Okay, let me go about and say that I watched MSMM and my initial reaction was to rage at how unfair and underhanded Hitomi's ultimatum on Sayaka was. Giving your supposedly best friend a day to confess her feelings to a boy she has a crush on is not fair. It would be if Sayaka had come into terms with her own feelings, but she hadn't. Differingly, Hitomi showed that she cared about Sayaka and their friendship when she openly stated her feelings for Kyousuke to her face, and not stabbing her in the back. She also showed concern for Sayaka when the girl wasn't coming to school. I hate the fact that Hitomi had awful timing in doing this, and Sayaka subsequently fell into deeper depression. I mean damn. I kind of see why people would hate Hitomi.

I hated Hitomi with a passion at first, but when I watched the anime five times more, I started to sympathise with her. She had no clue of Sayaka's occupation as a Magical Girl. She couldn't have known that she unknowingly became a catalyst to Sayaka's death. That fact alone doesn't make her a good friend, though. Her intensions were good, but she made a horrible choice when it came to Sayaka. Even after watching the anime, watching Rebellion and actually taking my time to read the manga, I'm still on the, "What kind of best friend does that?" part. Seriously, while playing it over and over again, Hitomi started to seem a lot more selfish to me. I found out that she had after school activities so she couldn't visit Kyousuke in hospital, but the fact that she chose to state her feelings for the guy only after he was admitted out of the hospital, painted a very ugly picture of her.

I really can't say I'm siding with Sayaka either. Her choices were noble, but equally flawed. Saving the guy you like and hoping for him to feel the same way is just stupid, but maybe I'm missing the bigger picture…somewhere.

So, my final notes (Which were mostly about Hitomi, since – to my surprise – she is one of the most hated Madoka Magica characters, and she isn't even a bad guy) is that Hitomi isn't a bad friend. She was very respectful for talking to Sayaka about her feelings for Kyousuke outright. However, she isn't a good friend either, and seems somewhat self-regarding.

Why such a long rant? Because I'm trying to make it a point that I'm going into this story neutral of Hitomi, and not one of her MANY haters. There maybe areas in the story later on where people might interpret it as Hitomi Bashing. I'm telling you now that's not what I'm aiming for.

I'll try my best to embody the foreboding feel of the Magica series, but this will actually be my first time writing something that could be very disturbing. Enjoy, though!

I do not own Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. I don't make a profit writing this story. It's a very messed up series, but addictive.

"For all the happiness you wish for someone, someone else gets cursed with equal misery..."

Kyoko continued to stare at Sayaka, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and horror.

"That's how it works for Magical Girls, and that's how it is for me." Sayaka concluded.

"Sayaka, your soul gem!" Kyoko cried. She couldn't believe that Sayaka sunk so deep into desolation that she allowed her own soul to wither into nothing more than darkness.

Sayaka turned to Kyoko, the prior's eyes were filled with tears, and her face painted the pictured image of insanity and despair. The blue haired girl looked absolutely defeated. She looked like the equivalent of her black soul gem.

"I was stupid, so stupid," Sayaka said, her empty smile truly disturbing in its sincerity.

One tear fell from her eye. It hit her dwindled soul gem with a resounding splosh. No one knew what to expect when their soul gems went like that, most suspected just death.

They could have never known it was far worse than that.

Sayaka's soul gem shattered, sending a huge shockwave that shook the incoherent room.

Kyoko was sent flying into the air. She hit the wall harshly and landed on the ground like a bag of bones. The redhead struggled to get on her feet. It took her by complete surprise.

Sayaka's soul gem slowly transformed into a grief seed, and it immediately affected Sayaka's body. She grabbed her chest and convulsed in pain. It only took seconds for her to transmute into the powerful witch: Oktavia.

Once Kyoko was able to gather her wits, she immediately realised she was in a labyrinth. What she found problematic was to the reason a labyrinth suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. She rapidly searched for any signs of Sayaka. Once she noticed the blue-head's body falling to the ground, she quickly changed into her Magical Girl outline and dashed after her.

"Sayaka!" she screamed, her voice laced with panic and fear.

She swiftly got a good grip on Sayaka and held her close. She noted how she wasn't breathing, and her body wasn't emitting any sort of heartbeat.

She turned her head to the side, and bared witness to what she thought was the reason for Sayaka's condition.

The witch was fairly large, and had an incredibly disfigured visage. It screamed fiercely, its voice reverberating around them, filled with anguish and misery.

The more Kyoko stared at it, the angrier she became.

She unconsciously increased her hold on Sayaka's body and glared at the witch with contempt.

"What the hell? What are you?! What have you done to Sayaka?!" Kyoko shrieked, her eyes overflowing with rage.

The witch continued to scream, as if not hearing Kyoko's voice at all.

It launched wheels at her, forcing Kyoko to shift from one place to another, all the while cradling Sayaka's limp form. It wasn't difficult for the redhead, but a tad challenging.

"No, get back," a voice said.

Kyoko only registered a second before a frag grenade appeared right in front of the witch, seemingly out of thin air. It exploded, but the impact appeared to be aimed more at distraction than actual damage.

The redhead only blinked once, and Homura was already in front of her.

The raven-head offered her hand to the downed Kyoko, staring at her with the same monotonous gaze Kyoko was all too familiar with.

"Take my hand," Homura commanded.

"What are you gonna do?" Kyoko asked, still surprised that Homura was able to find them so quickly.

"Just do it!" Homura barked, facing the witch again.

Koyoko scowled at her, not in the least pleased with her attitude. But she did as told and grabbed Homura's hand.

The circuits in Homura's shield immediately went to work, spinning crazily in different directions and draining some of the sand. It only took a moment longer before everything around them froze, including the big witch.

"It stopped," Kyoko noted, staring at the witch in astonishment.

"Do not let go of my hand. You'll be frozen in time if you do."

Homura didn't wait for Kyoko's response. She dragged her along. "Hurry!"

Kyoko wasn't satisfied in running away however.

"What the hell is going on? Where'd that witch come from?" she directed.

"That witch used to be Sayaka Miki. You saw – it happened right in front of you," Homura explained, not pausing in her escape.

"Are we just gonna run away?" Kyoko asked.

"We could stop right now and kill it. Just drop that useless baggage and we'll go back. Shall we?"

"T-yeah, like hell!"

"You can't fight and carry her. You'll get us both killed. We're leaving for now."

Kyoko huffed, but complied. It would do little to argue; she was still coming to terms with what was going on.

For Homura, it wasn't a chore explaining everything to Madoka. If it would stop Madoka from ever becoming a Magical Girl, then nothing else mattered. Sayaka Miki wasn't that important to her, but watching Madoka cry on the aforementioned girl's body was unsettling, even if she had witnessed it over and over again.

She didn't even flinch when Kyoko grabbed her.

The redhead bared her fangs, looking pissed off.

"Why you…What the hell is your problem?! You trying to impress us with you big brain or something?!"

Homura didn't bother replying, it would be meaningless to do so at this point.

"How can you stand there talking crap like that?! She was Sayaka's…"

It was hard on Kyoko too. She had been getting closer to Sayaka, and discovered that they did fit each other quite well. But it was all for not. She looked at Madoka, feeling like she could relate to her pain.

"She was her best friend," Kyoko finished, her head bowed, bangs covering her eyes.

Homura simply turned her gaze on Madoka.

"You understand now, don't you? The thing you wanted so much, this is it," she said coldly.

She removed herself from Kyoko's hold. "Oh, and the body you brought along, it's your responsibility now. You better be careful in getting rid of it though or it will cause problems later."

Kyoko grew livid at her easy dismissal. "And you dare call yourself human?!"

"No, of course I don't." She didn't hesitate to answer. "Neither should you."

Kyoko grit her teeth.

Homura chose that moment to walk away from them all, leaving a scarred Madoka and Kyoko behind.

It wasn't one of the brightest plans she ever thought up, but with Kyubey giving less than credible intel about witches and Magical Girls, it was the only logical conclusion she could come up with.

Maybe it was because she was desperate. Maybe it was because Sayaka made her realise her reasons for becoming a Magical Girl in the first place. But no matter what, Kyoko wanted to save her. She wanted to save Sayaka.

We could have been great friends, she entertained. But…right now wasn't the time to ruminate.

"Okay," she spoke to Madoka, "do it just like we planned."

"Eh, r-right," Madoka responded.

She walked in front of Kyoko and stared at Sayaka in uncertainty.

"Hey, Sayaka," she called, "it's me – it's Madoka."

There wasn't a response, not from Oktavia.

Madoka's worries were starting to increase.

"Don't you recognise my voice?" she tried harder.

Oktavia lifted the hand with a sword into the air. Old-fashioned train wheels larger than Madoka immediately appeared above the witch.

Madoka squeaked in fear, forcing Kyoko to snap her out of it.

"Don't' be scared," the redhead encouraged, shielding Madoka. She put her hands together and began to generate magic. "Keep talking to her."

Her spear immediately appeared in her hand.

"Sayaka!" Madoka cried. "Please stop! Try to remember! Please!"

She felt her resolve increasing and continued trying to get through to her best friend. "I know how you never wanted to hurt anyone. You said you wanted to be a hero, remember?! Please, Sayaka, turn back into your old self!"

Oktavia launched attacks aimed at the two girls, forcing Kyoko to counter them.

"Man, you're really stubborn," Kyoko bit out at Oktavia. "Come one, Sayaka, snap out of it!"

Oktavia's answer was to launch copious amounts of wheels at Kyoko, causing smoke to manifest on impact.

"Kyoko!" Madoka cried.

"I'm okay," Kyoko answered, although it seemed difficult for her. "I've had worse. Just keep trying to talk to her."

She hissed in pain, her body swaying a bit. She forced herself to remain focused and summoned more energy. "Come on, Sayaka!"

"Stop it! Please just stop it!" Madoka screamed.

Kyoko was taking a beating, she struggled to keep herself upright.

"Sayaka! We're your friends, remember?!"

Before Oktavia could finish the downed Kyoko, Madoka got in her way, and was grabbed by the witch.

"Sayaka, please stop it," Madoka choked out, feeling the life slowly draining from her.

It forced Kyoko to act out. She chopped the witch's hand, and it released Madoka.

"Come on!" Kyoko yelled, a tad exhausted. "You told me you believed in your power! You said you were only gonna use it to help people, remember?"

Her words fell on deaf ears. Oktavia struck the ground and it gave out.

Homura had materialised and saved Madoka from a nasty fall. Kyoko wasn't so lucky.

"Kyoko," Homura called.

The battered Magical Girl slowly rose to her feet. She didn't turn around to Homura. She just continued to stare at Sayaka.

"Hey… me and my stupid ideas." She sounded like she thought the whole idea was funny.

Homura didn't reply.

"She shouldn't have come," Kyoko said, gesturing to Madoka. "Take her and get out of here."

Homura almost seemed uncertain if she should leave.

"You can't fight and carry her or you'll get us both killed," Kyoko reiterated.

Homura continued her stance, holding Madoka and staring at Kyoko in an almost sympathetic manner.

"It's okay," Kyoko said, "and you were right. You gotta focus on the one thing that means the most to you and protect it to the end."

Homura looked at Madoka. She understood what Kyoko was trying to say, and it made sense to her.

"Heh, it's kind of funny. You know, this whole time," the redhead released her hairpin, "that's exactly what I thought I was doing."

She grabbed the pin and crouched to one knee. She started gathering as much magic as her body could allow her. She was planning to go all out. She felt like she had little choice now.

Before anyone realised it, another girl emerged unknowingly right in front of Kyoko. Said girl was so caught off guard that she stumbled on her feet and lost her concentration.

The person in front of them was definitely a Magical Girl. Her attire was pale green, with an upturned collar – hiding most of her face from view – and looked like a sleeveless coat with white frills on each of her shoulders. She wore brighter green boots that were decorated with black diamond shapes on each side. Her hands dawned black, fingerless gloves that seemed to glow a bit. Her long, green hair was tied in a ponytail.

Kyoko and Homura were rendered speechless. For Homura, it was the case of something like this never happening in any of the timelines she'd come from.

They couldn't get a good look at her face, so it was difficult for them to identify her.

"Dammit," the green girl cursed roughly, her fangs showing. "I'm too late, again….but I finally found you. After all this time…Finally…"

Kyoko didn't understand what was going on. As far as she knew, they shouldn't have been any other Magical Girls in this territory but herself, Homura and…Sayaka. The fact that there was another girl, was confusing on its own.

"Hey!" the redhead screamed. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the green girl whispered, ignoring everything else but the witch in front of her. "I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to save you."

"Hey!" Kyoko hollered, feeling agitated at being ignored.

She was blindsided when a huge, black heavy blade with a green grip manifested on the girl's back.

"No matter what, I'll save you." The mysterious Magical Girl charged at Oktavia with such speeds that it even had Homura baffled.

Oktavia launched her old-fashioned train wheels at the newcomer.

But the girl easily cut them down one by one. She glided through the air, actually flying towards her target. No matter what Oktavia threw at her, the girl wasn't deterred.

Disarrayed and jumbled, Kyoko turned to Homura. "What the hell is going on? Do you know her?"

Homura was at a loss of what to say. Admittedly, even though she was a time traveller, no two time periods were exactly the same. The reasons for that were her actions. She never acted the same way in each period, and as a result, each timeline had a different outcome. Of course, it didn't mean everything in a different time was different. But even so, in all her loops, she had never seen that green Magical Girl before. It actually defied her established reality.

"No," she answered Kyoko, keeping a firm eye on the new girl.

Oktavia launched a gargantuan wheel in the girl's direction. It seemed too large for just one Magical Girl to deal with alone.

"Crap, she's gonna get herself killed!" Kyoko tried to rise to her feet, but stumbled and fell. Now that the adrenaline had left her body, she realised how utterly spent she was. It was too late to help the Magical Girl that had so foolishly put herself in danger.

Homura was at a crossroads of even caring. Madoka was what was important, so she shouldn't give a damn about this new girl, but something was odd about her.

Seeing the attack getting closer, the green Magical Girl sighed and grit her teeth. She screamed something that no one expected.

"Alright, Sayaka, lend me your strength!"

Her blade immediately lit up in an angry, blue flame. It glowed with such intensity that Kyoko and Homura struggled to see properly.

The girl grabbed the blade and put it over her head. She waited for the right moment before she put it down to completely obliterate the wheel.

Kyoko's mouth was agape. Homura was frowning.

"How is that possible?" the redhead breathed.

Once room was made, the girl made a mad dash in the air at Oktavia.

Before she struck, she whispered, "Rest in peace…Sayaka."

There was massive explosion. Kyoko was sent screeching back along with Homura and Madoka.

When the smoke vanished, the Magical Girl stood alone. Not a single sign of Oktavia left.

The girl breathed in deeply and exhaled. It seemed like a means to relax herself. She looked up into the air and just stood rooted to the spot, like a metal statue.

"Sayaka," Kyoko murmured. Even though she realised that Sayaka couldn't be saved, it was still a heavy blow to take. She felt hot tears burning her eyes, and struggled to will them back. Her grief soon turned to fury when her eyes focused on the newcomer.

"You!" she screamed. Her earlier fatigue forgotten, she rushed to the new girl and grabbed her by the scruff of her upturned collar.

"Who do you think you are?!" Kyoko screamed; half of it was unrestrained rage, the other part was pure sorrow.

The new girl turned her head slowly. Her own eyes were guarded and almost cold.

She gave Kyoko a quick once over, and noticed the amount of cuts on the redhead's body.

"You need to treat those wounds."

"Who are you? Tell me now!" Kyoko demanded.

But it wasn't said girl that answered.

"Hitomi Shizuki" Horuma examined. It shouldn't have been possible. She wasn't in any other timeline. The whole idea didn't make any sense.

"Yes, Homura, it's me," Hitomi answered.

She gently removed Kyoko's hand from her collar. She didn't wait around for anyone to say something. She started walking, only stopping when she was just beside Homura.

"Is Madoka okay?" Hitomi asked. She didn't turn her head, didn't spare them a glance. She just looked straight ahead, her eyes covered by her hair.

Homura wasn't truly surprised by the question. What stunned her the most was Hitomi's mannerism. She didn't have the habitual feel of the normal high school girl that Homura was aware of in all her loops, and even a few days ago. No, this Hitomi reminded Homura a lot of herself, and she could only draw a few conclusion as to the reason.

"She's fine," the raven-head answered. "She just needs to rest."

"Good. Take care of her," Hitomi said, and started walking away from them.

"Should I beat the crap out of you before you listen to me, you bitch!" Kyoko's initial charge slowed when she started to think a little more clearly. "Wait…You're the girl, aren't you? The one that took that guy Sayaka liked."

Hitomi froze and exhaled sharply. It made her sound angry. And none of the girls could see her snarling.

After some time she relaxed, somewhat. "Yes…that's me."

Kyoko was actually surprised with the amount of venom she heard. She had only made an observation. She genuinely didn't expect such an intense reaction.

"Then why the hell are you a Magical Girl?! Never saw you wanting anything!" Kyoko yelled.

"Kyoko has a point, Hitomi. Furthermore, how did you know to come here? As far as I'm aware, you know nothing of what's going on."

Hitomi didn't answer, choosing to walk away.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Kyoko yelled, intending to grab Hitomi.

But said girl disappeared.

"What the?" Koyoko squeaked, not sure of what to make of what just happened. "She's gone?"

Homura scowled at the display. It can't be…

Far from them, Hitomi was back in her uniform and making her way home. Her strut was purposeful and she spared no one else a glance.

Once she arrived at her house, she said a quick greeting to her parents and went to her room. She closed the door and crashed on her bed.

She stared at the ceiling for some time, seemingly thinking to herself. After a couple of minutes, she decided she had enough resting.

Kyubey, are you there? she projected.

I'm right here, responded the incubator, sitting casually on Hitomi's desk.

The green-head gave the alien a stony gaze.

"I'm quite surprised in your actions. They have really put a damp on my plans."

Hitomi smirked, but it was anything but friendly. "What, your plan to have Madoka turn into a Magical Girl, and then subsequently a witch that ends the world? Or maybe it was that bit with Walpurgisnacht?"

"Ah, so I see you are aware. I was a bit curious when I registered that you had a magic residue a week ago, yet I couldn't discern why that was possible, especially considering turning girls into Magical Girls is my job."

"Are you aware of the situation?" Hitomi questioned.

"Yes, I was just informed."

"Then how many wishes do I have left?"

"I don't understand why you would ask me when you clearly know the answer," Kyubey responded.

"Answer me," Hitomi hissed.

"Huh…humans…Well, when you started off – unlike other magical girls – you had six wishes. But since you've used three, then it's obvious to say that you have three more left. Is there anything you want to wish for now?"

"No, I prefer to be conservative with my wishes."

"I understand," Kyubey said.

Hitomi nodded. She then decided to ask another direct question. "Tell me about time travel. More specifically, tell me how Magical Girls are involved in this."

"Well, that's certainly something I didn't expect. May I ask why are you asking such a question?"

Hitomi thought about it, and decided she didn't have anything to lose if she answered truthfully. "In the periods before this, I've noticed whenever Madoka becomes a Magical Girl, she is significantly stronger each time. I'm sure it has to do with Homura constantly time-looping. Since in all cases her main focus is Madoka, it has to have affected her in some way. That's the only logical conclusion."

"My, my, you're quite clever for your age. I see no harm in answering your question. Let's see…I'll use a comparison to explain it. Let's compare time travel to an Earth video game. When you play a game, your objective is to finish it, right?"

Hitomi nodded, confirming she understood.

"Let's go further and say it's a very long game, more than a year maybe. For you to be able to complete it alone, you'd need to save your progress at the required intervals. That, or you have to keep the game running at all times, so not to lose your work. The latter doesn't work, because there will always be something that may either trip the connection or close the game indefinitely. That's why there's the save option, not only to limit time, but to limit frustration of starting over again from the beginning."

"So what are you saying?"

"Time travel with magic works in a similar fashion. But instead of focusing solely on completing the required objective, it centres more on the focal point of the magic. In your case, the focal point is Sayaka. Remember that save option I told you about? Think of reality as the game itself. Time travel changes reality, and in essence, you start from the desired beginning, all over again. But reality has a save option, per se. It remembers what time you went to and what the focal point of the magic is. In doing so, and if the focal point has potential to be a Magical Girl, it increases their hypothetical power enormously."

"Is that the same for Sayaka?"

"I'm not sure it is. Since she's already a Magical Girl when you go back in time, I doubt her potential can be increased. However, time travel is something very few Magical Girls have attempted. I'm only basing my analysis on past information. Well, your knowledge adds additional intel, but not very much to conclude anything about Sayaka. So in that regard, anything is still possible."

"Very well then." Hitomi rose to her feet and looked out her window.

"I'm quite surprised by you, Hitomi. Not many Magical Girls would try and get more wishes from one wish. Usually, when they hear I can grant any wish they want, they don't bother entertaining the possibility of using that wish to increase their quantity of wishes. This is actually the first time anyone has taken that root. But something still baffles me."

"And what is that?"

"Why were you asking me for the number of wishes you made when you knew the answer?"

Hitomi stared at the incubator. Kyubey's gaze was as unreadable as always.

"Hmp! Haven't you ever heard of a woman's curiosity?"

"I haven't, and maybe that's all that it is. Or maybe…you have something else planned…for Sayaka's sake?"

Hitomi gave the incubator a piercing glare. His attempt at goading did not sit well with her.

"When all of this is over, and I save Sayaka, I am going to kill you and your entire race, you little shit."

Kyubey shook his head. "I still don't understand what all the animosity is about-"

"Don't even try justifying our deaths. I swear, your death will be painful and slow."

Kyubey tilted his head. "That might be difficult for you, since my kind cannot discern the concept of feeling."

Hitomi grinned at him. Her eyes looked crazed and her teeth looked sharpened, like a lioness hungrily aiming for its prey's jugular. "Oh, don't worry. I'll make sure to fix that."

"I…see." For a being that didn't feel anything, Hitomi's disquieting demeanour forced a shiver out of the little alien.

After regaining her composure, Hitomi looked at her watch. She hoped that this time, she would get it right. She really hoped that this time, she would be able to save Sayaka.

"Reset."

As soon as she said the word, her entire world distorted into different arrangements of peripherals. The world looked like space and Earth at the same time, constantly shifting to different scenes. It only lasted a few second, then she found herself on a bench with Kyousuke by her side.

"…You know, I never had a girl confess to me before. It's really weird…but in a good way," Kyousuke chuckled, looking in front of himself happily.

Hitomi's eyes were dull and unmoving. She sat at the bench and stared at the ground. She had been in the same situation many times, but it never got any easier to deal with.

"Kyousuke?" she called gently, never turning to meet his gaze.

"Yeah?" the young boy answered.

"Did you know that Sayaka was in love with you?" Hitomi asked. She didn't bother holding it, or asking indirectly.

Kyousuke gasped and stared at Hitomi in shock. "Sayaka? I don't get it. She never said anything. There's no way she loves me. I mean, I just can't see it. She kept on coming to my room and bringing me these music CDs…I think I yelled at her the last time we met. I was just so tired. I felt like she was insulting me-"

Hitomi growled. "How can you be so stupid?!"

"What…Hitomi?"

She rose to her feet, looking to her side. "She visited you every day in hospital. She brought you all that stuff to make you feel better, so you wouldn't feel alone. What kind of guy doesn't see those signs?!"

"How was I supposed to know?!" Kyousuke defended. "I've known Sayaka since we were kids."

"If you really knew her, then you should have seen it… No…it's not you, it's me. It's my fault."

Kyousuke was bewildered. Hitomi turned from yelling at him to whispering to herself.

"I'm to blame," she muttered, her words achingly hollow. She began to walk away. "I should have seen her suffering."

"Wait, Hitomi," the poor guy didn't know what to do. One moment, the girl was confessing her feelings to him, the next, she talks about Sayaka and leaves.

Hitomi dragged her feet. Her mind was cluttered with a lot of mixed emotions. She didn't know which one to latch on to anymore. She only had a few days before Sayaka turned into a witch, and she was determined to prevent that from happening this time around.

"Whatever it takes, even if it costs me my own life, I'll save you, Sayaka."

TO BE CONTINUED.

First Chapter is done, I think I'll make the second chapter concerning Hitomi's descent into a Magical Girl, as well as how she and Homura clash and collaborate when it comes to the whole theory of time manipulation.

The fic is up for adoption right now, reason being I already have too many stories to deal with. However, PM me if you're interested. If not, then I'll continue with it at my leisure.