Two days later, the class was buzzing with excitement. Just yesterday their teacher had announced that she had won an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii for two. She went into great detail about how she was going to use that time to show her boyfriend what not to do in their relationship. That left the question of who was going to take her place in the interim.
They were most definitely not expecting the slim, brown-haired man in a brown suit and sneakers. His expression was neutral as he scanned the rows of desks. More than a few students fidgeted under his piercing gaze, visible even through his dark-rimmed glasses. Next to him was a woman roughly his apparent age, with long red hair, very old style "granny" glasses, and a vaguely sour expression.
Then he smiled, and it was as if a weight had been lifted. Students stopped holding their breath.
"Good morning, class," the Doctor began. "Your regular teacher will be in sunny Hawaii for the next month, so I've been asked to take over. I'm John Smith, and this is my administrative assistant and very capable temp, Ms. Donna Noble. Any questions you may have about class work can be asked after class. If you need to make an appointment for tutoring and such, please see her."
"Oi, watch it," she muttered to the Doctor. His smile didn't falter.
"And now, class, as if you didn't have enough excitement, we have a new transfer student. Come on in, please," he called to the door.
Homura walked in, resisting the urge to look at those who would be her friends. She stopped next to the Doctor and Donna, her blank stare revealing nothing.
"I'm Homura Akemi," she said with quiet formality. "Please regard me kindly."
The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Well, I think it's time to start class, then. Miss Akemi, if you could please find an open seat, we'll begin." He made a point of checking the seating chart. "I believe that there's a seat next to Miss…Kaname."
Homura nodded, then went to her new seat. She was resisting the urge to hold Madoka's hands. Given that the pink-haired girl didn't know her yet, that would have been awkward. Nevertheless, there was the faintest hint of a smile that flashed itself across her face. She was more hopeful than she had been for a long time.
"And now, class," the Doctor began, "I have a reading for you that is not on the list, but it is something that I think you'll find quite useful. If you take away the right lesson from the story, I think that you'll live a better life." He took out a box from behind his desk and started passing out packets.
Madoka tilted her head in confusion. "`The Monkey's Paw?'" she read aloud. "Is this a story about a zoo or something?"
Sayaka, her best friend, shrugged. "Beats me." She raised her hand. "Mr. Smith, what's this story about?"
The Doctor grinned. "I don't want to spoil the surprise, Miss…Miki," he said after consulting the seating chart. "It's enough to say that we will be discussing this in detail tomorrow."
"Mr. Smith," Donna said with exaggerated formality. "If that will be all, I'll be in my office." The look in her eyes indicated that she preferred any location other than yet another office.
"Thank you, Ms. Noble," the Doctor replied blithely. "I'm certain that things will go well."
The sour look remained on Donna's face as she left the classroom. She remembered the conversation they had in the TARDIS regarding their roles.
"Donna, I need you to be my temp secretary," the Doctor said.
"WHAT?!" she exclaimed. "We travel all around time and space, and now you want me to be a temp again!?"
"Well…yes. It's an easy way of explaining why we're together. Everyone else seems to think we're family, or…other stuff," he said awkwardly. "And besides, this way you can access student records that I can't—at least, not without looking very odd."
"So that means that I can help you keep track of the girls," Donna said. She sighed, but nodded. "All right, I'll do it."
"Good!" the Doctor said brightly. "Now, I want you to wear these when you're at school." He handed her an ancient pair of granny glasses.
"Is that supposed to be my ingenious disguise?" she asked tartly. "Ooh, look at my hideous glasses. Oh, nobody will ever suspect who I really am—"
"Donna," he interrupted, "I've done something to the lenses. You may see a little white creature. If you do, do not react in any way unusual. This is important."
Donna sighed once more. "And what will you be doing? Are you going to confront this evil little creature?"
The Doctor shook his head. "Not unless I have to. The moment the Incubator knows I'm not human, it will take action. Our best weapon right now is subtlety."
"Oi, I can do subtle!" Donna exclaimed.
The Doctor said nothing. He was too busy trying to keep a straight face.
"Very funny," she said sourly. "You still haven't answered my question. What will you do to the Incubator?"
The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a fist-sized green crystal. It seemed to pulse like a heartbeat, and Donna found herself vaguely mesmerized by the sight.
"This is a capture crystal that I, ah, borrowed from a Judoon captain when he wasn't looking. It's good for one shot, lasts for hundreds of years, and whatever's inside gets a one-way trip to the authorities upon being captured."
"Why don't you just ring up the authorities and have them deal with this?" Donna asked. "It's—what did you say back at Adipose Industries? You said something about `seeding?'"
"Seeding a level 5 planet is against interstellar law," the Doctor replied. "And yes, what the Incubators are doing is just that—seeding and harvesting. I can't call in the law because they might interpret things as Earth allowing this to happen. As an accessory, the entire Earth might be blown up. At the very least, they might consider removing the Magical Girls—permanently."
"That's insane!" Donna exclaimed. "Don't they make any exceptions?"
"They're bound to the letter of the law, not its intent," the Doctor sighed. "That, and Judoon are thick."
"Okay, calling in the space cops is out. So, why don't you find the little creature and send it off?"
The Doctor shook his head. "If I take the Incubator out of the equation too early, it could be disastrous. If the girls don't see its sadistic and amoral side, they'll keep on going along until the end. They'll fight with a little knowledge and not the whole story."
"And then they'll die or become Witches when their Gems get corrupted," Donna finished. The Doctor and Homura had informed her of the trap that magical girls faced. "I hate this psychological nonsense."
"Three lifetimes ago, I was very good at it. I got rather clever at manipulating people," the Doctor reflected with a touch of bitterness. "They'd meet their end, and I was the one who opened the door for them."
Donna eyed him sympathetically. "Let's hope that you don't have to get too clever this time around, you big Dumbo," she said gently.
Sayaka Miki had seen her friend Madoka in many moods. It was all part and parcel of being her best friend, after all. As was normal for a 14 year-old girl, Madoka's moods shifted between giddy delight to quiet thoughtfulness. She knew that Madoka had a kind and selfless nature. This was why the pink-haired girl was the medical rep for the class. Sayaka suspected that her friend had a huge inferiority complex. This was not helped by the fact that Homura Akemi seemed to be an ace at just about everything. The dark-haired transfer student seemed to exude an aura of cool remoteness coupled with intimidating ability.
On any other day, Sayaka might have made a joke about Madoka's dream involving the new student. Today was not a good day, especially after the unusual day at school they'd had. Mr. Smith seemed like a nice person, but a bit brisk. Ms. Noble, however, didn't seem too happy to be there.
As they were walking home, Madoka was quiet. She'd been that way ever since they read "The Monkey's Paw." It was such a strange choice for a story, and she wondered why the new teacher assigned it. The new student's words—Homura, she had insisted on being called—had also weighed on her. She wondered why such an intense girl could possibly have any interest in whether or not she decided to change herself.
"Sayaka?" Madoka asked almost meekly.
"What?"
"If you made a wish, what would it be?"
Sayaka laughed gently. "That story really got to you, didn't it?"
"Yeah," Madoka admitted quietly. "It was the second wish that really scared me. I kept thinking about what the son might look like, knocking on the door." She shivered.
"Well, the first two wishes were both selfish wishes, right?" Sayaka pointed out. "Maybe it would have gone better if they'd made selfless wishes for other people."
"Maybe," Madoka said, but she didn't sound convinced. "But I think that the paw would have just twisted that kind of wish, too."
"So, I guess the moral is: Think really, really hard about what you want to wish for," Sayaka concluded. She grinned to try to cheer her friend up. "Besides, it's just a story. What are the odds that someone is going to offer you a wish?"
"I guess you're right," Madoka agreed.
Kyubey could sense Madoka coming. The little white creature had hidden itself in the shadows, despite its obvious color disadvantage.
This was the one, it decided. The potential for harvesting energy was greater than any others, even the girl who would become Walpurgis Nacht. She had the body language of being timid and vulnerable.
Incubators did not have emotions as Humans understood them. Satisfaction, however, could be felt on a purely intellectual level. After this one was harvested, Kyubey would feel very satisfied indeed. The quota would be met, and it could leave this planet to its own devices. The possibility of the world being destroyed in the process was a small price to pay to save the universe.
It moved one tiny paw towards the sidewalk. There was the faintest whisper of air, and then the Incubator's lifeless, headless corpse flopped directly into the girls' path.
Homura was grim as she put away the sniper rifle. She had been waiting for Kyubey to make its move. Granted, even a bullet couldn't kill the Incubator for very long. It would just gain a new body and devour the old shell. She hoped that such a disturbing sight would make Madoka and Sayaka think twice before dealing with Kyubey.
Part of her wanted to hunt down Kyubey and kill it as many times as possible. She wanted to reduce the white creature into a bloody mess, and she would have enjoyed every moment of it. However, Kyubey was also telepathic. At the first sign of injury, it would have sent out a distress call, and Madoka would have answered. That was simply her nature. No, as difficult as it was, subtlety was required.
She'd been busy when school let out. The city had been swarming with familiars and witches that had to be dealt with. She'd also been stockpiling weapons for when Walpurgis Nacht appeared. She knew that the Doctor would not have approved; his dislike of weapons had been made very clear in their mind link.
Her magic did not involve energy weapons or restraints. She could stop time and return to the beginning of the time loop. That was why she had also been quietly raiding various Self-Defense Force bases, as well as Yakuza armories. She wanted to be prepared for when Walpurgis Nacht appeared.
She allowed herself the smallest of smiles when she saw the girls encounter Kyubey's corpse. Sayaka had almost stepped on the dead Incubator.
"Oh, YUCK!" Sayaka exclaimed. "What is this thing?!"
Madoka recoiled from the sight. "It…it doesn't have a head," she said haltingly. "Did it get run over or something?"
Sayaka shook her head. "No, it's too far away from the road. It looks like the head was just chopped off, or maybe—oh, gross," she said as she noted the bloody grass. "This thing's head just exploded."
Madoka was trying very hard not to succumb to nausea. She had been looking forward to dinner. After seeing the creature's corpse, she wasn't sure if she wanted to eat anything for a while.
"Excuse me," said a small voice by Madoka. The girls looked down and saw a creature apparently of the same kind as the corpse, although with a head attached. The Incubator nonchalantly padded its way over to the dead body and started devouring it. When it was done, it planted itself on its haunches and burped noisily.
Madoka lost what was left of her lunch. Sayaka could hear her friend retching into the bushes. To be honest, she was pretty close to doing the same thing.
"You—you can talk," Sayaka stammered. "And you just ate that other creature that looks like you."
Kyubey tilted its head slightly. "Judging by your reactions, it is obvious that you both can see me. That is one quality for those who can become magical girls."
The situation had taken a turn for the odd. It was too surreal for Sayaka to grasp, and it had cost her what little control she had over her nausea. She lunged towards the bushes.
Kyubey didn't seem the least bit disturbed. "What odd reactions both of you are having," it observed. "And would you rather I leave my old body to slowly rot? I was merely being considerate and efficient."
It was unfortunate, Kyubey mused, that whatever had killed the previous body hadn't merely caused injury instead. It would have been so much easier to manipulate the girls using the wounded deer routine. Compassion was such an easy emotion to use against people, especially the young ones. Granted, it still felt pain in each body, but this death had been quick.
Madoka shuddered as the last of the dry heaves left her. She held a handkerchief to her mouth and faced Kyubey. She took care to stay a good distance away from the Incubator.
"What—what are you?" Madoka stammered.
The Incubator's expression was difficult to decipher. Its face looked like it was always smiling, and it disturbed Madoka.
"You may call me Kyubey," it said calmly. "You and your friend have magical potential. Please make a contract with me to become magical girls, and I will grant you one wish."
Sayaka staggered to Madoka's side. She looked disgusted, nauseated and incredulous at the creature's bluntness.
"Let me get this straight," Sayaka began as she tried to remain upright. "You just come out of nowhere to eat the body of that thing, and suddenly you can talk. And now you want us to become magical girls."
"I have always been able to converse," Kyubey said. "And I do not believe that my offer is terribly unreasonable." It tilted its head and gave the girls what it hoped was an approximation of a smile. "Think of all the good you can do."
"NO THANKS!" Sayaka declared. "If you think that I'm going to deal with a creepy little thing like you, you've got another thing coming! Come on, Madoka," she said as she grabbed Madoka by the wrist.
Madoka followed her friend meekly. When Sayaka got worked up like this, it was difficult to calm her down. Besides, she couldn't disagree with her reasoning. Any creature that could be so nonchalant about things like eating a corpse was not someone she wanted to deal with.
"I really do not understand you people," Kyubey said as it scampered behind the girls. "The possibility of receiving a wish is more than enough incentive for most."
Sayaka stopped and whirled around. "Look, you little freak. Just do me and Madoka a favor and leave us alone!"
Kyubey's tail twitched. "Are you sure that you should be yelling at me in such a public place? Ordinary people can't see me, you know."
Sayaka and Madoka blinked. They took a look at their surroundings and noticed the nervous expressions around them. Sayaka put the hand that wasn't holding Madoka's wrist behind her head and laughed nervously.
"Stop following us," Sayaka said through gritted teeth. She and Madoka had ducked into a nearby alley to avoid the crowd.
"I don't believe that you should go this way," Kyubey said. "I would advise against going any further."
"Don't tell me what to—" Sayaka stopped as a chill ran down her spine. Madoka shivered, and she clung closer to her friend.
The area became dark and distorted. It was as if they'd crossed some invisible boundary. Every instinct that wasn't utterly confused was screaming for the girls to get out. Strange creatures chattered as they noted the new arrivals, and they did not look friendly.
Mami, Kyubey said telepathically, I've found two girls who have wandered into a familiar nest. The Incubator's mental tone was dry and factual, with only the slightest hint of stress.
I'm on my way, came the response.
Kyubey did not herd the girls to the exit. It did not place itself between the girls and the hungry familiars. Instead, it stood beside them as they cowered. Seeing Mami in action, it decided, would have been a powerful persuasive tool. If all went well, Kyubey might be able to add at least one more magical girl. The blue-haired girl was expendable, as she had only average potential.
"Help is on the way," it told them, but they were too busy screaming to hear. "And I did advise that you not go any further," it reminded them.
Homura clenched her jaw as she saw them cross the wards. There were familiars nearby, and they'd just walked into a nest of them. Even the weakest familiar could kill a person, especially one that had strayed into its territory.
Touching her shield, she prepared herself. She knew that another magical girl was nearby, but she had to get to Madoka first.
"You must be new here," a girlish voice said from behind. "It's not often that I meet another magical girl."
Homura didn't even have to turn around. She knew who the voice belonged to and she didn't have time for pleasantries.
"I have to go," she said brusquely. A moment later, it was as if Homura had vanished.
The young lady that she had left behind blinked. She had never encountered anyone quite that fast.
She was used to sneaking around, which was fortunate. Her outfit would have attracted attention anywhere except in a nest of familiars. Dark thigh-high leggings complemented her short, frilly skirt. Most of her ensemble was white with accents of brown. Her hair was golden, and it was divided into two curled tails. Perched upon her head was a pillbox hat, and in her hair was an ornate gem-like decoration.
Mami Tomoe summoned a weapon, a flintlock rifle, and readied herself. She had hoped that the new arrival would have been ready for a team-up. Regrettably, it seemed that this girl was only intent on being competition.
Inside the nest, Sayaka had managed to help Madoka out of her panic. They were running as fast as they could towards what they hoped was the exit. Kyubey was keeping pace with them, its expression unchanging.
They did not expect to see Homura waiting near the exit. They most certainly did not expect her to be holding a gun, especially not one aimed at them.
"What are you doing?!" Sayaka screamed. She was a bit too panicked to concern herself with Homura's change of outfit.
The long-haired girl's gaze seemed to intensify. She didn't have time for this nonsense.
"Get out of the way," Homura said, perhaps more harshly than she had intended. "You're ruining my shot."
Sayaka blinked and then understood. She dove for the floor and Madoka followed her. The pink-haired girl really didn't have much of a choice; Sayaka still held her arm in a tight grip.
It was one thing to hear a gun being fired on TV. They always sounded like overgrown firecrackers. It wasn't really something that, although lethal, sounded terribly impressive.
In real life, a gunshot was a lot louder than either Sayaka or Madoka had expected. They flinched as Homura emptied the gun into the pursuing familiars, her gaze intense. The creatures shrieked and recoiled, but they weren't quite dead.
Homura paused a moment to reload. It was in that moment that the familiars surged towards her—
-only to be caught in some ribbon-like constructs. They writhed in protest, but the ribbons held them tightly.
Without even asking, Homura dodged to the side. The familiars then saw a young blonde girl with a very large flintlock rifle aimed at them.
"Magical familiars!" Mami exclaimed. "I'll finish you off with one shot!"
A large burst of energy from the rifle ended the encounter. With the familiars gone, the space they created started to collapse. Both magical girls helped Sayaka and Madoka to their feet. Homura was adamant about keeping hold of Madoka.
"Are you all right?" Homura asked Madoka.
"Hey!" Sayaka waved her hand between the two girls. "I'm here too, you know."
Homura spared Sayaka a slightly annoyed glance. "Yes, you are," she agreed. "And you appear to be quite healthy."
"Oh, do you know each other?" Mami asked.
Homura said nothing. There were so many ways she could answer that question, but those answers would lead to more questions. It was best to take it slow in front of Kyubey and the other girls.
"We're in the same class," Madoka explained. "Miss Akemi—sorry, Homura just transferred to Mitakihara middle school."
Mami smiled. Then her clothes transformed into the same school uniform that Madoka and Sayaka wore.
"Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. I'm a third year from the same school, Mami Tomoe. And this," she gestured to Kyubey, "is my friend Kyubey."
"We know," Sayaka said. Her tone made it very clear that those had not been the best of circumstances. "Do you know that your little `friend' is a cannibal?"
Mami tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean by that? I've never encountered any other creatures like Kyubey."
"I was merely clearing out something that was no longer needed," Kyubey said smoothly. "I do not understand your revulsion to something like that."
"Can we not talk about that?" Madoka asked weakly. She looked pale, and not just from the encounter at the familiars' nest.
Inwardly, Homura was trying hard not to grit her teeth. This was not going the way she had anticipated.
"I should go," she announced abruptly. "You're safe now." With that, she transformed her outfit back into the school uniform the other three girls shared. She gave her long hair a flip and turned her back to the others. She didn't want them to see her face, conflicted as it was.
Part of her wanted to reveal everything, to beg and plead so that Madoka wouldn't make a contract with Kyubey. She had been down that path before, however. The sudden revelation had broken Mami, her poise and false serenity gone. She shuddered at the memory.
The other part of her wanted to just be numb. She wanted to just focus on Madoka alone, no matter the consequences. That wouldn't have worked. The pink-haired girl had increasingly become more dependent on her peers. It was an odd effect of the time loops that she had endured. Madoka was not the heroic figure that she had first encountered. No, she had to deal with all of them.
The only consolation was that she was not alone this time. She had help, and that was what cracked her outer, careworn shell.
"Mami Tomoe," Homura began, "You should ask yourself some questions about what you take for granted. You may not like the answers."
"Is that a threat?" Mami asked.
"No," Homura replied simply. "I am neither your enemy nor your friend."
"Then how can I trust you?"
Homura gave her long hair an almost careless flip as she turned to face Mami. Violet eyes bored into Mami's golden ones, unsettling the blonde.
"If I were your enemy," Homura said, her voice barely above a whisper, "you would have been dead when we first met, and I would have rescued these girls by myself. Don't let your loneliness sway them."
Mami flinched. "What do you mean?" She didn't even know this girl, but she was spot on about the blonde's life. How could she have known?
Homura spun on her heel and headed towards Madoka. She gently laid a hand on the pink-haired girl's shoulder. It was obvious to all that her expression was much softer than what she had presented to Mami.
"You'll be fine," Homura reassured Madoka. "Just don't listen to that thing."
She left without saying anything more. Sayaka found herself annoyed at Homura's brusque demeanor. Madoka was confused by Homura's preferential treatment—at least, in comparison to the others. Mami found herself shaking slightly.
Kyubey tilted its head slightly. Homura was an interesting anomaly, a Magical Girl that it could not remember making a contract with. She seemed oddly determined to thwart Kyubey. That was odd because the full truth had not been revealed.
Homura did not look back as she walked away. She hoped that the Doctor and Donna were having better luck. She was tempted to find them, but she knew that Kyubey would be keeping an eye on her. No, she would have to trust that things were going well with them.
