A/N: This story is MASSIVELY AU. Canon has been taken out behind the shed and shot with a 20mm cannon. Six 20mm cannons. Several times. Then carpet bombed with ICBMs. Five million ICBMs. You have been warned.
MadoHomu shipping. This is merely the prologue to set the stage. The shipping feels will come in the next chapter.
For everyone who is waiting for my other fanfics to update, hold your horses. I've got a bunch of WIP chapters that I'm currently dissatisfied with, and I'm not posting them until they're good and ready.
Special thanks to Grimgrendel for being my BETA reader. Before editing, this chapter was much worse.
You had no faith, you had no heart
You wanted war right from the start
We were not the same
You tried to find the demons inside of me
But little did you know I had set them free
We were not the same, you made me insane
We were not the same
There were never any fingerprints to hide
Because your death was a suicide
There was no evidence to find
Because it wasn't me who committed the crime
You took my voice, you took my pride
But now you're gone so both are mine
We were not the same
You made the wrong moves at the right times
Was it fate or was it just in your mind?
We were not the same, you made me insane
We were not the same
Go!
You tried to lock me down!
I found the key, liberate me!
You tried to lock me down!
I found the key!
I said, "You'll never take my freedom away"
And those were the words that made us separate
There were never any fingerprints to hide
Because your death was a suicide
There was no evidence to find
Because it wasn't me who committed the crime
-"Liberate Me", by Our Last Night
Prologue
/人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\ /人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\ /人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\ /人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\ /人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\ /人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\ /人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\
"Now departing Asunaro City," the tinny automated announcer rang through the train car, "Next stop, Mitakihara City."
The gentle hum of the Mag-Lev engines filled the vehicle, as the world outside began to pass in a blur.
It had been about two years… two long years, but Homura Akemi was finally going home.
Turning to look across the empty train car, Homura saw her close friend and senior Mami Tomoe playing a guessing game with the younger Nagisa Momoe, affectionately nicknamed Charlotte.
It was a scene that was touching… almost normal… but Mami was a monster… a Demon. So was Homura. They were abominations.
She remembered how it all went so wrong, two long years ago.
/人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\ Contract? /人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\
Resigned despair was perhaps the only way to describe the mental state of one Homura Akemi.
Quiet sobs racked her gaunt body. The sterile hospital room offered no comfort to the doomed girl. The doctors told her that the surgery… didn't have the intended effect. Simply and bluntly put, it failed.
Homura Akemi had one week to live.
It just wasn't fair. She hadn't done anything wrong. She was innocent, and yet her heart condition was going to snuff out her young life at the age of 14. It was far too soon, there was so much she wanted to do.
Not only was she going to die young, but she was going to die alone. Her parents had informed her, by way of impassionate emails, that their business would not allow them to visit her within the week.
In short, Homura's parents prioritized their career over their only daughter.
She was already two days into her allotted 7, and already she could feel her heart beginning to give out. It couldn't handle the despair she had fallen into. Homura had already given up on life.
That is, until a small white creature with beady red eyes landed on her windowsill.
"Hello, Homura Akemi," it spoke, "How would you like to become a Magical Girl?"
It was the year 2022, and Magical Girls around the world protected civilization from Witches, monsters born from curses.
A young blonde-haired girl with spiral braids leapt above the trees of folded paper. Whirling a ribbon in front of her, it transformed into a massive intricate cannon. She aimed it at her pursuer, which leapt out of the trees after her.
"Tiro Finale!"
The Witch, which resembled a wolf made out of origami, howled in defiant agony as the impressive magical cannon pierced it through, destroying the foul creature forever.
The Barrier dissolved like rice paper in water, the facsimile paper forest fading away to reveal an unassuming park in Mitakihara. Four girls stood in the middle.
"Wow, Mami-san, that was amazing!" an enthusiastic young pink-haired girl exclaimed, "Magical Girls are so cool!"
"It was nothing, Kaname-san," the golden-haired Mami Tomoe smiled humbly, "That was a fairly weak Witch."
"Even so," Madoka gushed, "I've never seen anything like it!" she turned to the black-haired bespectacled girl next to Mami, "You were impressive too, Homura-chan!"
"I… I didn't do much, Kaname-san!" Homura protested in embarrassment, "I can only really fight in a support role…"
"Both of you are still really, really amazing, though!" Sayaka shouted in astonishment, "You said that we could be like you?"
"Indeed!" the small creature known as Kyubey spoke up as he hopped onto Homura's head, "You could make a contract with me right now and become Magical Girls!"
"Now Kyubey," Mami admonished it, "We aren't trying to pressure these poor girls. They need to understand exactly what being a Magical Girl entails."
"What isn't there to understand?" Sayaka laughed with a broad grin, "You get sweet powers to kick monster's asses with!"
"Yes, but it is dangerous work," Mami gently replied, "and you should take time to consider what your wish will be."
With a shared glance and a sad smile, Mami added, "Unlike you two, Akemi-san and I didn't have any time to think about ours."
In the year 2023, the existence of Puella Magi was uncovered by the FBI in the US. They saw it as a threat.
"Doctor… what is she?" Through the one-way mirror, Dr. Harley and Agent "Delta" stared at the unconscious girl, no older than 13.
"I don't know, Delta," Dr. Harley shook her head in bewilderment, "but she definitely isn't a regular Human. There's still no indication of what gives her the alleged powers those eyewitnesses claimed… but if what she told us is true… she isn't the only one out there."
"I see," Agent Delta nodded in understanding, "I'll have to relay this to headquarters."
"What do you intend to do?" the doctor asked with no small amount of concern.
Agent Delta gave her an unreadable poker face, "Just continue studying her, doctor. Inform us of any further developments."
Dr. Harley turned back to the little girl through the mirror. While she was excited to study such a new and unexplored phenomenon… she couldn't help but wonder whether she was setting the stage for something horrible.
International sharing of this discovery led to an ironically labeled "Witch Hunt" across the world.
"This is a joke, right?" Sayaka growled as she, Homura, Madoka, and Mami stared at the news feed on Mami's wall.
"-and orders that all 'Magical Girls' turn themselves into the local authorities," the broadcaster calmly addressed the nation of Japan, "I repeat, all 'Magical Girls' both in Japan and worldwide are to turn themselves in to their local authorities or they will be arrested. You will not be harmed."
"They can't do this to you!" Madoka protested with teary eyes, "Mami-san and Homura-chan have done nothing but protect everyone in this city!"
"It's because they don't understand us," Mami sighed, "they're afraid of us."
"No… I don't want to go to prison!" Homura shook with fear, "I didn't know this would happen!"
"Please don't panic, Akemi-san," Mami attempted to reassure the junior Magical Girl, "As long as we are discreet, we should be able to avoid detection."
"It's too dangerous for you two to become Magical Girls," Homura suddenly interjected, looking from Sayaka to Madoka, "You probably shouldn't spend time with us anymore, you might get in trouble…"
"Homura-chan, you and Mami-san are our friends!" Madoka protested, "We'd never abandon you!"
Homura gave her friend an appreciative, but melancholy smile, "Thank you Kaname-san."
Eventually the world governments, through thorough investigation (and the lucky chance of capturing one of Kyubey), unveiled the true plans of the Incubators.
"I don't get it!" the Incubator in the glass cage exclaimed, "You're helping to fight entropy! You should be glad! Your relatively small sacrifices as a species are ensuring the continued existence of the universe!"
"We're not your damn batteries, you alien bastard!" Admiral Dunsworth swore at the white-furred rat, "We swear that we'll fight you and your accomplices, and drive you from our planet!"
He turned his back on the cage, "I've heard enough. Get rid of it."
"I don't get it!" the Incubator looked around as the pilot lights on the nozzles surrounding it lit, "You humans are so irrational!"
One of Kyubey's many, many bodies burned.
Admiral Dunsworth looked to Doctor Samantha Harley, "Doctor, your work was invaluable. These… Magical Girls…. They're enemies of the state. We must dispose of them."
"Sir!" she protested, "They're just children! We can't-"
"You have your orders!" Dunsworth growled at her, "Follow them, or I'll find someone who will."
Their hunt for Puella Magi turned deadly.
Casey Palmer, the first Puella Magi to be discovered by a world government, turned to see her cell door open, and a familiar face enter.
"Dr. Harley!" She greeted the friendly brunette woman cheerfully, "Did my parents come to see me today?"
Dr. Harley couldn't bring herself to meet the gaze of the innocent young girl… what she was about to allow was unforgivable.
"I'm sorry, Casey," she muttered softly as two soldiers moved to flank her.
"Doctor… what's going on?" Casey asked uncertainly as she looked at the two armed soldiers, both of whom wore expressions of regretful resolve.
"By order of the government, all Puella Magi are to be killed on sight as accessory to treason against humanity," the first soldier spoke as he raised his rifle, "Sorry about this, kid."
"Dr. Harley!" Casey screamed in fear and utter horror, "Don't let them do this! Save me-"
Dr. Samantha Harley averted her gaze, forcing her eyes shut as the staccato gunfire of the soldier's gunfire filled the small room. Warm blood splashed onto her coat and face.
After a few seconds, she forced herself to look at her indirect handiwork.
Stumbling out of the room, she promptly vomited onto the floor.
To think she was so excited to research these Puella Magi… these Magical Girls…
This was all her fault.
She began to sob, collapsing to the floor.
She had been ordered to assist in development of Anti-Puella Magi weaponry in a joint effort with the other major world powers.
What she was going to do would weigh heavy on her soul… but if she did nothing, her successor might not be as merciful as she.
Dr. Harley could only hope to put these girls out of their misery as painlessly as possible.
Over the course of a month, over a million Puella Magi were systematically tracked down and summarily executed worldwide.
At a train station, Mami and Homura waited for the train that would take them away from Mitakihara. Kyubey had put them in contact with a group of Magical Girls who would take them in.
"Mami-san! Homura-chan!" Madoka's voice cut through the constant drone of the station, alerting the two Magical Girls to the approach of their pink-haired friend.
"Kaname-san, what are you doing here?" Mami scolded her as they moved out of the crowd.
"I couldn't let you and Homura-chan leave without saying goodbye!" Madoka said through watery eyes, "I… I don't want you two to leave!"
Homura's face was filled with regret, "Kaname-san, we have to go. Hitomi-san reported Mami-san and I to the authorities. If we stay, we'll be killed."
"I… I know that…" Madoka grabbed Homura's hands, pulling her close, "Just, please, Homura-chan. Promise me that you'll come back one day!"
"Kaname-san," Homura flustered, "I'm… I'm not sure if…"
"Promise me," Madoka cut her off, "You're a dear friend to me."
After a moment's hesitation, Homura nodded, "Yes, Kaname-san… Madoka. I will come back one day," she glanced meaningfully at her companion, "And so will Mami-san."
"I'm glad," Madoka cried softly, "I don't think I could bear not seeing my friends again."
"Hey!" a gruff shout cut through the moment, "There they are!"
Ten military personnel armored in advanced black suits ran onto the train platform, pointing their guns in the direction of Homura, Madoka, and Mami.
"Targets sighted! Open fire!" the lead soldier ordered, raising his gun.
Click
The world froze to gray as Homura grabbed Mami and Madoka, freezing time for them both.
"I don't think they got a good look at you, Madoka," Homura shook in fear, her sense of security shattered, "Let's get out of here."
Grasping both Mami and Madoka's hands, Homura led them past the screaming civilians and stoic soldiers who were frozen like statues.
A safe distance away from the station, Homura resumed time.
With a tired sigh, Mami remarked, "I guess we will have to walk."
"Mami-san, Homura-chan," Madoka watched as the two left, "Come back safe… please."
Barely hearing Madoka's plea, Homura muttered, "I will, Madoka."
In Japan, the Puella Magi resistance/refugee group named Hanran was created. It was 1,000 members strong nationwide, and had ties to the US's Libera group, Russia's справедливость (spravedlivost'), and China's Bàoyìng group, although China's group was a mixture of normal Humans and Magical Girls who were fighting against the corrupt government. It was a civil war long overdue, and was the opening act for the chaos that would soon engulf the world.
At the time, though, Hanran took no part in the growing hostilities.
"Welcome to Hanran!" a cheery, purple-haired older girl met Homura and Mami as they were led into camp. Homura and Mami looked around. It was a collection of prefabs, tents, and even some (magically-created) houses strewn about a large clearing out in the middle of the forest.
"My name is Ritsuko," the girl introduced herself, "and I'm the de facto leader of Hanran's Shikoku branch. We're by far the largest of the three."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ritsuko-san," Mami bowed slightly, "Thank you for taking us in."
"No problem," Ritsuko grinned cheerfully, "in dark times like these, we Magical Girls need to stick together. It's a nasty business, what's going on, but we can just sit here and wait it out. It'll pass, people are just scared."
"Won't they be able to see us from the air?" Homura worried aloud.
"Nope," Ritsuko wore a smug smirk, "We've got ten girls here who are very skilled at illusion magic. They keep the camp shielded."
"That's good," Mami said, relieved, "I would hate for us to have to fight any more than we already have."
"How long do you think you can hide, though?" Kyubey suddenly appeared, hopping on top of Mami's head, "The other Humans who want to kill you won't give up searching for you."
"Oh hush, Kyubey," Ritsuko waved dismissively at the furry white creature, "We'll manage."
Despite their desire to remain out of the fighting, Hanran and every other group worldwide was dragged into the war, one way or another.
"I don't like this…" Ritsuko muttered as she walked through downtown Tokyo, her pockets full of Grief Seeds, "I get the feeling that we're being watched…"
"You are," Kyubey helpfully informed the nine girls, "They want to kill you."
"Tch," Ritsuko was a bit angry. They came to the city to farm Witches; they needed the Grief Seeds. Yet what did this (relatively) selfless act get them? Hunted like rats.
"This is Ritsuko to all Hanran members in Tokyo," she broadcast telepathically, "We're pulling out; watch out for any… hostiles. We're being followed."
On a nearby rooftop, two members of the JSDF Anti-Puella Magi Task Force observed the group of girls making their way through town.
"Confirmed, they're Puella Magi," the first soldier said as he fiddled with the settings on his special binoculars, which served as magic detectors.
"Right," the second soldier nodded as she powered up her prototype Anti-Puella Magi exo-suit, "Hey, just a question. I'm not the only one with misgivings about killing girls, right?"
"You're not," the first soldier replied as he stowed his binoculars and activated the capacitors on his railgun rifle, "but just remember that they aren't Human anymore. The aliens changed them into their tools. Whatever they were, that's gone. Little Witches."
"If you say so," the second soldier activated the weapons systems on her exo-suit, "Let's test out our new Anti-"Little Witch" gear, then."
And with that, soldiers all across the city made their moves.
Mami leaped backwards over a parked car, firing musket after musket at the approaching soldier. Her assailant was wearing an armored power suit, and while the rounds made considerable dents in the armor, it failed to actually pierce it. All over the street, her fellow Magical Girls fought an entire squad of similarly-equipped soldiers. This was the JSDF's Anti-Puella Magi Task Force.
Any cries for help went unanswered, except for more calls for assistance. All across the city, the other groups of Magical Girls were being attacked in the same fashion. Mami had been separated from Homura, and that worried her. Was the junior Magical Girl doing alright? Was she dead?
Mami ended up with her back to a storefront. The soldier raised his rifle, and just as he was about to fire, the entire world went gray.
Feeling a solid grip on her arm, Mami turned to face her savior. Homura was standing there, holding her arm and looking awfully tired.
"Akemi-san!" Mami let out a relieved breath she had been holding, "Thank you for the save."
"You're welcome, Tomoe-san," Homura nodded, "Attach one of your ribbons to my arm… and help me set up the rest."
"The rest of what?" Mami asked. Homura gestured to the battlefield.
All over the street were various pieces of military hardware, set up so that they were aimed at the attacking soldiers.
"I set up the guns," Homura informed Mami, "You just need to help me… fire them."
"Of course, Akemi-san," Mami was honestly impressed, "You did all of this by yourself?"
"It took me at least half an hour," Homura panted, "I've only got ten minutes left on my time stop ability… Let's make the most of it."
They went around firing every single gun Homura had set up, Mami even adding two of her Tiro Finale shots to the mix.
Satisfied with their work, Homura resumed time.
The entire street exploded in ordinance, taking most of the attacking force by surprise.
The bullets through Homura's legs also took her by surprise.
"Akemi-san!" Mami cried out in horror as the junior Magical Girl collapsed with a scream.
"Full retreat!" Ritsuko cried out using telepathy, "Disengage and head straight back to camp! We need-"
As Mami and another Magical Girl helped carry Homura away from the battle, there was a massive explosion from the direction in which Ritsuko's group was fighting.
Mami supported a limping Homura as they trudged through the forest. All around them were similarly wounded Magical Girls. Out of the 20 Magical Girls that ventured into the city, only 6 managed to make it back.
In one fell swoop, the leader of the resistance group Hanran and her closest subordinates were killed.
Back at the camp, the wounded were tended to.
"What do we do now?" The question was left unanswered in the meeting room. Everyone was shell-shocked from the ambush which had removed Ritsuko, the solid foundation which Hanran had relied upon.
In the next few days, Homura Akemi, Kyoko Sakura, and Mami Tomoe were pressed into leadership of Hanran, because they were the most powerful Magical Girls left in the group.
They lost even more to despair, as many of them turned into Witches. Still, they did not understand their true nature until…
"I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes!" the image of a young blonde girl, Hanran's spy in the International Anti-Puella Magi Research Group, flickered on the screen.
"They… they managed to talk to a Soul Gem!" the girl sobbed, "That… that was Casey, the girl they captured first! She… She wasn't dead, the Soul Gem was her!... Then she turned into a Witch!"
"What do you mean, Maria?" Mami asked incredulously, "That can't be true!"
"It is!" Maria shouted back, "I had to step in and kill the Witch, they didn't know what to do… but they saw me! I'm hiding in one of the storage buildings!"
"But you're Dr. Harley's daughter," Homura spoke up, "Surely she won't let them kill you!"
"She's not my mother anymore!" Maria cried, "She's just a monster! I can't believe I ever loved her!"
"We, we can't be our Soul Gems!" the fourth-in command, Michiko protested, "That has to be a lie!"
"No," Maria retorted, "I confronted Kyubey! He all but told me so!"
In the background, they could hear a clang of metal on Maria's side.
"They found me…" Maria looked around in fright, "but I won't let them take me!"
Maria materialized her Soul Gem, and then leveled her stolen service pistol at it, "I refuse to become a Witch!"
With a single gunshot, the magically-created communication device faded away.
"I can't believe it," Mami shuddered as she stared incredulously at the Soul Gem in her hand, "This…. This is me?"
"She was joking, right?" Kyoko growled from her corner, fists clenched, "This has got be one big joke…"
"It is no joke," Kyubey confirmed, "Your inside source with the enemy was right. I don't know how they managed to communicate with a Soul Gem, but they are right. Soul Gems are the true forms of Magical Girls."
"Why?" another Magical Girl, Michiko snarled at the furry white abomination, "Why did you do this to us?!"
"So you could fight Witches, of course!" the Incubator replied simply, almost cheerfully, "You didn't think you could fight such dangerous creatures with your fragile Human bodies, did you? I helped facilitate your ability to fight them! Your body heals almost a hundred times as fast as a regular Human, your strength is increased, you barely feel pain… you don't even age!"
"I…. I sacrificed everything… only to become a monster?!" Michiko wailed in emotional agony, "My… My family is dead! My mother, my father… my little brother! The government killed them, all because of me! And now I find out that I'm not even Human anymore!"
She began laughing hysterically, "Heh… Haha, do you know what I wished for, everyone? I wanted money! Money… it seems so trivial now… so pathetic!"
Michiko grabbed Kyubey, trying to tear the little monster apart, "It wasn't worth it! None of this was worth it! I want my Humanity back, you little shit! Give it back!"
"That isn't possible," Kyubey replied calmly, "You will be a Magical Girl for the rest of your life."
With a cry of despair, Michiko threw Kyubey against the wall. She materialized her Soul Gem and glared at it. It rapidly darkened.
"I…" she sobbed as it began to crack.
"I hate this world!"
Click
Homura leveled her gun, a Smith & Wesson Model 500, at the Soul Gem of Michiko, who was frozen in time.
"I'm sorry, Michiko," Homura steeled herself for what she was about to do. She had done this dozens of times to girls in Hanran who gave into despair. The first time it happened, the girl turned into a Witch and killed ten others in camp. They had to kill anyone who was about to turn since then.
Homura had long since stopped crying when she did this.
"I'm so sorry, Michiko," she cocked hammer on her gun, "I… I hope you find peace in death."
Blam
Low on Grief Seeds and morale, Hanran lost the Magical Girls responsible for shielding their camp from the prying eyes of the JSDF. Once revealed, nothing was stopping the JSDF from attacking Hanran directly.
It was raining. The ground was muddy, and all around was utter hell.
"Mami-san, behind you!" Homura yelled out a warning as she dodged a blow from an Anti-Puella Magi Mech.
Mami Tomoe deftly dodged a strike from a similar Mech, and lashed out with a barrage from her muskets. The shots threw back the heavily-armored power suit, making it hit one of its brethren.
Overall, though, the battle was going badly.
The JSDF forces had landed right in the middle of their camp, tearing through their ranks with brutal efficiency. They had military experience, something the girls in Hanran lacked utterly. Three major battles with the JSDF were not enough to teach them what they needed to know.
The Anti-Puella Magi Task Force now had small piloted Mechs, armed with railguns and table-sized blades. More than enough to kill an ordinary Magical Girl.
One wondered what kind of soulless bastards they had to be. None of the girls here were older than 17.
One of their youngest recruits, Mai, screamed in terror as her head was crushed under the heavy foot of a mechanized Anti-Puella Magi Mech. She was 12.
One of Homura's friends, Akane, screamed in defiance as she leapt at one of the enemy soldiers, swinging her hammer. She was run through. Akane was 16.
Their fourth-most powerful Magical Girl, a brown-haired teen named Mizuki, coordinated her magically-created tanks against four JSDF Mechs.
She never noticed the fifth one, which snuck up from behind and removed her head from her shoulders.
Downing her own opponent with a pilfered Type-10 JSDF tank, Homura tackled Mami to the ground to save her from a similar fate. The blade of a Mech passed inches above their heads.
A follow-up kick from the Mech launched Homura away from Mami, and it began punching the prone blonde relentlessly. Intermittent screams and the crushing of bone could be heard.
Homura looked around at the battlefield helplessly. Mami was about to die. Kyoko had been rendered unconcious in the initial attack. All around, her friends and comrades were dying. She could do nothing to help, she could only stop time for a maximum of an hour (to her) each day, and she had used it all up on this battle alone. She could try rewinding time, but that only worked for up to 24 hours in the past, and what could she possibly do in that short amount of time? No amount of preparation could have prepared them for this, and without any illusion magic, they couldn't hide.
These girls had looked up to her to keep them safe, and she failed them.
As she began to despair, her anger grew. This was probably her fault… but whose fault was it really? It was the damn government and their fear of the unknown! They had called Magical Girls "Witches"… funny, when it was Magical Girls who actually fought Witches. They thought Magical Girls were evil, traitors against the Human race…
Homura began to laugh at the hilarity of it all. Her Soul Gem began to blacken and glimmer.
They wanted evil? They wanted Witches? They wanted demons to fight?... She'd show them Demons.
Her laughter grew in volume and intensity, until she was cackling hysterically at the top of her lungs. Slowly, everyone stopped fighting and turned to look at the lone Magical Girl, who had apparently snapped.
The government thought they were something they weren't… so Homura would… put on a play… yes, a play. A play to fit their expectations.
"This is just too good!" she laughed like a hyena, "All of this…. This fucked up world! It's hysterical!"
She materialized her Soul Gem and held it out in front of her. Mami's eyes widened in shock as she tried to drag her broken body closer to Homura, "No… Akemi-san… don't…"
"You want a real enemy to fight? I'll give you a real enemy!" Homura chuckled, "The show is about to start, ladies and gentlemen!"
She whirled around like a ballerina, eyes livid with fury, "And let me tell you," her grip tightened on her Soul Gem, "It's to die for."
In Homura's battered and broken psyche, a small voice cried out for her to stop. Once she turned, there was no going back… but Homura knew that unless she went through with this… unless she shattered her Soul Gem's casing, she wouldn't be able to protect those who put their faith in her. She didn't know how she knew… she just did. As long as she could protect her friends, she was fine with whatever she became.
So she crushed that last voice of protest in her mind, just like she crushed her Soul Gem.
Waves of sheer power washed out from Homura, knocking everyone and everything onto their backs. Her Magical Girl Outfit warped, becoming a twisted, blackened version of what it once was. Her Soul Gem reformed as a pitch-black earring, and massive black wings sprouted from her back. Her shield gained a partner, a sword in her right hand with a clockwork device as the pommel, and it lacked a cross-guard.
All around her, the environment warped. The Magical Girls recognized it for what it was. Homura Akemi now had a Witch Barrier. Scenes from various plays acted by dolls played out on the blurry extra-dimensional walls. The JSDF forces, having never experienced a Witch's Barrier before, were disoriented and confused.
The Magical Girls thought they were doomed.
Clara Dolls pranced around the combatants, chanting, "Gott is tot!" They drew swords… and began fighting the JSDF forces.
Startled by the rapid turn of events, the remaining Hanran forces decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and fought alongside the Witch Familiars.
Mami stared in horror at what her friend had become. What had Homura done to herself?!
The soldier that was attacking Tomoe turned his attention to Homura.
"What are you, Witch?" he spoke through his Mech's external speakers, before deploying both of his arm-blades and leaping at the girl, "Die, you monster!"
In a single seamless, graceful motion, Homura dodged the strikes, and struck the Mech once with her sword.
"Funny," she chuckled, "That's the first time you've used that term properly."
The Mech froze in place, and the man inside began screaming.
Mami's eyes widened in terror as she saw the Mech begin rusting. It broke apart and the man inside started to sound older and older… until he screamed no more.
The Anti-Puella Magi Mech crumbled to dust, as Homura slowly walked toward her fallen friend.
Kneeling next to the terrified Mami, Homura smiled sadly, "Look what's happened to you, Mami-san… you can't fight like this…"
"Ak… Akemi-san… what did you do to yourself?" Mami shook in pain and fright.
"I simply fulfilled our enemy's expectations," Homura replied, caressing Mami's Soul Gem, "Here, let me help you."
Mami gasped in shock as she felt a chilling sensation. Homura was… corrupting her Soul Gem somehow. She felt cold, like there were hooks digging into her body, threatening to tear her apart.
"No!" Mami cried out, trying to move away, but her broken body barely obeyed, "Akemi-san! Please, don't!"
"Hush," Homura crooned, "I know it's not pleasant… but you'll feel so much better when it's done."
Mami could only scream in panic and fear as she felt her Soul Gem… her very self, become saturated with what could only be described as… power. Unnatural, foreign, incomprehensible, terrible power. Dread consumed her. In her mind, she heard herself talking. Everything she had suppressed, her impulses and desires, began to drown out rational thought.
Her vision went white, and she felt her body and thoughts being reordered.
When it was done, she was standing. Her body, which had been mangled, was once again whole.
Looking down, she saw that her yellow outfit now enjoyed some jagged pitch-black elbow, knee, and chest armor. Her hands were covered in black semi-armored gauntlets.
It was strange… why did she fear this before? It felt wonderful. Unparalleled magic coursed through her veins like electricity through power lines.
Mami inexplicably found a cup with tea in her hands. She gave it a sip… it was perfect.
Setting the cup down on a table that appeared from nowhere, she turned to face the two JSDF soldiers who she had trapped in her newly created Barrier.
"Won't you come and sit?" she gestured to the table, "I prepared some tea just for you."
The first soldier responded by shooting the table with his arm-mounted railgun. His second shot was aimed at Mami, who reflected it with a black ribbon.
Mami gazed sadly at the remains of the table, and the shattered teapot.
"Now, this just won't do," she sighed, before grinning sadistically, "I have no use for unpleasant houseguests."
Her two Familiars, faceless dress-up dolls, suddenly popped into being and held the two Mechs in place.
Mami summoned up two muskets, but they looked different. Where once they were pristine white, now they were oil-black, laced with golden yellow.
"Honestly," she chuckled, "this would have been much more pleasant if you just sat down."
She fired.
Her muskets launched serrated explosive darts. There was nothing left of her enemies.
Inside Homura's Witch Barrier, Kyubey stared at the twisted former Magical Girl.
"What… what have you done?" it spoke, almost fearfully, "You didn't become a Witch… you aren't releasing energy, you're consuming it! You are increasing Entropy! Stop it, Homura Akemi!"
Homura sneered at Kyubey, "I don't think so, Incubator. For countless millennia, you've just been taking and taking from us… I think it's time that we got our fair share, don't you?"
"… Human emotions are too dangerous!" Kyubey turned to flee, "We can't use you anymore!"
"Now, hold on…" Homura grabbed Kyubey by the tail, "You didn't think we'd just let you go, did you? After all… I haven't forgotten what you did to us."
The Incubator was surrounded by former Magical Girls. Homura's Barrier had corrupted and turned them all.
"Yeah, Incubator," Kyoko smirked as she kicked the small creature, "We haven't forgiven you for the shit you put us through."
"It was very impolite," Mami delicately sipped her tea, "You have to make amends somehow."
"We don't care much for your people, they can go exploit another race," Homura held Kyubey up, her hand clenched around the Incubator's neck, "but you… you're all ours, Incubator. Kybuey."
That night, the remaining forces of Hanran became what would be known as "Demons". All 176 members proceeded to decimate their opposition. This transformation spread to other resistance groups worldwide.
"…What are you?" the leader of Libera, the US resistance group, asked hesitantly at her visitor. The courier from Hanran was here, and she looked rather terrifying. The courier, Yumi, was dressed in a black and white robe that appeared to be made of shining scales.
"Why, Katherine-san," Yumi grinned, "I'm… well, the media calls us Demons… but we are strong. We are strong enough that we are defeating all of our enemies. Our power is unmatched."
Yumi leaned closer to Katherine, whispering in her ear, "And you can have this power too."
Katherine thought for a minute in silence, before asking, "Will it allow us to win?"
"But of course," Yumi grinned broadly, "With this kind of power, no one will stand in the way of us, ever again."
"…Alright," Katherine nodded, "How do I get this power? How do I become a Demon?"
"That's easy," Yumi caressed Katherine's Soul Gem, which was set into a bracelet, "Just sit back… and relax."
The Earth was plunged into chaos. Public services ground to a halt and martial law was instituted around the globe. The media expounded the evils of the Demons.
In her room, Madoka read the latest news concerning the ongoing war. She hugged her knees closer to her chest, sadly going over a report about the latest attack by Hanran.
"Homura-chan," Madoka whispered, "…I miss you… I don't care what they say about you, I'm sure you're still good… right?"
The governments of the world took every precaution to safeguard their power from a relentless enemy.
High above the skies of Washington D.C., Katherine looked down. She was riding on top of a cloaked stealth bomber that she had created with her magic. Funny, when she was just a plain Puella Magi, she could only make one of these things.
She grinned sadistically as all around her over 100 such aircraft shimmered into existence.
As a Demon her power was beyond her wildest dreams.
"Bombs away," she sang to the wind as her deadly payload began its descent.
Not that it did anything to stem to rage of the former Puella Magi.
The Prime Minister of Japan was barricaded in the Kantei. His office doors were reinforced and his two bodyguards had their guns trained on it.
21st century technology failed before the might of magic as the heavily reinforced blast door imploded. His bodyguards opened fire but only got off two shots before they were killed. The first was impaled by a girl wearing black and red, wielding a jagged night-black spear. The second had his head blown into meaty chunks by an oversized musket.
Walking between her two subordinates, Homura Akemi approached the Prime Minister, a stoic frown carved on her face.
"Please, don't kill me!" the Prime Minister stuttered, "I'll give you anything you want! Is it money? I can give you power! Yes! I'll call off the attacks on the Puella Magi! Please, just don't kill me!"
Homura stared at the trembling man, before her frown turned into a snarl.
"You're pleading for your life?" she spoke barely above a whisper, "Don't make me laugh."
She drew her sword out from her shield, "Do you know how many girls begged for their lives? I watched children no more than 12 years old get slaughtered by the death squads you sent after us…"
She raised the sword above his head, "They suffered!" Homura shouted in rage, "They were innocent and you killed each and every one of them! They didn't deserve such a fate! Your death won't be enough to atone for your sins!"
She drove the blade through his leg, "but I'll settle for it."
The Prime Minister screamed in agony as he slowly dried into a husk, aging decades in seconds.
Before long, he was dust on the carpet. Homura wiped her sword off on an expensive coat hanging on a nearby rack.
Mami nodded as she received a telepathic communique. Their range was now global.
"Akemi-san, our American, Chinese, Indian, British, and Russian partners have just reported in. They have achieved their goals." Mami calmly informed her leader.
"Hm," Homura nodded, "Good. The other countries will fall in line soon enough after this."
"The Americans and Russians went way overboard, though," Kyoko chuckled in amusement, "Moscow and Washington D.C. are wiped off the face of the map. Overkill."
"It does not matter, so long as we got our message across," Homura removed her glasses and undid her braids. They no longer suited her.
"We are Demons, and we rule this world."
Nobody was spared.
Dr. Samantha Harley kept her gun trained on the door. It was a Glock, and probably wouldn't be able to do much, but it might buy her a few seconds of life.
With the sound of tearing metal, a sword impaled the reinforced titanium. The door rusted rapidly, crumbling to dust.
In the doorway stood the infamous Homura Akemi, leader of Hanran.
Samantha emptied her entire clip at Homura to no effect. The Demon simply used her time magic to sidestep the incoming bullets.
"Dr. Samantha Harley," Homura brushed her hair aside dramatically, "I find you guilty of crimes against the Magical Girls of the world. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"…I had no choice!" Dr. Harley replied through gritted teeth, "They were going to attack you either way! If I left, they would just replace me with someone who cared less about you girls! I was trying to be merciful!"
"There was nothing merciful about what you did!" Homura shouted, glaring at the scientist, "What about your daughter? I'm sure you cared very much for her! Still, you killed her."
"I… I loved Maria!" Dr. Harley protested, "How dare you say that I didn't!"
"You didn't love her enough to stop," Homura stepped closer, "Rationalizations will not make up for your atrocities."
"Stay back!" Dr. Harley backed up against the wall, "Don't come near me!"
"I think you need to understand what we went through!" Homura reached her hand out towards the doctor, "You piece of inhuman trash!"
Samantha screamed as she felt like she was being torn apart. Like a puppet without strings, she collapsed.
A small gem, clouded with shadows clattered onto the floor next to her.
"No… no way…" she breathed, "is that?..."
"Yes, it's a Soul Gem. You are now one of us," Homura chuckled, "You're a bit too old to use magic, though… I wonder what will happen?"
In Samantha's mind, voices began to grow louder. They all spoke with her own voice. The voices screamed in anguish at the loss of her daughter. They cried over the guilt of causing the deaths of so many innocents. They swept aside her thin rationalizations, and confirmed what she knew all along.
She was the real monster here.
Samantha's Barrier reacted to her self-condemnation, forming around the grieving doctor. It slowly enclosed around her as she gave into her despair and self-loathing. Her screams were cut off as it sealed, then imploded upon itself.
Dr. Samantha Harley was no more.
"Well," Homura turned around and left, "that was interesting."
The year is 2025. The world has been conquered by Demons.
Homura and Mami walked among the burning remains of downtown Tokyo. The JSDF had executed their final stand here. The resulting battle had leveled most of the area. The civilian casualties had been… abominable.
"It's finally over," Homura breathed a sigh of relief, "Tomoe-san… we did it."
"Yes, Akemi-san," Mami surveyed their handiwork, "We made them pay for what they did."
Homura kicked a helmet near her feet into a nearby ditch, "What do we do now? Divide up the territory among the others?"
"Perhaps," Mami nodded, "We should secure Mitakihara for ourselves, at the least."
"Mitakihara," Homura turned to face the rising sun, "… home. That feels so odd to think about. Home."
The sound of crying attracted Mami's attention, who looked at the mountain of debris where the noise was coming from.
"Did you hear that?" Mami began walking in the direction of the crying, "That sounds… like a child."
Homura watched with a feeling of detachment as Mami began digging through the rubble. Honestly, there was so much death. What difference did one child make?
Before long, Mami pulled a small bruised and battered young girl from the wreckage.
"Shh, it's okay," the blonde comforted the younger girl, "You're safe now."
"Ma… Mama, she's…" the child sobbed, "Gone… she's gone…"
"It's alright," Mami held her close, "What's your name?"
"Na… Nagisa… Momoe…" Nagisa sobbed lightly.
Homura watched in amazement as Mami consoled the young Nagisa.
Mami was actually smiling... It was a genuine smile. Mami hadn't smiled like that since their first peaceful month at Hanran.
No matter… things would probably work out. Homura needed to focus on dealing with the aftermath of this atrocious war. After everything was taken care of, she could go home.
Home to Mitakihara… and Madoka. She had a promise to fulfill, after all.
/人 ◕ ‿‿ ◕ 人\
The train hummed along the tracks at breakneck speed. Inside the first car, Homura tried to fondly remember what life was like before the war. However, those memories were fleeting and faint.
Homura and Mami had the whole train car to themselves. It had been a trying task, reorganizing the world's governments, but Homura was finally done. Hanran was disbanded, one of her trusted Lieutenants was in charge of Japan… and the former Puella Magi had nothing to fear anymore. She was finally returning to Mitakihara.
It had been fairly easy to reestablish Mitakihara as their territory. With the shortage of Puella Magi and Demons, there was no lack of cities to choose from. Being one of the smaller major cities, Mitakihara was not exactly the prime real estate a Demon dreamed of. However, in fighting still broke out over territory… that's what really tore Hanran apart. Without a common enemy, the worldwide alliance of Demons turned into something resembling feudal warlords. Overall, though, they were able to resolve things relatively peacefully, and the various Demons of the world still talked to each other. They had to, because not all of their enemies were entirely vanquished. They had to be on their toes.
Until something required her personal attention, though, Homura was content with going back to Mitakihara.
She allowed herself a small, genuine smile. She would be able to see Madoka again. Their friendship, Homura felt, had been growing into something more, before it was cut short by the global extermination attempt against the Puella Magi.
Homura was going to keep her promise; she was going to see Madoka again… but…
She frowned in discomfort… was Madoka still her friend? What would she say when she saw Homura? Homura wasn't even Human anymore… She really was a Demon. A monster. How could anyone be friends, let alone love someone like her? The media had said some rather nasty things about the former Puella Magi in the last weeks of the war. Did Madoka think she was some sort of heartless monster?
That little voice Homura thought she buried months ago resurfaced, and for the first time in a long time, she felt ashamed at what she had become.
…She could change. She could go back to what she was once before. All these rampant emotions, these destructive impulses, she could bury them. Yes, she could go back to being shy, likable Homura Akemi, transfer student…
Who was she kidding? Homura ground her teeth while she crushed a nearby armrest with her hand. She could never go back to being that girl. That girl was gone forever, burned away in the horrors of war.
"Akemi-san?" Mami cut through Homura's thoughts, "Are you alright?"
Homura turned to face her second-in-command…. Her friend. Mami was back in her normal clothes, gently holding Nagisa in her lap. Homura's gaze turned to the younger girl.
Nagisa preferred the nickname Charlotte, so that was what they usually called her. She was orphaned by the war; her mother killed by stray fire from the JSDF in the final battle at Tokyo. Mami had latched onto the younger child, and Charlotte seemed to help Mami reclaim some of her Humanity.
Humanity that Homura had stolen from her. Homura was… ashamed at what she had done. A part of her still reveled in her newfound power… but at what cost? Mami seemed not to care that Homura had essentially raped her soul, and when asked if the blonde resented Homura, Mami said that it didn't bother her.
Still, Homura couldn't help but think that Mami bore a grudge against her…
"Big sister Mami…" Charlotte mumbled groggily, "I'm hungry."
"Shh," Mami ran her hand through Charlotte's hair, a visible energy exchange happening between her hand and the child's hair, "Just a little longer, then we'll be home. I've got lots of cheese for you."
"Yaay…" Charlotte drifted off to sleep. Mami watched the smaller child nod off, and for a second an expression of pure self-loathing showed itself.
"What am I doing to this girl, Akemi-san?" Mami muttered, shaking her head sadly, "I know it doesn't hurt her… but I can't help but feel that I am feeding off her… like some sort of parasite."
"It's not your fault, Mami-san," Homura interjected, "If anything, it's mine. I made us like this."
Mami was surprised to hear Homura speak with any amount of regret, and just smiled at the younger black-haired girl, "You shouldn't regret anything, Akemi-san. If you hadn't done what you did, then we would all be dead."
She looked out the window at the fast-approaching Mitakihara city, "I admit… I was scared; absolutely terrified when you started to turn me… but I don't have any regrets about it. I'm so much more than what I used to be."
"Yes… that is true," Homura looked up at the sky, "We are so much more."
"I wonder how Kaname-san and Miki-san have been doing?" Mami mused, "I heard that their school was cancelled for most of the war… so we won't be too far behind."
"Why did we decide to go back to school anyways?" Homura asked Mami, "We are almost gods on Earth. We can do anything we want."
"Sakura-san chose that path," Mami pointed out, "We just want our old lives back."
"Yes," Homura nodded. That was right, "We just want things to go back to the way they were."
Mami sighed in contentment, eyes glazing over as she thought aloud "What do I want to do… I want to make so many friends! Friends that will stay with me forever! Friends that will never, ever leave me! I… I won't let them! They'll have to stay! If they try to leave then I'll… I'll…."
"Mami!" Homura shouted, jerking Mami out of her trance, "Focus."
"Ah... Akemi-san," Mami was visibly shaken, "…I thought that wouldn't happen anymore… thank you."
Mami went back to stroking Charlotte's hair as Homura resumed staring at Mitakihara in the distance. She couldn't help but think that regaining their old lives was impossible. After all, they weren't Puella Magi anymore, they weren't even Human! They were both Magical Girl and Witch… and the line they walked was a fine one. She had fallen into what could only be called corruption during the war, only regaining some of her sanity once Mami regained some of hers from her interactions with Charlotte.
Homura only hoped that she could control herself around Madoka. If her dear friend rejected her… she didn't know what she would do.
A world where Madoka rejected her… didn't deserve to exist at all.
Puella Magi Fuhai Magica
(Magical Girl Corruption Magica)
A/N: Please review! This is my first PMMM story, so I hope that I did well! If something is unclear, please tell me so that I can clarify.
