Hi! This is my first story, so hopefully you all like it. ^^ What if Homura Akemi never became a magical girl?

Upon first looking at her, Homura Akemi seemed like your average middle school student. She was of average height, not fully developed (though there were evident signs that she was to blossom into a beautiful woman someday), had two neat braids, glasses, and wore her uniform in a modest and polite style. Those who attended classes with her found her kind and caring disposition irresistible - it seemed everyone wanted to be her friend. Though she was quiet and somewhat shy, she was a good friend - loyal, trustworthy, and always willing to put her life on the line for a friend. Thankfully - this was never literal.

Until one day, at least.

Homura had known that Madoka was a magical girl almost as soon as they met. They had became friends quite quickly, and the pink haired girl trusted her quiet friend with her big secret. There were other magical girls too - Mami and Sayaka, who were kind and sweet, and Kyoko, the one that's name made Mami quiet and sad. The girls all fought together wonderfully, like a band of heroes who would keep Mitakihara and the rest of the world safe forever.

Knowing that Madoka was a magical girl gave Homura some strange feeling of comfort. Whenever she was around Madoka, she felt warm and at home. She felt as though nothing in the world could hurt her, a mere mortal, compared to the goddess who would stand hug her and laugh after a big witch had been killed. Sure, Sayaka and Mami were pleasant as well, and even Kyoko too at times, but it was Madoka who made Homura feel truly alive. Maybe because her friend knew about her big heart condition, maybe it was because the two were comfortable enough to discuss their feelings about love and boys and crushes, and maybe it was just being around her, but Homura came to realize that perhaps, those emotions that were so alien and yet silly and fun, were all just part of one huge emotion that she'd never felt on such a large scale. One day, it dawned on Homura, and for some reason, it made plenty of sense:

Homura was painfully in love with Madoka.

It couldn't have just been a crush - Homura had had crushes before, and they had usually scurried off after the first few days. They were quiet and courteous infatuations, in which she'd treat someone just a bit sweeter or be a bit more nervous than usual when talking to them, and when the feelings diminished, things went back to normal. But this was not the case for Madoka. Madoka was generous, smart, kind, and selfless, which were all things that the Akemi girl both envied and admired at first, but had slowly come to revere the traits. They were things that Homura felt she lacked, even though she was constantly reassured by all of her friends that she was one of the smartest and strongest girls in the group. It made her blush, and the more she was told, the more she believed in herself.

Eventually, her confidence had risen to the point in which she was finally able to confess her feelings to Madoka. She had come up to one day after school where they usually met, but was confused to see the band of girls all together, speaking in a hushed tone with concerned looks on their faces. Seeing Madoka with a somewhat pained and concerned expression worried Homura sick, and though her legs shook, she walked over to the group with knitted brows. The conversation came to a halt when she had walked over, and she began to shy away and turn. But when her crush had attentively turned toward her, she cleared her throat and stared back to the group.

"What's wrong?" She peeped, her voice somewhat more hoarse than usual. The four girls glanced toward each other, but it was Kyoko who finally spoke up after an awkward silence.

"Homura, listen. There's a really... A really big witch coming to Mitakihara. It's real, real big 'n scary. Kinda thing you probably wouldn't like." Sayaka glared at the redhead, and she shrugged and bit into her apple. "What? S'not like I'm lyin'."

Mami sighed and nodded in agreement. "She's right," she murmured, glancing to the one who'd been her companion for so long. "Kyubey has alerted us of this witch, and he wants us to do everything in our power to stop it."

"Well.. When's it coming?" Homura asked, dread beginning to build in her stomach. Again, the four exchanged glances.

"Tonight, from what we've heard."