TRUE MAGIC

A/N: Taking place after Belial's defeat but before the epilogue chapter. Just a normal day for the characters.

"Looks like we're in trouble, huh, Mami-san?" Reika asked as she stood back to back with Mami. The blonde reached down and grasped her hand.

"Well, that's just the life of a Puella Magi, Rei-san. However, because I have you by my side, I'm not afraid of being alone anymore," said Mami, smiling, as their fingers intertwined. In their free hands were their Soul Gems.

The two girls were in a Witch's Barrier and surrounded by Familiars which resembled large spiders. Large, wooden mechanical spiders.

"Let's transform," said Reika as she pressed her Soul Gem against her chest. In a flash of emerald light she was donned in her skintight blue bodysuit with red gloves and boots. Her Soul Gem now rested in the middle of her chest.

Mami smiled and did the same, her own Puella Magi attire taking shape as her Soul Gem became a hairpin. Her attire comprised of a white blouse with a short skirt, a dark bodice around her midsection with a yellow skirt, thigh high stockings with knee-high boots, white arms sleeves with black fingerless gloves, and a hat with feather on it. Reika had to admit to herself that Mami looked really attractive clothed like that.

Mami snapped her fingers and a pair of rifles appeared in her hands. She took aim and fired at the Familiars with her guns. Reika didn't use weapons. She had the ability to project lethal energy beams instead.

The Witch fled, which left the two Puella Magi standing in an empty warehouse. Reika grumbled, "Damn…" Of course she had to sympathize with the Witches, even if they were monsters. They used to be normal girls before Kyuubey got to them. She then saw blood on Mami's sleeve. "Mami-san, your hurt."

"Oh?" Mami looked down at her wounded arm. "One of them must've cut me."

"Let's get that treated," said Reika as she took Mami's hand.

'So warm,' thought Mami as Reika's hand gently held hers. Reika helped her onto the motorcycle before they rode towards Reika's house because it was the nearest.

Reika's parents were out right now so the brunette took Mami up to her room and then grabbed the first aid kid. She cleaned the wound and applied a bandage around her arm. "There, fixed."

"I could always use magic to…" began Mami.

"For something this small?" Reika asked. "I don't like relying on magic to fix things that we can fix ourselves. Just because we won't exhaust our magic…"

"Thanks to you," finished Mami as she caressed Reika's face. "You…you sacrificed a lot to protect us."

"You were worth it," she said. "But now I have my existence again."

Mami pushed Reika onto her back and kissed her deeply. Reika relaxed into the kiss, resting her hands on Mami's back. We broke the kiss as I gazed into her amber eyes. "I love you, Mami-san."

"I love you too, Rei-san," said Mami, still caressing her face. Tears were forming in her eyes. She still remembered the day she'd lost Rei. Then Rei came back and also became Reika. It was all so confusing but wonderful as well.

Reika wiped the tears away with his forefinger. She hated seeing Mami cry. She used to be all alone. Not anymore. "I…I'll go make some tea." Mami didn't move from where she was, which was on top of Reika. "Could you get off me?"

"Why?" asked Mami coyly as she played with a bit of Reika's fringe. "This is nice." She rested her head on Reika's chest.

Reika's gaze softened. It was nice to have Mami here. The nightmare of Mami's gruesome death were all in the past now.

"Would you like to stay for dinner? Or spend the night here, with me?" Reika asked.

"Yes," said Mami, smiling serenely.

Kyouko left a bouquet of flowers in the centre of Sakura Cathedral. She was back in Kasamino City after months of leaving it. The flowers were for her family who'd died so violently. Shun stood behind her, giving her his support.

"Mom, Dad, Momo," began Kyouko, shedding tears. "I'm back."

The Sakura Cathedral had seen better days. The windows were broken and it was abandoned.

"I tried to help my family, and this was the result," said Kyouko.

"You couldn't have known," said Shun.

"I should've," she argued. "I mean I used magic to force people to listen to my dad. No wonder he went crazy."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," said Shun. "You were trying to do the right thing."

"Yeah, and look what it got me," she responded. "I became alone."

"Not anymore," he objected. "You got us. We're your family now." He extended his hand to her and she took it.

"Shun, you told me you were born and raised in a lab," she said.

"Yeah, some kind of government lab. They were trying to breed superhumans," said Shun. "Of course we had flawed genetics which is why we died, one by one. I lost all my brothers and sisters. I became alone too," he told her. "My days were also numbered."

"So, why take up a job that was risky?" she asked.

"I needed my short life to have meaning," he answered, "And I think I've found it." Their eyes were locked and she blushed.

"You're such an idiot. Trying to be a superhero even when you're going to die anyway," she said.

"Yeah, I guess I am an idiot, but I'm a happy idiot," he responded.

The couple paid their respects and left. Clearly, Kyouko wanted to leave. This place held horrible memories.

Homura checked her hair in the mirror. Today she was going to hang out with Madoka. Well, Sayaka and Hitomi were tagging along. It would a girls day out for them but she was still happy. She even tied a ribbon into her hair. A gift from Madoka. The cool stoic girl was definitely happy. Even though Madoka was a Puella Magi which went against a promise Homura had made before, but this time things were different.

"Rei…" she whispered, "Thank you."

She might've resented Rei(ka) for allowing Madoka to become a Puella Magi, but now that wasn't the case. Rei(ka) had sacrificed a lot. Homura would've paid the same price but Rei(ka) had done it because she/he loved them all. It was kind of touching, really.

Homura wondered if she could speak with this man Rei(ka) had made a contract with. The man in the top hat seemed like a much better entity than Kyuubey. Of course the price for the wishes he granted were expensive, but at least they were fair. Kyuubey granted wishes but at the cost of becoming a Puella Magi and a lifetime of fighting Witches, no matter how big or small the wish.

Well, Homura had no reason to go back in time anymore. Her wish was fulfilled and even better everyone was alive, especially Madoka.

"You want me to teach you how to cook," Rei summarized as he sat across from Shun within the latter's apartment.

"That's right," nodded Shun.

"You can't cook?" Rei questioned. "Really? I thought you were like a genetically engineered superhuman. Cooking seems like a simple task."

"Unfortunately, cooking was not one of the skills I was blessed with," Shun told Rei. "Look, are you gonna help me or not?"

"This is about Kyouko, isn't it?" Rei guessed. Shun didn't respond but Rei recongised the expression. "I thought so. You want to feed her."

"She talks about how you always made her breakfast," Shun said. "I wanna do that for her, you know? Because…"

"Because you love her," Rei finished. He sighed. "OK, I'll help."

"Thanks."

Rei stood up and conjured a frilly apron with magic, causing Shun to look at him. "Mami-san got me this," Rei said defensively.

"It looks ridiculous on you," Shun said, trying to hold in a laugh.

A magic wave swept over Rei's body, changing him into his female form. Now as Reika, the apron didn't look out of place. "Well, she bought it for when I'm a girl," Reika said. Shun gawked at her.

"That is going to take some getting used to," Shun said as he got up and followed Reika into a kitchen.

"We're alien-human hybrids who've befriended Magical Girls. There's a lot to get used to," Reika retorted.

"You're a Magical Girl too," Shun stated.

"Half the time," Reika corrected. "Now, the first lesson for you is to learn how to boil water."

The fire was put out and Reika just gawked at Shun in disbelief, "How in the hell do you burn water?"

"I don't know," Shun said, just as shocked.

"That shouldn't be physically possible!" Reuka yelled out. "But, then again, a lot of the stuff we've been though isn't."

"So, what are my chances?" Shun asked.

"As you are now…not so good," Reika said honestly. Shun hung his head miserably. "Sorry, but I have yet to see anyone burn water until now."

"It was an accident," Shun muttered.

"I'm sure it was, but I think with some practice you'll be able to do it. Now, let's try this again…carefully."

Mami looked at Reika, stunned, "He burnt the water?"

"Yes, he did. I don't know how but maybe it's magic related," Reika replied. They were both seated at the low glass table in Mami's living room, having tea and apple pie that Mami had made. She was really good at making baked goods. In their Home Economics class she always got an A for her baking skills. Her cakes were the best as were her pies. "I told him not to give up though."

"It's sweet that he's trying so hard to please Kyouko-san," said Mami.

"Yeah, the best way to that girl's heart is really through her stomach," Reika joked. She glanced at her ring which contained her Soul Gem.

"You miss him, don't you?" Mami asked. "Raymon."

"Yeah, of course," Reika answered, "But I'm happy he's free now. And I can still turn into Rayonix when I need to."

Mami scooted closer to Reika and leaned her head against the shorter girl's shoulder. Reika was actually an inch shorter than Mami whilst his male form, Rei, was a couple of inches taller. Mami didn't mind the height difference. She didn't even mind having a girlfriend/boyfriend. She loved Reika/Rei either way.

"Rei-san, why did you make such a wish?" Mami inquired, curious, wanting to understand her beloved's reasoning. She had told them about her contract, which was not with Kyuubey, but instead a man in a top hat who'd granted her wish. However, the wish was an expensive one which Reika had to pay with her own existence, her form, name and memories of her was the payment Reika had given in order to have her wish granted. Reika had wished to go back in time and to save everyone.

"Because I wanted to redo everything, and undo all the horrible things that happened to you all," Reika answered. "I saw you all die right before my eyes and I couldn't do a damn thing. I was a coward."

"If what you said is true, then there wasn't anything you could've done," said Mami.

"Nothing? I could've become a Puella Magi too and fought alongside you all but I was too afraid and even as Homura and Madoka faced Walpurgis Night alone, I didn't even do anything to help them and I watched them die. My own cowardice is the reason you all died," Reika answered.

"It's normal to be scared," said Mami.

"But it's perfectly alright to stand idly by and watch as your friends die?" Reika retorted in a sarcastic tone. "No, I was a coward. Nothing changes that. But that was a different time. I made a wish, one which doesn't involve Kyuubey, and saved you all. That is what I wanted."

"And then you died too," she said, remembering how he'd sacrificed himself.

"I absorbed all your grief and despair and locked it away. But I know that wasn't enough. What about the other Puella Magi of the world? So, Raymon and I thought of a plan. Energy can be changed so we absorbed all that negative energy and converted it into a different form," Reika explained. She rubbed Mami's ring. "Light, which would never, ever fade, allowing Puella Magi to always use their magic and preventing their Soul Gems from being corrupted."

Yes, it had indeed been a noble gesture.

"It still hurt when you died," she said sadly, recalling how he'd just vanished from her arms. Not only that but he'd died for them all.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but at that time I couldn't see an alternative," he said apologetically. "But everything worked out in the end, right?" Reika took Mami's hand and Mami leaned up to kiss her. A magical wave swept over Reika's body during the kiss, changing her gender to the opposite as the kiss continued.

Reika Akari or Reika Hikari. It didn't matter to Mami. She had someone who loved her and she was no longer alone.

KAMEN RIDER CHROME: And so another oneshot based on a fic of mine. There might be more in the near future. I sure hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. Now, in Reika's previous timeline she befriended the Puella Magi and saw them die like they had in the anime. So, she only knew Mami for a short time but then in this new timeline, she, or rather he, got to know them all better and fell in love with Mami. Guess that's why Rei(ka) made that sacrifice since he/she knew Mami would worry about turning into a Witch someday so the Rayonix Light was used as a way to prevent that from ever happening to any Puella Magi in the future.

I might do a spinoff for both Rayonixes. Maybe involving characters from Puella Magi Oriko Magica and Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice. What do you guys think? Paladin, this also includes your opinion as well.