I do not own Puella Magi Madoka Magica. If I did, I would be Japanese. rich, an adult, and male. Since I am none of those things, I definitely do not own the anime.
(Though I would like to be an adult, at the very least. Maybe I could write something better than this.)
Homura wasn't a very good daughter.
Her parents had never told her this themselves, of course, but Homura knew it. She felt like a burden, draining her parent's money from them, due to her frail and weak nature. At school, Homura had no friends. Nobody would really care if she just died, would they?
It happened when Homura was twelve. Her mother was braiding her hair, working the long tresses into straight and beautiful plaits. At the end of each braid, Homura's mother wrapped a purple ribbon around the hair. Though the young girl winced, she didn't complain. She never complained. How could she dare? After all, her mother was only being kind.
Homura and her family were heading to church. She did go to a Catholic school, after all. The air was crisp and cool, with leaves scattered on the sidewalk. With every step, they crunched underfoot satisfyingly, the sound ringing through the air. Just as the girl was going to step on a dark crimson leaf, the color of the glasses she wore, her chest began to hurt.
Then everything went black.
When Homura woke up, around a year had passed already. It was already late-May, meaning she would be transferring in not when the school year started, but later than that, at the time when people had already made friends. But that was fine. Really, Homura couldn't care less about that (well, that was a bit of a lie, since Homura really did care. She didn't want to be the outsider this time around.) But none of that really mattered. Her parents were dead.
The nurse told her calmly, unaware of how Homura's life was falling to pieces.
"-it's not your fault though, it really isn't-"
But it was her fault. Homura was crossing the street with her parents to church, prepared to step on the leaf. Or was it a feather? In her mind's eye, it was a feather instead of a leaf, and the feather was her only connection to her parents anymore. However, no matter what it was, the facts were straight. Homura had collapsed, and her parents had stopped to pick her up. The light turned red, and some crazy guy in a pickup truck just ran the two adults over.
He wasn't even being arrested, the jerk. He only had a light fine. For two lives… Where was the saying, an eye for an eye? A life for a life? Was there no justice? This man… this man should die. He should die now.
"...my ribbons…" croaked Homura. The nurse was startled, having already gone off on a tangent. Her pale fingers reached with the stiff white pocket of her nurse uniform, reaching about.
"Of course," she replied, pulling out two purple ribbons. They were the worse for wear, with creases lining them and dirt clear against the rich color, but Homura couldn't care less. They were her mother's.
Of course, if Homura had been a better daughter, this never would have happened.
The hospital room was clean, too clean, a shining white without a speck of dirt. Homura was only too glad to finally leave and attend her new school in Mihikitaria. She was forced to live with her aunt, who was not truly unpleasant, but had no time or money to care for a small child. Therefore, Homura was often left alone. She was okay with that, really. She didn't deserve anything.
School was anything short of pleasant. The first day was always the worst, right? So she nervously stood outside the door, twisting and turning her ribbons, now as clean as she could make them. The uniform was tight and ill-fitting, pulling at Homura's skin in uncomfortable ways. The pale child adjusted her red-rimmed glasses, perspiring faintly. What if everyone hated her? What if she made no friends? What if-
"Homura Akemi, please come in!" The teacher's friendly voice drifted out through the open door, and Homura's steps were slow and halting as she entered.
"Um… Nice to meet you." Homura bowed, inwardly panicking. Behind her, the teacher tried to write her name on the board. Too nervous to help, Homura just watched as the woman- Kazuko, wasn't it?- fumbled around and eventually gave up.
"Everyone, be nice to Akemi!"
Math was a disaster. Having missed out on a year of school, even simple equations were beyond Homura. Unlike with Hitomi(?) whose pencil danced along her paper. And gym was next, which Homura had never been very good at. Now, it was certain she would be worse.
Homura was proven right. She sat under a tree after a lap of running, too exhausted to move. Another girl, named Ai or something of that sort, giggled to her friend about the out-of-shape transfer student. Homura just sighed as globs of sweat raced down her face. Everybody hated her, didn't they.
"Hey!" One of the athletic girls, Sayaka Miki, plopped down next to Homura, breathing heavily. "Whatcha sulky about, transfer student?" Homura couldn't reply, instead looking down to the ground and pulling at her soaked shirt. Sayaka frowned slightly but persevered. "C'mon, cat got your tongue?"
Homura was going to cry. "Don't tease me," she whimpered slightly. Sayaka was about to say more, but one look at Homura's trembling lip made her leave.
"Well, if you want to talk, just say the word!" Homura looked down. Great. Now she really blew it. Sayaka hated her now, and Homura was an idiot.
"Wait…" she mumbled, but Sayaka was too far away to hear her. "Um…" And now Homura felt like more of an idiot while Ai giggled harder. She really was just a stupid good-for-nothing. Eventually, though, gym ended, and it was time to go home. The walk would be long, but there was no point in taking a train or bus, so a walk it was.
This was what Homura remembered as she stood on the bridge.
What a good-for-nothing she was, unable to move as she was, except nearer to the edge, ready to hurtle herself within the watery abyss. The churning depth beckoned, and Homura was unable to stay away, lured as a sailor by the siren's sweet songs. Why should she go on living? Those questions she posed to herself.
A bright light lit up the area. For a second, Homura was blinded, until she saw the small figure of Madoka Kaname, her classmate, sitting on a machine. The machine was shaped almost like a motorcycle, with the slim body and handholds, but instead of wheels, there were bright pink clusters of light, probably what blinded Homura in the first place. Inlaid within the black seat was a pink diamond made out of some glowing stone. Homura could only gape when Madoka stepped off, creating a bow in her hand.
"Kaname," Homura asked, not very loudly, "Wh-what is this?" Madoka smiled gently and reached out a gloved hand, which Homura took.
"Don't worry, Homura! May I call you Homura?" The brunette slightly nodded, and Madoka got back on her cycle, handing Homura the bow. She nearly dropped the weapon when Madoka pulled her onto the machine as well. "Hold on tight, we need to go very quickly to enter the barrier."
There were loud footsteps behind them. "She has potential?" asked a voice.
Madoka turned around and straightened up from her curved position. "Yes, Mami," she replied. The other blonde girl, now christened Mami, smiled gently at the shaking girl and took her hand. "We should hurry. It wouldn't do to miss this witch." Mami nodded and started her own machine. Madoka did the same, and they were off in a rush. Streams of pink light were left wherever the machine's 'wheels' touched, though, as their speed picked up, any traces disappeared. Quicker and quicker, all the while Homura's braided hair whipping in the wind, barely kept from being undone, until the bridge blurred and the world twisted and turned, changing into a barrier of sorts, filled with bright colors.
Madoka came to a stop. "Get off," she calmly ordered and took the bow from Homura just as a purple creature, roughly as large as Homura herself, crawled up, clawing at Madoka. The girl shot it quickly and pushed forward, taking down the creatures left and right.
"Kaname, what is this?" asked Homura, keeping her head low and trying to curl up within herself as she followed the pinkette. "This… this all…"
Madoka didn't pause as she began to speak. "I am a magical rider," she explained, only adding to Homura's confusion. "This is a barrier, which can only be accessed through the use of a rider's mount. Mine is similar to Mami's, but there are all kinds." She glanced back at the brunette, who was trying and failing to hide her confusion.
"...magic?" she asked slowly, annunciating each syllable. Madoka turned back around.
"Nevermind, we'll explain later." Homura's heart sank- did Madoka hate her too, now? "We still have to destroy this witch!" A large teddy bear ambled out, it's fists smashing down and destroying everything in sight, including the creatures. Mami was still on her vehicle, and in her hands were two guns.
"Kaname!" she yelled. "Attack on three! One… two… three!" At the same time, two missiles reached the teddy bear, and it toppled over, trying to right itself. "One… two… three!" Once again, the teddy bear was attacked, and it roared in anger. "Final one! One… two… three!" The bear exploded into shards of silver, leaving behind a small object. Madoka slowly rode over to it and handed it to Madoka. "No, you use it, I'm fine."
"Mami, your KeyStone is corrupted. Anyway, you were awesome out there, you deserve it."
"What about we split it?" Apparently agreeing, Madoka placed the object next to the glowing stone, clearing away the darkness.
"Now you, Mami-senpai!" Mami grimaced slightly hearing 'senpai,' but cleared away her own stone. Homura stood off to the side, nervous and unsure of what to say.
"Oh, this is Homura. She's in my class. Homura, this is Mami Tomoe, another magical rider." Homura quickly bowed, her braids nearly touching the ground.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tomoe! Um… but Kaname, what is this…?" Madoka giggled nervously and began to walk after Mami, who beckoned to Homura. The brunette squeaked and followed close after, still hoping to hear an explanation.
"We're going to my apartment," explained Mami. "People might hear us if we stay." Homura nodded and picked up her pace. The mounts had vanished when they left the barrier, but Madoka and Mami each had a ring with their KeyStone embedded inside. They were all silent as they walked back, save for Mami's one compliment for Madoka on how well she did.
Mami's apartment was large and well-furnished, While the older blonde got cake from her fridge, Madoka and Homura sat before a round table, sipping the already-made tea. The carpeting was soft and nothing like the rugs at Homura's aunt's place. Mami soon joined them, and they dug in.
"Akemi," she said, "I suppose Kaname has already told you about how we are magical riders." Homura nodded, unable to talk as her mouth was full of heavy, rich cake. "Kaname and I contracted with a creature named Kyubey for this KeyStone. We got the chance to choose a magical power in exchange for battling those creatures you saw earlier."
"What were they?" wondered Homura. A shadow flickered over Mami's face, but she answered the question anyway.
"We call them witches. But where they come from… We just don't know." Homura accepted that reply and let the other girl finish. "Anyway, this KeyStone is the source of our power. Most riders find some old abandoned vehicles (or build one themselves.) The KeyStone infuses them with magical power. Let me show you…"
Madoka held out her ring. "No need, I can do it!" she exclaimed. Her school uniform, creamy white with a red bow over the chest, just like Homura's uniform, vanished. Her new suit built up piece-by-piece. First, there was a tight racing suit of a light pink color, with a tear-drop shaped hole in the back. In the front, there was a long strip of lace with buttons inside. Flat shoes, laced up, appeared on Madoka's feet, and her hair ribbons vanished in favor of large yellow bows. To the side appeared her previous mount, the motorcycle-esque vehicle.
"Whoa," breathed Homura, her eyes scanning Madoka's new outfit. The pinkette carefully pulled the KeyStone out of the motorcycle, causing the object to collapse, turning into something which was essentially a hunk of garbage. Then, Madoka took a wind-up toy from her pocket. It was tiny, the size of Homura's hand, and the KeyStone automatically shrunk as it entered the wind-up's back. Madoka closed her eyes, raising a hand.
"Apri, apri
Ciò che era chiuso ora si apre
Crea, costruisci, dalle ceneri che sorgerà la mia cavalcatura"
Glowing pink circles, filled with ancient designs and words, surrounded the toy. The toy, which was in the shape of a dragon, grew to be as big as the abandoned motorcycle, before stopping. Each golden scale glimmered in the light, and it seemed too fantastical to be real. Madoka climbed on, holding on tightly.
"Inoltrare"
The dragon stiffly took a step forward, and Madoka, satisfied, stood, and pulled the KeyStone out. The pink gem was safely placed in the motorcycle, and Madoka de-transformed, coming back to the table. "See, Homura!"
"Kaname only recently contracted," explained Mami, as though that would lessen Homura's confusion.
"What were… the incantations? Those circles? I thought you could only enchant the vehicle." Mami shook her head silently, taking another bite. When she finished chewing, she began to talk.
"The KeyStone has all sorts of magical properties. Those incantations are to help us direct our magic, and the circles are a side effect of that magic. The circles can be used for different types of magic. Most riders have only one type of magic from their beginning contract, though. Of course, there are the basics of magic each rider has."
"You have the potential to be a rider," added Madoka. "I felt it."
"What magic did you gain?" asked Homura, curious. Madoka hesitated before responding, her eyes narrow with doubt. But eventually, she spoke up.
"I chose the power of resurrection," she explained. "There was a dead cat, and I brought it back to life." She brought her closed fist over her heart. "I definitely don't regret this choice!" Homura smiled, secretly wishing she had this kind of determination as well. Madoka truly was a kind of person to admire.
'Oh?' A white creature, looking a lot like a cat, though it had longer ears and golden rings around them. 'Is this a new candidate for a magical rider?'
"This is Kyubey," quickly pointed out Mami. "Remember, the creature I told you about?" Homura sharply nodded. "This is it."
'Hello, Homura Akemi,' replied Kyubey courteously.
"Hey, hey," playfully objected Mami. "Don't push Akemi into any sort of contract yet, Kyubey!" Kyubey turned away, still smiling as it always did.
'I'll be waiting.' it promised, leaving the apartment. Madoka waved goodbye innocently, and for some unknown reason, there was a tightening in her chest. Was this jealousy? Mami and Madoka didn't seem to notice, and Homura felt the world fade away as she drifted into thought.
Fermare
Madoka pulled Homura back into reality. "Let's go home together!" she exclaimed happily. Homura nervously nodded.
"I… would like that." Since they both lived nearby, Homura was forced to enter her own unwelcome home after little time had passed. Homura's aunt, a tall woman with graying hair and dark brown eyes.
"Welcome," she said, not looking up from the paperwork before her. "How was school?" Homura quietly replied with a muted 'good' and entered her room, a cozy place which was not very decorated. A simple clock hung on the wall, ticking away. Homura frowned. How strange. The clock had never worked before. A rich purple color with golden roman numerals around the face, the object was more for show than practical use. There was also a poster above Homura's bed embellished with the words 'you can do it!' But for a brief second, the word 'ricorda' flashed over it before fading away.
Since it was rather late, Homura decided to immediately go to bed. The warm blanket revealed her toes, rendering the girl unable to go to sleep. So she stayed awake for a while, staring outside her window. The light pollution made it so she could not see the stars, but she could imagine them, bright within a midnight sky.
(The world stopped for a second and twisted around Homura, everything becoming blurred. Everything was wrong. She needed Madoka. Madoka. She needed the Law of Cycles. Where were they? They had to save her.
The flames of greed tore at Homura, sentencing her to be burned at the stake.
Un ciclo fallito
The cycle was beginning anew.)
Tracing her finger across the window pane, Homura's violet eyes were drawn to the sight. She collapsed into bed with a creaking of springs. She felt lost, was lost, but didn't know why.
But more importantly, what power was she going to choose?
With a start, she realized the clock above her had gone back two minutes, though it still ticked. Checking her phone, it appeared two minutes had indeed gone back. Frowning slightly, Homura flopped back down and searched up 'superpowers' on her phone.
Maybe wishing for the power of seduction would be nice.
Homura blushed a furious pink and dug her face into her pillow. "Bad, bad, bad!" she muttered. "I… why…" She raised her head. "I don't even know Madoka…"
(There was a flood of memories. Madoka, her dearest. Her treasure. How could she have forgotten, the girl she was absolutely devoted to?
Dimenticare. Rifare.
And in that moment, everything was back to normal.)
Or maybe the power of barriers would be cool! After all, though, she really only wanted this to fight alongside her new friends. That would be best. But choosing a power might be critical. So Homura could put it off a bit longer, right?
Turning on her phone, Homura opened an English-translator. She typed in the word ricorda, seeing remember as the definition. Remember? What did she have to remember?
It had to be a hallucination. She was tired, and she had school tomorrow. Homura should go to sleep now.
She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, and her sleep was plagued with odd dreams.
(Homura was on a bench with Madoka.
How unsatisfying.
Time restarted again, and the hourglass twisted and turned. How could she battle this inherent destino (destiny?) But for Madoka, she could do this over and over again.)
(Homura sat in a chair overlooking a city. The bright lights flickered on and off, and a goddess descended next to her. Unknowing of that fact, Homura continued to dreamily stare forward.
"You can't do this forever," softly interrupted Madoka. Homura started, then settled back down in her wooden chair.
"Maybe not," she retorted. "But I can keep it up as long as I can."
Then she fell off the edge of the cliff.)
(Homura was in a cell, with a gun.
Madoka was in front of her.
"Non," said the pinkette, reaching for her bow. "Homura, non devi farlo."
"Legge dei cicli," she replied, then shot herself and then Madoka in the head.)
And Homura Akemi woke up, sweating and panting. Just what was that? Was that the future?
"Did I…" she began, trembling in fear and panic, "did I already get my power?"
Then she forgot everything again.
Learning about magical racers was quite an odd experience. At least, Homura now had someone to talk to during school. At lunch, she sat with Madoka and Sayaka, the latter of whom was still sore at Homura for how the girl shunned her during school. Homura almost felt bad, but there was a voice in her head, echoing loudly whenever she looked at the blue-haired girl.
"I was so, so stupid."
But Sayaka would have to put up with Homura- and vice-versa. Homura and Madoka were now friends, and nothing could change that. Madoka was constantly making new friends, and both of them would have to put up with that.
"So, transfer student," began Sayaka. "You're a… rider too, right?" Appreciating this reach of friendship, no matter how faint, Homura quickly began to speak, fumbling with words.
"Yeah, but I haven't contracted yet, have you?" Sayaka chuckled at Homura's nervousness.
"Nah. Hey, transfer student, at least for Madoka's sake, let's try to be friends." To Homura, that phrase felt wrong, coming from Sayaka, but she wanted it to be true so badly.
She really wanted a perfect world for Madoka.
And now it was another battle. Homura nervously walked up to Madoka and Mami, a bike next to her. Sayaka was clutching Mami's motorcycle for dear life, ready to mount it at any time.
"Uh, I thought I could ride in with my bike?" suggested Homura. It was old and worn, as it had been her aunt's when she was young. The paint was peeling, but it was functional. That didn't mean Homura hadn't tried to re-paint it, not that there had been any difference. The pink paint peeled as well, and eventually, Homura stuck with black.
Mami laughed hard, though she at least covered her mouth. Sayaka's face went red from withheld giggles. Only Madoka, king Madoka, patted Homura on the shoulder.
"You can go on the backseat of mine," she said quietly while Sayaka, unable to hold it in anymore, gave out a howl of laughter.
So Homura clutched the seat while a confident Madoka drove as quickly as possible. Once again, the world became distorted, and Homura began to shake. But she trusted Madoka. She had to.
The pinkette dismounted and raised a hand, beginning to chant in a low voice. Homura backed away to Sayaka, who watched Mami's chant. The yellow and pink circles overlapped, with one on top of the other. The creature, a hag with a chained neck and wrists, wandered within the circles, just as they exploded in twin bursts of light. The familiars crawled together, one larger one eating the rest up and becoming the creature's copy.
And alas, Madoka was not paying attention, and the creature let out a ray or green light, which caused her to collapse. Homura shrieked and ran forward to help, but Sayaka pulled her back by snagging the back of the cream-colored school uniform. Meanwhile, Madoka opened her eyes feebly, seeing Mami defeat the copy with a giant gun. But more familiars swarmed, creating a new copy.
"It's endless," gasped Sayaka. "Mami, do an area attack. We'll be safe for a bit." Mami jumped into the air and performed Tiro Finale, incinerating a large circle around the group.
"Madoka!" yelled Homura, rushing forward to protect her friend. "The witch… We have to get out."
"Not an option," grimly stated Mami. "We're surrounded on all sides." Mami frowned. "We can't defeat this witch, but I can go down trying!" Mami pulled the KeyStone from her motorcycle, and it promptly shrunk down to become a small rock. Mami created a new magical circle, one much larger, and threw the stone in the center. "My attack won't damage it much. You'll have to run."
"Tomoe, you can't!" cried Sayaka, now the one who reached forward, but a gentle hand from Madoka stopped her.
"Sayaka's right," she murmured. "Don't sacrifice yourself."
"Pinkie's right," said an unfamiliar voice. A red-haired girl jumped to the ground, her crimson eyes glowing. "Hey, Tomoe, remember me?"
"Who are you?" exclaimed Sayaka, whirling away from Mami to the stranger. The redhaired girl grinned and erected a barrier around them just as new familiars began to reach the girls.
"Name's Kyoko Sakura. And I'm gonna be the one who saves you today."
Omake:
"What the hell is this?" scowled Kyoko.
"Language," reprimanded Sayaka, her intense blue glare settled on the annoyed redhead.
"I can say whatever I want!" growled Kyoko. "Hey. Akemi, what the hell is this?" Homura Akemi nervously looked at the redhead before tearing off her pink glasses.
"This is an extra!" she declared. "Here, the author does whatever she wants to do with us!" Mami frowned.
"...isn't that the nature of fanfiction?" Five murderous pairs of eyes settled on her. Mami gulped.
"Don't give her ideas," warned Homura, putting a finger to her lip. "And I am not Akemi! No longer am I Moemura!"
"Yeah, yeah," griped Kyoko. "Anyway, why's Nagisa here?" The white-haired girl, in the middle of her meal of cheese, stuck her pointer finger up. "Um... that's not..." Nagisa switched fingers. "See, that's right."
"This just can't be right," wailed Madoka. "Such inconsistencies in our character..."
"Miracles and magic are real!" declared Sayaka. "For this to happen, magic must exist."
"As long as my friends are with me, I'm not afraid of anything anymore," whispered Mami, a soft smile blooming on her face, as delicate and beautiful as a rose.
"I won't rely on anyone anymore," solemnly stated Homura, her face a mask of emotionlessness. "I'll have to give the next chapter's preview myself...!"
"Trying to give me no lines?" jeered Kyoko. "Too bad, 'cause now I get to do the- oh."
"Next chapter!" Nagisa stepped up to her duty, and Homura leaped up, guns in hand.
"No!" she cried, tears falling on her blackened soul gem, normally a pure violet color. "I have to protect Madoka." The girl in question was very confused. When Nagisa was blown up, Homura straightened out her clothes and stared right into the reader's soul. "Next chapter. Madoka, take it off!"
"When friends part, their love for one another dwindles without proper care, as flowers die without proper treatment. But can the bond between friends save the forsaken girl? Will the fire's prayers reach the heart of the light?" Madoka struck a dramatic pose and Sayaka began.
"And who are the riders in the shadows? Is the girl of light an ally or foe? When confronted with four new girls, the light burning within the spirit may be extinguished forevermore." Sayaka and Madoka looked at Mami, who rose to the occasion.
"Next time of Magical Rider Homura Magica- Is this Really the Right Thing to Do?