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Silence.
Not even a single breeze in the air, not a single rustle made from her hair or her torn sleeve. She couldn't hear anything but pure silence.
It only took a second for her senses to come back to normal.
Her mind returned to the battlefield, echoes of the fight coming back to ring in her ears. The flames hidden away in the smoke. Visions flickered from the theatre of war just a moment ago, to the bare wasteland of what remained of her home.
The empty greyness of the city stretched on for what seemed like forever. How long had it been since they started this battle? It could have been minutes, hours, or even days. Yet to her, it felt like no day nor night had passed.
Nothing but constantly running towards and away, knocking arrow after arrow to take down the terror that would have destroyed everything. It would have taken the lives of everyone—her friends, her family, the city that was her home.
No one else will ever know. Why the scars on her back will never fade away. Why there would be a permanent look of fear and worry in her eyes. Why, sometimes, the nightmares may never go away from the back of her mind.
Except for... except for her.
The girl with beautiful locks of black hair. Her face and hands were streaked with blood. She had scratches all over her purple and white dress. Cuts and bruises scattered around her skin.
She made all of her worries go away.
Homura Akemi.
Madoka dropped her bow, which clattered to the ground. She flung herself into Homura's arms, who hugged her back tightly as she sobbed into her hair.
"We... we did it, Homura." Madoka smiled, nestling her face. "I can't believe it's finally over. I'm so glad."
"I know..."
Homura pulled back, forcing them to face each other. "I'm glad that we're both still alive. We... we beat Walpurgisnacht, right?"
Her face dropped as she stared at the ground. A single tear splattered onto her boots.
"I'm so sorry."
"Wh-what are you apologizing for, Homura? We're both still alive. We saved everyone, didn't we? What is there for you to be sorry for?"
"My goal. I... I never wanted you to be a magical girl. I didn't want you to relive the fate that you did. Even in this timeline, I still couldn't do it! I still failed, didn't I?"
Madoka looked at her sadly. "No, you didn't."
"I wanted to save you, at least this time. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Madoka. You weren't supposed to fight again. You weren't supposed to suffer."
Madoka forced her to look up. "Homura."
Tears streaming down her cheeks, Homura looked up to see Madoka smiling at her. She held both of their hands together, lacing their fingers. A small warmth bloomed between them.
"You achieved your goal. I'm still alive, aren't I?" She said, wiping away the tears from Homura's eyes. "I know I still had to become a magical girl... but that was the only chance I could save you too. I don't want you to die for me. I want you to be happy, too!"
Homura's face flushed red. More tears streamed down her face, and she used her sleeve to rub them away.
"You were about to turn into a witch, weren't you? I saw your soul gem... I saw it being plagued with darkness... I knew you were about to lose yourself. It was the only choice I had, to make a wish, to save you and make sure you never have to worry about me ever again."
Madoka raised her hand to rub Homura's shoulder. "So don't worry, okay? You don't have to be sad anymore. Finally, there's a timeline where both of us are still alive."
Homura sniffled. "I didn't want you to have to fight witches ever again. I didn't want you to have to go through all of that. I still feel like... like I failed."
"It's okay to ask for help. You don't have to hold all of this burden on yourself. I'll be okay, Homura. I have a good feeling that... as long as I'm with you, I'll be able to do a lot more! I'll be a lot stronger if I'm with you. So that's why I'm not worried."
"Someday..." Homura choked out.
"Hm?"
"Someday, we'll both be turned into witches too. We won't be like this forever."
"I know that. I learned it a while ago... There's no point worrying about the future, though. What matters is what we do right now, to prevent that from happening. We can reach out to more magical girls, and save as many of them as we can from having to suffer by themselves."
"I don't want you to bear this pain... not again. I don't want to lose you."
"Homura."
They both stared into each other's eyes, fingers still entwined together. A gentle breeze made their hair wave around them. Pebbles and stones clattered down, to the city below.
"I wanted to say something to you! I want to say thank you. Thank you for helping me, and for fighting by my side. Thank you for trying to save me for so long. Thank you so much, Homura."
Madoka smiled, still looking into Homura's eyes.
"I love you!"
The tears on her face stopped. The redness on her face went away, leaving behind a soft pink. She raised her hand to her heart, feeling it beat through her skin.
"I love you too, Madoka."
She bent over to plant a kiss on Homura's cheek, her breath coming out unevenly. Madoka's hands wrapped tightly around her waist, looking into Homura's face with an affectionate smile.
"We're finally together. We can spend time together, make new friends, and have each other's backs."
Homura finally let herself smile. A small beam of light shone on her lips. Her tears dried from her face, her solemn expression cracking away.
"Yeah, you're right," she nodded. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out. She reopened them, looking back into the face of the girl she cared about the most, had rewritten her future for, and had relived the same month after month trying to save.
Homura finally achieved her goal, of saving her.
Maybe they can finally be happy together.