Her Very Best Friend
Homura Akemi staggered through the ruins of the city to the spot where once again her best friend, the one whom she had sworn to protect when becoming a Magical Girl, lay broken and dying. She reached Madoka Kaname's crumpled form and knelt down next to her staring at her still face. This time there were no pleas, no cursing of the fates, no tears Madoka whimpered slightly and then her crystal began to cloud. Homura knew what happened next. She knew what she had to do and in a fluid motion she drew her gun and shattered the other girl's life crystal into oblivion.
Afterwards Homura knelt there for a long time, gently stroking through Madoka's pink hair and staring at the devastation the city had incurred. Kyubey, a cat like creature known as an Incubator who had started this hell by making them all magical girls, pranced nimbly over the ruined devastation stopping on an advantageous perch near the young girl. It cocked its head to the side and grinned it's sickening grin.
"So you've failed once again Homura-chan," the beast chirped, "when will you end this sad little game you play?" The girl slowly lifted her head to stare into the monster's cold dead eyes, and shivered slightly seeing her own similarly reflected. Hours had passed and Homura had not shed a single tear. What had kept her glued to the spot was she hadn't felt anything this time watching Madoka die and this terrified her.
"Leave monster," Homura said coldly standing up and flipping her raven black hair, "now is not the time to toy with me." There was a time Homura might have killed the beast on the spot. She'd known for some time killing it wouldn't do anything, but just for the satisfaction of spilling its blood. But now she just idly observed it, piercing it with her cold dead stare.
"I'm worried about you Homura-chan," Kyubey replied genuine glee entering his voice now; "I'm starting to think you're never going to become a witch and then what good are you? What reason would you have to exist?" Kyubey made young girls super powered magical girls by granting their deepest wishes. They formed a contract and gained the ability to see and fight witches, dangerous beasts who sow misery and death. What he left out when making these "contracts" with them was that one day they too were doomed to become witches, creating a horrifying tragic cycle from which there was no escape.
Homura turned her head to the side musing, and stood in silence for several minutes. She couldn't change the world, she couldn't stop this cycle, and she couldn't even save herself but there was one option available to her to save her friend. She felt she needed to do it soon, if she went through too many more timelines like this she was worried of what might happen to her. This wasn't ideal, but things had gotten too desperate. "We'll see monster," she said quietly a cold smile playing across her lips. She quickly drew her gun and fired the creature going flying over the ruined ground in an explosion of red mist. Before it could assume another form she called on her power and turned back time for what she hoped to be her final journey.
Homura gasped as she arrived once again outside the middle school she and Madoka both attended. Her timing was a little off, school was letting out and a large crowd of girls were moving out of the building chattering happily. She swiftly ducked into some nearby bushes and waited for her quarry to exit with the rest. It didn't take long before she saw those telltale pink pigtails with the red ribbon bobbing along through the crowd. Madoka came into view flanked on either side by Sayaka Miki, another of their classmates who was fated to die as a magical girl, and…Homura had never learned the name of their green haired companion. They were chattering happily along with all the rest. Once they cleared the crowd Sayaka energetically ran ahead and turned back to shout at her friends. Madoka stopped on the curb before slipping from view clutching her books to her chest. She looked around a worried expression on her face, at one point resting for a moment on the spot in the bushes where Homura was crouched. Sayaka Miki called back to her once again and Madoka quickly turned and ran after her friend her skirt rippling in the wind. Noiselessly Homura rose and followed.
The stalking of her prey was long, but Homura knew she was never in real danger of being exposed. She'd simply freeze time and move out of view if she was spotted but perhaps that's what made the task feel so tedious to her. The jolly band walked their green haired member home, then Madoka and Sayaka walked to the Miki's apartment and at long last when they had parted ways it was time for Homura to strike. She had once again taken refuge in some bushes around the corner from Sayaka Miki's apartment. She knew Madoka would walk by them on her way back to her own home. But Madoka was taking a long time happily chatting with Sayaka for a good fifteen minutes before cheerfully parting ways. It mattered not; time had been meaningless to Homura Akemi for what felt like a lifetime.
Madoka as predicted walked down the road and right by Homura's bush but here she faltered. She once again clutched her books tightly to her chest, looking worriedly around the increased wind really whipping her skirt now. Incredible, Homura thought, can she sense me even without becoming a magical girl yet? Well it mattered not; it would all be over very soon. She froze time and deliberately emerged from the bush once again flipping her long flowing hair back. She stood for a long time face to face with the other girl who was frozen looking past her unseeing. Then she took her position behind Madoka, and pulled out the chloroform rag she had stolen earlier to prepare. She removed Madoka's books from her arms and wrapped her own powerful left arm around the girl's waist pinning her arms to either side and securing them there. Tightening her grip she brought the rag up and firmly clamped it over Madoka's mouth and nose. Then she unfroze time.
Madoka reacted almost immediately trying to buck and kick away from her unseen assailant but it was too late. Her eyes widened as she processed what was happening, and emitting grunts of pain and confusion wondered at how her kidnapper had come upon her so quickly. The rag took its effect and Homura stared on motionless as Madoka's increasingly frantic grunts turned into squeals and then desperate wails shaking her head in fear and horror from side to side. Then she felt the girl's body go limp in her arms. Her eyes slowly closed and once she was completely still but for a few spastic jerks Homura slung her over her shoulder. She set off towards the abandoned apartment building she called home, cracking her neck as she went. Her final mission was just beginning.
"mmmmmmph." Homura looked up hearing another stifled moan from across the room but Madoka still lay there unconscious as before. Homura had used her powers to furnish the apartment in her own unique ways and Madoka was placed on her floating couch in the middle of the room. Homura had spent a good deal of time securing her captive, and she felt confident Madoka would never again leave this room without her say so. Her forearms were tied one on top of the other making a bar behind her back, her ankles clamped tightly together as well with thick nylon rope. She had tied two thick coils above and below her tiny undeveloped breasts, and two more ropes protruded down and then back up on her back side creating a makeshift cradle with her ass and pulling her skirt up a little bit. Finally she had tied several lengths of rope at various points along her thighs and calves all but encasing them and rendering them quite immobile.
She had felt the worst about this necessity, but she needed to keep Madoka quiet she couldn't have her screaming and bringing the police around when she was so close to finally achieving her goal. So she had filled the girls mouth with the dried up chloroform rag and tightly kept it in using her two hair ribbons one on top of the other in a crude panel gag. Luckily it was enough to cover and seal Madoka's tiny lips. She once again observed her handiwork, looking her victim up and down and noticed her pigtails were now barely hanging on by nothing but her clips. Then she finally noticed signs of stirring and prepared herself for what came next.
"Mmmmmmph" the moan sounded a little louder this time and Madoka slowly opened her eyes blinking to adjust to the light. Her memory quickly returned, and pulling and feeling herself bound hand and foot comprehension dawned on Madoka. Her eyes widened with fear, tears began to form and a whining rapid succession of moans followed suit. She grew more and more frantic as Homura remained observing out of her field of vision, attempting to pull herself into a sitting position and only succeeding in hiking her skirt up even further at this point quite exposing her black and white polka dotted underwear. She fell back onto the couch finally and began to sob, sniffling in cute little spurts, and clenching her eyes closed shook her head from side to side wailing. Her school uniform top was quickly stained with tears.
Homura stood aghast, this pitiful display finally drawing an emotional reaction from her. She began to breathe heavily, and clutched her chest feeling her heart beat feeling tears forming in her own eyes. She'd done this to protect Madoka, but at what cost. She moved slowly over to the couch and standing behind it placed her hand firmly on her friend's head stroking her soft pink hair once again. Madoka was alive, she didn't know it but she was safe and Homura would die before she let that change.
Madoka felt the hand on her head and started violently, her eyes flying open and struggling all the more vehemently to look up at her kidnapper. But Homura couldn't face her right now, the tears were really coming and she had to stand firm. So she stopped stroking and pushed Madoka's face down hard into the sofa cushion to a fresh wave of squeals. Homura stood like this for several minutes, Madoka frantically attempting to kick as it became difficult to breathe but her legs were so tightly bound they barely left the couch instead all she did was jiggle her now exposed bottom which distressed her even further.
Finally Homura released her and stepped backwards away from the couch, Madoka immediately and with considerable effort trying to flip herself onto her back. To her horror her skirt was now hiked all the way up on her front too, and red faced and puffy eyed tears still falling she wailed once again. Homura cursed as she felt the ice around her heart melt to the young girl's cries of frustration, and she hurriedly left the room stopping time so Madoka would not see her. As she sat out in the hallway, clenching her knees to her chest and sobbing she heard Madoka's continued wails from within.
Time passed, Madoka grew quiet and Homura wiped her tears away. She couldn't falter now, but it was infeasible to continue like this anonymously. She dreaded what came next. Slowly opening the door she heard Madoka rustling on the couch to finally see who her tormentor was. Her eyes still shown with tears, but the fear and frustration in them became mixed with genuine surprise as she saw it was actually another girl, her own age even. Naturally, Homura thought, she must have assumed the culprit to be an adult male adding to her consternation. Madoka stared dumbfound for a moment but then recovered.
"pppsss eeee mmmm oooo," her voice was raw and she was clearly stammering even through the gag. Her whole body was shivering and Homura, eyes watering again, quickly drew a blanket over her quaking frame. From her attempts at freedom Madoka's pigtails had come completely loose, and her hair hung messily around her face clinging to her cheeks in some places from the moisture of her tears. She stared up in wonder at the other girl's compassion. What on Earth was happening?
"I'm sorry Kaname-sama," Homura's voice was quaking now too, "please understand I am doing this to spare you." At this Madoka's eyes clouded with even more confusion, she stared up in silence for a minute then shook her head from side to side. Homura's heart dropped out, she'd known it wouldn't be that easy.
"PPPSSS EEE MMMM OOO," The girl repeated more loudly and firmly this time choking back sobs behind her gag. At this Homura grabbed her roughly by the hair and pulled Madoka up to look into her eyes. The burst of violence caused even more squeals from a hoarse sounding Madoka, who writhed fearfully pleading, "PPSSS MM SSSRRYY," over and over. Homura tightened her grip hard, breaking of the chain of pleas and causing the loudest squeal yet.
"You're not listening," she snapped, "I'm a magic girl." At this she dropped Madoka face first on the couch and using her powers appeared in several places seemingly instantaneously around the room. Madoka stared silently in wonder now mixed with her fear. "Magical girls fight witches, but the creatures who give us our powers don't tell us we'll all become witches someday. I come from a future where you're a magical girl and die becoming a witch. You begged me to make sure that didn't happen so I used my powers to travel through time to prevent you from becoming a magical girl in the first place. I failed again and again, I saw you die again and again." She choked back a sob at this, clutching her chest again to her captive's further wonderment. "But not this time. No more, I will keep you here as my prisoner until such time as you are no longer a young girl and not in danger of being transformed. Forgive me; I wouldn't do this if I thought there was another way."
Madoka remained silent for a while, but then began struggling again to speak. Homura sat down on the couch next to her forcibly grabbing her again about the hair and pulling the girl's head onto her lap where she again set about soothingly stroking her hair. Madoka tried to resist but her captor was much more powerful, and took little effort to secure her in place with just her right hand.
"It won't be so bad," whispered Homura softly, stroking slowly and deliberately and massaging the other girl's sore scalp from the rough housing, "I'm sorry I did that, I had to get your attention but I won't hurt you. You may hate me, but this is for your own good Kaname-sama. Trust me after a while you'll get used to this new life, you'll be safe here." At this Madoka let out perhaps her loudest wail yet, which continued as Homura drew her into a tight embrace. She shook to get away from the scary black haired girl, once again producing little movement but the shaking of her little polka dotted ass. "Don't worry," Homura whispered right into her ear, "I've finally done it I'm going to keep you safe."