Prompt ~ "let me go! I can still save her!"
The sky was shrouded in a dark mist, weak rays of sun seeping through the blankets of clouds covering the expanse of sky, hung heavy over the city. The streets sat deserted and quiet, a seemingly mysterious and almost eerie atmosphere, had it not been for the battle that had just raged across Mitakihara City. Rubble lay strewn across the city streets, pieces of ravaged buildings tossed carelessly across the township with no hope of ever being recovered or restored. Mitakihara had become a wasteland. A desolate former war zone, filled with despair and broken wishes.
Among the destruction, there laid the young woman who had been last seen taking a final stand against Walpurgisnacht; her violet aura radiating with her resolve, her weapons drawn and aimed. She was now reduced to the helpless girl laying trapped under the debris, begging for another chance.
"Why? No matter how many times I go back, why can't I beat it?" Her voice cracked with hopelessness and grief.
I—I have to, get up. This isn't over. It can't be! Madoka, I promised I would save you! Madoka, Madoka…
She shifted her right arm closer to her chest, reaching over with her left hand and placing her fingers firmly around the rim of her shield, a new found sense of purpose glimmering in the depths of her violet eyes.
This isn't over. I'll just negate this timeline and start again. No matter what the world may throw at me, I'm a magical girl. I am Homura Akemi, and the pain of this destiny drives me!
Her leg jerked beneath the now bloodied stone that pinned it, and she gasped, crying out in pain and letting her fingers slip effortlessly from her shield in favor of gripping her leg.
"Augh! It hurts!" Her voice died down to a rasping, breathy, whisper. "It hurts."
The electric, burning sting in her leg was reduced to a dull ache, and she let her hands fall to the ground in defeat, her mind scarcely registering the clang of her shield and the small, almost inaudible clink of her soul gem as they hit the hard stone ground beneath her.
"What was I thinking?" She muttered to herself. "It's no use. I'll never change Madoka's fate. If anything, I'll just make it worse." She started to tear up, whimpers escaping her every now and then. "That means that...everything I've done...everything I've tried to do…"
The thoughts spun and whirled in her head like a storm, refusing to let her think clearly, rationally, and coldly as she always had. She felt her inner despair rise from the pit of her stomach, and she could only imagine the state her soul gem must be in. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and a wail threatened to tear itself from her throat. She'd wasted her chance, no, all her chances, of saving Madoka. She'd done it over and over, but still came out of it with nothing. Letting all the tension of her body go, she felt her arms fall limp beside her, and let her head rest against the rubble she laid on.
This really is it isn't it? I'm done fighting. Nothing is worth it; nothing I do will change anything! I can never have the one thing I wished for.
Finally, the storm broke, and she was left with nothing. No cold, calculating thoughts or plans to kill the incubator. No flashbacks of the countless timelines she'd endured. No memories of her friends, or guilty heartbreak. She closed her eyes, feeling her imminent transformation. The nearer it drew, the more crushing waves of despair pushed against her. It was suffocating, this feeling. It was as if someone was pushing on her chest with the force of a truck. Homura felt another warm tear slide down her cheek.
I wonder what it feels like to be a witch.
Making use of her last moments, she summoned all the strength that had left her, and lifted her hand to rest in her lap. Gazing upon her soul gem, she saw it being drowned in horrendous blacks and swirling greens, with blood reds and touches of pink. This was the visualization of despair. She gave up on trying to hold back, and a muffled sob escaped her mouth as she rested her head in her hands. She'd never seen her soul gem look so broken.
"Madoka, I'm sorry." She wept.
Suddenly, her cold hands felt warm. She sensed another presence with her. The presence of a magical girl. Her body went rigid with shock, and hesitantly, she lifted her head to catch sight of her companion. As she did, she was met with the most beautiful pink eyes.
"Madoka…" the name escaped her with a breathless sigh
Her ears were met with a sweet, reassuring voice, filled with promises of hope.
"It's okay Homura. That's enough. You've done enough."
The pink haired girl leaned down, wrapping her arms around Homura and holding her close. Her whole body trembled at the touch, and her memories began to flash before her eyes. It had been so long, too long, since Madoka had held her like this. She felt a renewed sense of purpose, a knowledge to just why she made her wish.
It's not enough. It will never be enough. Not until I've saved you.
"But why—why are you here? You've got to get out of here. Just help me get free, and I can fight—"
"Homura," Madoka's voice cut through her own, now filled with a tone of certainty. "It's alright now. I know everything. I've seen all the things you've done for me. All the times you tried to save me from this. I saw it all, and I'm sorry."
Homura's eyes widened, and she faintly registered the sound of her own gasp. "How could you—I mean, there's no way you could know…"
Madoka smiled that brilliant smile of hers. It was more than enough to cut through the darkness and despair that pressed mercilessly against them. It killed every ounce of darkness that Homura had collected in her soul.
"Kyubey told me, or rather, he showed me, a lot of things," Her smile almost looked sad now, and as she pulled away from the injured girl beside her, her gaze misted over with reminiscence. "You've been endlessly fighting for so long. You've worked really hard for a really long time, Homura. Thank you, for that. I think though, that it's time I helped you."
A thousand thoughts began whirling through her head again, and a terrible sense of foreboding creeped into her chest. Could Madoka really be thinking what Homura thought she was? She was sure of it, yes, but she still clung to hope. Hope that Madoka would come to her senses and leave Homura to pick up the fight again. Of course, she'd help her. Help her to free her leg so she could fight...right?
"Madoka?"
Suddenly, the girl stood in front of her protectively, and looked over her shoulder one last time, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"I really am sorry, but I," she paused, as if to hesitate, to listen to the senior magical girl, to save herself, "but I, wanna be a magical girl."
All at once, Homura could almost feel the ear splitting shriek of her thoughts, begging Madoka not to do this, pleading for her to run. She tried desperately to wrench her leg free, but it only caused her to double over in pain, yelping with pain and shock.
Please, no. You can't do this! I have to save you! I can't let you do this!
She tried again and again to free her leg, wailing and crying with the burning agony that engulfed her lower body. Even so, she still persisted, fighting until her last breath to change Madoka's fate. That was when she noticed the incubator, standing calmly at Madoka's feet, arrogantly aware of the tragedy that his thoughtlessness and greed would bring about. Finally, everything clicked into place, and Homura fully understood the weight of the situation. Madoka would not back down, and Homura was essentially useless now. She could only watch as her nightmares unfolded. She shut her eyes tightly, hoping desperately that this was a dream. Hoping she could tune out the sound of Walpurgisnacht's maniacal laugh, of Madoka's wish. She didn't want to see or hear a thing. She only wanted to fade away, but somehow, her mind always came back to Madoka. The sound of her voice, her glimmering eyes, and heart of gold. Madoka Kaname really was too pure for a rotten world like theirs. Reluctantly, she put her full focus on the short girl that stood over her. The least she could do is know what Madoka was willing to sacrifice herself for.
"Madoka Kaname, what is the wish that you would trade your soul for?"
The petite, pink-haired girl stepped forward, steeling herself and taking a deep breath before starting, slowly and hesitantly.
"I wish," suddenly the full weight of her choice hit her, and she was breathless. Hastily trying to regain her composure, she breathed one more shuddering sigh, and then, "I wish, that I could erase witches before they're born."
Homura's heart began pounding wildly. Was that even possible? What did she think she was doing? A wish like that could destroy her body, her mind, her soul! She could shatter her soul gem before it even had a chance to form! Her eyes darted between Madoka and the incubator, her ears beginning to ring. But Madoka had continued to speak, so she forced herself to listen.
"I want to erase every single witch; from the past, present, and future, everywhere."
A blinding pinkish-white light began emanating from Madoka, and Homura could now feel her conviction. The incubator's eyes widened slightly, displaying the most emotion Homura had ever seen him show.
"That wish! It defies all the laws of karmic destiny! If it came true, it would unravel the fabric of the universe and time itself. Are you trying to become a god?"
Madoka shook her head, her eyes falling shut. "I don't care what I become," before Kyubey could argue against her, deep pink eyes bore into him. "All the magical girls who believed in hope and fought witches, I don't want them to cry or be in pain anymore. I want them to be at peace. If that is against the laws of the universe, then I'll just rewrite those laws. This is my wish, my only desire."
Everything fell silent. Homura felt jolt after jolt of shock run through her. She just couldn't accept this! Using all of her inner strength, she attempted to pull her leg free yet again. If she could just get to Madoka, she could hold her, tell her that she didn't need to do this. She could tell Madoka that she couldn't live without her.
As expected, her leg didn't budge, and, ignoring the pain, she began to get impatient. Her panic drove her, and she pulled unrelentingly at her leg. Tears welled up at her eyes once more, and her lungs felt heavy with dismay. Finally having had enough, she held her soul gem out in front of her, watching it glow a radiant violet despite its impending corruption. Summoning her power, she attempted to break the heavy stone that held her. It was useless however, as her power had been thoroughly depleted in her fight with Walpurgisnacht. She felt frustration build up inside her, and finally, she pulled a pistol from behind her shield and aimed it at the boulder, shooting incessantly at it.
"Let me go! I can still save her!" She shouted, as if it would listen to her out of pity.
Tears blurred her vision, and she weakly pulled the trigger one more time. The boulder, although mutilated, still restrained her. She quickly looked up, hoping that Madoka would see her trying to escape, trying to stop this. To her relief, the schoolgirl now looked over her shoulder, a shocked expression frozen on her face. However, much to her disappointment, the expression morphed into a sad smile, and then an expression of regret that Homura barely caught, as Madoka had turned back to Kyubey. With one final nod, her voice filled the silence once more, harsh and commanding.
"Now, grant my wish, incubator!"
The battlefield was drenched in pink light, and Homura only had time to blink before it had dimmed, leaving her with the sight of Madoka Kaname, adorned in a frilly white and pink dress, and wielding a rose longbow, which began to shine when exposed to the magical girl's hold on it. Without a word, Madoka shifted her eyes to the sky, pulling the thin, sparkling rope that connected to it, and smiling slightly as a fiery pink arrow appeared in place. She let her fingers slip from the thread, and suddenly it seemed as if a small pink dot had burst into an intricate mosaic in the sky. Homura flinched as pink arrows rained down, filling her ears with the sounds of explosions. She put her hands over her ears, and among the chaos, and screams of the witch, she faintly heard herself scream.
"No! Madoka!"
...5 months later…
Homura Akemi stood before the beautiful stained glass window of her room. She gripped two reddish-pink ribbons in her trembling fingers, and her breath hitched with the oncoming tears she'd tried to hold in. She shut her eyes tightly, willing the images of that day away from her memory. She put the ribbons into one hand, and the other drifted to her leg, which had just finished in the long healing process that had followed her severe injury. Medics had rushed to her side, asking why a young girl had been out in the vicious storm, which, at that point, had dispersed, leaving only desolation. She'd told them that she didn't remember. In all reality, however, she could never forget. The scene was burned into her head. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see Madoka Kaname's silhouette, as she sacrificed herself...
Her gaze roamed across the stunning glass painting, depicting a young goddess, who was surrounded by gleaming, pure soul gems, and the goddess, who wielded a rose bow. Her hand slowly made its way up, ghosting over the fragile glass, as if one touch would shatter it.
"Madoka…" The name slipped quietly from her lips, as nothing more than a breath.
She didn't expect her heart to wrench the way it did, hearing that name again. Saying it in her head wasn't the same. No, it wasn't nearly the same as hearing it in her own voice, the same as feeling it on her lips. It burned. That name burned and it scarred her. She felt the soft ribbons slip from her fingers, and with a startled gasp, she swooped in and caught them before they had a chance to hit the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief, she weaved the silky fabric between her fingers, gently and skillfully tying them into her hair. Her hands dropped lightly to her sides, and she leaned up towards the mosaic, standing on her toes, and bracing herself with one hand on the glass, before reaching up and kissing the girl in the painting, her lips ghosting over the glass, like she still couldn't bear to touch it.
She quickly fell back onto her feet, letting her fingers slide down from the window. She turned and made her way across the room, as if nothing had happened, stopping only when she felt the presence of another magical force in the room.
Within seconds, the room burst into violet light, and Homura whipped around, gun already loaded and aimed. Her eyes narrowed as they fell upon a small, white, catlike creature.
"Just as I thought," She scoffed, her broken voice now replaced by monotonousness edged with distaste and suspicion. "Who invited you here, incubator?"
"Hello, Homura Akemi." The creature sounded calm, almost optimistic, as he always did.
Displeased by the answer, Homura only cocked the gun again, as a warning. "You have no right to be here. Get out."
"Why so hostile Homura? I've only been following you."
The senior magical girl only glared back at him, her finger lingering over the trigger.
"You must really care about that girl, right, Homura?" Kyubey commented, asking a quick glance at the stained glass window to their right.
Homura clicked her tongue, slightly lowering the pistol so that it laid at her side, but still gripped it tightly. "I thought I told you to leave. I don't want to have to punish you incubator. It's waste of you're spare bodies, remember?"
When Kyubey only tilted his head in mock innocence, Homura gave a sigh of frustration, loosening her hold on her gun and tossing it aside, letting it dissolve in a violet glow. She nonchalantly brushed past the incubator, her hand gliding smoothly through her hair. He looked over his shoulder, eyes trailing after Homura emotionlessly.
"You're not going to shoot me? That's unlike you, Homura Akemi."
Homura stared over he shoulder, her body slightly pivoted to face him. "I won't waste my bullets on you. Besides," she was now fully turned towards him, her stance daring anyone to challenge her. "I would never commit a murder in Madoka's sanctuary. I'm not like you."
With that, she whirled around, taking off with long, purposeful strides, and engulfed in an air of arrogance. She was confident that she had concealed her anger, the urge to pull the trigger on that little bastard, and rid Madoka's safe haven from his filth. She was convinced that she'd put up the perfect facade. But Kyubey saw straight through her, and though he made no effort to follow her, he lingered on the thought that her fight was not over. A violet sparkle caught his eye, and he shifted to look at the glass mosaic. Below it, on a silver pedestal, sat a deep purple soul gem, swirled with a black despair.
"Ah, now I see. This will indeed prove to be interesting."