In this world Homura Akemi had created, none could defy her. Not the other Magi, not Kyubey, no one. She had subdued them all.
Kyubey had been easy. They were weak, really, compared to Homura's newly found magic. Easily taken care of, scared into submission. They went from being the devil, to working alongside the devil, with a snap of Homura's fingers. She loved the way they'd do little favors for her, loved the way they would curl up in her lap and not say a word.
They mangled the poor souls nearing their limit, maimed the run down girls and crushed their soul gems. No witches were to exist here, no armored mermaids or candle-heads on horses. She'd have Kyubey eradicate them before they got to that point. The creature had killed so many already, and Homura always loved to watch them carry out the task.
It was twisted, she knew, but she'd seen so much it made her nostalgic.
The others weren't nearly as easy, putting up fights and daring to question her. Getting them down to the level there were now took long nights, many, many whispered encouragements and erasure of memories. Oh, the things she's taken from their minds.
She took the least from Mami, as she was the most cooperative of the girls. Maybe a few things here and there, little disputes, disagreements. Doubt. Homura knew to get Mami alone, as she always found the strength to argue when one or more of the others were around. Alone, she was meek, tentative. Malleable.
Homura would run her thin fingers through those thick blonde locks, undoing the girl's neat little pigtails. She would work the knots out, listening to the girl speak in tones of honey and gold. Occasionally, her voice dripped thick down Mami's shoulders, sweet like molasses and weighted with lies of what was and what will.
Sipping idly at a cup of tea, she would nod and smile, telling the girl that "No, there were no such thing as witches, and yes, they had been friends for a long time."
A few times, sure, she would question these things. All because of that little brat, Nagisa- whom she also had to deal with. She was always quick to spin more lies into the girl's mind. No, she wasn't evil. Yes, Nagisa was just a child. Children like to make things up.
Nagisa was a pain. Always trying to tell Mami the awful, awful truth. Unlike with the others, Homura could not alter her memories. They were ingrained, so deeply, and her status as a witch made it nearly impossible to do anything to combat her.
Instead, she would threaten her. Cruel she knew, the girl was just a child. However this world had to be perfect, and her moral compass was nowhere near just.
Any time she caught the girl whispering secrets to people, she would flash her a smile, and call Kyubey to her. Witch or not, the animal could still maim the child until she was utterly unrecognizable. She wouldn't- she couldn't- it would ruin all her work. So instead she relies on scaring her into keeping silent around Mami. And Sayaka, oh the trouble those two had caused her.
Sayaka needed to be toyed with, to forget. She needed to be broken down to the point where she would sit on Homura's lap all small and obedient like Kyubey. She wasn't quite at that level yet, but Homura was working towards it.
She tried being gentle at first, handling her like she did Mami. She quickly realized that was not enough. Sayaka was carnal, wild, like an animal. She bared her teeth and growled, bit, scratched, hissed. She needed to be tamed.
In contrast to Mami, she took quite a lot from Sayaka's mind. She'd whisper in her ears, twirl the blue silk of her hair between her fingers. Drawing memories from her was oddly satisfying, it made all the tedious work so worth it.
"Yes, Oktavia is just a figment of her imagination, no, the law of cycles never happened. Dear oh dear, your memory is fading at such a young age? What a shame."
Confusion and, often, violence were her main tactics against Sayaka Miki. When she behaved, Homura would simply tell her cute little lies and relish in the conflicted look on the girl's face. And then would murmur, oh so sweetly, "What, don't you believe me?" and watch as Sayaka's shoulders slumped in defeat. Satisfying defeat.
Then, there was Kyoko. She loved Kyoko like she would a pet. It had been difficult to gain the girl's trust. An angered attempt at drowning her and a few physical fights set the process back. However Homura only considered these small setbacks, as settling the girl- the animal- down was so fun.
Many a night had ended with Kyoko's head in Homura's lap and Homura's hands in Kyoko's tangled hair. And she would speak to her with melting chocolate tones, listening to her heavy breathing.
It was important to listen to Kyoko, she liked to feel important, and Homura loved to indulge her. It was just another thing that made taming the girl so satisfying. All the little gifts, loving gestures, and words of encouragement that made her all the more friendly. A few memories taken or implanted here and there only sped things up.
Last- but certainly no least, was Madoka, her precious, precious Madoka.
Seeing the glint of gold lurking behind those rosy eyes was nerve-wracking and thrilling all at once. She knew if the girl remembered, it would all come tumbling down, but the feeling of holding her so tightly in her arms was just so satisfying. She loved it, playing with those cute little pigtails, spinning lies into the girl's head with whispered words.
She always felt strange when keeping Madoka's powers at bay. It made her feel happy, if she were to be honest. She could finally keep her safe. Protected from all those other harsh realities, protected from the death and the negativity. The despair.
That was another reason she needed to subdue the others. If they were safe, Madoka would be safe. If she could keep Sayaka from doing something stupid and getting herself killed, keep Kyoko from being stubborn and going after her. Keep Mami from getting in over her head, keep Nagisa from ruining the whole thing. Madoka would finally be okay.
And she knows, she is no longer Homura Akemi.
She doesn't know who Homura Akemi is anymore.
took a break between db chapters to get this outta my system, hope you guys like it!