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Through her familiars’ eyes, the Devil watched a pink-haired girl walk home. She’d separated from her friends a few minutes back as they returned to their own homes but stopped just after the last one walked out of her sight. Instead of continuing to her house, she’d stood in the same spot for the last ten minutes, lost in thought over something.
The Devil frowned. While it was normal for teenagers to occasionally become lost in their thoughts, it was unusual for this girl to do it while standing in one spot instead of walking absent-mindedly. She shook her head, and then set down her cup of tea as she rose from her seat in Hell. Spreading her wings, she vanished from sight- not that anybody visiting the park noticed, for she’d never been visible to them in the first place.
The girl continued to stand still, not noticing her even as she approached her from behind, now wearing a school uniform. I hope nobody has disrupted my stage , the Devil thought, now right behind the girl. Ah, well- I’d better deal with this problem first. And so, she lightly tapped the girl on the shoulder.
“Whuh-Huh?” The girl startled, jumping and nearly falling over. She whipped her head around, tensing her shoulders, but relaxed a little seeing who was behind her. A nervous smile appeared on her face, and her anxious, slightly fearful gaze scanned over the black-haired girl.
“Ake- Homura-chan? Wh-What are you doing here?”
“Just passing by, when I noticed you standing here doing nothing,” Homura replied, making the girl avert her eyes in embarrassment. “Is something the matter, Kaname Madoka-san?”
“N-no… there’s nothing wrong…” Madoka replied unconvincingly, and Homura tilted her head.
“Really? So it's a normal occurrence for you to simply stand around lost in thought to the point that you don't notice people walking up to you?”
“Uhm…” The pink-haired girl fidgeted and looked down, avoiding her gaze.
“Do not worry. I won’t say anything you tell me to anyone else.” Madoka seemed to be considering her offer, and after a few seconds, she nodded, and in response, Homura smiled for just a moment.
“Hmm… this may sound a little silly to you, but I was thinking about how my life doesn’t seem to have any purpose at all,” Madoka muttered, hanging her head. “I’m sure it sounds silly to you! I mean, you’re always so sure of what you’re doing-“
“Can you clarify what you mean by ‘purpose’, Kaname-san?” She interrupted, wary of letting Madoka drag on for too long. It was good of her to come here. The outcome of Madoka thinking about her purpose in life for too long was… undesirable, after all.
“Huh?” Madoka seemed confused by the question, biting her fingernail as she pondered it. “Well, my parents and everybody else are doing so much stuff! I mean, my parents are so cool, Hitomi-chan’s studying and has a boyfriend, Sayaka-chan’s having so much fun and is so sure of herself…” She trailed off, and Homura’s chest hurt a little as Madoka’s smile fell from her face.
“But then, I’m just here… and I’ve been so blessed from the moment I was born, compared to Kyoko-chan, for example, but I’ve just been sitting here, doing nothing in life… What am I even good for, compared to someone like you?” Madoka started tearing up, and her last few words were more like a sniffle. “S-sorry. I’m just bothering you, aren’t I?” She said, trying and failing to smile.
The sight of Madoka’s tears nearly made Homura cry herself, and she wanted nothing more than to grab her in a hug and tell her that she’s so much more important than she’ll ever know, but she couldn’t. Her meaningless assurances, cryptic warnings and praises would never make Madoka see herself the way Homura did. She needed to use a different approach to solve this problem.
Purposelessness was a feeling she was all too familiar with. But Madoka didn't have any memories from when she was a magical girl, meaning that her feelings came from and could be solved in a completely mundane way, just like all humans would. She might need a little push to deal with them, though. Well, this is my stage, after all…
The pink-haired girl tried to turn around, but Homura reached out and grabbed her shoulder, eliciting a tiny yelp from the girl as she turned around with a questioning look. Meanwhile, she projected herself into the minds of her Liese, scanning her surroundings in a second, looking for anything that could- there, that’s perfect.
“Homura-chan?” Madoka asked, confused at being grabbed but making no move to leave. Homura turned around and started walking back in the direction she came from, entering an alleyway.
“Follow me.” Madoka froze for a second, then ran after her, catching up to her. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to say something but getting the words out. Meanwhile, Homura continued to walk, turning into an alleyway, until she came to a sudden stop, Madoka nearly running into her back.
“W-What is it, Homura-chan?” Madoka asked hesitantly, a little scared by the dark, shadowed alley. In response, Homura pointed at an unassuming cardboard box with a few holes punched into it.
Madoka hesitated a little, but then took a step forward. Homura followed behind as the girl slowly walked towards the box, froze for a second, and then started running towards it, bending over and opening its lid once she reached it. Looking inside, her eyes grew wide, and she gasped in surprise, then gently moved her hand into the box. Homura reached where she was and bent down, looking inside the box to confirm its contents.
Inside the box was a beautiful pure black kitten, its eyes half-open and staring at the two of them. It turned its head up towards Madoka and squealed at her, and the girl cooed at it in response. The kitten stared at the girl’s hand in the box for a second, and then walked towards it with unsteady steps, nearly falling over before it reached its destination. After sniffing hesitantly, the cat meowed lightly and rubbed its face on her hand, and Madoka’s smile returned to how it should be, her tears now forgotten. Homura simply turned around, flipping her hair as she did.
“I heard it squealing while we were talking. It’s quiet around this time, so I could hear it easily. And I deduced its location easily since I know this place well.”
“From all the way there? You’re so cool, Homura-chan!” If she was a weaker version of herself, she might have blushed at the praise. But this time, she simply dissociated her soul from her body to prevent any reaction that might seem familiar to Madoka's suppressed memories.
“But why did you want to show me this anyway?” Madoka asked, a puzzled expression suddenly on her face.
“You were telling me about how you felt as though you had no purpose in life and were merely squandering the gifts given to you, right?” Madoka nodded, then hung her head shamefully, reminded of what she believed to be the truth. I don’t like her being sad for even a second, but I’ll have to bear it. Homura pointed at the cat, then continued. “Yet, when you saw that cat, did you consider anything but taking it home right this moment?”
Madoka’s eyes widened, and she quickly averted them from Homura’s intense stare. “S-so? What’s that got to do with me being useless?”
“How many people hold as much kindness in their hearts as you do? I’m sure you know that taking care of an animal takes effort. And yet, you’ve already made your decision.” Madoka opened her mouth to interrupt, but Homura continued anyway.
“Just by being you, you’ve saved a life today, haven’t you?” Homura spoke, pushing down the tremble in her voice. “You do not have to disappear or sacrifice yourself to make others happy like you seem to think you need to,” she continued, not realizing that Madoka had never vocalized that thought of hers. You've done much more for the world than you think, she wanted to add, but held herself back for the other girl's sake.
“So don't underestimate and demean yourself. It’ll hurt… so many more people than you know. Including that one,” she muttered, averting her eyes from Madoka. It was getting harder and harder to suppress her emotions. That’s surely different enough from my usual warnings, right? I hope it keeps her safe.
(It won't be enough, fool.)
“O-oh…” Madoka seemed overwhelmed by the sudden declaration, yet less confused than she was by her usual warnings. Homura relaxed her shoulders just a little, but Madoka continued speaking.
“B-but… I’m sure you’d have taken care of it too, since you heard it! You’re a little scary, but you’re kind too, I’m sure of it!” Madoka declared timidly, and Homura almost laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement.
“No.”
“B-but-”
“I am not a good person, Kaname Madoka. I wouldn’t have thought twice about leaving that cat to die simply because it doesn’t concern me. Most people are like me, too. But you aren’t-aren’t anything like that.” Madoka’s face fell upon hearing that. It still hurts to betray her expectations like this, but it’s necessary. However, Madoka suddenly brightened, her face filled with determination, and Homura started to worry about the sudden change.
Madoka turned around and picked up the box, then held it out right in front of Homura. What’s she trying to do? Is she really about to give a cat to someone who just said that she’d leave it to die? That doesn’t seem like-
“Hold it!”
“Hwuh?”
“Hold the cat, silly! I’m sure you’ll like it!” Madoka was practically beaming, and Homura didn’t have the heart to refuse her, even if she understood perfectly that blinding light did not mix well with focus. She gingerly approached the kitten, who looked up to her and meowed gently as she approached it with her hands, and carefully picked it up.
It’s such a weak creature, she thought, looking at the kitten squirming on her hands. If she moved her hands with just a tiny bit of effort, it’d turn into paste and die.
Why does life have to be so fragile?
Tears threatened to flow from her eyes once more, and she thanked her Dark Orb and the ability to dissociate from her body that it gave her. Quickly, she put the kitten back in its box, causing it to mewl sadly as it was robbed of the warmth of her hands.
“I don’t feel comfortable holding it,” she said before Madoka could protest.
“Okay…” Madoka seemed a little sad even though she smiled. It reminded Homura of the way Madoka tried to smile in every timeline after all the others died, despite there being nothing that could have warranted that reaction from Madoka, and she ran her right hand through her hair to calm herself down, tugging a few strands out in the process.
Just for good measure, she looked at Madoka’s eyes. Still pink, as they should be.
“Homura-chan? Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Could you help me take her home? The kitten, I mean. I think she’s a she, anyway…” Madoka trailed off, looking embarrassed. She could refuse her, could return to her duties of maintaining the universe and making sure no magical girls except the ones she chose regained their powers. It was the correct choice to make- she had no business being around her any more than necessary.
Who was she kidding?
Madoka would be happy if she agreed, and to see that smile alone was enough for her.
No matter how much she tried, her selfishness would always win- it in her nature, after all.
“Of course, Kaname-san,” she replied. Her smile was false, as it always was. “I’d be glad to help you.”
To let her real smile through would be to let the tears through as well.
“Yay!” Madoka cheered and walked past her, back from where they came. Homura picked the box up and followed, walking behind her. When they reached the main street, Madoka looked back and smiled seeing Homura following her.
They silently continued on their journey to Madoka’s home, neither wanting to break the comfortable silence they’d found themselves in. A cool breeze began to blow, and Madoka raised her arms like wings to enjoy it, giggling like she was having the time of her life.
Homura simply watched the pink-haired girl’s antics from a safe distance. She’d not seen this side of Madoka for a long time. She sometimes skips a little when walking if she’s really enjoying herself, she thought as the girl walked just a little faster than she usually did.
This joy, however, was cut short in the most cruel manner, as the breeze died out, leaving Madoka to stand still and look around with a brief frown before resuming her normal walk. For a few seconds, Homura wondered whether she should do anything , then shrugged and snapped her fingers.
The breeze returned, and Madoka’s face lit up as it blew past her. She didn’t do anything more than smile, but that was more than enough. I doubt that was a smart thing use of my power, but what’s the point of having magic if I don’t use it? Homura asked herself. Her house is in a minute anyway. She’ll forget about it soon enough.
And in exactly one minute, right on schedule, the two girls arrived in front of the Kaname residence. Madoka walked up to the front door and fumbled around for a minute before managing to open it, and Homura wondered if she should inform her of the impracticality of having a keychain that was mostly pink decorations by volume.
She looked up and she saw Madoka waving her in with a smile, impractically heavy keychain jingling in her hand. No, I’d better keep quiet, she decided. In this case, the desire for cuteness shall prevail over the need for orderly keychains.
She kicked her shoes off and walked up the steps, kitten-box still in hand as she accepted Madoka’s invitation. Following Madoka, she walked across the living room and hallway, eventually reaching a single room in the corner of the house.
Madoka opened the door and walked in, but Homura stood at the door, as if an invisible wall was stopping her from moving any further. Why am I here? I was just supposed to warn her when she was in one of those moods, but barely a few minutes later and I’m here again, where I don’t belong.
“Homura-chan?”
Homura blinked and saw Madoka staring at her, confused as to why the black-haired girl was standing at the door. “You can come in, you know? I asked you to come here…” Homura knew without a doubt that Madoka was probably thinking hard about why she wasn’t coming in, and for reasons she didn’t know, the girl was uncannily perceptive in matters relating to Akemi Homura. Best not to refuse her.
“I apologize. I just felt that I… didn’t know you well enough to enter,” She relented and entered the room. It won’t do her any good to think too hard and figure things out. Madoka seemed to accept her explanation and turned around to open her cupboard, rummaging around looking for something. The cat food is on the third shelf, behind the ruined plushie, she restrained herself from saying.
“Sorry, just a minute! I usually keep some wet food to try and lure the strays to pet them, but I can’t seem to find it…” Of course, she had the food to pet them, not catch them- the cat that she’d normally be attached to was safe and far away from here.
Predictably, Madoka took twelve minutes to find the cat food that she’d securely tucked away in a corner. She let out a cry of victory when she did, triumphantly holding a bag of wet food and a bowl as she leapt out of a pile of stuffed animals that’d fallen on her.
“I got it!”
“Yes, you did,” Homura replied, exhaling a little harder than she usually did. Madoka noticed and frowned in mock annoyance at her.
“Hey! I worked very hard to get this!”
“I know.” Homura set down the box as she replied, and Madoka walked over to it as the kitten peeked its tiny head over the thin blanket inside. Seeing Madoka again, it squeaked at her, and the girl sat down and opened a packet of food in response.
“I know, I know, you must be hungry…” she opened the packet and poured it into the bowl, then slid it towards the kitten. “Here, eat!”
The kitten stared at the bowl but showed no intention of moving towards it. Madoka looked at it for a minute, tapping the bowl and cooing at it to try and encourage it forward, but it stubbornly stood there, refusing to change its ways. Even when she picked it up and placed it next to the bowl, it sniffed at it for a few seconds before turning away and lying on the floor. Madoka sighed and shook her head.
“Alright then, kitty,” Madoka said, choosing a different approach to feed the kitten. She dipped her finger into the wet food, covering her fingertip in it. Homura had never seen her do this before, but then again, Amy was not one to refuse food. She watched as Madoka brought her finger to the kitten, letting it sniff at the food on the tip. Soon enough, the kitten began licking Madoka’s fingertip, and Homura watched in awe as the kitten was slowly led to the food bowl, where it experimentally sniffed again before dipping its tiny face in and digging in.
“That’s amazing. How’d you do that?” Homura asked with genuine curiosity. Madoka blushed a little and looked away, and she was once again left confused at Madoka’s reactions to her simple question.
“Ehh… it just works, I guess? I tried it with some other cats before, and they liked to eat from my hand too, so I just tried it this time- Oh!” Her reply was interrupted by the kitten having finished its meal of three bites and deciding to leap into Madoka’s lap. It wandered around a little, and eventually curled up and fell asleep. The pink haired girl stared at it in wonder before suddenly gasping a little, making Homura flinch.
“Oh! It’s purring!” Homura stopped herself before she overreacted and let out a little sigh of relief. Nothing happened, thankfully. She looked back at the kitten and saw the girl gently petting its chest, feeling it purring as it leaned into the pets and stretched its hands out. The pitiful, black-furred little thing had grown attached to the first person to grant it the tiniest bit of kindness.
How familiar.
She turned her eyes upwards, towards Madoka instead. The girl was smiling happily, gently petting the kitten in her hands, and Homura could not help but stare. If you could be so happy doing just this, why did you ever want magic and miracles? All they ever caused you was pain.
Madoka had, for eons, held nothing in her hands but dead girls in their final moments- whether those be the bodies of her friends, or the souls of every magical girl to ever exist. She had Homura’s failure to thank for that, of course, though the kind girl would say that to her. But this time, she had the opportunity to fix her greatest mistakes.
Her hands deserved to hold life, not death.
Homura would give her this chance, even if doing so made her the worst thing in the universe. Even if it would all turn to ash in the end, just like everything she’d ever held in her hands.
“Ho-Homura-chan! You’re crying! Did I say something wrong?” Madoka exclaimed. No, nothing. You just know exactly how to make me cry without ever realizing it, she thought, but in reality, she just shook her head. She hadn’t even realized she’d completely lost her grip on her emotions until Madoka pointed it out.
“No, nothing’s wrong,” she replied, twisting her finger around a strand of her hair. Madoka looked unconvinced, however, and fixed her with a concerned frown.
When had she started looking at Homura with concern and not apprehension?
This is bad.
“Homura-chan… I think you're lying, somehow,” she spoke, fiddling with her red ribbons. “I haven’t known you for long, but I feel like I know exactly what you’re doing.”
“It is not so easy to understand others, Kaname Madoka,” she replied, gazing right into the girl’s eyes. “Even after twelve years of knowing someone, you may never truly understand them.”
“I know. I might just be making stupid assumptions, like I always do,” Madoka’s gaze bored right into Homura’s skull, and she felt as though the other girl could simply look into her head and end everything she’d done right this second. “But every time I see you, I get this confusing, familiar feeling, like I've known you for my entire life. So… will you let me understand you, Homura-chan?”
Homura could not avert her eyes, no matter how much she commanded her body to. It was as if her soul itself refused to let her look away and escape Madoka’s grasp on her. She could do nothing but stare into those pink eyes as they demanded an answer.
“Perhaps in due time,” she lied, twirling her hair with her right hand to hide the glow of her earring as it clamped down on her emotions. “For now, though, I think there’s something more important for us to deal with.” I hope that's a good enough answer for her.
“Ah, right!” Madoka slapped her cheeks, looking down at her lap where the kitten slept peacefully, unaware of the machinations of human society or the principles of middle school mathematics. “I need to- uh, take her to the vet, and get her a nicer bed, and…”
“Tell your parents,” Homura added with a smile, and the other girl fell backwards, lying down and staring at the roof.
“Urgh… how am I gonna convince them? and I even brought someone over without telling them…”
“You’ll surely deal with it, just as you deal with everything else.”
“Hngghh…” Madoka lamented her fate while lying on the floor, and the concerned kitten woke up, disturbed from its nap by her movement. It waddled across her chest and up to her face, before pawing at her chin. The girl groaned once again and picked it up, carrying it over to its box.
“Ah, don’t forget, Kaname-san. We also have the English homework for next week.”
“I forgot…”
—----------------------------------------------------------
“She’s healthy, especially for a kitten left outside. So, what’s her name?”
“Oh! I forgot! We haven’t named her!”
“We? She’s your kitten, right?”
“She’s yours too! You found her! Now, what should we call her?”
Homura gave in, and thought a little. “Hm… what about Kuro?” Madoka leveled an unimpressed stare at her, reminding her of the time she walked into class with explosive residue still on her skirt.
“That’s so boring! I have a better idea! Let’s call her Dawn!”
“Alright,” she replied. What’s with her fascination with English cat names?
—--------------------------------------------------------
“She looks a little familiar, doesn’t she?” Madoka asked, looking at the black-haired cat on her lap that she’d successfully convinced her parents to let her keep. “Even though I’ve never taken care of a cat before.”
“Who knows? Maybe in a past life, you had a habit of picking up pathetic strays, and it remained.”
The kitten meowed, as if it was offended and the girl pouted at her.
“Excuse me! She’s neither “pathetic” nor a “stray”, she’s Dawn!” The kitten meowed again, trying to add weight to the girl’s statement.
“Whatever you say, Kaname-san,” she replied, turning away from the too-familiar scene.
—--------------------------------------------------------
“Oh! And can Homura-chan stay over tonight?”
“Like I’ve said already, Kaname-san, I don’t think this is nece-mmph!” Homura struggled against the other girl’s surprisingly strong grip, but gave up when she realized that she couldn’t escape without magic.
“Madoka… does she even want to be here? And has she told her parents? I'll need their numbers,” Madoka’s father said, looking at Homura with narrowed eyes. Perhaps this is my chance to leave, she thought, and moved to open her mouth again, only for the other girl to interrupt her.
“She- She lives alone!” Kaname Tomohisa’s eyes grew wide, and his suspicions dropped, replaced by a warm smile. She leveled an unimpressed look at Madoka, who giggled at her in return. Did she remember, or did she just guess? Or even lie?
“It’s fine then, Madoka,” the girl’s father said, then turned to Homura. “What would you like for dinner?”
“I don’t-” But the man cut her off, raising his hand and shaking his head.
“Children your age shouldn’t be living alone!” I’m not a child anymore, and neither is your daughter. We haven't been children for a long time. “When did you last eat a home-cooked meal? I know you’ve been busy studying for your exams.” Fifteen… or was it thirteen years ago? Either way, I've gotten used to it, so it doesn't matter.
But she couldn’t say that for obvious reasons, so she just nodded and mumbled “Anything’s fine.” The answer satisfied him, and he walked off to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
“Papa’s the best cook in the world, Homura-chan! I’m sure you’ll love it!” Madoka looked at her with wide eyes, wanting her to share in her excitement.
I know I will.
“Hmm,” she replied coldly, and Madoka pouted at her. She chose to ignore it and turned around. “How did you know I live alone, anyway?”
“Uhm… you do? I was just trying to lie, and it just felt right? Sorry if I shouldn’t have-”
“Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter?”
Why do you make this so difficult, Madoka? Do you really hate living that much?
—-------------
Homura watched as Madoka untied her hair, the pink pigtails falling apart and settling into their messy resting state. The girl laid down on her soft bed and rolled around a little, before turning onto her side to stare curiously at Homura. The two stared at each other for a minute, before Homura grew tired of the silence.
“What?”
“Are you sure you don’t want the bed? That futon’s really old…”
“You’ve asked me three times already. It is not necessary. I can manage.” She twisted a lock of her hair around her fingers. Why does she have to be so persistent?
“But still… If you want, I have enough pillows to separate this bed in two,” she muttered, shifting a little and scratching her head out of embarrassment. “It looks so uncomfortable there.”
Better then that I take it.
“Why’re you even letting me stay here? I’m not one of your close friends, nor am I a particularly kind person.” Madoka averted her eyes, looking a little embarrassed, before rolling over again and looking away from Homura.
“What you said before… you were trying to tell me that I could find my purpose in taking care of others, right? Well, when I look at you, I don’t know why, but you always look so sad, and I can’t bear it!”
I should have expected this. I’d better end this before it gets out of hand. Homura opened her mouth, but Madoka resumed speaking before she could.
“So I felt like helping you. Even if I don’t really know you. Uhm…” Madoka trailed off for a moment, and rolled around a bit more, knocking one of her stuffed toys to the floor. “Well, I thought this would help.”
There really was only one choice left for her to deal with this situation. A choice that simply thinking about made her chest clench in pain, as if she was twelve and dying in a hospital again. Yet, she had no other option, having already let Madoka drag her in. Surely… surely waiting a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt, right?
What a pathetic failure I am. I can’t even bring myself to do one little thing for her safety.
“...Alright.” She turned her face away, just in case Madoka turned her eyes back towards her. Right now, my face probably gives way too much away. Tomatoes flew at her, dripping red juice down her forehead in a very bloodstain-like manner.
At least Madoka couldn’t see it.
“Yay!” What was there to be so happy about? The Devil’s in your room now, silly.
“Consider your own desires too, okay?” She managed to say. “It’s advised to prioritize helping yourself before others, after all.”
“Ehh? Where did that come from?”
“Just a word of advice.” I hope that at least remains in your mind after what I’ll do. "There are many who would take advantage of your kindness if you do not prioritize yourself."
“Mm… Okay…” Madoka drifted off to sleep almost immediately as Homura bathed the room in a light purple glow. In the first few days of this new universe, Madoka had found it difficult to sleep, plagued with nightmares drawn from her endless memories, and Homura had to resort to magic once again to solve her problems.
Those ceased to be a problem after the first week, but Homura knew from past experience that the girl tended to keep herself up at night worrying about what she might have done wrong, and that it especially happened whenever Homura was involved. Therefore, it was only right for her to prevent the problem that she had caused in the first place.
The blankets rustled, and Homura stood up to look at the girl. The half-moon hung low in the sky, bathing the sleeping girl in silver light, her plushies and bedframe casting numerous shadows that perfectly framed her. It was a beautiful sight, one that she’d never seen before, and an old, young part of her wanted to preserve the universe at this very moment, so she could look upon this sight forever. The newer, older part of her scoffed at the idea, wondering why she would ever deprive herself of the endless new sights that were to come.
Perhaps I, too, have changed in this new world.
She stared at Madoka’s sleeping face and closed her eyes, thinking of things that she yearned to tell her about more than anything, but could never utter out loud.
This world is not meant for me.
If she continues, there’ll be no turning back. You’ll happily choose that fate again once you remember everything. But you deserve to see more of your life, what you could have become if not for everything. She thought back to those ever-repeating days, remembering the many Madokas that had died and now existed as one. Back then, Madoka was not an unchanging concept, but a girl who had a future she aspired to. A future that she'd occasionally shared bits of with Homura.
—
“My dancing? B-but I’m not that good at it, you know… others do it so much better than I do!”
“That’s fine. I just want to see what you’re interested in.” There’s nothing left for this world anyway. She’s already contracted.
“O-oh! Okay!” And she started to dance, an awkward, yet beautiful performance that almost made Homura understand Sayaka's feelings towards that idiot boy.
—
“Kaname Mado- Argh!” She flinched and gritted her teeth as pain erupted through her right arm. “This is unnecessary. There is no need for you to bother. Even without active healing, it will heal far faster than a human’s.” It wasn’t much faster, but she couldn’t afford to use active healing anyway. Every resource left was needed for the 30th of April.
“You can’t just leave it like that, though! It won’t heal well!” It doesn’t matter, she wanted to say, but she had to scream as the other girl applied a bit too much pressure on the cut as she wrapped it.
“See! If you just left it out in the open, it wouldn’t end well, magical girl or not!” As long as you don’t have to see it, it’s fine, she wanted to say, but the girl had already seen too much from the beginning. So much that even the sight of blood didn’t seem to faze her anymore.
“You make me worry so much, Homura. I just want to help you-”
“Don’t make a contract.”
“Alright…”
She still managed to be kind, though. So different from those doctors she remembered in the hospital.
—
I’ll make you see those sides of yourself in this world, Madoka. You’ll see that you don’t need any miracles to live a fulfilling life, I’m sure of it.
(You tried to replace your purpose and pretend that everything was fine when she left you to rot, and it didn’t work. Why would it work this time?)
When this all comes to an end, she’ll at least have a bit of the life she'd deserved. Maybe all these moments could end up as memories she treasures.
(Is that really how you want this to end?)
Something nudged her foot, and she blinked and looked down. Ah. Was I lost in my memories again? That seems to happen a lot these days. The kitten had climbed out of its box and walked over to her, bumping its head into her foot and looking up at her as if begging her to stay. In the light of her Dark Orb, its eyes almost took on a lavender shade. She picked it up and put it back in its box, eliciting a grumble from it. Then, she turned to see Madoka one last time.
“Sorry about this.” The girl grumbled and rolled towards Homura, reaching over the bed for Homura’s arm, but falling short. Homura turned around and unfurled her dark wings, curling them around her as she prepared to leave. “Goodnight, Madoka.”
“Mmm… Goodnight, Homura…”
The Devil raised her hands, and a clap rang out through the Kaname residence. When the echoing noise died out, only four remained within the house.
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The next day, Akemi Homura stood at the entrance to the mall, pretending to be interested in a bookshop’s display. From the corner of her eye, she observed a small group of friends meeting up with each other.
“Hey, Madoka! How was yesterday?” The blue-haired girl asked as Madoka leapt onto her and gave her a hug. The girl struggled against it, trying and failing to escape the other girl’s grip. Homura let an amused smile slip at the familiarity of the scene.
“Sayaka-chan! I found a kitten left on the side of the road yesterday! And took it home!” Madoka squealed, jumping with joy before taking her phone out and showing the other girl a picture. Three more girls crowded around them, cooing and giggling at the image.
“That’s my Madoka, kind as always!” The girl declared, putting an arm around Madoka’s shoulders. “You’re almost like a princess!”
“Someone’s gonna take advantage of that, you know,” a red-haired girl spoke, standing at a little distance. Sayaka turned to her and glowered, pointing an accusing finger at the girl.
“People like you, you mean!” She yelled. “You convinced her to pay an entire restaurant bill by pretending to be homeless!” Madoka and the red haired girl began to laugh, and Sayaka only got angrier, stomping her foot.
“I’ll protect her from any weirdos that want to take advantage of her! Like you!” She waved her hand in the air, pretending to hold a sword at the red-haired girl's throat. Suddenly, her eyes darted around, and immediately narrowed upon falling on Homura, if only for a second. Not enough for most of the group to catch, of course.
Except Madoka, that is.
Her gaze, anxious as it should be, lingers on Homura for a second too long, before she stiffened and turned away, returning her attention to her group of close friends. The pink soul on Homura’s earring danced and glowed a little, casting a beautiful, colorful reflection onto the purple gem above it.
She turned away from Madoka, and raised her hand to her ear. A purple flame, invisible to human eyes, materialized on her fingertip, and she touched it upon the pink gem, enveloping it in a thin purple barrier, thickest at the top of the gem. The pink light dimmed, but stubbornly continued to seek its counterpart.
What a pathetic exercise in futility, she thought.
(Her attempt or yours?)
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