meters away from her current position, but that wasn't her concern. Since it had only one shell left, it was possible for her to destroy it within the next blow—and that was exactly what she planned on doing.

With overwhelming confidence now that she had the advantage, she locked her gaze with that of the Witch. It looked harmless now, being much smaller and shorter than it originally was. She could do it, so—

As a magical girl, I'll defeat it!

Yet, just as she was about to swing her blade a fourth and final time, sending yet another grenade shooting towards it,

a voice entered her head-

From not too far away, Homura watched it all unfold with a peculiar look, a part of her unable to process the event unfolding before her. While it was genius for Sayaka to utilize her baseball talent in order to hit it with the grenades from afar, had she really possessed that level of strength and precision in previous timelines? The next strike connected, entering its mouth, and it was forced to shed another shell, seemingly bringing them one closer to victory.

No, more importantly, since the point was to use a hit-and-run strategy against the Dessert Witch, why was she standing her ground? With each strike, it had gotten closer and closer, to the point that her original advantage of distance had diminished into thin air. It would've been far better if she ran after each shot to continue maintaining the distance, but instead, she was standing her ground in the hopes that she could destroy it within the next two blows, or die trying.

However, she couldn't risk warning her about it at this point, since there was actually a chance that Sayaka could succeed, and breaking her concentration wouldn't be a very good idea either.

"She might not make it, you know," Kyubey interjected on her shoulder.

"I'm aware."

His words stung, but maintaining communication with the blunette was more important right now than beating up a single, random Incubator.

"But if you made a contract, you could definitely save her and turn the tables!"

Did he want to be ripped apart?

Her eyebrow twitched as he said this, and she had to actively hold back the urge to beat him up.

"I absolutely refuse," she told him.

The ability to make a wish was her last weapon, and she couldn't afford to use it unless it was truly necessary. If she made a wish carelessly and things went bad, then they would return to exactly the way they were before. Or worse, if she didn't regain her original powers and lost the ability to repeat time—which would be absolutely, ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE.

As much as she hated being a feeble, ordinary human being, she would have to push on, doing as much as she could like this before the time came. It wasn't a matter of if, but when, considering the massive threats looming in the future, but that time wasn't now.

Come to think of it, in the past month, how many times had she repeated the danger of the contract in her mind, rehearsing it over and over? How many times had she had to convince herself that she couldn't take it yet?

"Really?"

"Yes."

"But don't you care about her? Isn't she your friend?" he asked innocently.

Narrowing her eyes in disgust, she grabbed the feline creature by the ears and pulled it off her shoulder, before holding it up in front of her without a shred of mercy. He must have already known that this was going to happen sooner or later, considering how he'd been treated during their last few meetings.

How much longer would he keep going on and on about irrelevant things such as wanting to make a contract and becoming some abomination to fuel his little girls equal free energy project? He must be used to taking advantage of its status as a television cliché so that practically every ignorant teenage girl would jump at it, but how could he not understand by now that she was different? That no matter how hard he tried, she would ultimately be the one to decide that for herself?!

For the sake of shutting him up, just so he understood a little about what went on in her mind, she'd offer him a peek into her motives.

Then, perhaps, he'd cease offering her the opportunity at every given moment, because at the moment, it was driving her insane.

"Let me make this clear to you, Kyubey," Homura began harshly, adopting a cold tone while glaring at his ruby-like eyes with a kind of contempt that only a Witch could relate to. "Since you tricked the hopeless idiot into making a contract, I've given up on Miki Sayaka. If she lives, then I'll have to keep her well-furnished so she doesn't break before then. And if she dies here, then at least she served her purpose as a distraction to buy time. It makes no difference. A 'friend', you say? No. Who knows if anyone considers her a friend?"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but feel a pain in her chest, growing.

Naturally, even though she'd been trying her best to stay calm and suppress her stress, it would find ways to crawl back up, and with it would come the dull, quickened beating of her fragile heart, every single time.

Whenever she let out her anger, she was one step closer to death, but as long as it was for a meaningful cause, it was an acceptable cost. So long as the Incubator understood that trying to manipulate her through Sayaka wouldn't work, then that was fine. Were the words coming out of her mouth how she truly felt though, or had she just put it in a way that he could comprehend?

Yet, before she could even think about it, a high-pitched scream echoed in the air.

…To put it simply,

Sayaka had missed.

At twenty-five meters, Sayaka had missed, the grenade having gone past the Dessert Witch's body and exploding without inflicting even the slightest amount of damage. It all went by so quickly—the black caterpillar rushing for her, her own survival instincts screaming at her to get away as soon as possible, the high amounts of regret she was feeling about not maintaining distance, and at the back her mind, a seething hatred for a certain something. A feeling of the utmost betrayal.

However, that wasn't important for now. None of it was. Her feelings, her dread, all of it could wait for some other time. As it had darted towards her at a speed she couldn't hope to outrun now, she had less than a split second to think about how to counter it. But how? All six grenades had been used up, and it still had one shell left, so the only remaining option had been to assault it directly with her blades and hope she could penetrate through the last shell that way. Summoning up a storm of blades, she'd charged straight into the death trap despite the warnings she'd been given earlier that it wouldn't be very effective. Stab, stab, stab, ten large blades stabbed into its face at once, but that didn't slow it down as it continued to rush forth, opening its mouth wide, its inner fleshy jaws laid bare right in front of her.

It was just like before, just like that surprise attack from the doll, only this time she wasn't moving backwards. It was too close to avoid, no, no, go away, she didn't want to die here. She didn't want to die a meaningless death without even having seen the results of her own wish, without even having saved a single person, and without even having said or achieve all the things she wanted to in live. She had far too many regrets to die here, FAR TOO MANY, so in a last attempt to survive, she poured energy into the tip of the broadsword in her right hand, lengthening it as much as she could in what little time she was afforded before thrusting it forth, her last desperate attempt to survive—

With the sound of a beastlike chomp, the mouth of the Dessert Witch having clamped shut with both sections of its razor-sharp teeth connecting together unevenly, and off went her right arm.

The magical girl had barely avoided her death by using the sword's long length to stab into the core body at the back of its throat, thereby utilizing it to push herself back from its range. However, she'd had to sacrifice her arm in the process. High amounts of pain shot all throughout her body, and before realizing it, Sayaka had let out a terrified high-pitched scream into the air.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The worst part was that it hadn't even been cleanly cut off. The Witch shot up into the air as it chewed on her arm in childlike glee, while shaking itself to try and get the body hanging from it to break off.

"Ah, ah, LET GO OF ME—"

Quick pants escaping out of her mouth, Sayaka's gaze momentarily turned to the ground, whereupon she saw Homura on the ground. While the girl was too far down to properly see, the sight of her was enough to make her grind her teeth, and terror was temporarily replaced by a burning feeling in her heart, a mixture of hatred and hurt. Of course, she wasn't going to rescue her.

She never intended to do so, and had only been taking the options that would ensure her own survival, while Sayaka herself was but a HOPELESS IDIOT to use as a pawn in the grand scheme of things. That was what she'd been thinking all along, wasn't it?!

'A 'friend', you say? No. Who knows if anyone considers her a friend?'

So those are your true feelings, AKEMI HOMURA…!

With a burst of energy, pouring all her frustration into her left arm, Sayaka grabbed her own shoulder and began to pull in an attempt to sever the few strands that kept her connected to her arm and pinned to its teeth, ignoring the various electric sparks of pain that shot up her body, all the while the Witch was looking down at her with an annoyed look.

Eventually, she succeeded in tearing herself off from it, leaving her to crash down. She braced herself for impact and promptly slammed into the ground in such a harsh way that pain shot throughout every cell in her body. Chances were that she'd be dead if it weren't for the fact that she was a magical girl, and even then, the wide wound by her side had begun to pour out blood uncontrollably, pieces of flesh and bone still sticking outwards.

She needed a little time to regain her strength, but would she have that time? Things weren't looking good.

Homura was watching in horror as Sayaka had been lifted up into the air by the arm yet managed to detach herself, whilst also knowing what would come next—as soon as it had digested the arm, it would dive down to finish off the rest of the meal. There couldn't possibly be a way for her recover in time to dodge it. Not in that state!

It was pathetic. The girl's death was assured, mere minutes after having made her wish and turned into a magical girl.

But that was good, right? Wasn't that a good thing? Hadn't she said herself that she didn't care about the wellbeing of that girl anymore? If she died now, then at least she bought enough time, and besides, she'd never been anything but a corruptive influence towards Madoka. Sayaka had sealed her own doom by acting recklessly, so she deserved what came for her.

And yet, while Homura was convincing herself of this, a recent memory popped up.

'I'll make myself believe that... That you're a good person!'

That was what Sayaka had said earlier, throwing away her doubts so they could make it out alive. Despite the fact that Homura had hidden so many things away from her, despite the fact that all her actions were indeed suspicious in such a way that no one could hope to trust her, Sayaka had still chosen in the end to entrust her faith in her. Even after what she'd told Kyubey, that decision couldn't just be ignored.

Despite fully understanding that what she was about to do was a stupid move that put her mission in jeopardy, she abruptly grabbed Kyubey off from her shoulder and rushed out into the open just as the Dessert Witch was about to charge downwards, her heart pounding faster and faster. Small black blots formed in her vision here and there and she started to become a little dizzy as a result of it, but it couldn't be helped. She forced herself to stay upright.

"NAGISA!" Homura yelled out, straining her vocal cords, her arms raised to get its attention. It seemed that she'd succeeded, as it paused mere feet before Sayaka's body, turning its gaze towards her in curiosity. "Look here! It's Kyubey!"

"Homura, what are you..."

Disregarding her own safety, she stood out in the open for all to see, all the while gripping Kyubey tightly close to her. She'd expected some resistance, but instead, he just seemed to be still, observing this whole thing with curiousity. There was nowhere to run or hide, and although she still had one left grenade remaining in her pocket, she didn't intend on sacrificing herself. Not today, at least. She had a different plan, quite simple by her standards—be the bait, and give Sayaka the opportunity she needed to finish it off from behind.

"Do you remember him?! Do you hate him?! COME ON THEN!"

The Dessert Witch eyed the white creature for a bit, as if unsure about why it should care... Then, its eyes widened in recognition. For the briefest of instants, its scrambled consciousness registered Kyubey. With an expression switching from mischievous delight to utter disgust at the mere sight of it, it opted to ignore its lunch for now as it mindlessly stormed ahead towards a new chosen prey.

Sayaka, now's your chance!

Using Kyubey as a telepathic circuit, she desperately directed this message towards Sayaka.

Sayaka hadjust gotten up after hitting the ground, getting over the shock of not having an arm. Her figure certainly wasn't pretty to look at, with blood dripping out from her side that gathered at the floor to form a small vermillion puddle, and she looked pretty horrified by it, clutching the void where her arm was in an attempt to stop the blood. She might not have known this herself, but due to her status as a magical girl, the agonizing pain she would normally feel had been dulled, dulled enough to let her keep fighting.

Besides, if there was anything that Homura knew for certain about her, it was that pain was something she could easily conquer. And that saving a person was more important to her than anything else, even over herself. So, she was counting on both of those two traits to get them both through this alive!

Sayaka returned her look, first in bafflement at her actions, taking a moment to process what was transpiring in front of her.

Yet, once she understood, it then darkened into something more expressionless, something Homura couldn't read. Not a concerned or worried look, but something else. Cold.

...Say…aka?

Then it finally began to dawn upon her what that look truly was. In fact, she was very familiar with that look, on that very same girl's face, but she just hadn't recognized it since it seemed so unprompted, so unnatural and far too soon for this particular timeline.

It wasn't merely an empty look, but something beyond.

Hatred.

It was hatred, pure and simple. The kind of sheer contempt that one would hold for an individual who had done nothing but hurt them, over and over, and in the end betrayed what little trust they had between each other.

But why, what could've possibly made her so

INCUBATOR.

At that moment, everything clicked in Homura's mind, forcing her to realize that she had just made a terrible, irreversible mistake of her own.

When she'd snapped earlier and told Kyubey about her motives, she should've considered the possibility, or rather, the inevitability that OF COURSE HE WOULD TRANSMIT ALL THAT TO SAYAKA. It had been the perfect speech to entirely ruin their connection, after all, and it must've broken Sayaka's concentration during her last attack, causing her to miss. He'd been goading Homura into saying something of use, and she fell right into his trap.

From the very beginning, she couldn't have hoped to oppose him.

Did she honestly believe that she had the slightest chance of succeeding as a powerless human? It had now sunk in that this was the end, and that no one was going to save her from the Witch. It was approaching at a fast speed, closing in on her. She was out of options. This time, she possessed nothing that could save herself.

Once she'd realized all of this, at once, the fear she'd been suppressing began to bubble up to the surface. Her breathing became more and more hoarse, it was getting harder to stand, and at this rate she may very well expire on her own. In place of her determination, raw despair was setting in. She was going to die here. Miki Sayaka was going to die here. All options had been thoroughly exhausted - this was the end.

Everything was turning black, turning black. All she could do was focus on one thought. One sole thought to keep her going.

Damn that Incubator! Damn him damn him damn him damn him damn him damn him damn him damn him damn him damn him DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM DAMN HIM—

…

Yet, when death was fated to come at any second,

"TIRO…"

in its place came her salvation.

"FINALE!"

Bursting into the lair with a massive musket at the ready, Mami didn't hesitate as she fired out a gigantic beam of golden light roared past Homura, mercilessly slamming into the caterpillar monster with such intensity that no mere sword or handmade grenade could ever hope to match up to, as if the energy put into it resonated with her sheer determination to save her friends. As it had already been down to its last shell, it didn't stand a chance at resisting the sudden laser and was ultimately overcome by it, getting vaporized mere meters away from the raven-haired girl.

Just like that, without even putting up a fight, the threat of the Dessert Witch had been eliminated.

The veteran magical girl had finally, actually arrived, just in time. How many times was it now? Three? Yes, it had been three times now that she'd been rescued by the exact same person now, and in the same timeline too.

"M- Mami…" she let out, her consciousness beginning to fade.

She heard Sayaka exclaim out her name too, while Mami herself had knelt down right in front of her with her arms outstretched, screaming words in her face along the lines of 'ARE YOU BOTH OKAY', but it was all becoming a blur by then. Irrelevant, irrelevant.

With her grasp on reality going away, everything was fading away into darkness.

It couldn't really be helped. The panic alone had caused her arrhythmia to act up, so as a defense mechanism, her body would at times faint like this to force the heartbeat back into a normal state. Or so she'd learned at the hospital.

When she woke up, various things would have to be thought over and dealt with… Namely, the consequences of everything that had happened today between her and Sayaka. Ending up in the Dessert Witch's realm, the forging of a contract, and the outright betrayal of what little friendship there'd been between them. All of this put into account made her certain that Sayaka had become a lost cause.

Without a doubt, she had horribly, horribly let Madoka down. The despair and frustration that she was feeling right now couldn't possibly be put into words.

But…at least they were all alive.

So for now, she would take a little rest. Unable to do anything else, she could only let her senses get overtaken by a pleasant darkness, allowing herself to be consumed by the solace of nothingness.

Sorry, Madoka.

Looks like I

failed

you

ag

ai

n

.

.

.

Chapter Text

Saturday, April the 30th (prev. cycle)
 

"So… tomorrow's the day, huh?"

"Yes, it is. Walpurgisnacht will come, and with it, disaster," replied the magical girl quietly.

The two of them were standing in the streets on their own, almost dazed, the night sky hanging ominously above them like a shroud of death. This was the calm before the storm, and the final moment of peace she would have before all the preparations that she'd undertaken throughout this timeline were put to the test.

Closing her eyes, Homura took a deep breath to relax herself, before deciding to go over everything one last time.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you again, but so everything's clear, pay attention one last time. By six o'clock, be sure get your family and friends ready, then rush over to the gymnasium using the specific path I showed to you a couple of days ago and take shelter there, as it's one of the most stable buildings in all of Mitakihara. Don't turn anywhere else and don't make any unnecessary stops, because there's no telling where or when debris from the city might fall. If you follow my instructions to the letter specifically as I have said, then everyone should make it out safely without any deaths or injuries, and hopefully you'll all make it in time before the hurricane truly begins. If you see a gear-like monster in the sky, don't worry about that because that's my business. And also, as for the white being called 'Kyubey' that I told you about—"

"Right, I got it, Homura-chan. You've told me a load of times already, so it's pretty hard to forget now. No need to worry about me." The pinkette nodded with a reassuring smile, confirming that she had the whole plan memorized.

"Of course, of course…"

Homura let out a shaky sigh, her gaze still fixated on the black sky.

"That's good. This time, I'm sure you'll be safe from harm."

'Be sure from harm'? The way it was put was such a joke. How many times now had she fought against that impossibly powerful Witch and lost?

She had lost count somewhere in the fifties, when she started to realize just how pointless it all was, and she may very well have done this hundreds, if not thousands of times now. Yet, whether she'd fought on her own or with other magical girls by her side to support her, it had never really made much of a difference. Each and every single time she'd had to repeat this exact same night, she had always fooled herself into believing that 'this time, I will definitely save her', only for such beliefs to be crushed right before her eyes once the time actually came.

More importantly, how long had it been since she'd lost hope in allying with other people and chose to do everything on her own? It had become sickening to interact with other people, yet at the same time empty to not interact with them.

It hurt.

It hurt worse than hell, but she had to pretend it didn't no matter what. If she wanted to get through this, then she would have to throw away her feelings and all notions of attachment to accomplish her goals. Akemi Homura could not afford to act like a human, because otherwise, her humanity would simply drag her down to failure yet again.

"But you know…"

As Homura was about to leave and prepare for the upcoming last battle, Madoka nervously raised her voice.

"I was just thinking… What about you? Are you gonna be safe fighting that Witch thing, Homura-chan…?"

Just for an instant, upon hearing that question, her mind flashed back to the countless times she'd had to push herself to the limits and suffer unimaginable pain as a result of Walpurgisnacht, screaming and crying, breaking all the bones in her body, and her expression darkened tremendously with dread.

"Yes. While the other magical girls couldn't have done it, I'm special because I know a way to kill it. Just focus on keeping yourself safe."

Could anyone really believe such a thing? Considering how hopelessly she had lost hundreds and hundreds of times in the past, there was a very high chance she would lose to it again. Even after having gone out of her way to learn about its attributes and obtain suitable weaponry, occasionally going out of her way just to obtain some data for next time, none of it helped. It wasn't merely a simple matter of defeating Walpurgisnacht, but also of defeating it in such a way that the resulting explosion wouldn't take an all-too-large chunk of Mitakihara with it.

Yet no such convenient method existed.

Within the span of a single month and with limited resources, it was simply impossible to accomplish. It was impossible. Impossible. Impossible. Impossible impossible impossible impossible impossible IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE something like this was so absurdly impossible for ONE STUPID LITTLE GIRL TO DO ALL ON HER OWN!

It didn't matter how many times she negated this month and repeated it, because one way or another, Madoka would still DIE. Yet, even though she'd seen it happen over and over, not once had she been able to get used to Madoka dying. Each and every time, it drove her to the edge of despair. Whether its familiars got to it, or its lasers obliterated her, or the falling rubble it caused crush her, or Kyubey uses it as an excuse to trick her into becoming a magical girl toy for his stupid entropy game…

No matter what she did, it would ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO GET TO HER.

Walpurgisnacht was a colossal Witch that ought to only be confronted once in any human's lifetime, as it brought with it natural disaster. The ultimate form of destruction, killing an uncountable number of people to die in its wake. To face it more than once would be foolhardy, and for her, who had battled it a hundred times, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that she had already long become insane for not giving up.

It wasn't merely a gigantic monster, but nature itself appearing in the form of one. How could anyone hope to defeat it? The most that had ever been accomplished was lasting until it left on its own accord.

Why was it so hellbent on taking MADOKA OF ALL PEOPLE with it? Why did it have to keep on crushing her hopes?!

Why? Why why why why WHY WHY WHY

"I see," Madoka said softly.

Still maintaining that cheerful smile, she turned around in a casual manner and started to make her way over towards the house.

"W- w- well then, it's getting late, so good luck for tomorrow! I'm sure you can do it!"

At first, the raven-haired girl could only stare at her disappearing figure in a daze. She ought to just leave her be, go back, and prepare for the final battle. To pursue the point would be to place more unnecessary emotional burden on her.

But then, driven by an ache in her heart, she opened her mouth and said, "Wait, Mado—"

"Homura-chan."

The pinkette stopped, interrupting her before she could finish.

"Um, you know, if things don't really go as, as planned…"

Then, tilting her head to face Homura once more, her expression now looked much more strained, with a crude, forced smile and tired eyes that were close to the breaking point, fighting against a flood of tears with what little energy she had left. The pretence that everything was okay had all but vanished into thin air.

"If the city ends up destroyed again, like you said…"

Having experienced far too much tragedy in the past month, she'd been reduced to a mere, broken puppet. It was understandable. This timeline had been unusually difficult, with a greater amount of Witches lurking about, causing Homura to go to take much greater risks and undergo far more effort so there'd be even the slightest chance of succeeding. Even then, over the past few weeks, all three of the magical girls had been lost.

First it was Sayaka, transforming into a Witch in the middle of the school, sucking up a majority of the student body into her barrier and causing a vast majority to be hospitalized with the unlucky few dying. Then it was Mami, who had become distressed by the revelation that they were all destined to transform into monsters sooner or later and thus committed suicide in front of her apartment. Finally, it was Kyouko, who carelessly ended up getting killed by the Witch of Shadows while Homura had been dealing with a separate enemy.

Each of these events had disastrous consequences, and the one affected the most by everything was none other than Madoka.

Having taken all of this into account, Homura had ultimately been left with no choice but to take over Madoka's life, directing her actions and movements so she wouldn't be caught in the chaos. Effectively, she was kidnapped, though she'd always followed her orders on her own free will, believing that doing this would be able to save a lot of people. As a result, this Madoka knew everything.

Really, it should've been obvious since the start that she wasn't okay with any of this, but even then, she had tried her very best to keep smiling.

"A- and if the Madoka you end up meeting after tomorrow i- i- isn't the Madoka standing right here, the 'me' that's learned all about the world of magic and you over this past month… THEN!"

It was a heartwrenching sight, bringing about pain a hundred times worse than Walpurgisnacht ever inflicted.

However, the only thing Homura could do was bear with it and listen.

No matter what it was, if it could make this broken girl even the slightest bit happier, then…

"If you don't mind," began Madoka. "…could you promise just one thing for me?"

Monday, April the 4th

Why…

Why did I have to dream that?

That dream had been a fairly recent memory of hers, having taken place the night before her last failure against Walpurgisnacht, and before she reset time again only to find herself as a powerless human who couldn't do anything. It had been a reminder of a ridiculous, impossible request that she simply couldn't risk, especially not when the past three weeks had been like this.

Suppressing the emotions that were trying to rise as a result of that dream, Homura couldn't help but notice that she was feeling out of breath, with nausea hanging over her head and a dull pounding continuing on within her chest. Her arrhythmia seemed to be acting up a little, so was it because of the dream? Or had something else happened that she couldn't quite recall? Her mind was still somewhat hazy, so it was possible.

Then, when she opened her eyes, waking up to a foreign ceiling, all those memories came pouring back. Everything that had to do with today, with the encounter with the Dessert Witch, and the consequences that were about to be suffered as a result of it.

That's right. I failed again, didn't I? Shaking her head to get rid of the thought, she tried to focus on her current circumstances.

"So… You're finally awake, Akemi-san."

"How long—was I asleep for?" asked Homura. Her throat felt hoarser than usual, but she paid it no heed as she got up from the sofa to analyze her surroundings, putting on her nearby glasses to get rid of the blurriness.

Mami's apartment.

She must've been brought here after fainting in the Witch's Lair, and judging by the crimson sky that was visible from the windowpane, some time had passed since then. The blonde was sitting on one side of the nearby table, looking at her with a worried expression on her face. Sayaka was sitting on the other side, a white towel hanging over her right shoulder to hide the arm that was no longer there, and she gave Homura a momentary glare before turning to face the window, as though disgusted by something. It didn't need to be said that Kyubey was there as well, lying on the table.

"It's been almost an hour," Mami answered in a gentle, if slightly shaky tone, continuing to eye her in uncertainty. "I, I don't want to bother you or anything, but are you okay? Feeling well?"

"I'm fine. Still a little sick due to my heart condition, but much better than back then. Sorry for making you worry about me," Homura reassured her.

"No, no, it's okay. I'm glad to hear that."

Yet, rather than be relieved, she appeared more worried than before. Was there something wrong? There must've been a reason in particular why Mami was looking at her in such a concerned way, like there was something on her face, but she couldn't imagine what or why. Whilst her arrhythmia was certainly still recovering and her body was in a bad condition, she couldn't recall sustaining any injuries or such, apart from a few scratches.

It occurred to her that, while she was asleep, the veteran magical girl might've been informed about what happened with the Dessert Witch, which could potentially prove to be really, really bad. If that were true, then what exactly had Sayaka told her?

Or, if that wasn't the case, then what could possibly worry her so badly?

Just then, Mami took out a box of tissues and held it out to her, smiling. "Um… Akemi-san, here. I'm not sure if you've noticed yet, but you're…"

"You were crying. In fact, you've been crying and muttering random stuff in your sleep for the past thirty minutes," Sayaka interjected coldly. "It was annoying."

"Ah—?"

I was . . . crying?

Just to confirm it, Homura held up her hands to touch her own cheeks, and indeed, they were drenched with tears. Now that she was actually conscious of it, her eyes were really sore too. Finally understanding the situation, she hurriedly swiped a few of the tissues, took off her glasses for a little while, and thoroughly wiped the mess on her face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mami asked again, this time in a more pressing tone.

"Yes. I am perfectly fine." Her own words sounded quiet and hollow, unsure what to make of this. "I suppose I just… had a bad dream."

"Akemi-san, you know, if you want to talk about it, then…"

"I don't," Homura ended bluntly, and that was that.

This is stupid.

I showed them something they shouldn't have seen.

If she had to put her thoughts into words, then currently, the raven-haired girl felt frustrated. Not towards the other two, but towards herself for letting Akemi Homura display such a weakness, such an unacceptable vulnerability that would only slow everyone down. Her burden was hers alone to carry, and letting other people know about what she had to go through had never, ever served anyone well.

Especially now that she was a human, she couldn't afford to show holes like this as they could easily end up being detrimental to the mission as a whole.

Homura snuck a glance at Kyubey, who returned her look with a smug, catlike smile. Damn it. Just, damn it.

"Um, anyway!" Knowing that they should start getting to the main topic, Mami sipped some tea from her cup before continuing. "Miki-san has already informed me about everything, so there's no need for you to go to the trouble of doing the same."

"Is that so?"

Once her face was dry again and her throat didn't seem quite as hoarse anymore, Homura put her glasses back on, joining the two magical girls at the table. A cup of tea had noticeably been prepared for her, though it was now cold.

On the opposite side, Sayaka hadn't tried her own tea at all, blankly staring out the windowpane.

"Do you mind if I ask what she said?"

Mami looked a little confused, but obliged anyway. "Simply put, you two got sucked into a labyrinth, had some kind of fight about whether or not it was the time to make a contract with Kyubey, and then the Witch woke up. Because of that, Miki-san went ahead, became a magical girl, and held it off until I arrived... Am I correct about this?"

"Well…"

Homura faltered for a bit, being well aware of the fact that Sayaka was scrutinizing her with every word that came out of her mouth.

Relieving though it was, she admittedly hadn't been expecting that the matter about her carrying around grenades wherever she went or having unusual knowledge on Witches hadn't been brought up, considering how easily that could ruin her image. However, since that was the case, whatever the reason for it, she wasn't about to push her luck.

"Yes. That should be about it."

After a short while, Mami let out a slightly stressed breath, feeling the need to continue as she turned to the newly-made magical girl.

"Again, Miki-san, I'm really, really sorry I didn't make it in time. Losing your arm must've been really painful, especially on your first day…"

"Hey, it's okay. It happens, right? The pain's lessened a lot now thanks to you healing the wound, and if what Kyubey says is right, it should return to normal in a few days," Sayaka reassured lightly, though it was apparent by the sound of her voice that she'd been through a lot today and was mentally exhausted.

Every now and then, her eyes would drift over to her absent right arm and twitch, ever so slightly. It must've disturbed her immensely that she didn't have a right arm to move around, but who knew what she, or Mami for that matter, was thinking about it growing back? Would they take it for granted or begin to suspect the true nature of magical girls?

"Normally, even for a magical girl, losing your limbs would be a really serious problem, but due to the nature of Sayaka's wish, she has the power of healing and regeneration!" Kyubey explained to Homura. He should be well aware by now that she couldn't care less about such details, but that wasn't going to make him shut up anytime soon, apparently.

"I guess I got lucky with my wish then, huh?"

"Let's all be grateful about that," Mami agreed hesitantly, not quite over it yet. "Well, until her arm is back, she'll be staying with me for the time being so as not to raise any suspicions. After all, she won't be able to go to school or return home like this."

"Eh, like I said, I don't mind. Losing an arm for a few days, pffft, no biggie."

That was a lie. After all that had happened in the past couple of hours, there was no way it hadn't affected Sayaka immensely, and even now, she was only barely handling it all. The façade she was putting up was so easy to see through that it was ridiculous.

"And well, if I can help take care of the other monsters lurking in Mitakihara, then that totally beats school. I mean, I'm a magical girl now. With people's lives at stake, it should be normal to skip school anyway!"

"Miki-san, you shouldn't think carelessly like that," chided Mami.

"Aw, really? But I'd say saving people is a pretty valid point to not go to school…"

"That may be so, but no matter what you are, school should still remain a priority. We can't let ourselves detach from our normal lives, because if we let that happen, then we might forget the reason why we're fighting."

"I know, I know." Sayaka waved her hand nonchalantly to toss the idea away. "Besides, if I don't attend soon, I bet Madoka and Hitomi'll get worried sick, which would definitely be bad for me. Heh."

If you cared about them so badly, then why do you always try to throw your life away for the sake of a childish dream, each and every time?

"I see," Homura said.

When she spoke out, the sound of her voice made Sayaka freeze abruptly, as if she'd heard something unpleasant, before she sat back and assumed a colder demeanor.

It was to remind her that, this time, without a doubt, it had become impossible for Homura to connect with her anymore. It should've been obvious that things would've turned out this way sooner or later, but even then, she had tried to fight reality. Yet all those thoughts of an alternative may have been nothing more than wishful thinking.

It wasn't like she hadn't tried, because she had. She really had tried her very best, but just like that, it turned out to be for naught. Too many factors had played against her, no doubt due to Kyubey's manipulation, and what little establishment of trust they had between each other had ended up smashed into pieces, without any further chance of reconciliation.

"Mami-san, you remember our discussion, right?" The blunette said in a bored tone, addressing her senpai. "Now's as good a time as any, don't you think?"

In response, Mami nodded slightly. "I guess you may be right."

"Discussion?"

Something about the way it was put gave Homura a bad feeling.

"Well, Akemi-san, how should I put this?" she began reluctantly, somewhat at a loss for words, but she continued on nonetheless. "If you recall, this is the third time you nearly ended up killed by a Witch, and the third time I've had to save you. I thought I could keep on protecting you until you made your decision, but it's getting more and more dangerous now. As your senpai and your friend, I hate to say this, but I'm sure it's becoming obvious to the both of us that… that things can't keep on going like this."

It didn't take half a brain to figure out the meaning behind her words. Had things continued on as they were, it would've logically led to this sooner or later. But even then, Homura was finding it hard to process what she was trying to say.

"What do you mean, Tomoe-san?"

"I mean that you have a choice." Firmly and with determination, Mami's eyes met with hers, conveying to her that this was a serious matter. "You can either make your wish, join us as a magical girl and help destroy the Witches that plague humanity… or you can part with us here and return to your safe, ordinary life."

What?

My 'ordinary life'?

"I really don't want to force you into doing this, but it's for your own good. You know that, right?"

"For... my own good?"

Don't be so ridiculous!

On an impulse, she slammed her hands on the table and stood up. At this point, it was becoming difficult to stay composed, because a result like this was utterly UNACCEPTABLE. With things as bad as they were, if she wasn't around to monitor them, then who knows what would happen? Did they expect her to just sit around and wait for the end to come while they went about their own lives ignorant of the danger yet to come?!

"That's…"

"After everything we've been through, I know it might be hard, but we have to settle this," Mami explained patiently, lightening her tone in an effort to make her understand how important this was. "This is the third time you've nearly died due to involving yourself in our world, so I don't… I don't want a repeat of today's events!"

Homura opened her mouth to say something in protest, but found that she couldn't. Nothing was coming to mind.

From a normal perspective, it was a perfectly valid point. She couldn't keep relying on Mami to rescue her each and every single time a monster got to her, and since things had gone this way, it was impossible to expect that they would just let a sick, physically weak human accompany them during future battles. In that regard, there was no way to talk her way out and resolve things.

Her fists clenched tight and an overwhelming amount of frustration flowed through her. Standing on her own in the presence of two actual magical girls, she could feel an immense amount of pressure weighing down on her.

"But…"

However, there were things far more important than herself.

If she withdrew from their activities here, then how could she warn them about potential threats in the future or prepare them for the coming of Walpurgis Night? How could she manage them so that they didn't do something dumb without her knowledge and ended up dead, or worse, before that time actually came?

Because of that, something like this would set her back far too much, and what little chance she did have at succeeding would disappear away into nothingness. No matter what, she couldn't just leave these two as they were!

"But I can't just…!"

"You can't just WHAT, transfer student?"

All of a sudden, Sayaka snapped, standing up from the table to face her directly with a pissed off look on her face. While doing so, the towel hanging over her shoulder fell off, revealing an unsightly, fleshy stump where her right arm should be. A grim reminder not only of the preceding events, but also of the danger they faced in having to battle Witches overall. Something like that... was supposed to grow back into an arm in just a few days?

"If you can't just sit around and watch while other people get hurt, then make your f***king wish and become a magical girl! If you can't do that, then run off back to your normal life and don't get in our way! It's THAT simple! How can you be so stupid as to think that you could help us in any way the way you are right now?!"

Miki Sayaka…

For once, can't you stop being such a foolish idiot?

Are you that determined to sabotage the safety of your own best friend?!

"Does knowing my true opinion about you anger you that much, Sayaka?" Homura retorted immediately, sharply turning towards her without stopping to think through what she was about to say. "I'm sure that you brought up this topic to Mami so that you could get rid of me!"

"And what's wrong with that? After today, did you seriously think that I'd just let you—!"

"Akemi-san, Miki-san. Both of you, calm down."

Mami spoke gently, making them conscious of their anger and thus stopping the two from making things worse.

"Miki-san was a lot ruder than she needed to be… but she has a point. It's not just a matter of the rivalry you two have. By now, you've seen more than enough of the world of magical girls, and it'll only make our jobs harder by letting you come along on further hunts. You know that your life is in danger whenever we do this, and you know that we can't keep saving you. You've nearly died twice now, first with that Darkness Witch, and then this. You're already weak due to your heart condition, so things like this will only put a strain on you as you are."

Her eyes narrowed in concern.

"If you have any reason why we should let you come along as you are, then please… Tell us."

With both Sayaka and Mami looking at her expectantly, waiting for her response, what was Homura expected to answer with?

That she wasn't a normal human?

That she was actually a former magical girl who had repeated time over and over and experienced countless alternate futures, grasping all possible advantages that she had available to best improve her chances?

Why have things gone this way?

A part of her did actually want to tell them the truth but, more than anything else, the look that Mami had on her face kept her from doing so. That motherly look that reminded her of all the times in the past she had made things go wrong.

Every time the truth had to be revealed to that girl, it was painful to watch as that façade of hers broke apart, giving way to utter despair. It would be much too painful for her to handle, driving her to resort to drastic actions. For that was the kind of person Mami was.

"Well, what's your answer, Akemi-san?"

Could she? Could she afford to reveal the truth here? Would it even help her mission better?

Knowing that she didn't have much of a choice, she forced herself to come to a decision.

"Tomoe-san. I'm sorry, but…"

So,

that was that.

Taking a deep breath to relax her nerves, Homura stood by the balcony for a little while, staring out at the landscape of Mitakihara from this height with the elevator and Mami's room nearby. By now, her arrhythmia had calmed down even though she was still a little lightheaded, so it should be safe to head back home without the risk of fainting.

Only a couple of minutes ago, she had made her decision to quit and return to her so-called 'ordinary life', so it appeared that she wouldn't be able to come to this apartment regularly anymore for the sake of hunting Witches with the others. Due to that, she had no choice but to work around this horrible inconvenience one way or another.

Perhaps she could monitor them from afar periodically without them finding out. She had done it before, but now that she wasn't a magical girl anymore, it would a much harder task to prepare the necessary equipment. Still, it wasn't impossible.

It can't be helped. I can't make a wish yet, but I also can't let them know the truth.

While she was lost in thought, she glanced at the hallway to analyze it. The elevator was over to her right, and to her left, various apartment rooms were lined up, some with residents and some without. Otherwise, apart from her, no one else was standing around.

At least, that was the case until the door directly behind her opened up, and a certain blonde girl walked out.

"Akemi-san."

"Hm? I already gave you my answer, didn't I?" Homura asked. "I'm afraid I won't be changing my mind anytime soon."

"I know, but there's something else that I needed to tell you about earlier… without Miki-san around to hear it. She's currently taking a shower, so I thought it best to tell you now."

Something else to tell? Frowning, Homura turned around to face her. Even if she disliked Sayaka, she couldn't imagine what could possibly be so important as to have to hide it from her. Regardless, she knew that she would have to listen. "What do you mean?"

"It's about your friend…

Uh, Madoka, was it?"

...

MADOKA?

At the mention of a word, of a single name this woman should most definitely not know in this timeline, Homura's entire existence had frozen. What exactly was this about? What happened? What happened that she hadn't been aware of?!

Do not panic.

Stay calm.

You must... stay calm. 

"D- did something happen with her?" asked Homura, keeping herself together.

"How should I put it? Um, this was while I was rushing to save you both…" Mami paused whilst being unsure what to say, making her all the more tense.

Did something happen to her?! Now that she thought about it, when they'd been dragged into the Dessert Witch's Lair, she had pushed her out of the way just in time so that she wouldn't be caught too… What had that girl done afterwards? Since her friends disappeared in thin air without explanation, she must've done something reckless like calling the police, or worse. How could such an important detail have possibly been missed?

"Tomoe Mami, please just tell me already." Her voice sounded strained with worry.

At that, the blonde finally decided to give in, figuring that it had to be said.

"I found her in the Witch's Lair, looking for the two of you. I had to reassure her that I would do this myself before leading her back out, telling her to wait in the hospital lobby. I was planning to meet her there afterwards to discuss about magical girls, but with Miki-san's arm and your condition, well—"

"H- how would she… No, more importantly, you mean she's still waiting there RIGHT NOW?" It was impossible to hide the panic in her tone at this rate, but that didn't matter. She should've known about this much sooner. If only she hadn't fainted at the very last moment, then perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way.

"Yes, she probably is," admitted Mami. "I don't know how she got into the lair without being a magical girl, but it's possible that it might be due to her massive latent potential. It's so powerful that even I can feel it. In fact-"

While she was speaking, Homura fumbled through her bag for her phone, which she had put on silent during the battle against the Dessert Witch. For whatever reason, calling was only possible one-way within such barriers, so there was an extremely high chance that Madoka would've been trying to call her throughout all that time without success…and the message telling her that she had twenty-seven missed calls said it all.

In her head, a vision crossed her mind. A young pink-haired girl in her school uniform, sitting in the hospital lobby all on her own in the presence of strangers, holding back her severe distress while waiting for her friends to reappear, or at the very least return her calls.

"There's also something else I wanted to ask."

"Yes, what is it?" The raven-haired girl was midway through dialing her number, about to do just that, when Mami interrupted.

"You didn't introduce her to Kyubey, did you?"

"…!"

Wha…

"Kyubey and her recognised each other on the spot. She seemed to know everything too... About how I was a magical girl, about what I was going to do, and about how we were all in the lair of a Witch. All of it."

Wha… What?

What did you just say? Is that supposed to be a joke? That's A JOKE, RIGHT?!

If Homura had been panicked before, now her state of mind had gone into overdrive. Unable to breathe, her head was beginning to get dizzy, and her thoughts were rushing in an incoherent chaotic flurry within.

How would she even know about that?!

No, no, wait, that BASTARD INCUBATOR must have gone and met her anyway even though I'd kept telling him not to! Of course he wouldn't give a damn as to what I want, and I really am powerless to stop him, but still, I HOPED!

Urgh, but, but I did talk to her about how it was important not to make a wish for anything, right? RIGHT? So, as long as she listened and didn't give in to any of his requests like I said, then she should be safe… But knowing Incubator, he would definitely try to manipulate her somehow, and if she's aware of magic, then that makes things far more complicated.

But she hasn't made a contract yet. If she had, Mami would have said so. She would have told me.

It's… It's good that Tomoe Mami hasn't had a chance to talk to her yet about that, or that she hasn't told Sayaka about this yet, or else she might've tried to rope her into their little group too! But even so… How? How the hell am I supposed to deal with this situation?!

Releasing herself from her nauseous flurry of thoughts, she gave her answer to Mami.

"It wasn't me... Sayaka wouldn't have either. Or at least I don't think so... Most likely, Kyubey must've found her on his own."

"I see," Mami said. "I was in a hurry, so we didn't really get the chance to chat last time. In that case, would you mind if I went to find her-"

"No," Homura responded instantly, with far more sharpness than she'd intended.

C...

Calm down.

It's fine. This isn't the first time such a thing has happened. Just handle this like you always do.

"I- I mean, Tomoe-san," forcing a smile, Homura waved her hands about in apology, "there's no need for you to bother. I'll talk to her myself."

After a pause, Mami nodded. "Ah. Yes, it's probably for the best that a friend tells her. You're probably going through a lot right now, but I hope it's alright. Thank you."

Homura proceeded to turn around, with phone still in hand. Setting up an observation post could wait. Apparently, there was a much higher priority that she needed to take care of first and foremost.

She couldn't allow herself to get distracted by trivial details such as this when the very person she was trying to save might end up being entangled into the dangerous world of magic if not stopped, especially when the situation was how it was. If only she had something apart from grenades in her arsenal that could use, then she may be able to turn things around just slightly more in her favor.

Something that could definitely help for the future against potential threats, the kind of weapon that even she could use despite her arrhythmia.

Something, like a—

"Tomoe-san."

Just as Mami was about to head back into her apartment, she paused and glanced over her shoulder. "What is it, Akemi-san?"

"If you don't mind, since this may be the last time we meet… Just in case I run into another familiar or Witch, could I um, have one of your guns?" Homura requested.

As things were in this timeline, there had been no way for her to obtain any weaponry, considering the strict gun laws in place here and the impossibility of raiding a police station or the Yakuza whilst powerless. It was strange as to why doing this hadn't occurred to her until just now – perhaps she merely wasn't used to asking help of this kind from other magical girls, having always prepared her own equipment.

A look of surprise crossed Mami's face for a moment, taken off-guard by such a bold request.

"A gun, Akemi-san?"

But, it was soon replaced with a relaxed smile.

"Of course. Always worried about your own safety, aren't you? Hehehe, very well then... I suppose it'll give me some peace of mind too." Reaching into her pocket, she took out an egg-like gold jewel, the magical artifact that contained both her soul and her powers. "Akemi-san, pull up your sleeve. Think of this as our parting gift."

Homura followed along, pulling up her right sleeve all the way up to the shoulder, making her pale skin and frailness all the more evident. Once she'd done so, Mami drew closer, and the the Soul Gem began to glow brightly.

Golden light enveloped Homura's figure. Then, a long, bright yellow ribbon emerged from Mami's gem, wrapped itself around her right arm, tightening from her shoulder all the way down to her wrist, where its ends were knotted into a nice bow. The ribbon felt surprisingly soft around her skin, like silk - and most importantly, the clear brimming of magical power could be sensed emanating from it. It wasn't anywhere near as much as being an actual magical girl, but for once, Homura finally felt a little less powerless than she'd been throughout the whole cycle.

"There, all done!" Mami clapped her hands together in satisfaction, letting out an exhausted sigh. It seemed to genuinely drained her. "It should activate when you pull it off, and I've put a lot of magic into it. It's about as strong as my Tiro Finale, so it'll definitely be able to help you in a pinch… Though, my rifles only come with one shot each so it might not be that useful, so—"

"No, not at all. This is really good... Perfect, actually. Thank you, Tomoe-san."

To show her gratitude and reassure her, Homura gave a small nod.

True, it wasn't the best, and it might not mean much in the long run. But it was comforting to know that she now had something that could actually be used effectively against a Witch, unlike the grenades, even if it was only once. Even though a month had gone by without shooting anything, she was still confident enough in her aim to hit a moving monster with a rifle. For certain, she would have to take care to use this one-time weapon only when it was most necessary.

"Well, that's all. Miki-san should be just about done now. We'll still see each other at school, but…" As the blonde headed back towards the nearby door, she waved behind her. "Goodbye, Akemi-san! It was fun while it lasted~"

"Uh, bye."

There was no way that this was going to be the last time they would meet. Still, for now, it was true that they wouldn't be seeing each other. She wasn't exactly fond of just sitting back and letting things take their course, but they had to be dealt with one step at a time.

While they were apart, she would have to establish some sort of way to observe the activities of the two magical girls, but as of this very moment, there was a matter more important that needed to be attended to.

Now then, next is…!

Once she'd disappeared into the apartment, Homura let out a sigh, before suddenly rushing over towards the elevator in a hurry, opening it with a button, and quickly entering to press the button that would take her down to the first floor. At the same time, her right hand had been panickedly dialing in Madoka's number into her phone in order to return her few dozen missed calls.

How long had Madoka been waiting now? An hour, was it?

She had to respond and tell her that they were all alright as soon as possible!

"HOMURA-CHAN, IS THAT YOU?!" It took only a split second for her call to get answered, and a high-pitched shriek came from the other side.

"MADOKA, I'M SO SORRY!" As soon as that highly distressed voice had rung in her ears, Homura responded with a lot more emotion than she'd been intending, holding up her phone as she yelled into it an equal amount of panic. "Things just happened, and I, I couldn't answer my phone, and I apologize so so so much for worrying you!"

"U- u- um…"

Perhaps it was due to the unexpected intensity and emotion contained in her apology that Madoka was temporarily stunned, but it didn't take too long for her to regain her speech.

"Th- th- thank goodness you're okay, Homura-chan… I've been worried sick!" She stuttered lightly, overcome with extreme relief. By the sound of her voice, she must've been crying not too long ago. "W- well, where are you now? Are you safe? Not hurt or anything? You didn't have another seizure, did you?"

"It's… It's alright, it was a little messy, but nothing bad happened. I'm fine. Actually, I'm coming back from Tomoe-san's apartment now."

"M- Mami-senpai? Right, of course you are… Um. Homura-chan, is it okay if I ask what happened...?"

"About that. If it's okay, can it wait until tomorrow? I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm feeling very tired right now so…" In other words, she needed some time to sort out the events of today and retell them in such a way that they wouldn't negatively affect her.

"I- it's okay! Don't force yourself, Homura-chan! Tomorrow's fine, yeah!"

Though Homura understood that it was highly inappropriate at this time, she couldn't help but think just how cute Madoka sounded, even when badly distressed.

Then, once the elevator reached the ground, opening to let her out, she decided to add one other thing that she had almost forgotten about. "Ah, by the way, I don't think Sayaka will be coming to school for a few days."

"Oh, that's oka-… Wait, wait, what happened to Sayaka-chan?!"

The raven-haired girl walked out onto the streets, with the night sky hanging over her, and for a moment, she had to close her eyes to contemplate what to say, what to reveal – didn't Mami say that she already knew about the world of magical girls? She must have some faint idea on the reason why exactly the two of them had disappeared into nowhere.

Then, in that case…

"Sayaka has become a magical girl."

"Ah—" At the mention of 'magical girl', Madoka's voice faltered somewhat, as if in shock. 

"Because of that, she may be busy training with Tomoe-san for the next couple of days, so she won't be coming to school for a little while…" A pause. Did she make a mistake? "U- uh, if you don't know what I'm talking about, please forget-"

"I- I see! Is that so?! That's… really great for her then! I, I, I'm surprised you know about that stuff too, Homura-chan!"

"…Yes. To be honest, there's a lot for me to take in today," she responded truthfully.

That confirmed it.

Somehow, she'd been hoping that Madoka would've had no idea what she was talking about, in which case she would've passed it off as a test or joke, but judging by her reaction and words, what Mami told her had been undoubtedly confirmed.

Incubator, how dare you…!

How long had Madoka known now, and what did she think about it? In any case, it was imperative that they thoroughly discussed it in person the next time they were together.

Although, how could she possibly tell her that Sayaka had become a lost cause? That it would be for the best to give up on her now that things had turned out this way? It would be an utter betrayal of her trust, and the promise that they had made together. There was no way to deal with it. It was a hopeless case, so all she could do was attempt to avoid that particular subject for as long as possible. The thought bothered her greatly.

In an attempt to change the topic, she said, "So you're at the hospital now, correct?"

"Um, yeah, but my mom said she'll be arriving to pick me up in a minute or so…"

"That's good to hear. It'd be too dangerous for you to walk at night all alone..." At that moment, tears had begun to fall from her cheeks for some reason, though she hoped that it wouldn't be noticed over the call. "A- again, I'm so sorry for worrying you today, Madoka. I'm sure we're both tired right now, so let's talk about it tomorrow, alright? Please?"

"Alright, Homura-chan, if you say so…"

"Thank you."

"Mhm."

"Right."

"Um..."

"..."

"..."

An awkward silence ensued between the two of them, lasting for a short while as neither of them were sure what to say to the other.

Then, "Ah, I think I see my mom's car!"

"Is that so? H- h- have a safe trip home, Madoka."

"Um, you too, Homura-chan!"

Afterwards, Madoka hung up, and Homura let out an exasperated sigh whilst walking alone along the dark streets, heading towards her own home. Of course, there was no way Madoka would be fine with just that, but she was going to make sure to have a long, long conversation with her later on about all that had happened, once she had put all her own thoughts in order.

Even now, her head was one big mess, and it was hard to stop herself from crying silently with each step she took. A lot had happened today, too many horrible things occurring that set her back. From Sayaka becoming a magical girl, to allowing herself to be tricked by that Incubator, to being kicked out from Mami's little group for 'her own good', it all frustrated her so much that, truly, she wanted to scream. After all her sleepless nights, all but one of her grenades had been lost, and despite all her efforts, Kyubey had still come into contact with Madoka.

It seemed that all her efforts to make things better were met with even greater force, the balance between hope and despair being strictly maintained.

However, there was always a way to move on.

Homura held up her right arm, pulling her sleeve a bit to look at the yellow cloth wrapped around it like bandages, as though confirming that she now had a weapon. It would only allow her one shot, but even that was much, much better than nothing. If it was as strong as she hoped, then as long as she kept herself focused, it would be possible to kill one Witch on her own. Just one, but that meant the world.

More importantly, even after everything that had happened, there was still one more factor that had yet to enter the fray, something had the potential to drastically boost her chances and offer some aid to this hopelessness. If she played her cards correctly, then perhaps, she might be able to change things in her favor by gaining the trust of that factor.

That is to say, the Puella Magi who would be arriving within the next week to challenge Mami and Sayaka over their territory, and the last member of the magical quartet - Sakura Kyouko. The most stable, clearheaded, and trustworthy of them all.

It was still possible. While her movements would be unpredictable for the first day or so as she randomly explored Mitakihara, getting a feel for it, it wouldn't take too long until she adapted to a predictable schedule and pattern, making it much easier to confront her. Even if she was a human now, with the appropriate first impression and demonstration of her competence, a detail like that might just be overlooked should she get lucky. There must be a way.

Akemi Homura, you have faced situations like this countless times in the past.

Therefore, handle this like you have handled every other time.

You are a machine who lacks human emotions. There is but one purpose in your life.

"So keep on going," she affirmed to herself in a whisper, steeling her resolve as she reached her own house, fully intent on preparing for the next day. "Keep on going, until you reach the end of this long nightmare..."

Amongst others, she would have to prepare a way to spy on the two magical girls, develop a strategy for getting Kyouko on her side, and of course, prevent Madoka from making a contract.

With that in mind, she took a deep breath to clear her mind, wiping away the tears in her eyes, and unlocked the door in front of her with a key before proceeding to open it.

"Nyan."

"G- gaaaah?!"

All of a sudden, Homura jolted in surprise, stumbling backwards as a very familiar black cat greeted her from within her own home. The feline creature stared at her with blank curiosity, tilting its head as it did so. "Nyan?"

"Curse you, Amy… Are you trying to make me suffer too—?!"

Chapter Text

Tuesday, April the 5th
 

Mitakihara Middle School.

Once a quaint school in a small, peaceful town, with few to no notable characteristics with which to make it stand out. For the better half of a century, this place had a quiet existence.

Soon, however, businesses stumbled upon the land around Mitakihara Town amidst the ongoing economic boom, and quickly came to understand its true value. They played it smart at first, beginning with low-scale yet essential infrastructure; only when the economic bubble had predictably burst to disastrous effect did they unveil their grandiose projects. From then on, development of the town gained an unprecedented traction, attracting many dissatisfied investors, bringing in all those whom refused to let their dreams die in the wake of financial chaos. Ultimately, the town ended up being shaped into a much-needed crutch for Japan to lean on. The development spread exponentially, growing and expanding until it even rivalled Tokyo in certain areas of the industry - and just like that, the once quiet Mitakihara Town had transformed into a bustling city.

However, even during that boom, the public school stubbornly remained the same. A result of unwillingness to embrace change.

Only two things changed during Mitakihara's urbanization. Firstly, that the outside had become much louder due to the industrialization. Secondly, that the inside had gotten far quieter in contrast, with most of their prospective students being stolen away by newer, more advanced private institutions in the nearby area. Not only was it suffering financially, but it also faced scrutiny from the local populace. If it had to be described in one sentence, it would've been 'that cheap school filled with delinquent kids whose tuition fees parents couldn't be bothered to pay'. The school struggled to maintain its identity, and the more time went by, the more it became impossible to justify its own existence to the government. This was the consequence Mitakihara Middle School had to suffer as a result of defying progression, defying the flow of time.

Then, a miracle happened. When all seemed inevitable, a mysterious woman in a suit paid a visit. She wandered the grounds, asking technical questions to passersby until a teacher recognized her as a former student. It seemed this former student had since overcome the odds to succeed as a great businesswoman overseas, happening to be close when she spontaneously decided to drop by. Yet, instead of the beloved old-fashioned facility she remembered, she found that the school had fallen into even worse condition, and in more ways than one at that. With a sour system, uncaring student body, and inexperienced staff who were simply failing to cope with the rapid industrialization of Mitakihara, all of these factors had contributed towards an increasingly poor reputation, bringing it close to the brink of utter collapse. Then, upon a cold, practical examination, without being blinded by nostalgia, the woman eventually determined to extend her services towards the staff, free of charge.

To them, she must have seemed like a saviour. The school closed down temporarily, requiring a complete reconstruction. The people had their doubts. Yet, the moment it reopened, it was unrecognisable. Any idea of it being 'outdated' ended up being thoroughly eliminated. The woman had utilized her highest grade contacts, bringing in advanced trainers and famous architects from all over the globe.

In the span of that one year, it had been converted from a remnant of the old world into a prime example of the new one, practically raising the bar for all Japanese secondary schools. A transformation from an embarrassment of the town to a centerpiece of the town, a symbol of its economy. Just like that, people were clamouring to get their students to attend as a result of all the new, daring features shown as well as, of course, the fact that it was a public school. Not to say that they were universally accepted as a standard either. It could be said that utilizing Renaissance-era-themed ultramodern architecture and interior design may have been going a little…too far for a mere middle school. While Mitakihara Middle School kept news of her involvement lowkey, letting its reform speak for itself, the story was told by teachers and graduates alike. They called her the 'Guardian Angel of Mitakihara', refusing to let such outrageous generosity ever be forgotten—but even those who met her couldn't be sure if she had really existed.

After all, why would anyone do such a thing? Perhaps she saw it as an easy opportunity to make a profit. Perhaps it was a matter of pride, the fact being that she had come from such a place making it unacceptable for her to leave it below her standards. Or perhaps it was just mercy, as in she'd seen people in need, and innocently decided to try and help them out without regard for the impact. Whatever the case, no one knew the answer to it.

It was something Homura used to wonder about in the past. However, as she spent more and more time within this peculiar building, and as the resets dragged on, she'd grown apathetic to it.

For all its spectacular qualities, the one quality this school lacked was stability. Like the rest of Mitakihara, so obsessed with spectacle, its attempt to dazzle the world was fated to backfire—once the Night of Walpurgis arrives, all the dreams poured into this brilliant architecture are fated to shatter into pieces, reduced to indiscernible rubble. No exceptions.

Really, after everything she'd been through, there was only one truth Homura knew about this building for sure.

—whoever made this was probably someone in pain.

It wasn't really a feeling she could describe.

Just something she could... inherently tell.

The Neo-Classical entrance, towering over her like a mini-cathedral, casting a large shadow onto a portion of the whole area. The cold, pearl-white floor, stretching across the horizon as it messed with perception. The vast fences, tall and imposing, blocking students off from the ever vaster blue sky just beyond – there was no proper way to put it into words, but the so-called Guardian Angel must have been in pain to produce such a place.

There was so much empty space that it made her feel isolated just by sitting here. And yet at the same time, there was some strange comfort to be found. It was almost like the barrier of a Witch with the way it cut itself off from reality, only without actually rejecting society.

It had been two weeks since Homura last came here. Back then, she'd ended up having that argument with Sayaka about wishes in this very spot, right in front of…

"Madoka?"

Taking her mind off the subject, Homura decided to return to the present and break the long silence between them.

She turned towards the pink-haired girl, who sat next to her on the bench. Wanting to know as soon as possible, Madoka had made her skip the first few classes for this conversation, which was pretty understandable. After all,

"Sorry, Homura-chan." Madoka was holding her head downwards, but still tried to smile a bit. Trying to cheer herself up more than anything. "I just need a moment… Okay?"

"I understand. If you have any questions-"

"D- don't worry about it." the pinkette replied nervously.

"Ah." To that, Homura could only nod.

Of course, she hadn't told the entire truth. Just enough to be considered truth. About how they encountered a Witch on their way home, how they met a veteran magical girl and Kyubey, how Mami took them to fight monsters, so that they could see what being a magical girl was all about. About how Sayaka had to make a wish in order to save them from another Witch, naturally not mentioning the missing arm. And about how Homura was no longer involved with them. This was far from the first time Homura had held such a serious conversation with a timeline's Madoka, so her explanation came out very fluidly.

In turn, Madoka had confirmed her own side of the story. It was essentially what she'd pieced together from her behaviour as well as Mami's testimony. A few days ago, Kyubey personally approached Madoka, offering a wish, and in turn the girl refused, saying she needed to think about it. So much later on, when her two friends were dragged into the Dessert Witch's barrier, she must've known exactly what went on, heading after them. Homura was so grateful for all the hypothetical conversations they'd already had about wishes - otherwise, that girl may have made a wish right then and there.

As much as the frustration boiled within her about these terrifying current circumstances, there was another aspect of her mind further back, growing with every reset.

A jaded side, unsurprised about how royally screwed up things turned out in yet another timeline. The idea that it was no big deal that Madoka was sad alone, that it was no big deal that Madoka had found out about magical girls alone, that she would make a contract again and that she would die again. And perhaps even more than that - the idea that she'd already stopped caring about everyone else.

The time-traveler attempted to remain as composed as possible. Still, it scared her. The possibility that she could do this many times that she stopped caring about the very things she were fighting to save… In the past, she would catch herself already thinking about what she would do 'next time', as if already expecting to fail again.

As twisted as it sounded, the fact that she'd somehow went back to being human had actually cleared her mind somewhat, grounding her to the reality of what she truly wanted to achieve. But…this was also something that she understood would not last forever. If Homura couldn't get what she wanted when she had the amazing powers of a magical girl, it was, to put it bluntly, IMPOSSIBLE as a human. Especially one with a severe heart problem and frail physical state. If anything, she'd been incredibly lucky to have made it this far as she was, and even if she'd been estranged from the other two magical girls, she had Mami's weapon to hold on a little longer.

Homura didn't care about keeping or saving her own humanity. Whatever the reason for it, whatever curse had befallen her, this humanity was very temporary. Not something to be appreciated, but merely a means to an end.

What Homura was aiming for was the opportunity to make a second wish.

After all, if she could make it to the 1st of May, with everyone alive…

If, somehow, she made it to the 1st of May,

she had only one wish:

TO KILL WALPURGISNACHT.

Then maybe, just maybe, they could all finally wake from this nightmare.

"I'm sorry, Homura-chan…"

A voice of light roused her back to reality.

The girl let out a deep breath. "I'm really sorry. I was right there all this time but I didn't know what Sayaka-chan and you were going through, and I still made you make that promise... If I knew, I would've…"

"Madoka." Homura shook her head. "It was a responsibility I took upon myself. I was foolish to think I could" save her "keep her from that world. That's all."

With those words, her heart hardened. The fact that Homura had actually dared to have hopes of saving that idiot had been ridiculous. This timeline was like all the others. Thus, it had to be treated like all the others. There was no choice but to move on towards a better, if not perfect future, with the results that only cold logic would bring.

"Mm. Sayaka-chan likes to rush into trouble, doesn't she? I guess that's no surprise…"

With a nervous sigh, it looked like Madoka had calmed down, although it looked like something was still bothering her. With a hint of guilt, she twiddled her thumbs a bit, unsure of what exactly to say or how to put it.

"Homura-chan, I'm sorry... for keeping it a secret. For not telling you about Kyubey before. I was asked to keep it a secret"

"I see." It made sense. Knowing what Homura's motives were, the Incubator naturally attempted to operate behind her back anyway. He had no reason to listen to her, and without her time manipulation magic, she wasn't even remotely a threat.

On the other hand, it stung a little. More than Kyubey's betrayal, it stung that her best friend had opted to hide such an important secret away from her. But she couldn't let that bother her . After all, if she were mad about that, she may as well be the Witch of Hypocrisy.

Strained purple eyes met with confused pink.

"Madoka. It's okay." In any case, this was a good opportunity, since there was something far more important that needed to be addressed right now. Her main and ultimate priority, even above killing Walpurgisnacht. "I know this must sound crazy, but you can't trust him. He'll make it sound fancy, but there's nothing but pain and regret if you accept that contract. I'm… I'm just really grateful that you refused Kyubey."

At that, Madoka froze.

"Please. If we're friends at all, then, could you grant me a wish of my own?" And so, Homura begged her one request. "Don't get fooled by Kyubey, and don't listen to Sayaka either if she starts asking you to join in…Don't involve yourself with magical girls. The price to have a wish granted, it just isn't worth it."

The subject of her endless worry stared back, wordlessly, for a time. Although she tended to be especially transparent about her emotions, right now, she was unreadable.

What was Madoka thinking?

How did Madoka see her, and how was she feeling about all this?

Then her lips opened, as if to voice her thoughts, "I mean, you've been opposed to the idea of wishes for so long now… It was one of the first things we talked about over the phone, and you also argued with Sayaka-chan about it. It's just a thought I had, but, now that I know what magical girls are… Looking back, it's kinda like you knew what what they were? Maybe before we first met. And not just that, it's like… Do you know something I don't, Homura-chan? About magical girls?"

Homura hesitated to answer, but knew she couldn't just pretend everything was normal at this point. Otherwise, there would be no way to justify her fears, there would be no way to have others take her warnings seriously. Staying silent couldn't be an option either, or else she'd risk alienating her own best friend like she did Sayaka. Just recalling the cold glare the blunette had given her, even doing the unthinkable, even leaving her to die against the Dessert Witch—selfish as it was, that was something she absolutely didn't want to happen.

With that in mind, Homura could only respond, "Yes… but I can't tell you."

Madoka seemed to react to that answer, wavering slightly.

"You can't tell me?"

"I just can't."

"That doesn't make any sense." Madoka's worry deepened, those eyes of hers brimming with confusion, but also concern.

"You don't need to know anything." Homura averted her own eyes.

"I… don't need to know?"

"It's just how it is."

"Homura-chan, if this involves Sayaka-chan, I have to know. I have a right to know, don't I?" Ignorant as she was, slowly getting frustrated, Madoka pressed on. "Sayaka-chan's a magical girl now, right? I want to know if she's gonna be okay."

"As long as Tomoe Mami's with her, she'll be safe," muttered Homura, trying to put energy into her false reassurance. "It'll be okay. Honestly. There's nothing to worry about, Madoka. I'm just,"

"Homura-chan, that doesn't make me feel much better. I don't know what's happening, but it sounds scary serious… This isn't a topic I can drop."

"Madoka, I don't want to talk about it."

"What's going on?"

"Please, Madoka."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Ma… doka…"

When Kaname Madoka looked at her, out of pure concern, out of blind trust, the kindness was akin to the worst kind of cruelty. How could she possibly answer? This hadn't been a conversation Homura anticipated on having, not right now, especially not this soon. The very fact that Kyubey had contacted Madoka was now exposing all the careless, contradictory remarks Homura let out up until this point. There was no way to answer that trust, not without irrevocably hurting her.

"Homura-chan?" muttered Madoka.

"Let's drop this issue."

Homura turned away from her most treasured friend and stood up from the bench, intending to leave just like that. Unable to say anything further, she forcefully concluded the conversation.

There was no other choice. So she shut her emotions off and walked onwards, refusing to look behind her shoulder as much as she wanted to. That was all she could do. To leave, and focus on the mission. It couldn't all just be explained away. Homura hated having to keep secrets, Homura hated having to carry this IMPOSSIBLE BURDEN all alone, it was hard, it was difficult, it was painful, but Madoka simply couldn't know the truth. If she was going to be happy, now and in the future, she couldn't know the harsh reality that magical girls faced. Especially now that her own childhood friend had contracted. Silence was the only option for success. But with every repeat, the silence only became heavier, the pain harsher. This was exactly the reason why she'd kept her distance so much; to spend too much time around the one she treasured above all would only result in hurting her further, like right now.

The empty school rooftop was as imposing as ever as she walked along its floor, surrounded by dull colours of marble. With the stillness and the emptiness hanging in the air, it was not unlike the feeling of timelessness. This was far from the first time she'd had a painful conversation with her beloved, and far from the first time she had to make an exit without revealing anything. Only, this was the first time that she could not simply freeze time and 'disappear' from Madoka's view. The exit appeared far away, but in truth it was merely fifty meters away, so this painful walk would only last a little longer.

Thus, she approached the end-

The warmth of two petite hands grasped onto her own, pulling her back.

Confused for the first few seconds, she let the sensation enter her system. These hands belonged to Madoka, there was no doubt. Whether Homura was aware of it or not, she slowly looked around her. "M- Madoka…?"

Madoka was standing directly behind. Her face so close, taking up most of her field of vision. The urge to instinctively reach out and feel the soft texture on her cheeks was suppressed. And, with such undeserved closeness, the radiance of those milky rose-coloured eyes were simply too captivating to ignore. Full of withheld tears as well as determination, those same eyes peered through her. Homura found herself entranced by adorability.

"I'm sorry," whispered Madoka, looking onwards.

Her heart sank. This was the third apology Madoka had given her in the span of a single conversation, even though she was absolutely justified in everything she was saying. What she was saying made perfect sense, it was Homura who was the anomaly, the one out of time. She didn't need to apologise! If Homura didn't leave immediately, there would only be further pain, further regret. Yet, just looking away - when her most precious friend looked so distressed - was something she could not do.

"Please forget what I told you before. I appear to have been confused," responded Homura, opting to keep up her cold, robotic persona instead. If nothing else, she could do this. "Now, if you don't mind, I have classes to attend."

"I pushed too much, didn't I?" Madoka didn't give up.

"Our lunch break ended half an hour ago. You should probably head off too, or else you'll be marked absent for the whole day."

"Something bad happened, didn't it?" Madoka still didn't give up. "Something to do with magical girls?"

"I don't know why you keep asking. Honestly, it's nothing," she waved away.

"I really don't think it's nothing," retaliated Madoka.

"You must be mistaken."

"Homura-chan..." Madoka's words faltered.

"I'm fine." Homura looked at her coldly in the eyes. "Really."

"Liar," Madoka pouted.

Liar? Was there something on her face that gave her that misconception? How strange. Whatever the case, it ought to be cleared up straightaway. It was her own fault for speaking out to begin with, for incorrectly phrasing words during this conversation and ultimately revealing too many anomalies. She summoned up more strength, prepared to say whatever was necessary so long as it calmed Madoka down,

…

"Homura-chan. You're shaking."

"W- what?" stammered the addressed girl.

As if in disbelief of this statement, Homura's thoughts froze. Her attention drifted to her own body, her own senses - only then did she feel it herself.

She wasn't just shaking.

She was was practically trembling, all the while desperately pretending she wasn't.

There was a deep, heavy pressure pervading her body, all tensed up with the emotions that were refusing to be ignored. To be unable to mask her feelings as usual. To be unable to place a barrier between herself and this reality, to the point that she noticed, was a whole other level of humiliating. How could such a simple thing, which she'd done time and time again, be so difficult now? Was it that much harder for a human than a magical girl to do such a simple thing as suppress their own emotions?

It was pathetic that she was the one who had to be reassured, when it ought to be the other way around, when it had been the other way around for so long. Her original wish had been to protect this girl, but instead, once again, she was the one being protected. Was this also a consequence of becoming human again? The very contents of her wish being stolen away? Within this powerless body of hers, all the former magical girl could do was stand and will herself, in vain, to calm down. A part of her was relieved that Madoka was behind her. Or else it wouldn't have been just the shaking that gave her away, but also the tears leaking from her eyes as well. Vulnerability and weakness were both qualities she wanted to hide at all costs. If she was in this bad a condition, she had to leave as soon as possible.

Just as Homura was about to head towards the exit again, her hands were squeezed tighter.

Keeping her there just a little longer.

"Homura-chan, please, just wait a second."

Her name was called out.

"I won't ask what happened, Homura-chan. I want to know someday, but I won't ask anymore. I promise," Madoka spoke gently, her voice beginning to grow weak.

"I don't really get it, and it worries me a lot, but… I know you're not a bad person, Homura-chan. I consider you a friend. I like talking with you and I like being your friend. I want us to keep being friends. So, about your request… Umm… well." She hesitated. A minute passed. "It's not easy to say this? I don't really care about the wish, but everything else, it's all I've ever wanted, you know? Having magical powers? Being useful to others?"

To Homura, it felt like a needle was being thrust into her heart.

"But, um, if it means that much… If there's a really good reason for all this… Then I'll trust you. As my friend."

Although unable to see her expression, the ripples of distress in her voice. It was a voice that was straining hard to sound happy, confident, optimistic. Yet, pain could not be so easily hidden.

"And I... and I..."

The girl's hands were clenched tightly, as if forcing the words out of herself, as if they hurt her,

"And I promise, I WON'T become a magical girl!"

...

Homura understood,

more than anyone in existence,

how much being a magical girl meant to her.

By nature Madoka was drawn to the idea. It was in becoming one that she was fated to discover self-confidence, and it was that far stronger version whom rescued her and many others so long ago. On the other hand, this Madoka was being actively denied the opportunity to become the hero she'd always dreamed of becoming. Not only that, but she couldn't understand why. The way she was feeling was perfectly understandable from her perspective, in this reality—and yet she still took a leap of faith, trusting this Homura enough to say something like that.

"Madoka, you really..."

Hope flooded into the time traveller's heart.

At last - something to be happy about. After all... Madoka would never lie to her.

Still, that hope brought with it a new kind of pain. Knowing that this trust was unearned, that this kindness was undeserved.

For Homura, Madoka was surely saying this out of an obligation to make up for what she thought was her mistake. If she knew that Homura wasn't telling her out of selfish reasoning, if she knew all the terrible deeds that Homura had committed for her sake, there was no way she'd ever act like this. This was a fake friendship, built on secrets and lies—but to be even the faintest inch closer to her than before was something the time traveler could only be eternally grateful for. It was a honour she did not deserve, now less than ever.

She took a step away, bring her closer to the exit. Her hands separated from the pinkette's soft grasp in the process.

Then, Homura turned to her side, grasping the door handle. "Madoka… That means a lot to me. So much more than you know. I'll tell you all about it someday, but for now… Just, thank you."

Even while saying such a sappy sentence, she attempted to remain aloof, not wanting to give away any more weakness than she already had.

To distract herself, she looked above. The sky beyond was a borderless flow of clear blue, a curtain hanging all around the colourless rooftop. The vast, seemingly empty sky stretched out for infinity, with a smattering of flat clouds spread across the horizon. Throughout the chaos of the endless timelines, it was one of the few things that remained exactly the same cycle by cycle. It seemed that even the other factors she considered constant, such as being a magical girl, were no longer so guaranteed.

It seemed Madoka wasn't quite done yet.

"But!"

Refusing to let the conversation end, the stubborn pinkette interjected.

"Homura-chan. Just to make sure. You haven't made a contract with Kyubey… You're not secretly a magical girl yourself, right? You haven't been hiding that from me?"

"I'm not," responded Homura confidently. Although she had to admit, she was more than a bit confused on the why that was the case. "I have the potential to get my wish granted, but it looks like that's about it. Otherwise, saving that cat wouldn't have been so difficult,"

"You're right… Then," Madoka poured energy into her tone. "Then!" This time more determined than ever. "I don't get it, I don't get any of it, but if it's that dangerous, THEN!"

And on that school rooftop,

she made one more impossible request.

"Homura-chan... 

You absolutely  can't  become a magical girl either!"

Mitakihara Town. The pride of Japan. A place of glass wonder that could afford to charge exorbitant prices for the use of top-grade infrastructure. Downtown, beyond the river, lay a mixture of family dwellings, small buildings, with several out-of-place apartment buildings towering above them - even with most resources concentrated at the heart of the city, the same metropolitan ideology imposed itself upon its residents. Style, as opposed to substance, was ingrained in the very architecture.

This particular building was no different. There were many reasons why the crime rate in Mitakihara rose dramatically in parallel with the industrial expansion, and its newfound prioritisation of luxury over security was certainly one of them.

Wearing a thick hoodie to hide her body shape and a schoolbag filled with essentials, Homura looked like a messy, yet inconspicuous student as she walked up the stairs. Upon reaching the right floor of the complex, she paused right at the door, before pulling out a mask. The disguised girl stopped, listening for a few minutes. Absolute silence. She took out a key. The door opened with no resistance.

Thus, Homura had successfully infiltrated the apartment.

The apartment of Tomoe Mami, that is.

The sight before her was modestly furnished, decorated in such a manner as to give off a warm atmosphere. A two-floor maisonette, welcoming, yet strangely lonely as well. She pulled her sleeve up momentarily, to glance at the layer of yellow ribbons wrapped around it. The 'parting gift' between her and the owner of this residence. She was shown such hospitality, yet here she was, trampling on that goodwill without the faintest hesitation. How ironic. In order to be prepared for any scenario, she'd previously made a copy using Mami's spare key. Even if it hadn't been necessary at the time, one never knew. Anything that could be done to cover her ground, should be done, a hard lesson gained according to her experiences. However, she never quite imagined she'd have ended up resorting to such a crude activity.

It did feel somewhat unnerving coming in here on her own, so the former magical girl made sure to be on her guard. Walking silently, making sure to touch only what was necessary. The door behind her was shut to ensure no one walked in on her business, and her disguise was there so that she could make it look like a normal burglary in case she was caught. Not that she'd ever be able to escape the grasp of two offensive magical girls, but the thought helped. Regardless, the coast was clear. They won't be here, Homura noted to herself. Whenever a new magical girl joined Mami, she would dedicate the whole day to go through their abilities, what their responsibilities were, and, naturally, train them to be good enough to fight Witches. Sayaka made the contract yesterday. Therefore, the two of them would be out all day today learning what she could do. Apparently, even having just half an arm wouldn't stop that one from training. There was no sign of Kyubey either, so his attention must be exclusively on them.

Her backpack was set onto the floor. She zipped it open, taking out a handful of tiny, mechanical squares. Bugs.

This is necessary, Homura reassured herself. I've done this in a previous cycle. Just have to do it again.

Understanding the layout of the familiar apartment room all too well, she proceeded to move towards the places where they would least be discovered. The various decorations were more than convenient for this purpose. Within the vase of flowers, underneath the couch, below that one loose floorboard, behind a painting, inside the stuffings of a pillow. Each one provided a remote audiovisual feed of the layout of her apartment, four covering the layout of the living room, with the remainder covering the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. In total, seven bugs had been planted.

The advancements in technology made obtaining spy equipment easy, scarily easy for this day and age, even if it was strictly speaking illegal. She doubted either Mami or Sayaka would detect them. Their enemies were the Witches, and as far as the rest of the world was concerned, they were ordinary students - they would never think this cosy base of theirs to be bugged. Even Sayaka, with her distrust, surely wouldn't expect this. Only yesterday had she said goodbye to those two magical girls. Naturally, there was absolutely no way she was going to sit back and let them do whatever they wanted.

At the very least, she needed to know what they were up to. If either of them were at risk of 'falling' at any given point, if either of them happened to encounter Kyouko before her, and if either of them considered dragging Madoka into their little group. To be prepared for every scenario was something Homura had to ascertain, especially now that she was more powerless than ever. Any edge that she could gain as a human would be invaluable.

Once her business was complete, it was time to withdraw. She wasn't entirely satisfied with the range covered, but it would be more than sufficient enough for what she needed - intel on the magical girls' thoughts and movements. She was confident in her chosen placements that the bugs wouldn't be detected, and without any witnesses, this, if nothing else, could go smoothly. Knowing that, Homura exited back out through the door-

"I see you've found yet another interesting hobby, Akemi Homura."

Her eyes widened in horror.

"KYU—!"

Just like that, she realized her error.

Kyubey was sat before the door, smiling.

There was no doubt about it, he must have seen everything. Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT. DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT despite her greatest hopes, the greatest threat of them all continued to have the upper hand, to have all the cards in his hands. He didn't follow any routine based on previous timelines, he never did. He just kept doing as he pleased, damn it! And after being absent in the battle against the Dessert Witch, and after going against her every wish to contact with Madoka, he dared to show himself before her?!

On an impulse, she moved towards her sleeve—only to remember that her shield wasn't there, and also that she couldn't just waste Mami's weapon here.

Instead, she opted to kick him, slamming her foot directly into that tiny, unnatural body of his.

Kyubey showed no reaction as its force threw him against the railings, and just like that, harmlessly bounced off them. Exactly like the last time she beat him to death, it was as though his body was made of cotton, making it annoyingly difficult to feel any kind of satisfaction from this.

Even then, despite being assaulted, his expression did not phase in the slightest. Rather, his face had remained locked onto her, his subject. He truly was alien in every sense of the word.

"My my, your hatred for me never ceases to be a curiosity. It's been a source of confusion for some time," continued Kyubey casually. "Now... I'm sure you're very busy."

His catlike grin didn't cease for even an instant.

"But I have a theory, Akemi Homura. Care to listen?"

Chapter Text

"Now... I'm sure you're very busy."

Kyubey stared at her with an unceasing smile - Homura had been caught in the act by the very worst possible entity.

How long had he been watching her? Or had he been there from the start? Regardless, he knew about the bugs planted in Mami's apartment...

"But I have a theory, Akemi Homura. Care to listen?"

Her heart was beginning to race, but she forced herself to remain calm. Ignore him, she told herself. The only way forward was to ignore whatever he had to say. Pain, manipulation, and lies were all in his arsenal. Not once had listening to this pale creature ever benefitted her in any way. Somehow, Kyubey always found a way to be one step ahead. To interfere with her plans. In previous cycles, even the slightest deviation on her part triggered the alien into acting in a completely different manner.

Despite everything she'd done, and everything she knew, the way he thought was as much of a mystery as ever. The ultimate mission of the Incubators was apparently to 'fight entropy in the multiverse', but knowing that made little difference. His behaviour just never made sense. Ever. It simply wasn't possible to anticipate him.

Only one thing ever stayed consistent about Kyubey.

His desire to wait

for the perfect moment

to inflict the greatest possible despair on others.

"I have no interest in that," addressed Homura firmly, before proceeding to walk away.

She headed towards the elevator, all the while feeling the Incubator's presence trail behind her. Her heart was racing faster. There was no telling when Mami would return home, so no matter what, leaving this apartment complex was the biggest priority right now.

"How unfortunate. Perhaps you forgot about our last private chat, Akemi Homura?"

Ignore him, she repeated to herself. Keeping her breathing steady. Keeping her heartbeat under control, regardless of the pressure. If nothing else, at least some distance could be made between herself and the Tomoe residence.

Homura reached the elevator. With the button pressed, it took seconds for the metal doors to slide open, revealing an empty, rusted interior within.

Her legs motioned forth, about to walk inside-

"Long QT Syndrome... was it?"

She hesitated.

"Akemi Homura. You haven't been taking very good care of your health, have you?" Kyubey remarked cryptically. His lighthearted tone felt as condescending as ever as he approached. "Constant overexertion of your body. Medication taken on an inconsistent basis. Three near-misses since your release, and not a single incident reported. Perhaps you should follow your medical instructions a little more carefully. That is, especially when threats like sudden cardiac death can happen at any given moment."

Kyubey's eyes flashed.

" Illnesses do tend to leave humans very susceptible when left untreated.  What do you think about the possibility, Akemi Homura? If it were to happen right here, no one would be surprised."

Her breathing slowed. The very statement made her extremely conscious of her own beating heart; of the quick pace, the inconsistent beats, the thick pounding that could end it all.

"Incubator," said Homura.

Slowly.

Cautiously.

"Is that... a threat?"

There was no doubt Kyubey was capable of it. After all, one of those 'near-misses' was directly caused by him. Last time they were been alone, he'd directly targeted her arrhythmia, reducing her to writhing on the floor. The fact that he knew her medical diagnosis in such detail was somewhat unsurprising, yet unsettling nonetheless. He wasn't even trying to keep up a friendly pretence anymore.

But there'd always been a method to his actions. He always had reason to keep his subjects alive.

"Only a reminder," responded Kyubey. "Humans prioritise their own survival. Surely you do too. It would be unfortunate if anything were to happen, don't you think?"

Was the alien implying that he was actually willing to go a step further?

When she was a magical girl, she never had to deal with that possibility. Or at least, he never bothered. But was he less lenient towards normal humans? Did he feel less caution for someone without time magic?

"That's..."

As if validating his words, her heart was beginning to accelerate yet again. The unpleasant feeling of lightheadedness was swelling in her skull. She couldn't even tell if this was his doing, or her own body reacting to the situation.

Just as the elevator doors started to retract, a defiant thought rose up.

Homura. He's missing with you. Just LEAVE!

It was a risk, but she- she wouldn't let him have his way. She may not understand him, but she knew him enough.

"Thanks for worrying, Doctor." She tensed her feet. "But you wouldn't do a thing to one of your precious 'candidates'... would you?!"

Then, with only a small gap left between the closing doors, Homura threw herself inside.

She slammed right into the floor, causing her glasses to fly off. Still, out of the corner of her eyesight, she saw Kyubey's blurry figure fixated on her - right up until the metal barriers closed.

"..." Homura glared intently at the doors.

Once a few seconds had passed, without the Incubator phasing through them or anything of the sort, the former magical girl let out a breath of relief. Her racing heart relaxed, slowly, but surely. That burst of activity had caused a faint nausea to spread across her senses, so for a while, she lay against the wall to take it easy.

For now, safety was attained. It was a gamble, but Homura guessed Kyubey's intention had been to distract her with a lengthy discussion on theories and her medical condition, thereby buying time for the others to catch her in the act. After explicitly promising to stay uninvolved in magical girl business, she couldn't afford to let herself be caught in such a suspicious, compromising location. If Mami, or worse, Sayaka found out about the surveillance bugs, any last credibility she had would go up in flames.

Of course, Kyubey himself knew. The very worst one of them all. Was it all over already?

Right now, the only thing she could do was count on Kyubey to be the manipulative bastard he tended to be. To keep his cards close to his chest, and reveal them only when it suited him most. Homura was powerless. Left at the Incubator's whim. Even as a magical girl, she'd only been able to do so much to circumvent him. As a human, all she had was the leverage of her own magical potential as reassurance that she would be safe. It seemed like her problems were only increasing with each passing day.

"Hah..."

Once her arrhythmia had calmed down to a normal state, she picked herself up off the floor.

Looked like she couldn't afford to piss Kyubey off any longer. If any of her activities were to be perceived as a threat, he could unravel her life in an instant. Both physically and socially. That's something he probably knew too. The only consolation here was that Madoka had already promised not to be a magical girl. As long as she stayed true to those words, Homura would never be forced to personally interfere, to stop her from making any rash decisions.

While lost in her own thought process, the elevator continued to descend. It reached the second floor, then the first floor, and finally, the ground.

Then the lights died.

She was left in complete darkness, with the doors remained closed. After ten seconds, nothing happened. Possibly some kind of technical error. Great, like I didn't have enough problems, she thought annoyedly.

Trapped, she waited for a while, when-

"Akemi Homura. Contrary to your belief, you aren't as valuable as you seem to think."

His voice echoed throughout the small chamber.

"Kyubey, DAMN IT!"

So he was interfering after all, the bastard.

"Are you going to trap me here? Where are you?!"

The female soldier snapped out of her thoughts and quickly surveyed her immediate surroundings. No sign of Incubator's glowing red eyes. Must be addressing her telepathically from afar. The elevator, empty as it was, was beginning to feel much more like a metal coffin.

"We already have something far, far more precious in our possession," Kyubey continued. "But don't get me wrong. If our assumptions are correct, then there's still some purpose for someone like you."

Homura glared at the darkness. He was making even less sense than usual. Something more precious? What did he mean? It couldn't be Madoka, but what else could he be referring to? And purpose? She'd already deduced that he planned on using her, but what could he mean? What could this alien possibly have in mind for her? Before, she at least had some idea of what Kyubey might be up to, but now she was totally in the dark, both literally and metaphorically.

No, forget it. Block it out. He's just trying to get into your head, you idiot, The girl shook her head violently, and opted to try and wedge the elevator open by force.

"I'll be around whenever you'd like to make that contract, of course. Just remember:"

Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him. Placing her hands between the gap, she poured all her strength and frustration into powering herself out. However, for a frail, young girl, this much was proving to be too difficult.

"You're only human, Akemi Homura."

Eventually, the elevator doors started to open, letting light flood in...

The light of sunset cast Mitakihara in a gentle, warm orange glow, shading the roads of the residential district. No matter where someone happened to be, golden hour in Mitakihara Town was certainly a sight to behold.

Homura, however, had her mind on other things.

Hands tucked into the pockets of a thick jacket, her focus was on the shadows of the ground, and the movements of her own feet. The path home was far longer than she remembered it being. It ought to take only an hour, but it felt like much longer had passed.

She gazed on as she entered a path filled with greenery, trees lined up along both sides of the path. Although it seemed like she was surrounded by nature, just past the trees to her right were fenced-off train tracks, and beyond them, the main city. To look above would reveal the towering factory district on the other end, shattering the illusion of a secluded forest.

As a matter of fact, there wasn't a single park in this city one could visit in which the architectural advancements of mankind weren't visible. Such was one of the many truths she discovered through the countless, unchanging months spent here.

She thought to herself, Mitakihara never changes. So why does everything else?

Upon leaving the clearing, Homura exited onto one of the main streets. Every now and again, a car would silently drive by - each one occupied by normal people, living normal lives. Lives that could very well come to an end at the end of the month.

She'd gone over her circumstances so many times now. Mami's desire to keep her uninvolved. Madoka's promise. Sayaka's hatred, and Kyubey's sheer unpredictability. Although she didn't understand what he was up to, his presence there alone had spoken volumes: 'Get in my way, and I'll get in your way.'

Apparently he had a theory about her too. Whatever the hell that was about, she would have to ask him the next time she saw him. That is, in a far safer location.

"Is that Akemi-san?"

When she returned home, she would have to check in on those feeds. To see whether or not Kyubey would reveal her straightaway. That, combined with Sayaka's knowledge of her grenades, could very well determine the end of this cycle.

"It is! Good afternoon, Akemi-san."

Already, she was in a delicate position out of her own control. One that could be shattered at any given moment. Considering the current situation, she could only imagine what would happen once Sakura Kyouko entered the equation.

"Um, Akemi-san?"

That crimson magical girl was her last hope at regaining control of things. But at the same time, there were too few cards to play to get on her good side. Options were painfully limited here in this cycle.

What can I possibly do?

"Waaah, notice me, Akemi-saaaaaaan!"

"Eh?" Homura paused her thoughts, and turned to see a familiar, pouting figure with green hair.

Oh - it was someone troublesome.

Shizuki Hitomi.

"You're so mean, Akemi-san." Her voice was gentle and composed, such that her rich background shined through. Still dressed in her Mitakihara uniform, the schoolgirl looked a little displeased.

"Apologies, Shizuki-san. I can get distracted sometimes," explained Homura, bowing slightly in response. "It's good to see you."

"Oh, that's quite fine! Good to see you too, what a coincidence meeting you here," Hitomi responded.

"Anyway, I'm off." Homura waved and left.

"Of course. Bye, Ake-"

Then, the moment Hitomi realised she was leaving, her brief calmness snapped back into an irked look.

"No, no, wait! You're not off the hook that easy, Akemi-san. Now that I have your attention, I have a question or two for you!"

"Eh?" Just as Homura was about to make her leave, she got stopped. Damn. "Sorry, believe I'm a bit busy right now. See you at school."

With that, the raven-haired girl turned, and walked on through the goldlit street.

"W- wait, Akemi-san!" An agitated Hitomi called out, hurrying to catch up. "I didn't ask anything yet. Why are you walking away? Are you avoiding me? Is that it?"

"I, uh, need to be somewhere," Homura replied quickly.

There wasn't any time for irrelevant, distracting events like this. She didn't exactly want to associate with her anymore, especially not after last time's dreaded incident.

The sooner she could get home and test those bugs, the better- "You're heading home, right?" pushed Hitomi.

"Uh, yes."

"Then that's fine! We can talk on the way."

Deciding just that, Homura found Hitomi walking by her side, moving to match the same pace. The girl's face was smiling stubbornly at her, as if to suggest she wasn't about to just give up.

Homura tilted her head in response, wondering just what exactly this person wanted from her.

"Shizuki-san."

"Ah, yes?"

Very well. If she continued being this persistent, there was no choice but to say

it out loud. Now was as good a time as ever.

"I'm not helping you with homework again," declared Homura firmly.

In response, Hitomi gave her an incredulous look.

"I- is this about that time?" Hitomi waved her hands about. "Come now, Akemi-san. That was a week ago, wasn't it? Let's just forget about it~"

"You said ten minutes. You said I would only have to help you for ten minutes. How long exactly did you keep me there, Shizuki-san?"

"Well, um-"

"An hour, Shizuki-san. Not ten minutes. An hour. While the others enjoyed lunch, I ended up spending the whole hour of my lunch break in class explaining a simple calculus problem to you. Not Madoka, or, Miki-san. You."

Feeling embarrassed, Hitomi fidgeted with her hands. "Ah, well, you see-"

"If it was either of those two, I could understand, but Shizuki-san?" Homura shook her head in horror. "I was fine to help for a while. Yet, you kept me there. As a result, I missed out on food. I spent the rest of the day without anything to eat..."

"I, ah, you should've said earlier you skipped breakfast-"

"Your grades are much higher than average, Shizuki-san. I haven't the faintest idea why you needed my help at all."

"To be fair, um, I was nervous I might score lower than 90%! Mum tracks all my scores. I'm usually confident, it's just, I hadn't quite wrapped my mind around the inverse relationship between differentiation and integration yet-"

"I drew you a simple graph. That should've been enough." With her finger, Homura traced a graph in the air while walking for emphasis.

"It was a confusing graph, Akemi-san! I needed an explanation, Akemi-san! Finding time to study isn't easy, and ever since I took on piano classes, it's been such a rush-"

"So, Shizuki-san,"

Finally, the perpetrator had been cornered.

"Tell me, why exactly did you take on piano classes if you didn't have time for it?" asked Homura decisively.

"Oh? Well, b- because-"

The green-haired girl's smile was beginning to twitch.

This was it. There was no escape from the guilt of her sins here.

"I, um. You see, I,"

At last, Hitomi gave in, hanging her head low in defeat. Her walk had seamlessly transitioned into a walk of pure shame.

"I... wanted to impress Kamijou-kun with my piano skills..."

"So the truth comes out. You took on more work than you can handle... simply to impress a guy? I'm shocked. Truly shocked. That musical talent better be worth the risk of falling behind." Homura closed her eyes, having emerged victorious with yet another flawless prosecution. "Because of such behaviour, I missed out on my lunch break. What do you have to say for yourself, Shizuki-san? No, Class Monitor-san?"

It was common knowledge that Mitakihara Middle School's educational system was exceptionally demanding. Thus, the vast majority of students could only afford to take one club or afterschool activity. To take on two, a student would have to sacrifice their social life. Yet, under the guise of being an extremely dedicated student, Shizuki Hitomi did the unthinkable and took on a third. So there it was - the horrible truth about the ojou had been exposed for all to see. The decision to take piano classes hadn't been logical from the start. And so her grades almost suffered! And so, last Friday, Homura missed out on a nice lunch with Madoka! How dare this human do such a thing!

All Hitomi could do was twiddle awkwardly with her thumbs, meekly falling behind Homura's pace.

"Ah. Madoka-san and Sayaka-san are always asking me for help, so, I'm not used to being able to ask others for help. It was nice," she admitted with some shyness, on the brink of tears. "I might've gotten carried away, Akemi-san. Sorry!"

"I'm glad you know your place." Homura nodded, satisfied. "Naturally, for this crime, I hope you're willing to take responsibility?"

"W- waaaah, Akemi-saaaaan!"

It was too much for the unfortunate Hitomi. Upset, and exasperated by the impromptu criticism, and traumatised by her so-called friend's unceasingly cold attitude, Hitomi ran off in the opposite direction in an attempt to escape her sins. Now that her dark secret was exposed, there was no choice now but for the girl to quit school, abandon all her dreams, and become a hermit. Maybe then she could put those piano lessons to good use, as a street performer or something.

With that, Hitomi disappeared into the distance, never to be seen again.

Well, okay.

Homura carried on walking as though nothing happened.

Then a minute later,

"Akemi-san!"

Hitomi came running back.

She swiftly closed the distance between them, and proceeded to walk by the raven-haired girl's side again.

"Oh, it's you again," Homura stated blankly, facing forward.

Homura started to walk faster. But Hitomi only increased her pace.

"Akemi-san, your new glasses look cute. I wonder who picked them out?" Hitomi pointed out with an angelic smile. "Was it me? Did I choose them? Hm, I wonder?"

All traces of Hitomi's traumatisation seemed to have vanished, having since reverted to her composed, everyday self.

"Who knows?" Homura adjusted her black-framed glasses. "It's a mystery."

"I believe it was me, Akemi-san," corrected Hitomi with a smile.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Akemi-san. That is indeed so. Do you know why I bought them?"

"Not really."

"Because we're friends. Right, Akemi-san?"

Homura shrugged. "Eh."

"Eh? 'Eh?' That's so cruel. Is that really all you have to say?!"

Homura shrugged again. "Eh."

"Then give me back my 8000 yen."

Hitomi's composed, angelic smile didn't cease for even a second.

"Wha-"

At last, Homura had been backed into a corner. To think that the tables had been turned so quickly.

Homura hesitated for a second, thought about it, before finally responding with a, "Never mind. My apologies, Shizuki-san. We are friends, right...?"

Having nothing left to say, the former magical girl could only awkwardly scratch her cheek.

"Glad to make it clear!" replied Hitomi happily.

After that brief exchange, neither of the two turned to face the other. They simply walked together under the sunset.

Homura continued to head home, and Hitomi followed silently, but persistently. Whatever was up with that green-haired girl, it didn't really matter. She'd probably just go away if she was ignored long enough.

Ever since the duo went to the mall together to shop for glasses, Hitomi had been acting like this. Every time they talked somehow ended up like this. Back then, Homura hadn't particularly felt any pressure to appeal to Hitomi. She'd simply said whatever was on her mind, thinking only to keep the shopping trip as brief as possible.

'Those glasses are fine, let's go,' Homura would say.

'So in other words, you don't care about them? No, no, we're here to help you find one you like,' Hitomi would respond.

'I have no interest in that,' Homura would say, confused as to how they ended up checking out a clothing store.

'Hmm. No good, then? Let's keep going,' Hitomi would press on.

Despite her comments and complaints, she spent the day being strung along by Hitomi's pace, and if anything, she might've made it worse. Inevitably, after enough searching, they did find things that peaked Homura's interest. A purple cardigan. A chic bracelet. Black-rimmed glasses. Really, it wasn't hard to understand why Madoka and Sayaka were such close friends with her. Not to mention that, after endless cycles of interacting with the other girls... Hitomi was the one who remained as much of a mystery as ever.

It wasn't like the pressure of keeping Madoka happy, or having to overlook all the past, horrific experiences she'd experienced regarding Mami and Sayaka. The conversations with Hitomi felt relaxing, somehow. Refreshing.

What a normal human.

In any case, the last few minutes of daylight were beginning to pass. The slow descent of the sun above, surrounded by a crimson sky, gradually allowed for darker colours to take hold. Soon, night would settle. Beneath that sky, Homura couldn't help but wonder, "Shizuki-san, it's a little late. Why are you out at this time?"

"Tea ceremony classes. My mother's working a little late today, so I thought I would walk home. Some fresh air is never bad either," said Hitomi happily. "And you? What's with that outfit?"

"This is a disguise. Clearly I broke into someone's apartment," answered Homura, gesturing at her ragged outfit.

"Eh? Broke in?" Hitomi paused to imagine such a scene inside her head. "Pft-" she almost let out a giggle at the very idea, before reassuming her calm composure. "Ah. I see, I see. Yes, of course!"

As their walk stretched on, Homura looked down at herself. Right, she was still wearing that oversized black jacket meant to hide her identity. If she'd only kept the hood up, maybe this whole conversation could've been avoided. Oh well.

"So, Akemi-san, are you ready to answer me?" reminded Hitomi.

"Uh... Oh, how unfortunate." Homura glanced to her right. "It looks like I'm turning this way. See you soon, Shizuki-san."

While the street stretched on for a little while longer, to the right were stairs that led up to a railway footbridge.

Crossing it would take her directly from the main residential districts to the financial district, where Homura lived. Also, the complete opposite of where Hitomi lived. To her knowledge, the Shizuki Residence was at the other end of the residential district, near Miki's place. Going any further than this would make Hitomi's way home that much longer. So surely, she'd give up here.

"Akemi-san."

Yet, when Homura started to walk up the staircase, she could hear footsteps stubbornly following behind her.

"Akemi-san," Hitomi called out again, with a twitching smile.

A brief glance at Hitomi's expression showed that, while indeed annoyed, her patience knew no depths. Was that girl genuinely willing to follow her all the way to her house? Damn. In that case, once again, she didn't have much of a choice here.

Once they were up on the footbridge, the time traveller stopped. With her gaze turned away, from the footbridge, it seemed only inches of the sun were left over the sky's horizon. Dusk cast the city around them in a last bout of light.

"Okay," said Homura, admitting defeat as she turned around. "That's it. I give up. What is it, Shizuki-san?"

"Eh?" A surprised look crossed Hitomi's face, as if she wasn't actually expecting that. Then, she regained herself. "Well, it's about time!"

With that, Hitomi let out a relieved sigh and held her hands together. She must've been waiting for this all along. Without skipping another beat, she walked up to her odd friend with a look full of determination, intending to cut to the chase.

"Akemi-san, you weren't at school all day. You didn't respond to any of my texts. Where were you?" asked Hitomi, with a certain sharpness to her tone.

"Uh." Homura took a moment to think, to be a little more careful with her words. This might be troublesome, but she could no longer avoid the conversation now. "Sick. Heart problems. The usual."

Hitomi looked closely at her, as if trying to discern the truth. "Akemi-san... Normally I'd be inclined to believe you, but, are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you on the opposite side of town?" continued Hitomi.

"Broke into someone's apartment."

"Be serious, Akemi-san."

"Very well. I came here for fresh air."

"Fresh air."

To that answer, the green-haired girl narrowed her eyes, apparently unsatisfied.

This was devolving pretty quickly into an impromptu interrogation.

"Akemi-san. If you're right, that's fine. But!" Hitomi inched closer with suspicion. "There were three people missing in class today. You, Sayaka-san, and Madoka-san. When I texted the others, they said they were both sick too! Don't you think that's a weird coincidence, Akemi-san? Just the three of you?"

"Um. I see... That does sound quite strange."

Homura closed her eyes. Ah, so that was what this was about - Hitomi must be worried for her friends.

Of course, the truth couldn't be told so simply.

Madoka hadn't been there because they were having a conversation on the rooftop. Due to her concern, Homura felt it had to be done as soon as possible. And, because of that conversation on the world of magical girls, they ended up skipping school.

Sayaka, on the other hand... had her arm literally torn off by the Dessert Witch the day before. Obviously, the blunette couldn't attend school while it was regenerating. But that wasn't something that could be so easily explained to a normal person.

"Sorry. Unfortunately, I don't know what's going with those two," said Homura, looking onwards. "It's probably just a coincidence-"

"Akemi-san, you look like you're hiding something." Hitomi wasn't giving up.

"Don't be silly, Shizuki-san, you're jumping to conclusions," Homura attempted to reassure her.

Still, her words appeared to have no effect.

"Shizuki-san?"

"Could it be..." Hitomi muttered. "Are you three doing... what I think you're doing?"

The green-haired girl took a step back.

"It can't be... Can it?"

What is she on about?

Homura stared at the lady, trying to understand just what was going through this girl's head.

Then Hitomi looked back up. She seemed, somehow, genuinely distressed. Whatever it was, it might actually be something serious.

"You wouldn't, would you?"

Hold on.

Could it be?

"Akemi-san... you didn't?"

A very distressing thought had just occurred to Akemi Homura. If it turned out to be true, it might, well, change everything.

Although her resets had always restored the timeline exactly as they were, there was one thing that seemed to mysteriously grow time and time again. That is, Madoka's sheer potential as a magical girl. Somehow, the resets made her potential only increase further, the most bizarre and frustrating of phenomenons. Homura didn't remotely understand how it worked. Not once had Kyubey ever offered a real explanation. Still, what if it could apply to others? Increasing the karmic potential of other individuals? It was purely hypothetical, but what if, what if it affected someone else?

In previous timelines, not once had Hitomi ever demonstrated potential as a magical girl candidate. But knowing how strange this timeline was, and knowing how her resets weren't quite as clean as she would like them to be, it couldn't exactly be ruled out. If such potential existed, even the faintest glimmer, then Kyubey would latch onto that like a parasite. As this cycle proved, an Incubator would never ignore a candidate.

Damn it, Incubator... Did you? DID YOU? Hence, as unlikely as it seemed, could it be? Was THIS what she was referring to? What if he'd approached Hitomi too? What if she knew about the existence of magical girls? Worse, what if she was already contracted?!

Her eyes locked with that of her green-haired friend.

"That depends."

With caution, Homura provided a cold, robotic response.

"You may not be so far from the truth."

Hitomi seemed taken aback at first. However, Homura's words seemed to only renew her conviction to get to the bottom of this.

"Sayaka-san, and Madoka-san, and you... I never thought this would happen."

Hitomi's eyes met with Homura's, matching her intensity. "You do understand that you're putting your grades at risk?"

Homura had never, not once, paid so much thought to this human before.

"Shizuki-san..."

Hitomi had always remained in the background, someone who was present yet never directly connected to events.

But, if she was involved, and if she had the knowledge, had she managed to reach such a conclusion on her own? Was she worried that her friends had skipped school today because they turned into magical girls? Was that it?!

Did I underestimate you, Shizuki Hitomi?

The raven-haired girl stood at the centre of the footbridge, gazing at her friend for an answer. The atmosphere was heavy around them, the dying sky having fallen into darkness.

"Tell me, Shizuki-san. What exactly are you thinking?"

Prompted, Hitomi took a step forward. Her legs were a little wobbly out of nervousness. Yet, she remained determined.

"Akemi-san."

Moment of truth.

"Did the three of you..."

Here it was-

"...skip school to hang out without meeeee ?!"

"..."

Only moments later, Homura could be seen walking over the horizon.

After having used up her precious time on a conversation that apparently went nowhere, Homura finally reached her apartment. Regardless of whether she'd spent one minute or ten minutes on that conversation, she'd gotten pointlessly stressed over it.

Shortly after escaping, her phone had found itself practically bombarded with texts from Hitomi. That girl's persistence seemed to never end - she decided to briefly take a look, if only to stop the flood of texts.

Hitomi:「Akemi-sannn, hope you show up to school tomorrow! Let's go to the mall after, okayyy (◕▿◕✿)」

Hm.

Hitomi was one of the absolute last people she should be concerning herself with in this strange, powerless cycle. However, she reasoned to herself, if hanging out one last time would prevent her from being bugged like this ever again...

Shrugging to herself, she typed her response.

Homura:「Sounds good to me」

With that, she replaced the phone in her hands with her keys, prepared to start the evening for real with a mental list of activities that needed to be done. Although, upon opening the door, that list didn't take very long at all to vanish.

Once again, an adorable black cat was waiting patiently by the hallway entrance.

"Nyan." Amy gave a greeting upon her return.

"Nyan nyan," imitated Homura, briefly falling to her knees.

Happily, she poked the cat's nose. In turn, a cute, confused look crossed Amy's face as it sniffled.

Over the past few weeks, it looked like her feline roommate had settled in comfortably. Although Homura thought Amy just intended to be a stray who would come and go as it pleased at first, it seemed like it was hanging around here more and more, becoming used to the environment of the Akemi Residence - Assuming this continued, Homura made a mental note to put some time aside and research into nearby veterinarians with reliable healthcare. Might also be useful to get some advice on pet management beyond simply browsing the internet. Since Homura tended to be away from the apartment for such long periods of time, she made a point to leave bowls with plenty of water and food on a daily basis, as well as change the cat litter every now and then.

This was one responsibility she absolutely did not intend to mess up on.

Upon refilling Amy's food bowl, Homura flipped her hair behind her back and stood back up.

"Right."

Then she went upstairs to set up, having already mentally scheduled out her activities for the rest of the day.

"Back to business."

It was 7 PM at the moment, and assuming she slept at 2 AM like usual, that gave her seven remaining hours - mainly dedicated to testing the surveillance equipment, with a short break in-between to make some dinner for herself.

Time was far too essential. Only weeks were left to get things back on track. Less than a month to prepare for May the 1st, for Walpurgisnacht, and judging by prior experiences, there were simply too many different tragedies that could happen before then. She had a rough idea of how to progress, but surely, there was only so much she could achieve as a lone human.

Of course, the bugs in Mami's place had to be tested first, making sure they functioned properly. The she had to ensure that the worst case scenario of Kyubey ratting her out hadn't occurred by watching the two magical girls throughout the night, keeping track of their conversations, plus any potential hostility.

A long night awaited her.

...

...

...

Just as Homura expected, the next seven hours proved to be severely wearisome. Once the connection had been established, her attention had to be singularly focused on any mentions related to Kyubey. Naturally, the alien wouldn't show up on camera, but she'd still be able to discern his presence via judging the behaviours of Mami and Sayaka, as well as whether they conversed with an invisible entity at any point. No such signs. In other words, he hadn't told them about the surveillance. Not yet, anyway.

Aside from an interesting conversation regarding Mami's former pupil and some comments regarding Homura herself, it seemed to be a rather uneventful night for Sayaka and Mami. Of course, Homura, who only observed from an outside perspective on crappy devices, wasn't able to tell if there was any subtle tension on the other end.

Then, once the duo had gone to bed, an exhausted Homura sighed in relief.

In front of her was a computer. Multiple visual feeds were displayed across the screen, each one corresponding to the locations in which she'd placed her bugs. With the click of a button, she could switch between audio channels as well, enabling her to listen in on any and all conversations. The audiovisuals were a little cheap, but as long as she could discern dialogue along with what was happening inside, it was usable.

It would've been nice if she could amass the small fortune she used to be able to as a magical girl, and remodel her living room with state-of-the-art holographic technology once more. Unfortunately, this time she had to settle for what she could afford. At least they did the job. For the past several hours, she'd been monitoring their activities almost nonstop - having paid particular attention during that lengthy conversation. Now that she knew Kyubey was indeed keeping his cards close to him, Homura could finally let herself get some semblance of rest.

Well, he might just be actively avoiding the apartment due to surveillance, and would tell them the very next day, but...such thoughts were a slippery slope into paranoia. There weren't any other options, and there wasn't anything else she could do about it.

Tonight, she just had to settle with this temporary feeling of safety, thankful that she could last a little bit longer like this. It might've sounded impossible, but if Homura could just play her cards right, then maybe, just maybe she could still make it to the end of the month with everyone alive, ready to make her wish against Walpurgisnacht.

Madoka...

Just yesterday, Madoka had asked her not to become a magical girl. However, even if she didn't tell her directly, that simply wasn't something that could be honoured. A future in which 'Akemi Homura does not make a contract' was not a future she could even remotely envision. It simply wasn't something within the realm of possibility. Not with all the odds she was facing.

Homura reminded herself of the extremely fragile situation she was in—right now, if either the volatile Sayaka or manipulative Kyubey stepped forth with the knowledge they held, it would be over. Her reputation would be irreversibly shattered, and quite potentially make this timeline unsalvageable. Without being able to gain anyone's trust, she would have no choice but to make a contract and simply return to the same old cycle, hoping to find a new answer there.

To her, it seemed almost as though she were walking across a tightrope of hope, in which anything less than the utmost concentration and effort would spell disaster.

This is such a mess, isn't it?

"Nyan." Amy gave another meow, curled up to feel the radiating heat of the monitor, next to the girl's series of forgotten medications. Its marble eyes had been gazing at her with great concern for a while now.

"I'm fine, Amy. It's okay," Homura reassured her, deciding to lay her head down on the desk for a bit to celebrate her hours of work. "I know it looks bad, but the situation isn't as dire as it seems, you know? Madoka's okay. Sayaka and Mami get along, they can support one another. And Kyouko's gonna be here any day... any day now."

The cat didn't seem very convinced. Unbeknownst to Homura, between her sunken eyes and total disregard for hygiene, her own appearance was beyond disheveled at the moment.

"I know, I know. This timeline's a hard one. Sometimes, I'm not sure if there's a future left here. But you know what? I'll push on. I must push on... It's a damned golden opportunity I can't afford to lose."

The cat tilted its head. "Nyan."

"Another wish. Another wish. As long as I can make that wish... Then there's still some hope. I just need..."

While she lay on the table, that intense, hollow expression on her face began to relax.

"just need to try... a little harder... Just... a little bit more..."

Her eyes faltered, gradually drooping together.

"M a . . . d o k a . . ."

And just like that,

Akemi Homura drifted into slumber.

"Nyan," said Amy, wishing her sweet dreams.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, March the 8th (a month ago)

When she was very young, the very idea of the place used to terrify her.

The 'hospital'.  It was a mysterious, alien building, somewhere she couldn't comprehend spending a single day in. For someone who'd never fallen seriously ill nor had to pay visits to sick family members, she only ever had a vague idea of what it was like inside based on action movies. She'd imagine rows of beds lined with injured, limbless people bleeding out, filled to the brim with nurses rushing about in a panic - a place of horror.

That changed a few months ago. Now, it was a place she visited on a regular basis.

A few times a week, the girl would have to psyche herself up, find the courage, and proceed to visit once again. True, a part of her felt like it was her duty to do this. By now, most of his other friends had dwindled away and stopped visiting, leaving only the occasional visits from his family. She definitely didn't want him to be lonely. But more than that, doing this just made her feel happy. It wasn't a case of 'I'll visit if no one else will', but a case of 'I want to be by his side'.

They'd never really known each other well before the accident. It was only afterwards that she was able to get as close as she did, that she was able to spend all this time with him.  Minutes and hours would pass by while the two teenagers spent their time idly, just chatting about random things. Naturally, his eyes would shine whenever the topic turned to music - about the sort of wood violins were constructed out of, about the first public competition he attended back when he was a kid, about why Debussy's free-flowing music was much better received in America than France. She would let him talk on and on about the things he liked, and in turn, hearing his words brought joy to her heart.

Ever since the accident, he'd lost total motor control of his left hand, and with it, his ability to keep on being a professional violin player. So seeing him talk so passionately was like, despite everything, he hadn't given up. Chill talks amidst an empty hospital room, breezing by like the wind - t hat was what her visits tended to consist of these days.

Today was a little different.

The frail grey-haired boy was lying in bed as he always was, staring onwards at the wall. But this time, there was a certain object with him. Something she hadn't seen him with in a long time.

A violin.

"Kyousuke?"

The former violin player didn't respond. He seemed to be focusing intensely while holding it up, his expression tightened, his eyes sharper than she'd ever seen them. And yet, he was clearly struggling.

The girl wasn't sure what he intended to accomplish with this.

"Wait, are you… going to play?"

"Yeah. That's right," he responded with a smile. "It's been a while so I just want to give it a go. To remind myself what a violin sounds like."

There was no way for the boy to play the way he'd been trained to all his life. Fine motor control, let alone use of both hands, was absolutely critical for any player. Changing the strings just wasn't something he could easily do in his state, without one hand.

Instead, the boy was mirroring his usual position as he held the violin up against his chin. Where his left hand would normally be, his functioning right hand supported the violin from the fingerboard. The bow was the real issue, with his left hand being unable to grip onto anything - to compensate, the bottom of the bow was taped crudely to his wrist.

"U- um, Kyousuke? Did you talk to the nurse or anything about this?" she asked nervously.

He was still recovering after all. It wasn't just his hand, but his whole body. When even simple movements like walking were risky, was it really a good idea to…?

"Maybe you shouldn't-"

"No."

The boy cut her off before she could finish her sentence, with an indecipherable expression on his face.

"Let me do this."

When it was spoken with such conviction, how could she possibly stop him?

Retracting his left wrist, and with it the bow, the violinist announced, "Presenting, Schubert's Ave Maria."

So.

Just like that, he tried to perform the violin.

With a right hand unfamiliar with playing on the fingerboard, constantly stumbling between the first position and third positions.

With a shaking left arm, rattling the tensioned bow while it arched back and forth unevenly. Attempting to make up for the lack of the left hand as it desperately aimed for the D and F-sharp notes. Failing miserably.

The result was obvious.

Even she, who only had a working knowledge of classical music, knew Ave Maria was a slow, simple piece for beginners. Despite this, the violinist had yet to produce a sound anything like music. Let alone the Ave Maria they were all familiar with. Let alone anything on the level he himself used to produce.

And he knew it.

Pain gradually welled up in the boy's eyes, while he gazed at a faraway dream, as if struggling to understand why he couldn't do this. With each minute, each consecutive series of notes, the semblance of structure he had started out with only degraded more and more. His forced confidence broke apart like a shell, giving way to hopelessless. The bow shoved itself against the strings in desperation, again, again, again, as if searching for any kind of rhythm.

Still, he refused to stop the performance. He dragged it on, further, further, further. Maybe he thought if he carried on, probability would dictate he would properly hit the right notes sooner or later. Whatever the case, all she could do was watch on. It was her duty as his sole audience in this tiny room.

It wasn't like Kamijou Kyousuke was weak, or like he was giving up on his lifelong passion.

"Let me… do this…"

It was just impossible, she realised.

He was doing his absolute best.

It was just impossible.

Tuesday, April the 5th

"Alright, let's do this!" declared a confident Sayaka.

Within a small, rundown-down factory lay eleven innocents, unconscious, salarymen and teenagers alike having failed to commit suicide. Nearby, the symphonious spinning of an alien merry-go-round world went on, surrounded by TV screens, where one-winged, haloed creatures descended to oppose the two guests.

"Sorry for the intrusion." That is, only to be instantly blasted away by the blonde-haired lady. The sea of familiars were no match for Mami, whose rifles mowed them down like paper.

"My turn!" From there, Sayaka eagerly lunged past her to take care of the ones lucky enough to escape.

With her newly-regained arm, she slashed across three survivors in a single swing, and let out a satisfied 'ha!' when they dissipated. This was her first proper battle since the Dessert Witch, and so far, she was having the time of her life. Just saved the lives of a dozen people, got the chance to go all out with her powers here, an experienced hero was there with her to show her the ropes. Plus, just in general, there was something fun about this particular world - the lack of gravity, the ability to fly about as much as she wanted like a true magical girl. It was honestly exhilarating.

"Ah," Then, right behind her, she heard a familiar being shot down by another one of Mami's bullets. That was dangerously close. "Thank you!"

"Careful, Miki-san. We musn't get overconfident!" Mami reminded her with a smile. "I know it's not your first time with a Witch, but for now, stay behind me and cover my back."

"Okaaaaayyy." Slightly disappointed, the blunette retreated to her previous position, where Mami continued to shoot down more of the oncoming familiars.

Sayaka could sort of guess why she needed to be behind. Since it seemed like she was a melee fighter who needed to fight in close combat, and since this particular Witch Barrier was much smaller than average, it wasn't exactly the best environment for the teamwork. It was probably difficult for Mami to fire without possibly grazing or even hitting her, and she didn't fancy being in the way anyway.

Hopefully I don't hold Mami-san back too much longer, Sayaka thought to herself. Better get this thing down quickly!

Also, even if her senpai wasn't saying it out loud, she was probably being much more protective, what with this being Sayaka's first proper battle since the misshap with the Dessert Witch and all. While Mami aimed at the descending familiars, the blue knight focused on protecting her - every time a few emerged from behind, she could cut down them before they could even get close. Then, upon looking over her shoulder, she saw Mami briefly nod back with encouragement. Probably didn't even need the support, huh?

Moments later, another entity joined them from above - a retro computer with flowing twin-tailed hair, floating downwards. From its screen, more and more twisted angel familiars were pouring out. The Box Witch had revealed itself at last.

"̶y͡ado͞t̶n͢uf̸da҉hy̶ll̕a͘er̕i͝… ̧n̶ia͟g̢a͏t͢iodo̢t̶t͠n̕a͜w̶I͢"

Mami raced up to meet the Witch as soon as it was visible, blasting away the remaining familiars. Her enemy glitched a little, as if preparing for an attack, yet instead of meeting it head-on, Mami darted past it.

In her path, she'd laid out a trail of golden ribbons, and each one proceeded to wrap around and immobilize the Box Witch before it could even begin to turn around.

"Let's put a stop to this, shall we?" Mami said gracefully, flying above her target. Multiple monitors floated around them.

With the wave of a hand, she summoned and gripped onto a massive percussion-lock cannon, before aiming it at the trapped Witch to perform her signature finishing move. As magical energy poured into the weapon, she readied herself.

"TIRO-"

"You're incredible, Mami-san!"

"Miki-san, not n-"

Then, Mami froze in place. Having briefly glanced away, her eyes were now caught by the surrounding monitors.

"If it's the two of us" They flickered. "then even Walpurgisnacht" Displaying the memory of a certain someone. "would go down easy!"

While Sayaka wasn't exactly sure why her senpai stopped at first, she proceeded to burst upwards to take advantage of the given brief pause.

"Thanks, Mami-san! This one's mine!"

The ribbon-bound Box Witch fluttered violently in a desperate attempt to escape, yet it was powerless. In a last-ditch act at survival, its own screen changed to show a hospitalised boy; glaring forward with a look of disgust. However, the blunette only steeled her resolve. Readying her blade without hesitation, she thrust on, shattered the screen, and impaled all the way through its body using the full strength of a magical girl.

The sheer force of her assault caused a geyser of black liquid to eject out the other end, and up into the air. Mami hastily dodged this, returning back to her senses. Yeah, I've bathed in enough black stuff for one lifetime, thought Sayaka, distancing herself from the Witch's twitching body too just in case that 'blood' decided to burst in any more directions. What occurred with the Shadow Witch wasn't something she was keen to repeat anytime soon.

Seconds later, their enemy stopped moving.

Hell yes! Victory!

"Mami-san, Mami-san, we did it!" Sayaka said excitedly, rushing up to meet her while the surrounding world broke apart.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the nearby monitors were displaying images of a crimson-haired female wielding a spear. Someone she'd never seen before. Another magical girl?

"Yes, excellent work," Mami gave a calm response. Before Sayaka could inspect them any further, the entirety of the Witch's Barrier vanished.

Thus, the duo found themselves standing amidst the factory's storage room once more. Now back in reality, they proceeded to revert to their Mitakihara Uniforms, letting their weapons vanish at the same time. A tiny Grief Seed was in the air, right about to fall when Sayaka snagged it victoriously.

"Not bad at all, Miki-san. Congratulations on your first win," Mami commended her.

"Hehe! It's all thanks to you and your training," responded Sayaka, striking a triumphant pose as she did so. "I'd say we make a good team!"

"Hehe, well!" the blonde magical girl stifled a laugh. "It's definitely good to have confidence."

"This one looked a lot weaker than the rest so I wasn't able to do much this time, but just you wait! When we find a stronger Witch, I'll sure you what I'm really made of."

"I'll look forward to that day." Mami simply nodded, pleased at her pupil's enthusiasm. "Do be careful, of course. Witches exist only to cause suffering towards others. They tend to hide tricks up their sleeve, so it's never a good idea to simply charge in blind."

"Yeah yeah. Sorry, Mami-san!"

Shrugging, Sayaka used her left hand to hold out the Box Witch's Grief Seed, presenting it for her senpai.

Mami stared down at the object for a moment. Then her smile grew, and she touched her golden Soul Gem to it. Sayaka did the same. From there, their respective taints were drawn out and absorbed into the needle-shaped dark object, restoring the twin crystalline objects to their original states as they shined their bright, clear colours.

To Sayaka's understanding, this was the way a magical girl maintained their powers. By refilling their Soul Gem, the source of the powers, using the magical essence of the defeated Witch's egg. As long as they wanted to keep on being magical girls, they had to keep defeating Witches, or else risk returning back to their mundane, everyday lives.

Mami-san must do this every day, huh? Having stayed overnight at the Tomoe Residence, she'd been given a valuable opportunity to observe the lifestyle of a veteran magical girl firsthand. Even though it was necessary for her due to her regrowing arm and all, it was almost like an internship.

Discussing methods and strategies they could use with their movesets, ways to work together against enemies. Analysing every street and building, every news article and rumour where great quantitites of suffering gathered. Spending hours wandering the city, just to search for Witches and familiars, occasionally finding nothing. Truthfully, it was surprisingly uncool.

Since they first met, Sayaka had seen Mami fight and gracefully win against five Witches. It seemed so easy whenever Mami did it. Meanwhile, she thought back to her own experiences with the Shadow Witch and the Dessert Witch, both times having almost died. As much as she wanted to completely blame them on the transfer student, a part of her just, couldn't.

Either way, this stuff was clearly way more dangerous than Mami made it look. Something that had apparently been obvious to Homura right from the get-go.

Ugh. Akemi Homura.

It gave her a headache just thinking about that one. However, at the same time - she couldn't help but understand Homura's constant warnings a little better now.

Sayaka didn't want to admit it to her senpai. Yet, as exhilarating as it felt having these insane, insane powers, it wasn't exactly easy to imagine doing this on a daily basis.

Still. It was for a good cause, right?

Mami worked so hard for the sake of keeping the people of Mitakihara safe, and if it weren't for her thorough work, a dozen innocents would have died today. She really seemed to have her stuff together. A true hero of justice.

"Miki-san?"

"H- huh?" Sayaka stuttered a bit.

"Kyubey isn't here, so you're welcome to onto the Grief Seed until he shows up," Mami informed her. "Now, shall we clean up and head back?"

"Oh! Oh yeah, totally!"

Just what would it take… 

...to be like Mami-san?

From there, time went by much faster.

Upon wrapping things up with the Witch-Kissed victims, they left the factory. By now, Sayaka had mostly gotten used to the long walks at night, so the journey back went by in a breeze.

Before she knew it, she was sitting back in the Tomoe Residence at night-time, next to a table with two prepared plates of peach pie. Did something feel a little different about this place? Probably just her imagination.

Sayaka stared down at her right hand, which had mostly formed by midday. All that was left now were the upper joints of her ring and pinky fingers, and she would be all set to return to her normal life. She seriously did not want to think about the process of regrowing her whole arm any longer than she needed to. It had taken every ounce of her willpower not to look in the mirror every chance she got. Even though it only lasted a few days, the sheer sensation of not having access to an arm, especially her dominant arm, was the most surreal thing in the world.

But there was no room for complaints. It was her own fault for losing focus against that caterpillar Witch.

Besides, she knew very well someone had it way worse, for way longer. Yeah. This is nothing compared to what Kyousuke had to go through, so you don't really have a right to complain here.

At the very least, Sayaka could be certain the wish she made that day wasn't something she'd regret.

"Sure about this? You don't mind me staying over one more night?"

"Not at all!" responded Mami, bringing over a cup of tea for her pupil. "Is your hand okay? Is it healing fine? I know I've said this already, but I'm truly sorry for being late that day…"

"No, no, no, it's all fine, Mami-san! Don't worry about any of that," Sayaka dismissed her worries with a grin.

Her positivity seemed to ease her senpai, who let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear. In that case, you're welcome to stay as long as you like. As long as I'm not a bother, that is!"

"That's our Mami-san for ya."

Sayaka took that as the go-ahead to pick up her fork. "If it's okay, then don't mind if I," and proceeded to shamelessly bite into a chunk of the peach pie, "do!"

For as long as she could remember, her parents had always been lax when it came to how she spent her free time, so all it took was a single phone call and a comment on studying over at a senpai's place overnight for them to agree. Rather than risk anyone finding out about her chomped arm, this made sense.

Just to be sure, Mami added, "If you're not comfortable staying over at mine, I'm sure Akemi-san would understand if you wanted to-"

"Yeah, that's a no from me." The blunette shot down, her mood instantly souring a bit.

"Ah."

Mami looked down. Things had gotten a little awkward.

For a moment, she wasn't sure what to say after that.

Then, "You two don't really get along, do you?"

"Ehhh." Sayaka tried to figure out how to word it. "Well. Yeah. Now that Homura's not here, there's no point in hiding it anymore, huh?" After a nervous laugh, she admitted, "Yeah, we really don't."

"May I ask why?"

In turn, the blunette scratched her head. The subject wasn't something she could easily put her finger on.

"Sorry if I'm intruding, I'm only curious. To me, it seems like you two are always hanging out..."

"It's okay. And I mean, I'm sure it looks that way," the blunette responded. "Honestly though, the first time we met was when you saved us. It's not like I wanted to spend around her, it just sorta shaped out that way."

Though struggling to find the right words for it, she tried anyway.

"How do I put it? That transfer student entered our lives, and suddenly we've got the same friends now, you know? It's just weird. She gets along with Madoka. Gets along with Hitomi. She's even a magical girl candidate like me. I've kinda just had to, uh, tolerate her."

"I see. Have you tried talking to her about this?" inquired Mami, sipping from her cup of tea. "I admit, I don't know Akemi-san too well myself. But from what I've seen, she seems nice…"

"That's exactly it, Mami-san. You don't know her well enough."

As if to emphasize this, she stabbed her fork into the remainder of the peach pie.

"It's not like I haven't tried to get along with her," mumbled Sayaka, before raising her voice. "But she gets on my nerves. The way she looks at me, the way she treats me, the way she talks to me, it's just, ahhhh! Like, what's her problem? What did I even do to her?!"

Sayaka stabbed her fork the remainder of the peach pie and, in a bout of annoyance, proceeded to shove it into her mouth. Chewing vigorously.

"I even put my life on the line for her, and she still acts like that. She clearly never wanted to make a contract either, but kept on following us anyway! I don't get it. I just don't."

"Hm. I suppose... she does seem a little opinionated?" replied Mami, unsure how to really respond.

Sayaka averted her eyes.

"I dunno. She's just…"

That cold, self-righteous attitude.

That extreme overprotectiveness towards Madoka. Her best friend, by the way.

Least of all those GRENADES in her backpack, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

"…weird."

No matter how she tried to look at it, nothing about this creep was normal. What was actually her deal? Was she some New Age psycho who thought acting like a 'mysterious, cool transfer student' was fun? Did she carry around grenades due to some insane logic about self-defense? Was there something just fundamentally wrong with her head? Whatever the case, it was sick!

And every time Sayaka thought she was trustworthy, dared to think she was trustworthy, she just went ahead and did something even stupider to break that trust! 'A 'friend', you say? No. Who knows if anyone considers her a friend?' Those were her exact words, weren't they? What the actual hell was that all about?! That caught her so off-guard that, in her utter shock, she nearly sentenced the girl to death-

I nearly killed her-

No. It was just shock, wasn't it? Everything turned out okay, in the end, so... At the reminder of that split-second impulse, at the very thought of yesterday's events, a hollow feeling rushed through the blunette's veins.

As if noticing a change in her expression, Mami was currently staring at her.

"Are you okay, Miki-san? Is there something else you wish to tell me?"

For a passing few seconds, Sayaka returned her look with silence.

She had every right to reveal the true nature of Akemi Homura. She should tell, shouldn't she? In all honesty, she should've revealed it the moment they got back from the Dessert Witch. No, maybe not even that. The very instant Mami gathered them together, she should've stood up, declared 'that creep definitely shouldn't be a magical girl!', and be done with it. Every time, every single time, she'd gone against all the pieces of logic scrambled together in her head. And for what exactly?

"Nah. It's nothing."

Sayaka gave a firm response.

"I guess we just don't have anything in common," she concluded with a shrug. "The transfer student gives off some bad vibes, but maybe it's just my imagination."

There wasn't really a point. There probably wouldn't be any reward for it either. And yet, despite all this, she was still going against her base instincts to defend someone who absolutely did not deserve it. To look over the blaring red flags.

...yeah.

Yeah, she knew the reason why.

It was that, wasn't it? It was a stupid reason, really. But considering it was something that she could still vividly recall every detail of it, there was no doubt about it. If she had to think of an explanation for why she still had the faintest glimmer of trust in that psycho, ANY AT ALL, then-

Friday, March the 25th (two weeks ago)

The sun shone brightly in the field of Mitakihara Middle School.

At last, gym class had begun. A pumped-up Sayaka joined the crowd of classmates, all dressed in their gym outfits as they started to gather together and warm up.

While Sayaka was with Hitomi as usual, Madoka seemed to have parted from them briefly to hang around the new transfer student. Jeez, she really wasn't kidding about the whole 'secret friend I'm gonna introduce you to' thing, was she? Earlier this morning, Sayaka even caught Madoka talking to her over one of her weird dreams, which she had to promptly drag the awkward, stumbling Madoka away from. Then later tell her: 'Like, I know you wanna be close friends, but don't embarrass yourself so soon! And don't make us look bad!'

Right now, she knew very little about the transfer student. Aside from the fact that she just seemed... insanely cool.

Between those red glasses, that aloof attitude, and the supergenius ability displayed in their maths class, it boggled her mind to comprehend how Madoka became friends with her in the first place. According to the teacher, this girl had spent a long time in the hospital, but she seemed so perfect and so smart it was hard to imagine. She just gave off the aura of someone who was thinking 'I'm better than everyone in this room'.

But it wasn't something Sayaka wanted to say out loud. It was a feeling she couldn't really explain, maybe she was just thinking this since she'd grown so used to knowing basically everything about her best friend.

Well, apparently Madoka was gonna introduce them at the mall later. She did give rich girl Hitomi a chance way back when, so this 'Akemi Homura' deserved a chance too.

Just had to withhold judgment and actually get to know one another better before jumping to any conclusions. Til then, patience!

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!"

In unison, the wide array of students counted upwards as they commenced their stretching and basic exercises. Then, with the blow of the gym instructor's whistle, they let out breaths of relief.

"Today we're going to do the running high jump. Forward jump, scissor jump, belly roll, and Fosbury-backflop. Try them all out, okay?"

As far as Sayaka was concerned, most of the other subjects were just unnecessary, stuff that wouldn't really apply in the world of adults. Or maybe that mentality was just an excuse for her own inattentiveness, but still. Either way, P.E. was the time of the day where she could let loose. Have fun, without feeling the worries or pressure of entrance exams.

She was practically bouncing as she made her way towards the track. In the strict school environment of Mitakihara Middle School, there were probably many others who felt the same way. That this class was a time of ease.

Many others. But not all.

"…ah…"

While Sayaka and the others were heading off, one of the students seemed to be walking a lot slower than the others. Breathing roughly, even wobbling a bit.

A flash of concern crossed the gym teacher's face, rushing over towards the person in question. "Akemi-san, are you all right? You look terrible. Is it your anemia?"

The raven-haired girl gave a blank look at first. Then, after a few seconds of silence, it looked like she'd regained her stance, all signs of weakness having vanished.

"I'm fine, sensei," she answered.

"You look a little weak, are you sure?"

"I…" A pause. "I'm fine. I'm able to participate. If I need help, I'll be sure to tell you or the nurse's aide."

After some concern, the teacher ultimately decided, "Alright. As long as you're not pushing yourself too hard. Don't be afraid to let anyone know if you feel dizzy or anything, okay?"

The transfer student bowed slightly. "Thank you."

Then, as soon as the teacher turned away, Sayaka watched a wave of paleness wash over the transfer student's face, her body buckling a little. Had she been holding it in? Just how bad was that heart condition of hers anyway?

"Homura-chan, are you sure you're okay?" asked an approaching Madoka.

This little exchange hadn't gone unnoticed to the others either, some of the classmates having clearly seen it too. Her mood soured a bit when she heard a few girls making comments behind her.

"Seriously, tiring out from the warm-up? That's pretty bad…"

"Well, she did spend half a year doing nothing but sleep."

"Guess it's kinda expected."

Her lack of physical ability should've been obvious from the get-go - she'd been hospitalized after all - but it was still bizarre to see it in action.

So I guess Miss Perfect isn't so perfect after all, she thought. Even though it shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone, the transfer student hadn't shown a single sign of weakness up until now, appearing to be someone gifted with both brains and beauty. Seeing this individual, who seemed so impenetrable, exhaust herself from a simple task like warming up…

With a shrug, Sayaka turned away, returning back to the track to psyche herself back up. The class had since split into two distinct queues, each one lined up a short distance away from a raised horizontal bar. When she joined the one to the middle, it only took seconds for Hitomi and the others to follow behind her.

One by one students moved closer to the end of theirs queue, performing jumps with varying degrees of success. Until it was her turn.

While high jumps weren't quite as exciting as the other stuff like volleyball, she still intended to give it her very best, planning to perform a Fosbury backflop.

"Miki Sayaka, making a juuummmppp!"

The teacher blew her whistle, and on that signal, the blunette raced forth.

Her legs pulled her forward during the approach, her mind focused on a singular target. It could be broken down into three stages; the approach, the takeoff, and the flight. When she reached the checkpoint, she poured energy into her right foot and took off in a motion parallel to the mattress.

From there, she arched herself backwards with raised knees, focused on gaining as much height as possible mid-flight, before successfully going over the bar and slamming into the landing mat. Sayaka let out a breath, giving a thumbs up to her classmates as she got off. Looked like she'd hit a pretty good height, better than most of the boys so far, so that was definitely something to be proud of.

"Shizuki Hitomi, making a jump!"

The green-haired girl went next. Rushing forward, before performing a clean, graceful scissor jump above the bar - and damn, beating her by two centimeters?!

Sayaka let out a sigh of defeat. It was true, Hitomi was a lot stronger than she looked. Whether she got that strength from her dance lessons, from her self-defense lessons, or just from having a healthy lifestyle, you just wouldn't expect it unless you actually saw her in action. Eh, at least I'm the faster runner.

"K- Kaname Madoka, making a jump!"

Next up was Madoka. As the pinkette raced towards the bar, Sayaka's attention turned to the raven-haired girl right behind her, who was just looking onwards with great uncertainty.

Sayaka heard gasps from her sensei and classmates, with words like '1m 57cm!' and 'amazing, Kaname-san!' at the back of her head. She couldn't get it out of her head though - considering how tired out the transfer student got just from the warm up, were they sure about doing this?

"Did you just see what Kaname-san did?" Hitomi brought up.

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Sayaka grinned, turning her attention back to her friends. "Great job, Madoka!"

"Hehe, thanks Sayaka-chan!" Bright and excited, Madoka rushed over to sit besides them.

Though, the pinkette's excitement dwindled a bit when she watched the transfer student approach the track next.

"Is Homura-chan… going to be okay?" she asked worriedly.

"You know her better than we do, right? I'm sure it'll be fiinneee," Sayaka assured her.

"That's the problem, I do know her…"

Confused with the statement, Sayaka turned between the two people. What did she mean by that? Right now, Madoka's new friend seemed like the cool type, someone who wouldn't try to do anything dumb or irrational. If their heart condition was that bad, then surely they should just take it easy for this one?

"Akemi-san?" the gym teacher spoke up. "Do you want to give it a go?"

The transfer student stood silently at the end of the track, having removed her glasses beforehand. From where Sayaka was sitting, she could see a faint glimmer of fear in her eyes.

"Yes," Homura replied breathlessly.

The teacher nodded in understanding, and readied her whistle. It seemed the rest of the class had briefly paused to pay attention, curious about how the new student was going to perform.

"Akemi Homura. Making a jump."

Without hesitation, Homura broke off into a run. Her feet propelled her forward, hitting the ground four, maybe five times, before the raven-haired girl's eyes fluttered in what might've been a passing spell of dizziness. Her initial momentum was lost in an instant, and with that, her feet's rhythm was lost utterly. Sayaka couldn't help but cringe somewhat, watching her stumble onward in a desperate attempt just to force herself onward.

Until inevitably, she lost balance, tripping over right before the bar and shielding herself with her arms as she hit the hard ground.

All this transpired in the span in three seconds.

There were roughly ten meters separating her from the raised bar, as it had everyone else. It hadn't been a very long distance.  And yet, Homura still failed to cross it.

The class went gone silent.

"Homura-chan!"

"Are you okay, Akemi-san?"

Madoka and the teacher quickly rushed to her side, but by then the girl had gotten up apologetically.

"Sorry… I'm fine. I merely lost my balance there," Homura reassured them. A little breathless, but otherwise sounding normal. "As a matter of fact, this is something I've done many times, so there's nothing to be concerned about. I can do this."

By then, Homura was already walking back to her previous position. Her breaths were much more ragged, and yet her footsteps were much more firm.  Meanwhile, murmurs and supressed giggles could be heard amongst the onlookers as they continued to watch. It was a bit uncomfortable, actually. After that display, after not even making it close, was she really going to give it another go? Wasn't she embarrassed at all?

However, when the transfer student passed by her, Sayaka briefly saw the expression on her face. A very familiar expression.

Frustration.

Pure FRUSTRATION. As if struggling to understand why she couldn't do this.

Madoka quickly caught up her, asking "Hey, Homura-chan, are you sure-"

"Madoka."

The transfer student got into position.

"Let me do this."

Ah.

Ah...

AH.

Finally,  the gears in Sayaka's thick skull clicked into place. Of course. It should've been obvious from the start.

"U- um, Homura-chan, but-"

Just as Madoka was about to finish that sentence, Sayaka grabbed her hand. And w ith that, the pinkette reluctantly resigned.

If that's how it was, this wasn't a place for them to interfere. It wasn't like that girl was unaware of the class gossiping all around her. She just didn't care. That girl  was just too busy focusing on the completion of this particular task, wasn't she?  Not pretending everything was fine, but rather, too occupied concentrating on success. It was nothing more than a case of someone trying to prove  herself wrong - a chance she deserved.

The gym teacher stood at the ready, now looking a lot more attentive, as though ready to jump in anytime for support.

The raven-haired girl took a moment to collect her breath together.

"Akemi Homura… Making a jump!"

So.

Just like that, she tried to perform a high jump.

With her wobbling legs and her frail stature, and her anemia and apparent dizziness, she charged in.  This time her movements were a little different, slower and more controlled, in an effort to prevent repetition of the previous attempt. They were much more mechanical as they steadily gained in speed, crossing the distance necessary to reach the bar.  The approach, which looked simple on the outside, wasn't giving away the finer details. While Sayaka had no idea how her heart condition functioned, there was probably a threshold of some sort. She must've been trying to go as fast as she could without triggering it, staying calm, timing the landing of each of her feet to avoid tripping. At which point she successfully reached the bar with some builtup momentum, and went for the takeoff.

Homura jumped high up into the air, pouring strength into her right foot to thrust herself upwards. Her body spun in midair, arching backwards with some surprising precision to prepare for a Fosbury-backflop, almost as though it were something she was used to doing.

The result was obvious.  But that didn't matter.

The fact that her weak backflop caused her to bash directly into the bar, knocking it over? 

That didn't matter.

The fact that she hit the mattress so hard she rolled back, and had to lay there for a minute with deep, hoarse breaths?

That didn't matter.

The fact that her pathetic-looking landing caused the rest of the class to burst into giggles and laughter?

That didn't matter.

What mattered was that expression, that pure determination she wore when she jumped with all her might. The insurmountable amount of effort poured in, regardless of whether or not others would even NOTICE.

Yeah. That's all there was to this memory. J ust a brief glimpse into the girl's feelings. Something so quick most people wouldn't have even noticed it, and something so simple no one would even remember it, probably not even the transfer student herself. However,  to Sayaka, it was something she would remember clear as day. In that split second, she'd found herself transfixed by the stranger called 'Akemi Homura'.

Back then, before their first proper meeting, before everything she learned and before all the crazy things that happened, she just couldn't help but think,  'Someone who tries so hard like that… can't possibly be a bad person, can they?'

After all.

Even if it was impossible,

Homura looked like the kind of person who would do her absolute best anyway.

"Some people just don't get along, ya'know? Ahahaha~"

Mami tilted her head curiously, but decided to leave it at that. "If you say so, Miki-san."

It was a memory that, although brief, had left a lasting impression, having colouring all of her interactions with Homura from that point onwards. The idea that she had good reasons to do what she was doing, that there must've been a logical explanation for her to work so hard and put her life on the line for reasons beyond just being a general, all-around creep - even now, it was something she hoped for.

She remembered being so excited to meet Madoka's friend at first, but all the unexplained things that have been thrown at her since then - the grenades, the dislike of magical girls, the fixation on protecting Madoka - were just SO WEIRD, too weird in fact to just look past. Reaffirming her justification to herself, the girl thought, Guess I'll keep it to myself a little longer, huh? Just until I can say for sure whether she's really a good person... or not.

Then, once Sayaka gulped down her cup of tea, she snapped herself out of the rush of negativity and weird subjects.

Anyway! There was something else she wanted to get out of the way, wasn't there? It was time to lighten the mood a bit. She leaned over the table as if to get closer to her senpai.

"Mami-san, Mami-san~"

The person in question was still focused on enjoying her own tea. "Yes, Miki-san?"

"There's something I've been wondering, Mami-san."

"Certainly. Ask whatever you like."

"Right, so. I've been here a lot, right? And now that I've stayed over, I'm almost totally sure about this. "

The blunette leaned in even closer.

"Basically, Mami-san - I can't help but notice you live all alone."

The blonde-haired girl froze, her face darkening a little. "Oh."

"Soooo, my question is..."

"…"

"You uh, you're not some super rich girl like Hitomi, are ya?"

"Eh?" At that, Mami had to pause. "Rich?"

Had she been expecting something else? Innocently, Sayaka gestured towards the tidy, extravagant apartment all around them. "I mean it's such a fancy place! It really is! And your family just let you do whatever you want here? It wouldn't surprise me if they were foreigners either. I bet they are, huh? Well, Mami-san?"

"Well, um." Mami stared at her in confusion, debating her words. Then, she ultimately answered with a "Yes, I… Yes. Something like that, yes."

"Knew it!" A triumphant second-year student punched the air. "That sounds so nice. Jealous!"

"It isn't all that great," her senpai quickly added.

"Huh, that so?"

"It can get lonely sometimes. After all, they… rarely visit." Quietly, Mami continued sipping from the cup in her hands. "I have to take care of the apartment by myself all the time. Since I'm so busy as a magical girl, I almost never have friends over either. It's not as easy as it sounds."

"…right." Sayaka calmed down, looking at her senpai with sympathy. "That makes sense. Sorry, Mami-san."

The blunette nodded in understanding. It was hard for her to imagine someone amazing like Mami going through hardships. However, just like everyone else, she was still human at the end of the day.

"I guess I can kinda get that. My family just let me do whatever I want," remarked Sayaka, giving an exaggerated sigh. "I mean, they let me stay at yours without even asking who you were. Not that I'm complaining, but it just makes me think of all the other times I've gotten away with sleepovers… Ain't that kinda irresponsible? Feels weird knowing so many others have got such strict parents. Meanwhile, I dunno if mine are trusting or if they're just irresponsible sometimes."

"Maybe. However, it does sound like a convenient life for a magical girl," Mami commented with a smile.

"Heh, I guess you've got a point there…"

The blunette lay her her head on the table lazily.

But then,

"Wait. You know what this also means, Mami-san?"

her attitude lit up all of a sudden.

"It means we're the perfect magical girl team!" realised Sayaka. "You can do whatever you want. I can do whatever I want. We can stay up as long as we like… protecting the city… hunting the Witches together, and nothing will stop us!" The pumped-up Puella Magi stood up from the ground, striking a cool pose as she did so. "Oh, now I'm getting excited. This is gonna be awesome!"

"Miki-san…"

In response, Mami couldn't help but stare at her companion in pure incredulousness, even feeling herself turn a little red in embarrassment.

Then, the veteran got herself together, putting down her cup of tea in a composed manner. She let out a chuckle, calmly standing up from the floor as well.

"Ahaha… My, my. You really are a handful, aren't you?"

Calmly? No, that wasn't the right word for it.

"Yes… Yes. I look forward to working with you too, Miki-san!"

Mami's eyes were practically beaming wide, beginning to sparkle, almost losing her professionalism as she responded with equal giddiness. "For a long time I… I've thought that it'd be nice to have a magical girl for a friend. I'd be very honoured to have you by my side!"

Her enthusiasm actually took Sayaka off-guard a little.

Hence, in turn, Sayaka pushed herself to stay positive even more, pointing at the sky triumphantly.

"That's the spirit, Mami-san! Look forward to kicking some Witch butt together, evildoers beware!"

It didn't matter what the future held. Right now, what was important was that she throw herself in, give it a shot, and try to live up to her own expectations. Looking back, she'd be lying if she said she could completely understand Kyousuke's feelings. But even during all those months, he somehow coped with such an unfair, difficult situation. He held onto his dreams, he did everything he could, and and he marched on regardless of the consequences for so long…

If even a freak like Homura could do it, then she could definitely do it too.

Moving onward in the face of terrifying adversity, that is. Giving hope to others.

Even if it was impossible, she just had to do her absolute best from now on—as the next magical girl of Mitakihara!

Far off into the distance, feet swayed back and forth in the sky, suspended over two thousand feet above ground. Even at this height, there wasn't a trace of worry in her expression. At the very edge of a construction tower crane, rivalling the nightscape's tallest buildings, sat a young teen.

It seemed a crazy, red-haired female devoid of fear had made herself comfortable on the railing.

The night sky surrounded her wherever she looked, pitch black, unwelcoming. Due to the sheer level of light pollution caused by the urbanisation here, there wasn't a single star visible, only the faint visage of a crescent moon. Nothing like plain-old Kazamino. The emerald glow of the vast metropolitan city was all that could be seen for miles - by being here, it was almost like she was declaring her superiority over everything below her.

"So."

Without mercy, she chomped into her custard-filled taiyaki. "Mami got herself a new disciple, eh?"

And chomped again.

And chomped one more time, for good measure.

"That's right." Next to her sat the magical white feline, observing her behaviour with patience and curiousity. "In addition, it looks like we've got a bit of an anomaly in the city. They could be a problem for you too."

"Huh? Anomaly?" Confusion crossed the girl's face. "What's that mean?"

His ruby eyes simply gazed onwards, his stillness not giving anything away. "You'll see soon enough."

There were times when he was weirdly mysterious like this. But whatever. Whether it was a magical girl or whether it was a Witch, she could handle it, and as a matter of fact she'd welcome the challenge. Wasn't really her thing to think too hard about this stuff anyway. There was only one reason why she returned back here.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Kyubey.

At that, a wild grin grew on her face.

"You know me. What do ya think?!"

The Puella Magi stood up from the crane, utterly unfazed by the night's cold, heavy winds as she tossed away the empty box of pocky. And with this, she proceeded to gleefully launch herself off, letting every fibre of her being plummet across the vast expanse of an ever-infinite night sky, with all the excitement of a ferocious beast.

Indeed, at long last—Sakura Kyouko has returned to Mitakihara.

Chapter Text

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...Hello.

I imagine this is the first time you and I have conversed in a while.  It has been a long time, hasn't it? Has it been months, or has it been years?  I thought it would be pointless to return to you.

I thought the day would never come, the need would never arise.

And yet, here I am. Coming to see you once more.

Within the hushed embrace of a magnificent, albeit dimly lit theatre, a silhouette stepped in from the entrance. While its figure was difficult to discern in the darkness, its posture was calm and collected as it proceeded to stride across the empty audience seats.

Who am I, you ask?

If you're wondering who I am…Then I will make it clear.

My name is Akemi Homura.

Not to take a seat…but to take the stage. That was the destination this raven-haired girl was eyeing, with a deep burning determination in her eyes.

Akemi, meaning bright and beautiful.

Homura, meaning flames.

"A bright, beautiful flame". That is the name I was blessed with, and the name I was cursed with.

As she stepped onto the stage, and into a fiery illumination, a black feathered dress befitting a demon could be seen garmenting her body. Were it not for the chandelier suspended above the stage, its burning light bringing, this theatre would have been cast in utter darkness.

What a joke, honestly.  A bright flame? More like a withering candle. One that flickers day by day, moment by moment, threatening to give in at a moment's notice.

You know, I never needed to be convinced much of the existence of witches. From the moment I was born, my life hung in the balance. As if hundreds of witches had banded together to curse me at birth, ensuring I had the loneliest, most miserable life possible.

As if in tune with her words, the fire couldn't help but flicker, again and again, as if even bringing light to this performance took everything it had. Meanwhile, the raven-haired girl continued to walk onward through the stage. She joined the carefully arranged set, with standing dolls dressed up in pretty outfits welcoming her arrival. Blue, yellow, red…and pink.

For as long as I can remember, I've been alone.

If you ask me why, I wouldn't have much of a response. I suppose I have simply been…a little unluckier than others.

Deemed sick at birth. Regular visits to the hospital, which escalated into long stays at the hospital. A mother that lost hope in my recovery very early on. Before I knew it, I could no longer understand the concept of a "normal life". That which those around me seemed able to live so normally. Day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, the gap between me and others only grew and grew.

Large, hanging clocks gently descended from the grid above, surrounding her and the dolls. Their hands stuck at midnight, yet ticking nonetheless.

What was friendship? What were bonds? I couldn't explain it at the time, but it always felt like the way doctors and nurses would smile at me…was a little different from the way they would pleasantly chat with one another, laugh, exchange jokes and perform idle chatter just outside the room.

Many times I wished to get better, many times I was told I would get better. I hoped it was true, not because I cared about getting better, but because I wanted to make new friends. I wanted to go out with them, eat at sweetshops, shop for cute dresses, watch nice shows together, maybe visit a theme park and maybe even go on rollercoasters. Having fun, real fun, with others my age…whatever that was supposed to entail.

Still, many times I did not get better. And the few times I did, it was almost like a punishment for feeling hope…

A few times I was discharged, and sent to school, only to feel scared and isolated, and be the target of cruel words. Something horrific would flare up – and before I'd know it, I was back in the hospital. Back at square one.

For a time, she watched the clocks. Wondering whether they would move even a second more.

Soon, breakthroughs in technology had meant brand new surgery techniques could be used to help my various conditions. By the 16th of March, my recovery from the surgery had officially finished. After a rest period, I would be sent to live at my new accommodation and begin attending Mitakihara Middle School.

I dreaded that the same would happen. Not the collapsing – I was used to that part. But that my fantasy of being normal… my desire to have friends… would once more be taken, and stomped into the dirt.

When I showed up at that school, and heard them making fun of me, I was so scared it would be the same. That things like friendship, the joys of a normal life, were beyond the likes of me.

Before turning to face the pink doll. The last of the dolls, garmented in a magical pink ensemble, adorned with pink ribbons and accents.

That all changed…with her.

The raven-haired demon lowered herself to the floor, gently grasped hold of its extended gloved hand. Then, from this kneeling position, her lips kissed the offered hand. Touched the white silk covering it. Was the act more like a knight to her princess, or was it more like a criminal, begging for forgiveness? Even she did not know. All she knew was that this scene, this world, these thoughts…are the tableau to a devotion no one else will ever understand.

In a world where dreams don't come true, she showed me that my dream could.

That's why I dedicated myself to her - why we dedicated ourselves to her.

Do you understand… Me?

Just beyond this scene, in the darkness behind the stage, stood a shaking girl. Her own dark hair all tied up in messy twintails, red-framed glasses yet to be adjusted, and past it, a disturbed expression on her face. A second, younger Akemi Homura.

With that, she pointed her finger at that Homura.

I've come here for one reason, and one reason only.
To ask, just what kind of sick game are you playing right now...?  

A- ah… The other Homura stumbled a bit further back, not saying a word, only clutching her chest either by habit or instinct.

The devil Homura sighed, parting from the pink doll. Placing her arms behind her back, she started to pace across the stage, speaking, or perhaps thinking in a sharp tone.

Remember what our aim is. Obviously, we cannot remain a human for long. Our priority is to last as long as possible. The ideal is if we can last until the 1st of May. At that point, the available wish we have to Incubator is our best shot at ending Walpurgisnacht. You understand that, right?

I… I do… The other her responded nervously.

As is, things are already difficult. Sayaka nearly died, didn't she? We ourselves nearly died, properly died. It's one thing to want to hold onto your wish, it's another to get yourself KILLED trying to stay true to that.  You shouldn't even be here anymore. Do you really have her best interests in mind? Exactly how much are you interfering with my decisions? 

…I…

The other her looked down to the floor.

…I'm not. I want to protect Kaname-san too.

One Homura faced the other with a cold stare.

That's right. It's for Madoka's sake. We need to hold onto this wish for Madoka's sake,  responded the devil. If we die, who's going to protect her? Nobody. Nobody at all… 

Yeah… I… I understand that.

And yet, a few major errors have been made leading up to this point. I suspect you're the cause. But no longer. From now on, we're playing it safe. We won't get involved any longer, we won't spend our time on pointless drivel. Do you understand me? This is for Madoka's sake.

…I do. It's for Kaname-san's… sake, after all.

So you DO UNDERSTAND! The last line came out in a furious yell, Homura closing in on her younger counterpart with a deep, dark, frustrated glare. Dark violet eyes met bright violet eyes, burning into them with hatred and self-loathing.

E- eek-?! The younger Homura flinched back, the sheer intensity of it catching her off-guard, losing her balance as she stumbled to the floor, her red-framed glasses falling off.

We shouldn't be getting involved at all! So I want to ask you, other me… If you really have her best interests in mind, if we've dedicated ourselves to being cold and pragmatic, to making only the best decisions… then WHY does THIS exist?!

The devil Homura shoved a phone down towards her counterpart's face.

On it, read the message:

「Akemi-sannn, hope you show up to school tomorrow! Let's go to the mall after, okayyy (◕▿◕)」

And her response:

「Sounds good to me」

W- well, that… t- that was just… At that, the younger Homura stuttered for a response.

That wasn't a text from Madoka. It was a text from Hitomi - someone who was completely uninvolved in all of this, and would never be involved in any of this. Her reasoning for agreeing at the time was to get Hitomi off her back, but in truth, she hadn't paid it much thought.

We should be protecting Madoka. We shouldn't even be wasting our time with people who can't even be assets, don't you UNDERSTAND that?

That's just- I didn't-

If we're going to waste our time on anyone, it should be preparations for Sakura Kyoko. Someone who we need on our side at all costs. Exactly what benefit is Shizuka Hitomi, who has no potential to even be a magical girl, supposed to bring…?

That's-

Or… The devil inched closer, tossing the phone aside before gripping her counterpart's face tightly. Could it be that you still cling onto that fantasy? That concept of a normal life…? In these past few weeks, have you started to actually think that this, THIS, she gestures to her body, this weak, pathetic, useless body we own is something we should actually be KEEPING?

With her other hand, she briefly snatched up the fallen glasses. Only now, instead of red frames, it was black frames. Or is this what you're getting attached to? Don't you think it's a little late to be making unnecessary bonds…?

The devil tossed the glasses aside, letting go of her other self…then turned her back, facing the theatre audience once more. In the seats were countless dressed up dolls, among them Pride, Pessimism, Liar, Coldheartedness, Selfishness, Slander, Blockhead, Jealousy, Laziness, Vanity, Cowardice, Stupid-Looking, Inferiority, and Stubbornness, all watching the performance quietly.

"Akemi Homura is fated to be a magical girl," the devil declared clearly to the audience. "That is the only way this cycle can continue, and the only way it can end. The only way we can keep burning, instead of going out like a candle on a winter night. Madoka must be saved!"

Meanwhile, in the illuminated light, the devil could be seen to wear a witch's hat. Looking less and less human, it started to levitate above the stage, past the dolls, the hanging clocks, soaring into the air above.

And you must remember to place her first. At all times…at ALL times.
You need to do better.

The raven-haired Homura on the floor continued to shiver and shake, holding herself tightly on the wooden boards. Tears started to well up from her eyes.

I… I understand… I-… I'm sorry, the other her whispered. You're right. I… I need to do better. For Kaname-san-

Her words, her breath, was cut short, as the witch suddenly enveloped the fires on the chandelier. Extinguishing them... and thrusting the theatre into total, absolute darkness.

Ah-?

You already sacrificed your humanity, and the mortal world, long ago. How fortunate it is that you can now do it twice.

Below in the sudden pitch-black, the dolls from the audience finally begun to move. The sounds of their movements could be heard, skittering and clammering up onto the stage. Clatter clatter clatter clatter. In the dark, the Homura left behind realized what was happening, rushing to escape, but it was already too late – they had surrounded her with long, violet glowing spears, more and more enclosing in, reaching out, entrapping her from all sides of the stage. Clatter clatter clatter clatter.

Remember – your soul is a disposal tool.

Clatter clatter clatter clatter. As the abandoned Homura started to panic, scrambling to get back up, to break free from wooden grips, they prepared their blades with vigorous cackles and clatterings and readied them above her

A TOOL TO OBTAIN

and plunged them in

A BRAND NEW SOUL GEM-

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Wednesday, April the 6th

Homura snapped awake with a sudden, violent gasp.

Her heart was beating fast, breath coming forth in ragged bursts. She had to take a second just to remain in place, calm herself, focus on her breathing…

As she sat up from the table, her gaze darted around the room, almost like searching for a little comfort in her familiar surroundings. The calendar on her wall, the desk, some books scattered about, the hanging clock reading 6:21 AM. The computer right in front of her, and sunlight rays shining in through the window's curtains.

Right. Here, it's just, it's just her room. No creepy dark theatres. No dolls, no witches, and no executions. Still, for some reason, it felt almost unfamiliar. As if that dream, or perhaps nightmare, had lasted an eternity. The ill girl couldn't help but clutch at her chest, which ached in faint bouts of pain.

Her stiff body, tired and exhausted, found itself on a chair – she must have fallen asleep at the desk while…

"…"

Her gaze turned to the contents of the computer. It was still displaying multiple visual feeds, displaying the area in and around Mami's apartment. Last night, she'd been staying up just to monitor Mami and Sayaka's activities. A sickly feeling started to well up inside of her.

This isn't… what friends do, she couldn't help but think to herself, suppressing a brief sense of nausea. No friend would do this. There's no way friendship can justify this. This is pathetic. I'm pathetic. Madoka… What am I doing, exactly…?

Homura lay her head back on the desk, letting out a small, pained groan.

"Nyan," said Amy, tapping her head with its paw.

"Oh…"

A drained Homura slowly turned to the black cat, sitting on the desk besides the computer. From her self-loathing, she tried to pull herself together a little. "Hello, Amy. Do you need more food…?"

"Nyan," it responded.

"I see. Please, give me just a moment…" Her body moved on its own, pouring some food into a bowl for Amy.

She felt disorientated, but she had to keep moving. That nightmare had certainly reminded her of one thing. What she was aiming for, and what she had to…what she absolutely had, had, HAD TO DO from this point forth. Unnecessary risks needed to be taken out, and the superfluous needed to fall away.

"Nyan," Amy thanked her, digging in.

As for Homura, she sat back on her chair, collecting her thoughts. Today was Wednesday. April 6th. Kyoko should have arrived in Mitakihara by now, and tonight, Homura will be able to confront her for the first time at a certain location she always visits.

As a Puella Magi, the two of them had always been able to stand on some kind of similar ground. But as a human, convincing Kyoko to help her in any form was going to be vastly more difficult. Much of her future success may well depend on how well this particular meeting goes.

Briefly, Homura pulled back her right sleeve – hidden underneath, that long yellow ribbon remained wrapped around her skin, binding to it softly yet tightly. Mami's gift, as well as her one true functional self-defense weapon against a Witch. Supposedly, it had power equivalent to a Tiro Finale. All she needed to do to activate it was pull it off…

Let's not set it off now, the girl thought, putting her sleeve back down. While she trusted Mami enough to know this had to be safe, there was still a lingering paranoia about what might happen if it triggered by some accident or random event. At the time she'd asked for out for reasons of efficiency, but now that she'd spent a few nights with it on, and even showered with it, the more technical problems about this were beginning to present themselves.

Would that blow up her arm? Perhaps her whole body? Or were there any safety mechanisms in place? Was she, in fact, walking around with the equivalent of a bomb strapped to herself…?

"…ugh…"

Homura shook her head, wiping a bit of the sweat from her forehead, then moved onto thinking about other matters. She was already used to working with explosives, sure. But that was as a magical girl. With this body, a single mistake in so many different areas really could spell death. Perhaps a text to Mami couldn't hurt. Other than that, speculating would only lead to further paranoia and stress.

Anyway, the plan. At school today, she would refuse Hitomi's invitation. Once the situation between Madoka and Sayaka was properly observed, and Madoka's safety was guaranteed for another day, she would return home and continue to monitor the Puella Magi until it was nighttime, at which point she would go to meet-

" TSUTAEATTA KOKORO NO ONDO WO "

Amy jumped up with a start.

Putting a halt to the loud ringtone, Homura quickly answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Homura-chan, hi! Are you doing okay?!" On the other side of the phone was Madoka, sounding worried.

Warmth felled up within at hearing that voice. After last night's nightmare, even just this sound filled Homura's chest with light and relief, a soothing sensation that brought ease to her stresses…

Although, this warmth was followed quickly after by confusion. "Yes. Did something happen? I was just about to get ready for school."

"Um… Homura-chan. It's, it's already 9 AM?"

"…ah?"

Homura looked at her clock again, which still read 6:21. Except, it was longer ticking, but rather had frozen. The battery was dead. She glanced at her computer next, noting that neither Mami nor Sayaka was sleeping. In other words,

"I overslept… Apologies, I'm coming over now!"

With that, the raven-haired girl hastily started to get herself ready. Though attending school on time wasn't a real priority for her, she still needed to be there to observe the others as much as possible.

"Jeez, Homura-chan. Okay… just take it easy, okay? Don't push yourself if you're not feeling well," Madoka assured her brightly. "Also, Hitomi-chan says hi!"

A pause. Right, their mall plans should probably be cancelled. The response was thoughtless, the stakes were too high, and the individual in question was not someone who needed to be indulged any further. This day was simply too important to be spending on anything else.

"Ah yes. Tell her-"

"I hope we can still visit the mall later… Hitomi-chan invited me too, hope that's okay!"

"…ah?"

For the second time in a row, Homura let out a brief sound of incredulousness.

"…That's okay, yes. I'm looking forward to it too." And against her better judgment, the subsequent response slipped out of her mouth.

Curse you, Shizuka Hitomi, she thought to herself. Have you already seen through me…?

"I'm glad! See you at school, okay? I'll put this away before I get in trouble…"

"Okay. See you… Madoka."

…

Once the call ended, Homura couldn't help but stare out into space for a little while. Thoughts crossing her mind. Was this necessary? Was this okay? Did she have time for this? Did she deserve this? So far, most of her actions had served a purpose. To establish needed ground, to be there during a Witch attack, to further one goal or another. But this…

Maybe, maybe there would be another Witch at the mall… a Witch she should be at Madoka's side to protect from, just in case? Or maybe… Maybe Incubator would show up right there to try and force a new contract with Madoka, so she needed to be there to prevent that?

Yes. Yes, either of those were certainly not impossible. Yes, certainly, there was logical basis for it. If Madoka was going to head out, she should continue to ensure their safety until they get home, and then she can move onto confronting Kyoko…

"…Mm." Homura rubbed her head.

Before nodding to herself, gathering up her things for school.

"Nyan," said Amy, watching her as she left.

"Bye for now, Amy," responded Homura, giving the cat a wave, then setting out once ready.

Whatever happens from here, there was no doubt it was going to be a hectic day.

The next stage was opening up at last in Mitakihara City. And for those who aren't magical girls, fantastical powers like stopping or resetting time simply don't exist. Enough time had passed, and enough preparation had been made. If she couldn't be ready for Sakura Kyoko now, she never will. As for what awaited beyond that, only the future would tell.

A future that, as of right now, she had to ready herself for. Not knowing what to expect, she steeled her resolve, reigniting the various goals she had set in her mind, and walked out the building, heading towards Mitakihara Middle School.

And all the while… The former Soldier of Time repeated a single mantra to herself.

"I need to do better," Homura whispered under her breath quietly.

"I need to do better…"

"I need to do better…"

"I need to do better…"

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