I did say that the next update wouldn't be timely. I'll try to be better for the next chapter.

4:45 pm, 16th of September, Koshimura Bank, Tokyo

Eiko Shirane was a girl who liked very few things. She had lost her parents when she was young, and had run away from home a few years later. She grew up on the streets, always searching for her next meal, always sleeping outside in the cold. She had her magic, but what use was it when she was still just a kid. In this world, money was power. She'd watched people squander it, and turn bitter and angry when it was all gone. There, on the streets, she had realised that money was what everyone chased, and to have it was to have control over your fate.

So, to stand outside a vault in one of the most secure places in Japan, surrounded by the wealth of the rich, almost made her head spin.

It only lasted a moment though before she raised her hand to her earpiece. "We're outside Vault 282."

"Copy that." Came the chirpy reply that was pretty much standard from Maiya. "Me and Inari are in position. No sign of anything yet."

Eiko nodded. "Saeko, do you sense anything?"

A brown haired girl stepped through the open door, her hands extended and her eyes closed. Unlike Eiko, Saeko was in her Magical Girl costume, complete with the frills and bright colours that was pretty much standard for their kind. She was short for her age, though she still was a full head taller than Eiko. "The walls are full of open spaces. There's a lot of security in here."

Behind her, a black haired girl stepped in. She was taller than Saeko, with Eiko only coming up to below her shoulder. She was in full Magical Girl costume as well, though hers was a lot less conservative, the tight fabric defining the exact shape of her body while somehow simultaneously leaving much of her tanned skin uncovered. Still, when it came to Dai, modesty was rarely high on her priority list. "Well then, time to see if that tech-head was worth the price. Inari?"

"On it." Came the gruff reply. "Making the call."

"Dai, be prepared to get us out of here if this goes horribly wrong." Eiko said, readjusting her brown scarf back over her chin.

The black-haired girl grinned. "Consider me armed and dangerous, boss."

"Power will cut in three, two, one…"

The lights in the vault turned off. The ones in the hallway did not.

Eiko smiled behind her scarf. "What do you know, those plans were right."

Dai chuckled. "Bit of a security flaw, isn't it? Having the entire vault's security system run through a single point of failure just to keep it seperate from the rest of the building?"

Saeko took a few steps forward in the darkened room, hands outstretched. "That's what happens when you let budget dictate security. Dai, a little light please?"

Dai opened her palm, and a glowing golden sphere formed in her hand. It floated up to where the lightbulbs were in the ceiling, casting the entire room in light.

Saeko smiled. "Thanks."

"Just don't take too long." Dai replied. "These things are emitting far more on the Electromagnetic Spectrum than visible light. Radiation poisoning is a killer."

Saeko gave her a look. "Couldn't you just not allow it to drift outside visible light?"

Dai shrugged. "Eh, too much effort. Besides, it's not like I'm affected by that sort of thing."

"Focus." Eiko said, rolling her eyes. They didn't have time for Dai to boast about the gifts of her wish. "Saeko, get the vault open."

"On it. Prepare to watch the master at work." The brown-haired girl crossed the room and put her hands on the vault door, closing her eyes.

"Surely you can't open it with the power out." Dai said, eyeing the keypad with a darkened display next to the vault.

Saeko smiled. "This kind of vault uses a two-factor system, an electronic lock and a mechanical lock. The electronic lock uses magnetised rods to seal the door shut. In an ideal world, if the power goes out, then every vault in the building would lock down. However, there are a number of situations, like a fire, where you want the vaults to be able to be opened without accessing the power supply. So, the magnetised rods retract, leaving the still very capable mechanical lock as the only safeguard."

"How do you intend to crack that lock, anyway?" Maiya asked. "The combination is several digits long. Surely it would take you a very long time to test them all?"

"Well, I could go around lining up every single pin and open it legitimately, but I don't need to." Saeko replied, sliding her hand across vault door. "You see, the same issue that requires the electronic lock to disengage applies to the mechanical lock. If you have people in the vaults, you have to give them a way out. That's just standard health and safety, like fire escapes and sprinkler systems. So, to provide that out, there's a button inside the vault that opens the door, overriding the need for a combination. It's just a matter of findi… Ah!"

Saeko slammed her palm down on the door, then stepped back. She flicked her wrist, and the wheel on the vault door spun, filling the room with a mechanical clunking sound. Seconds later, Saeko grabbed the handle on the door and pulled the vault open. "Health and Safety… it's always Health and Safety."

Eiko snorted. "I think the bank wasn't taking thieves with telekinetic powers into account when they designed it."

Saeko grinned. "They should. They really, really should." She stood to the side and gestured to the open vault door. "After you, boss."

Eiko stepped forward and over the threshold, into the vault. Inside, the walls were lined with small hatches, filled with safe deposit boxes, each one numbered. Eiko ran through the numbers, looking for one in particular. Until finally, she saw it. "We've found the package."

"I'll contact Oyabun Noguchi and tell him we found it." Inari replied. "You have one hour until sunset."

"Saeko, how long will it take you to crack the lock?" Eiko asked.

Saeko walked past her and examined it. "It's a key lock, custom fitting, non-standard teething. Very delicate. It'll be harder than the vault door. Maybe… seven minutes? Six if I get lucky."

Eiko smiled behind her scarf. "So… in one hour, you could theoretically get between eight and ten of these boxes open?"

Saeko looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly are you suggesting, boss?"

"I'm simply pointing out that we are inside a bank vault." Eiko replied. "We may have been asked to only steal one of these safe-deposit boxes, but that doesn't mean we can't… disguise our theft amongst several others."

Saeko grinned, then raised her hand to the lock, her fingers twitching as she applied her magic. "Boss, you really know how to charm a girl. Let's see if I can't bring that time down to five minutes."

"I'll keep watch then." Dai said. "Eiko, if you want to use some of that charm on me, let me know when you want to blow something up."

"If you wouldn't mind, could you keep such talk of charming off the radio?" Maiya complained. "You're making Inari jealous."

"You'd be wise to stop talking yourself." Inari replied. "Don't forget, you're sparring with me tomorrow."

Dai laughed. "Now you've done it. We'll remember Maiya of the Don'yoku fondly, as the rookie who thought she could get away with teasing the best swordswoman in Tokyo."

Eiko leant against the side of the vault, smiling to herself as the rest of her team poked fun at each other. Four years ago, she had been all alone in the world. Abandoned by her family, living on the street, she had nothing except her pain and her scarf. She'd fallen in with the criminal underworld, and had begun working directly for the Yakuza, who naturally saw value in having her skills. But she had always been alone.

Then, while hunting a witch, she found Inari, a Magical Girl just like her. They fought, of course. They had nearly killed each other. Eiko saw her skill and asked for her help with a job, and ever since Inari had loyally served her. She was the first person to treat Eiko not as a lesser or some street kid, but as an equal. They met Dai a year later, a girl of light with a loose grip on reality. Then came Saeko, a runaway rich girl with a penchant for kleptomania, and finally Maiya, a rookie who needed to escape from her life, which they were more than happy to provide for her.

Five girls, united in a single purpose. They still hunted witches, of course, but they understood the power money held over everything, and together, they sought to build a better life for themselves. They worked for anyone who would pay them, and did deeds that were too dangerous for anyone else to do. If they were hired to steal something, they stole it. If they were hired to transport illicit materials, they made sure the goods made it to their destination without notice. If they were hired to make a witness disappear, they made sure he never spoke again.

To the Yakuza and their clients, they were known as the Don'yoku gang.

If any of them were smart, they feared them.

"Oh hell." Maiya said. "We have a problem!"

"What is it?" Eiko responded, coming out of her reminiscence.

"Three vans just showed up outside. Heavy armouring. There's people coming out. Shit, looks like a Special Assault Team."

"What!" Dai said. "How? We killed the alarms!"

"I just got a call from the Oyabun." Inari replied. "Their plant inside the police was just informed of a tip off. We've been betrayed."

"Dammit!" Saeko said, her hand still hovering above the lock. "I'm still on the first box, I need more time!"

"We don't have time." Eiko snapped. "Break the lock and get that box open, now!"

Saeko scowled, before clenching her hand into a fist. A metallic crunch echoed briefly through the vault. Saeko pulled open the hatch, wincing as she looked at it. "So much for stealth. It's like I stuck an explosive in the lock. I'm not going to be able to close this."

"I don't think that's relevant anymore." Dai said.

"Not right now, no." Saeko replied. "But it's not like you can buy explosives off the street. We weren't supposed to implicate the Yakuza in any way. Noguchi is going to be mad."

"They're moving into the building." Maiya said. "You have a minute at best before the alarms go off and the building goes into lockdown!"

"I'll handle the Oyabun." Eiko said. "Grab the package and let's get out of here."

Saeko slid the safe deposit box out of the wall, carefully unhooking it from its track, before running out of the vault and closing the door. "Got it."

Eiko pressed her finger to her earpiece as a loud shrilling noise filling the room. The alarm. They knew they were here. "We're heading for the exit point."

"Be careful." Inari said. "If you get captured, there's not much we'll be able to do. You've already sobbed your way out of a cell once, they won't believe you again."

"Just be ready to move." Eiko replied, the three of them walking out of the darkened room and back into the corridors of the bank. Who could have tipped off the police? It must have been one of the Yakuza, maybe a spy for another family. Eiko grimaced. She'd have a hard time convincing the Oyabun of that. He was much more likely to assume that one of them had tipped off the police. He was wrong, none of the Don'yoku would betray each other. He was still likely to do it though.

She thought for a moment as she peeked around a corner. If she went in calm, then blame would just get thrown around and nothing would come of it. But if she went in angry, throwing accusations around herself… she could turn the whole situation around. Yeah, if she acted as if this job had almost doomed her team and demanded to know who put her girls in danger, she would force the Yakuza to find the one responsible, ensuring that something like this never happens again. That might just work.

Or, the Yakuza would just see a screaming child and cut ties with her. That was less than ideal.

Eiko thought for another moment. It probably wasn't worth pursuing it until the Yakuza start demanding their own answers. It wasn't her job to patch the holes in the organisation. If they were smart, they'd do that themselves.

"Hey." Saeko said as they walked through a door into the office area, the hallways dark and deserted at this time of day. "Do you think it's the vigilante?"

Dai frowned. "The Angel? Nah."

"The Angel has shown no evidence of working with the police before." Inari said. "It is doubtful that she's involved in this."

Saeko grimaced. "I was thinking more that the she using the police to flush us out. All things considered, she'd likely find out about the Don'yoku sooner or later."

"If Angel is targeting us, then she will fall just like any other." Eiko replied. This 'Angel' was clearly a Magical Girl, and a pretty stupid one too. Every attack she made was another witch she hadn't killed. There way no way she'd have enough Grief Seeds to fight a prolonged battle, whilst her girls had enough to last them all a week. Not to mention that it would be five against one. The Angel didn't stand a chance.

Still… just because they had the advantage didn't mean they should be dumb about it. "Maiya, take up a position where you have a clear view of the sky. Make sure we aren't surprised."

"Yes boss." Maiya replied.

Saeko frowned. "Wouldn't it be better to send Inari?"

"Maiya can handle herself." Eiko replied. "We're not asking her to be bait, we need her to be observant. Inari can't do that job."

"Eiko's right." Inari said. "My magic will only detect immediate danger, I'd have to rely on my sight alone."

"Ah." Saeko grimaced again. Inari didn't have to continue her explanation. "Sorry, didn't think of that."

"You should show more faith in Maiya's ability, Saeko." Dai said. "You're the one training her half th-"

Dai fell silent as voices echoed up the hallway. The bank was supposed to be empty, it had to be the Special Assault Team! Eiko cursed. How did they get this far so quickly?

"Not good." Dai muttered under her breath. She opened her hand, her palm glowing.

"Don't." Eiko said. "The walls are too tight here. If you use your magic, you'll bring down the building. We'll have to double back, take a different route."

Saeko closed her eyes for a second. "They're moving too quickly, they'll overtake us. And if we drift too far from the planned route, a security camera might spot us."

Eiko grimaced. Dammit. "We'll use Plan B. Go back a bit and hide in one of the offices. Saeko, keep an eye on the team's position with your telekinesis. When they get far enough away, head for the exit point and get the package out of here."

Saeko frowned. "Boss, you know exactly how I feel about Plan B. This is a Special Assault Team, it's too dangerous."

Eiko ignored her. "Dai, do you have enough energy for a second trip?"

Dai shrugged. "Probably not. Sun's still up though, so it won't matter too much. Just don't be late."

Eiko nodded. "I'll meet you there. Getting the package out is what's important."

"Alright. Hope you know what you're doing." Dai turned and began to briskly walk back the way they came. After a moment's hesitation, Saeko followed.

The voices were closer now as Eiko raised her finger to her earpiece. The Special Assault Team was sweeping the corridor just around the corner. "Maiya, Inari, go silent until I give the all clear. Only contact us in an absolute emergency, we don't want a careless message to alert them to what's going on."

"Acknowledged." Inari said.

"Good luck, Eiko." Maiya said, before Eiko pulled the earpiece out of her ear and tucked it under her coat.

Eiko quietly opened a door to one of the dark offices and slipped inside, leaving the door slightly open. What she was doing was stupid, dangerous, and likely to get her killed. She needed to distract the Special Assault Team, slow them down and make them change direction. To do that, she needed to catch them off-guard, not an easy feat when you're up against heavily armoured policemen and the only weapon you have is a scarf.

The sounds of the men came closer. They were likely in the corridor now.

Eiko wrapped the scarf tighter around her neck and chin. She did have one advantage, one thing that she could exploit to the fullest. She was a child. She was just a kid.

The sounds quieted as they saw the slightly ajar door.

If they believed that she was just a harmless little girl, then she had already won.

The door slammed open and a bright light shone at her. "FREEZE!"

Eiko scrambled back up against the wall. "Don't hurt me! Please!"

The armed officer lowered his gun. "It's a kid. Stand down."

"I don't want to go back! Go away!" Eiko cried, allowing tears to streak down her face.

"Whoa there, calm down. Nobody is going to hurt you." The officer said, putting his gun on the ground. "What are you doing here? Why are you hiding?"

"Th… the bad men." Eiko sobbed. "They took me away from mama, they brought me here. I got away from them, but… but…"

The officer swore. "This is Three-Seven to control. Possible hostage situation. Repeat, possible hostages." Then he took a step towards her. "It's alright. No one is going to hurt you."

Eiko lurched back, putting as much distance between her and the officer as possible. "NO! STAY AWAY!"

The officer took off his helmet and put it on the ground. "My name is Kotaro. What's your name?"

Eiko looked up at him, making her eyes as wide as possible. "My… my name's Eiko…"

Kotaro extended his hand. "You're safe now. I'll take you back home."

Gotcha.

Cautiously, Eiko wrapped her fingers around the thick gloves Kotaro wore. Slowly, she stood up and allowed herself to be led out of the room. Outside, she counted a total of eight armed men. A number of them were going ahead, sweeping the rooms down the corridor. She'd have to act quickly, before they reached the rooms Dai and Saeko were hiding in.

One of the armed men walked towards Kotaro, his different uniform marking him as the commanding officer. "Seven! Report!"

"I found this kid, sir." Kotaro said. "Her name is Eiko. She was brought here, likely to be a hostage if things went wrong, but she managed to get away."

The commanding officer grimaced. "Bastards." Then he took off his own helmet and knelt down in front of Eiko. "Eiko, I need you to do something very important for me. Try to remember, where were your kidnappers when you got away from them."

Eiko sniffed. All that crying was making her nose run and it was dirtying her scarf. Now she'd have to wash it. "The… the bad men were in a room with a silver door."

"One of the vaults." The commanding officer waved a hand at the rest of the team, who began to move forward. "Eiko, this is crucial. On the silver door, there should have been a number. What was that number?"

"Um…" Eiko smiled under her scarf. This was it. "It said… four… four… seven…"

"Vault 447!" The commanding officer repeated into his mic. "They're up two floors. All forces rendezvous at the stairwell!"

He looked back at her. "Eiko, was there anyone else with you? Anyone who wasn't one of the bad men?"

Eiko smirked slightly. If she could convince them that there were other hostages, they'd be forced to move slowly and carefully. It might take them hours to realise the 'bad men' didn't exist. "Th-there was another girl. She started shouting, told me to run, then one of the bad men hit her and… and…"

"That's enough, thank you, Eiko. Don't worry, those bad men won't be able to hurt you anymore." The commanding officer said. Then he turned to Kotaro, putting his helmet back on. "Take her to the security room and wait this out with her. She's likely traumatised, try to keep her calm until this is all over."

"Sir, yes, sir!" Kotaro replied, before taking Eiko by the hand again. "Come with me, I'll take you to a safe place."

Eiko smiled to herself as the Special Assault Team marched off towards the stairs while she walked off with Kotaro. Dai and Saeko would quickly become aware of their change of direction and would head for the exit point. The only person on this floor for them to worry about was Kotaro, and he was headed in the wrong direction. All she had to do was get away from him, and they were free.

She looked up at the officer. He'd left his helmet in the office, leaving his head uncovered. From this angle, all she could see was his short brown hair. Occasionally he'd look back and give her a reassuring grin, his expression warm, kind. He truly seemed like he cared.

Eiko scowled. Adults rarely cared. And when they did, it was because they wanted something. No, all Kotaro wanted was to get her out of the way so the rest of his team could 'save the day'. Everything she saw was just there to make her feel safe. He didn't care about her. The sooner she got away from him, the better.

Except, as much as she wanted to just slip away from him, if she vanished he'd contact the rest of his team. They might choose to come back if that happened. That would cause problems. That didn't really leave much of a choice. Eiko looked around carefully, trying not to raise suspicion. She couldn't see any cameras, but that could change at any moment. She had to act now.

As Eiko lowered her foot on her next step, she bent it several degrees to the side. The effect was immediate. Pain shot up her leg as her ankle bent in a direction it shouldn't go. She yelped as her footing gave out and she fell to the ground.

Kotaro turned around immediately. "Are you alright?"

Eiko let some more tears flow down her face, while silently wrapping her hand around her scarf. "I hurt my ankle."

Kotaro nodded and began to extend his hand, then stopped. "Eiko… what's that?"

Alarm bells went off in Eiko's head. What had she done, how did she expose herself? Was it too late to act?

After a moment of panicked thoughts, Kotaro clarified. "Under your mouth."

Oh. Eiko inwardly winched. When she tripped, her scarf had slipped off her chin. But this was good, he hadn't realised. In fact, this was even better distraction than tripping.

"I'm sorry…" She said a little too fast, injecting a childish tremble into the apology. She raised her hand to pull up the scarf.

Right on cue, Kotaro reached out and stopped her hand. "Show me."

Eiko didn't meet his eyes, but slowly nodded. She reached up and began to unwrap her scarf from her neck. She held the scarf behind her back as she heard him draw in a breath. Her face was normal enough, brown hair, two eyes, a nose and a mouth. But starting on her chin was a scar. Her skin was smooth there, glossy. The scar spread down onto her neck, where it became twisted and knotted, covering the entire left side. It was red and inflamed, and looked as though the skin was melted to her bones. It continued on under her shirt, where she knew it covered part of her chest. Eiko hadn't just been hurt, she'd been burned.

The scar was a reminder from the days before she met Kyubey. Never trust adults.

Kotaro stared for several long seconds, before finally finding his voice. "Eiko, how old are you?"

"I'm eleven years old." Eiko replied, still not meeting his eyes as she focused her magic. Behind her back, her scarf began to glow a pale green.

Kotaro brought her in close, for something almost like a hug. "You're alright now. You're safe."

Never trust adults, especially the ones that said they cared.

Eiko raised her arm and slashed her scarf across Kotaro's back. His eyes went wide. Quickly, she reached up and pulled out his earpiece, crushing it in her hand, before pushing him him back onto his back. His mouth opened, but no scream came out, only a gasp. Slowly, a red stain began to spread across the carpet.

"I slashed your spine. You can't move anything below your arms." Eiko turned towards his assault rifle, lying next to him. She swung her glowing scarf at it, cutting it in half to make sure Kotaro couldn't use it as soon as she turned her back. "I think I also hit a lung, so breath slowly."

Kotaro gasped again, but still wasn't able to speak.

"If you're lucky, you will be found before you bleed to death." Eiko continued, turning back to him as the green glow faded from her scarf. "If you survive, you might find this piece of advice useful." She bent over and whispered in his ear. "If you claim that a eleven year old girl did this to you, you'll be locked up and declared insane. Forget I exist."

Then she left him in a pool of his own blood.

Her ankle burned as she walked to the exit point. Eiko winced at the pain, trying her best to ignore it. She considered trying to heal it, but quickly dismissed the idea. The last time she tried to heal herself, her leg had healed crooked. She ended up having to find a proper healer, who had to break her leg again to fix the damage she'd done to herself. Her magic simply wasn't geared towards fixing injuries. It was better to just leave it.

She supposed that a normal girl would feel upset after all that. Hell, a normal girl would probably be quite distraught right now. Instead, Eiko felt… nothing. She knew that she should feel something, but she just didn't. The alternative to attacking him was attacking his entire team and whatever reinforcements they called in, an encounter that she would definitely come out on top, but only if she didn't pull her punches. The deaths of eight or more people, versus the potential death of one person? It was a no brainer.

Maybe she was rationalising. That's something killers did, right? Rationalise the reason why they killed, finding reasons after the fact to convince themselves that they weren't psychotic. Frankly, it didn't matter to her. Kotaro was an obstacle, and she removed it in the most efficient way available to her, simple as that. She didn't enjoy it, but she didn't feel remorse either. Eiko Shirane was a killer, she had always been a killer, and that was just who she was.

Finally, she reached the exit point, a conference room. Like many of the other rooms, the lights were off and the room was empty. Unlike the others though, light spilled in from an open window. Eiko put her earpiece back in her ear. "I'm at the exit point."

"Eiko! What took you so long?"

"I had to dry some crocodile tears." Eiko replied. "Dai, where are you?"

"Gone." Came the reply. "Dropped Saeko off at Maiya position. You're by the window, yeah?"

"Yeah." Eiko replied. She crossed the room and stood next to the open window.

"Gimme a sec. I'm still charging."

Eiko looked through the glass. They were five stories up, and the distance to the street below was almost dizzying. From here, she could see that several police cars had the street blocked off, and tiny policemen were urging pedestrians to stay back. As far as anyone knew, they were trapped. There was no possible way for them to escape.

A beam of golden light shot across from the opposite building. It went through the open window, coming to a halt inside the conference room. Less than a second later, the light vanished, and it it's place stood Dai, stretching her arms for a moment before extending a hand to Eiko. "Need a lift?"

Eiko grinned and took the hand. "Let's go."

There was another flash of light, and they were gone.

5:15 pm, Mitakihara Mall, Mitakihara

The mall, like Mami's apartment, had narrowly avoided total destruction by Walpurgisnacht. However, it had not escaped unscathed. The lower floors had been flooded quite badly, seeping into the foundations, and the strong winds had damaged the integrity of the structure. Luck had been on the mall's side though; it had been undergoing renovations and construction prior to the cataclysm, so when the 'storm' finally passed, all the equipment needed to restore the mall was already onsite and paid for. It had become a hub for those displaced by the storm, and quickly became vital to the distribution of supplies.

These days, the Mitakihara Mall was closer to being a mall again. The city had become semi-stable, and providing emergency aid to the citizens wasn't as necessary anymore. Now, the mall was back to being a centre of commerce, with many stores reopened and selling their goods again, as if nothing had changed.

Everyone walking about reminded Homura of all the times she had staked out this mall, tracking Kyubey through the maintenance corridors and keeping him from reaching out to Madoka. Back then, she had considered the place soulless, static, unmoving. No matter what she did to disrupt the flow of time, this place always remained the same, right down to the individual people, a mere backdrop to the maze she had willingly trapped herself in. She had even amused herself for a number of timelines by seeing if she could recognise everyone who came here, although she'd grown bored of it rather quickly.

"Homura, what do you think of this top?" Madoka asked, holding a shirt over her school uniform and facing her.

Homura smiled. At the end of the day, what she thought about the mall didn't matter. She came here not for herself, but for Madoka. She thought it was special, and therefore it was. "It looks good on you."

Madoka sighed. "You said that about the last two."

"It's the truth." Homura replied. Personally, she felt that Madoka looked good no matter what she wore, but she knew that wasn't the kind of answer she was looking for. "You have good taste in clothing, they all really suit you."

"Well, I can't afford to buy them all." Madoka said. She held out all three. "Which do you think is the best?"

Homura looked at the options for a few moments. It wasn't a choice she could easily make, her fashion sense had never been very good. In the end, she defaulted to practicality. "The second one is the cheapest and appears to be well put together. It's probably the one of best value."

Madoka sighed again and pulled out her phone. "I'll keep that in mind. In the meantime, I'll send pictures to Mom and get her opinion."

Homura nodded. "That's probably for the best. How's her job going these days?"

"Good." Madoka replied, putting the clothes back on the rack. "She's working a lot more now, but it looks like the business is going to remain stable. With the amount of effort she put into the task, she might be promoted to one of the senior executives by the end of the year."

"And how's that affecting home?"

Madoka stayed silent for a few moments. "It's a bit lonely with just Dad and Tatsuya all the time, and some nights she just stays in the office, but we're managing." She looked over at Homura. "You should come over sometime. Mom tends to be home on the weekends, it would be a good opportunity for them to meet you."

Homura stiffened slightly, but quickly relaxed. "I don't wish to intrude."

"It'll be fine." Madoka insisted. "They've been dying to meet you for months now. You can't keep stalling forever."

She was right, of course. Sooner or later, she'd have to meet Junko and Tomohisa Kaname of this timeline properly. It shouldn't be a big deal. They weren't Witches or Familiars, they were just Madoka's parents. And it wasn't like she was actively avoiding going. She'd… just been busy…

"Mami seems to be doing well." Madoka said suddenly. She wanted to change the subject to something more comfortable for her. Homura was happy to comply with that, although she made a mental note to make time to meet Madoka's parents. No more stalling.

"Yes, she does seem to be in a much more cheery mood as of late." Homura replied. "She's been starting her patrols later in the evening though. I assume school is the reason?"

"Yeah, she joined the cooking club!" Madoka smiled. "A few of her classmates pressured her into it. Thanks to the rest of you reducing the amount of time she has to spend hunting, she no longer has an excuse to say no. She's having a lot of fun."

"I imagine Kyouko is gladly reaping the rewards." Homura replied, drawing a laugh from Madoka. She smiled. She loved making Madoka laugh.

"Kyouko and Sayaka seem to be getting along as well." Madoka said.

Homura nodded. "They have their separate patrols, but they often team up to take on anything they find. They cover each other's faults well. They make a good team."

"Do you think they're…" Madoka trailed off, blushing slightly.

Homura smiled at her embarrassment. "I honestly couldn't say, I've never asked. However, if they are more than friends, they'd never admit it to the other. It's just the way their personalities are."

"That's a bit sad."

"Perhaps." Homura replied. "But in a way, it works for them. They value their friendship, and in the end, that's what really matters. Besides, I don't think it would really change much betw-"

A chill washed over Homura, followed by a feeling of unease and dread. It lasted for only a moment, but it was enough to send her mind into high alert. It was the presence of a curse.

Homura turned her attention to the Sigils, focusing on her immediate area. It wasn't a Witch, it was too weak and vague, lacking the precision that curses usually utilised to dig into their victims. It must be one of the Familiars in this mall. She looked down from above, her mind's eye striping away the building and exposing the creatures within. She examined each Familiar, looking for a sign, any sign that they might be active, ready to start killing.

Nothing. Not a single one was awake. A few seemed to be more mature than the others, maybe they were beginning to reach out, test the waters of their hunting grounds before commiting to a labyrinth. Exactly what she and the others were afraid of. She began to increase her presence, increasing it from a small light to a blazing inferno. She wanted to send these monsters a message: This place was protected, they were NOT welcome in this city!

"Homura?" Madoka said. "Your gem."

Homura blinked, then looked down. Her Soul Gem Ring was glowing with purple light. She quickly covering it with her hand, before slipping the ring off her finger and putting it in her pocket. She looked around, but it appeared that no one but Madoka had noticed. "Thanks."

"Are you ok?" Madoka asked.

"I'm fine." Homura replied. "A familiar might be about to start hunting, I'm trying to scare it off."

Madoka folded her arms. "I thought we agreed after Walpurgis Night that we wouldn't keep any more secrets from each other. You've been on edge all afternoon. You promised that you'd tell me when something's bothering you."

Homura was silent for several seconds. Madoka was right, she had promised that. As with so many other timelines, the truth had come out on the eve of the battle all in a rush. Madoka had been so scared, for both herself and for her, and yet she'd understood what this meant to her, and did everything she asked, especially during Walpurgis Night. Together, on the edge of the newly created ruins, she had sworn to never deceive her again, to tell her everything, no matter what.

She glanced back at the mall. That promise had been before the true horror of Walpurgisnacht had set in though. Before the witch population began to dramatically rise. Before the curses began affecting the populous on a scale never before seen. Before the food shortages and the riots. Homura had seen Madoka's face when she rescued her from one in this very mall. She couldn't believe what was happening, didn't want to believe it. She never wanted Madoka to look at her like that ever again.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Madoka asked.

Homura quickly shook her head. "No, it's not that."

Madoka gave her a look, and Homura winced. As much as she didn't want to tell Madoka about what was going on, she didn't want Madoka to think those stupid nightmares had any hold over her even more. Besides, there was yet to be any evidence that this was something truly serious. It was better to just share what was on her mind. "I'm worried about the attention the Sigils are drawing. A Magical Girl showed up in Kazamino and demanded that I go to her."

Madoka's eyes widened. "Are you alright? Did she-"

"I didn't go." Homura said, cutting Madoka's worrying short. "Kyouko's taking care of it. It won't be a problem for much longer."

"That's good." Madoka said. "Any idea why she wanted you?"

"Not a clue. Best guess is that she saw the Sigils and wanted to pick a fight." Homura replied. "It's odd though. Beyond Mitakihara, I'm practically unknown. Even Sayaka has more presence in the Magical Girl community than me. Furthermore, given her reputation, you'd think that Mami would be the one called out if this was about the Sigils." She shook her head. "I'm probably overthinking it a little."

Madoka nodded, then breathed out slowly. "Do you think it's him?"

Homura grimaced, but shook her head. "I don't think so. This girl was trying to lure me out, maybe into a trap. Kyubey's done a lot of things, but he's never been one for active deception. It's not in his nature." She looked over at Madoka, and smiled at her. "Even if it is him, I won't let him near you. Don't worry."

Madoka smiled back, but it couldn't hide her unease. "Are you sure you're alright? Do you need to visit the Heart again?"

"My Soul Gem is clean, don't worry." Homura replied. She loved that about Madoka, always caring for her safety. "If that girl tries anything, I'll be ready for her."

Madoka took Homura's hand and held it in hers. "Come on then, let's just try not to think about it and enjoy the rest of the afternoon!"

Homura smiled as she was dragged towards another rack of clothes. She'd likely spend the rest of the afternoon looking at more dresses and skirts, being embarrassed as Madoka forced her to try each item on, and trying to politely decline buying any of them.

She wouldn't change a single, blissful second of it.

5:25 pm, The Sakura Church, Kazamino

Kyouko sat on the stairs outside her father's church, struggling to get her emotions under control.

For two years, she had shunned the beliefs of her upbringing. Sure, her dad's teachings had stood for a lot of good things, sometimes even contradicting the church, but her wish had twisted that into madness. Just a single mistake, a single slip up, and she had destroyed him, his sermons turning from positive and forward-thinking speeches to the evils of mankind and damnation, turning her mother and even her sister against her, before it was all taken away in one terrible fire. He'd killed everyone she cared about in a single night, and for that, she could never forgive him.

So when that girl–Angel, Asuka, whatever–claimed to be her servant, she had lost it. She had screamed at her, yelled for far too long about what her father did to his church, what he'd done to her, until her throat hurt. And yet, the girl had said nothing, didn't try to argue or convince her that what she knew to be true was false. When she demanded to know why she remained silent, she had simply said, "Your father taught me to be mindful of others."

That had shaken her. Badly.

She'd left the church then, barely keeping herself together.

Kyouko reached into her pocket and pulled out a snack bar, ripping open the packaging and biting hard into the confectionery. Her wish was supposed to have broken after her father died. Anyone who believed in what her father had said had long abandoned them. She knew that a few people held onto them and continued to believe, but they were people that likely already believed what he was saying. The only encounters she'd had with these true-believers were a few teenageers squatting in the ruins of the church, who had ran the second she'd made herself known.

Asuka was on a whole different level from them. For one, she was a Magical Girl. Mami was the only Magical Girl she'd known back then, and thanks to her wish, magic was something her father had preached heavily against in the end days. It didn't make sense for her to be one. And then, instead of fighting her, she had called her Filla Prophetae. Her Latin was practically non-existent besides a few scriptures, but she was pretty sure that those words meant 'Daughter of the Prophet'. What did that mean? Since her father was dead, did Asuka think that she would continue his legacy?

Kyouko bit into the end of the snack bar and threw the wrapper away. Yeah, good luck with that.

The door to the church opened, and the girl in question walked out. Her clothes had changed, from the white gown that enforced the image of an Angel to a plain, ill-fitting shirt and some shorts. Without the gown covering her legs, Kyouko could see that they were covered in scrapes and dirt that were typical with people living rough. Her hair started blonde from the top, but quickly devolved into several different colours seemingly haphazardly.

The girl in the church had seemed refined, almost elegant. It was easy to imagine angel wings on her. Without her costume though, she just looked like a scruffy street kid, not like a vigilante at all. Just a normal person.

She walked down the stairs and sat near Kyouko. "Listen, I understand that my presence here is a lot to take in. If I had known that it would be you who'd come here, I would have tried to-"

"You claim to be a follower of my Dad, but I've never seen you here before. What are you doing here?" Kyouko asked sharply. She was done playing around. She just wanted to go back to Mitakihara and forget about all this.

Asuka frowned, then looked away. "We have met, actually. Back when your father was still preaching. It wasn't a long conversation, I understand if you don't remember me, Filla Prophetae. As for why you've never seen me here…" She shifted uncomfortably. "I was… out of the country. I suppose you could call it family matters. I only recently retur-"

"I didn't ask for your life story!" Kyouko snapped. "You're dodging the question. Why are you here now?"

"Oh." Asuka blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "I was looking for a girl with black hair, shield on her arm. I think you said her name was Homura?"

"Yeah. Homura. She ain't keen on meeting you." Kyouko replied.

Asuka looked away. "If that's what she thinks, then I understand. Can I get you to deliver a message then?"

Kyouko rolled her eyes. "Fine. What?"

"Your friend is in grave danger. God gave me a vision, he showed me-"

"If you're just going to preach religious crap, then our conversation is over." Kyouko snapped, standing up. "Go back to where you came from, Angel. Don't show your face here again."

Asuka looked away again. "If that is what you wish, Filla Prophetae." She stood up. "But please, I beg you, tell her that she's in danger! She isn't safe, evil forces are already conspiring against her. Please warn her!"

Then she began to walk away.

Kyouko watched her, expecting some kind of trick, expecting her to attack her or do something, but nothing happened. She was leaving, just like that. She didn't seem like a bad person, she wasn't anything like the other followers she'd met. And her gut was telling her that she was genuinely a good person, who simply knew something and wished to help the person affected.

Help others. Just like how her father had preached.

Dammit.

"Wait." Kyouko said.

Asuka turned around, looking back at her with a confused expression.

"Homura tracks every possible threat, accounts for every possibility. Other magical girls kill witches; She killed Walpurgisnacht." Kyouko's gaze hardened. "What makes you think that your danger can touch her?"

Asuka met her stare. "This danger is not of the sin of witches, but of the sin of man." She bowed her head slightly. "For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come."

Kyouko rolled her eyes. She was quoting the bible. Mark 7, if she recalled correctly. Jesus pointing out that evil comes from human nature, not from failing to perform rites. Her dad liked that one.

She sighed. "You think that someone, a normal person, is out to hurt Homura, is that it?"

Asuka nodded.

"Again, why would they be a threat to her?"

The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a photograph. Closing the distance between them, she held it out.

Kyouko took it from her and looked at it. It was a picture of Homura in her magical girl uniform. The background of the image was blurry, it was clearly focused on her. Homura had raised her arm to her head, probably about to do one of those hair flips she had a habit of doing. Her shield was clearly visible.

She shook her head. "So Homura has a stalker. So what? Lots of people have witnessed us saving them, why should this be any different?"

"God showed me!" Asuka replied, her voice rising. "This person is different, he's never seen a labyrinth or a witch, yet he knows of us! And that's not all, my vision spoke of ot–"

"Enough!" Kyouko snarled, caused the girl to jump slightly. "I couldn't care less about what God told you! Don't waste my time!"

Asuka took a step back, before bowing her head, cowed somewhat. Kyouko let out an exasperated breath. "Look, yes or no. Do you truly believe this 'danger' is real?"

Asuka nodded rapidly. "My visions have never been wrong, Filla Prophetae."

"Fine." Kyouko said. "Then you can explain it to Homura directly."

Asuka's face lit up. "Thank you! I knew this place was the right choice! If we work together, then we can help your frie-"

"Stop." Kyouko said sharply. "There is no 'we' in this. This is Homura's problem, not yours, not mine."

Asuka's face fell again. "But… I thought…"

"Here's what's going to happen." Kyouko said. "You will find a place to sleep far away from my dad's church tonight. Tomorrow morning, you will come to Mitakihara and tell Homura everything you know. Then you'll get out of our lives forever. Got it?"

Asuka glanced towards Mitakihara, the glow of the Sigils visible even from this distance. "I can't go there. Mitakihara is sealed, I am forbid-"

"Consider it unsealed then." Kyouko snapped. "I don't care if you think going there breaks whatever belief you hold about it, I refuse to deal with this shit."

Asuka looked out at the city for a long while, before looking back. "I understand, Filla Prophetae. It is what your father would want."

Kyouko felt her arms moving more than willing them to. All of a sudden, she had her hands around the girl's throat and held her in the air. Asuka's eyes went wide, her mouth moving, struggling to make a sound. Kyouko held her there for several moments.

"Don't talk about my father. Ever." She said slowly. "If you so much as drop into a prayer pose, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

Asuka nodded.

Kyouko relaxed her grip and let her fall to the ground. As she struggled to right herself, Kyouko turned and began to walk away. "We're done. Now never show your face here again."

She had walked several paces before Asuka spoke. "You are like the other magical girls. You are lost. But I have faith that you'll find your way back to the light. It is God's will."

Kyouko stopped for a few seconds, almost about to respond, before scowling and leaving the church behind.

In case anyone was wondering, yes, that was a Test Subject One reference. I started this project back when I was still working out the kinks in Ransom, so you can expect a little bleedover from PK Atomyst's stories into my own (that, and I needed a temporary name for 'SoldierCharacter', and he was in my head already :P ).

Follow me on twitter ('at'Axius27 or click the link on my profile) to get progress updates, leave me a review if you want to tell me where I'm going wrong, and follow the story if you want to see what happens next!

Thank you all for reading.

~Axius