Chapter 9: Loose Strings

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"Yagami-kun…" for once, L was not able to find anything to say.

There was a swish heard behind them. Homura had arrived. Her eyes widened at the sight of Kyouko dead, but she hardened herself immediately. But both detectives saw it. Her moment of weakness.

"Yagami-kun, why-" L began

"For the greater good." Light smirked. "L, it's your turn to be left behind. Let me tell you the secret of the Puella Magi… or as you call them, Mahou Shoujo."

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At the same time

Three in the morning. Most girls of her age would be peacefully asleep.

Or, they may lay in bed, worrying about a contract.

Or they may be out fighting witches.

Or they may be dead. Like Sayaka.

Madoka could not sleep. It was impossible. She had just faced the fact that her best friend was dead. In the most horrible fate ever.

She wanted to be a champion of justice, but she ended up as… as…

As a witch.

Madoka simply lay there, silently crying, when a figure came through the window. "Can I come in?" Kyubey asked.

"…you were alive. I thought you were dead when Homura shot you."

As always, he took the lack of an answer as the one most favorable to him and climbed into the pink haired girl's room.

"…what Homura-chan said, about turning into a witch… was it all true?"

"Nothing she said needs correcting." Kyubey said

"So… you really made them all into magical girls just to turn them into witches?"

"Don't misunderstand. We bear no ill towards humanity. Everything is for the sake of-"

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"-extending the universe's life." Light said, his evil grin still present. "L, have you ever heard of the term "entropy?"

"…the heat death of the universe." L said carefully. "The scientific theory that the universe gradually diminishes in energy as it expands."

"Yes. As expected of you. The universe has a limited source of energy."

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"That's why we sought an energy source unbound by the laws of thermodynamics." Kyubey explained.

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"And what they found was…"

"The magic of the mahou shoujo." L finished for him. Light grinned. "I see you're still sharp.

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"Our culture developed technology capable of converting the emotions of sentiment beings into energy. However, our race lacks emotion."

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"Therefore, they studied many races throughout the stars, before finally settling on us." Light grinned. "Our souls suffice as a method to reverse entropy."

"…and I presume the most powerful of those are the cycle of hope and despair among maturing females?" L asked.

"Yes." Light said, still in the same mocking tone. "The moment a soul gem bursts into a grief seed, a massive amount of energy is released."

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"And my role as an incubator is to harvest that energy." Kyubey said.

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"L," Light smirked, "Surely someone like you can understand. You know how overcrowded the universe is with life. Someday, we too will leave this planet and join them. Surely you don't want the universe to be withering on the verge of death by then, do you? No matter how you look at it, it's a profitable trade."

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Madoka slowly looked up. "That doesn't make any sense! Are you telling me Mami-san died and Sayaka ended up like that for that reason?" she sobbed. "I can't stand it! That's just… too cruel!"

"But we always form contracts with your consent." Kyubey said simply.

"You were tricking them the whole time!" Madoka yelled.

"Our race lacks the comprehension of "deceit". Why is it that when humans make an error in judgment, they blame it on someone else?"

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"…I understand what you are trying to say." L closed his eyes. "But I will not accept it."

"…that is a shame. I was hoping you would." Light gave a last few words. "One more thing. Someday, Kaname Madoka will make a contract. She will become a Puella Magi."

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"And you will also be the greatest witch that ever existed." Kyubey said, trotting on Madoka's bed. "If you ever feel like dying for the universe, just call us anytime." And with that, the incubator left.

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"…I'm disappointed in you, Yagami-san." L closed his eyes.

"…as am I in you, Ryuzaki." Light said with contempt as he disappeared into the shadows. Homura tried to give chase but L held him back. "There are more important matters." He admitted.

"…you're going to let him go?" Homura asked.

"…there is no point in chasing him." L said. Homura turned back to L. "You…"

"…I'm sorry. This was my miss. I overlooked Yagami-kun's differences in our principles of justice."

"…just what are you?" Homura asked.

"…I told you. I am L."

"Not only that." Homura was almost yelling by now. "You can read runes not even Mahou shoujo can. You can solve everything easily. You know everything, even before you find out for yourself! And I... I've… I've met you before." Homura looked down.

"What?" L peered.

"…L. I promised to you that if you win the bet, I would reveal who I am. The time has come. Follow me." She led him back to her apartment. Once inside, she held out her soul gem. "Take it."

L cautiously took the object, placing it in his palm. Suddenly, the world around him whirled. He felt like he was being lifted in the air.

For the first time, he screamed.

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It did not take all of L's mental capacity to figure out something was seriously wrong with what was happening.

"Alright," an eccentric teacher said to a nervous student, "Try introducing yourself to the class."

The girl was nervous. She was fidgeting. She wore glasses and had long black hair in two pigtails.

"Um… I'm Akemi… Homura… I… um… I hope to get along…"

The class all looked at the new transfer student. L took a moment to figure out what was happening. Evidently, they couldn't see nor feel him, and he couldn't make an impact on objects. He was simply an observer.

"Akemi-san was hospitalized for half a year due to heart problems. It's been a while since she's been to school. Please help her out, everyone." The teacher said.

The next few days passed like a blur. The only thing L needed was sugar. But he found it all very intriguing. The other Akemi Homura. The one behind the mask.

But what was this anyways? An alternate timeline?

Everything seemed fine. Homura had met Madoka, who was apparently already a Puella Magi and was working with Mami. They worked together and saved Homura from a witch named Izabel. Sayaka seemed entirely out of the picture.

Then came Walpurgis Night.

Where Mami and Madoka died.

L could only watch quietly as Homura made her wish. To protect Madoka. He knew it already, but to actually see it happen was a whole different matter.

"That night", a cold voice said into L's ear, "I became a mahou shoujo."

L turned. The present day Homura was with him.

"Your memories, I presume?" L said, still watching the scene where the former Homura made her wish.

Then, time whirled.

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"Time travel. An interesting ability."

L watched as the Homura in the memories, under the eye of Mami, demonstrated her combat capabilities.

Armed with a golf club.

"It seems even you had rough times during the beginning." L noted as the Homura in the memories clumsily bashed a practice target.

"Forget that portion." The present day Homura turned away, apparently embarrassed by her own memories.

It seemed all was well. Homura, Madoka and Mami worked together perfectly, defeating witches.

Nothing seemed to be able to go wrong.

Until Walpurgis Night.

This time, they managed to beat it. But Mami died. And Madoka was…

A witch.

"That night, I found out Kyubey had been deceiving us." Homura said to L. "I tried to warn them.

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"You know," Sayaka said, "What's the point of Kyubey making such a lie?"

The third timeline. L could see it. No one believed her.

"In any case, I'm against teaming up with you." Sayaka sighed. "Mami-san and Madoka have firearms, so they're fine, but I wish you'll stop it with the sudden explosions. I don't know how many times I nearly got caught up in them."

"Akemi-san," Mami tried to make a compromise, "Do you have anything other than explosives?"

"Umm… I'll take a look at it."

A few days later, the results of her pilfering were demonstrated.

Against Octavia.

Against a witch-turned Sayaka.

Naturally, they beat the witch. It was four on one. Kyouko had turned up to help.

But they couldn't save her.

…Apparently, Mami didn't think they were savable either. She killed Kyouko in a fit of madness and tried to kill Homura.

She didn't.

Madoka killed Mami instead.

"…I knew there was stress building up in her." L muttered as he was forced to watch the whole thing.

Homura and Madoka were the only ones left. And they promised. Promised to try their best for Walpurgis Night.

"Now, look here." Homura turned L's attention away from the two departing girls.

L did a double take.

It was him.

In more specific words, L stepped onto the station.

But L was here. There couldn't be two of him. He could only find one conclusion.

The "other" L was from the memory as well.

"I'm going to take a look." L noted. He watched his former self pick something up.

Sayaka's grief seed.

Pocketing it, the L from the memories turned to leave. L followed him. All the way back to his home.

Walking through the wall, L peered at what his past self wrote.

"Rune deciphering…" L looked. It appeared that the reason he was able to read the runes…

Was because he had solved them. They were based off the English alphabet.

The L from the memories had obviously followed the same mindset L would have followed had he not known the runes. He had guessed at possible relationships to German, due to references to Faust of all things in the labyrinths. But instead, he had managed to relate them to English.

But if this was in another timeline…

Why did that memory carry over to him now?

Deciding to think about it later, he observed his former self. If he remembered correctly, Walpurgis Night was in two days.

Catching up with his past self, he observed his conversation.

With Madoka.

There was another time skip. It had been after school. Apparently, even on other timelines, L had followed the basic idea of taking a role as a teacher.

"Kaname-san, I have a request." The L from the memories said. "I know for a fact that within a few days, Walpurgis Night will come to Mitakihara. I know that if you and Homura should fail, time will reset."

"Ryu-Ryuzaki-sensei! But why do you…"

"I wish I had time to explain." L sighed. "But please. In case time does reset, I want you to reinforce my memories. I don't want to forget."

"But… what should I do? I have to save my magic for tomorrow…"

L mused. "The simplest one would be to memorize something it took me a long while to figure out… Kaname-san, please reinforce the memories of the rune translations."

"Runes?" Madoka was confused for a bit, then it hit her. "You mean… the witch language? You learned to read them?"

"After a while." L nodded. Madoka gulped nervously. "Okay… here I go…" she tapped her soul gem on L's forehead. A quick bright light and it was all over.

"Thank you. Now, please take this, Kaname-san." The L from the memory said to Madoka as he handed her Sayaka's grief seed. Madoka tried to protest. "Why-"

"…just in case." The L from the memories turned and left.

And then came Walpurgis Night.

They beat it.

At a cost.

Their soul gems were pitch black.

They lay on the crumbled ground. A bittersweet victory.

"So… this is the end for us too." Madoka lay on the ground.

Homura closed her eyes. "Any grief seeds?"

Madoka shook her head slowly.

"I see…" Homura smiled sadly. "So, how about we become monsters together… and turn this world upside down? So that…. Nothing bad… or sad… would remain… destroy, destroy, and destroy it all. Wouldn't that be just fine?"

Madoka turned. In her palm was the gift from L.

Sayaka's grief seed.

Smiling sadly, she placed it on Homura's soul gem.

Homura, startled, turned.

"That was a lie." Madoka said. "I had just one."

"That's- why me?"

"Because there's something only you can do. Homura, you can go back to the past, right? You can change history so it wouldn't end like this, right? Can you save me before I become tricked by Kyubey?"

Homura grasped her hand. "I promise! I will definitely save you! No matter how many times I repeat it… I will protect you!"

Madoka gave a relieved smile. "I'm glad…"

There was another sound from the soul gem, and Madoka gasped in pain as Homura panicked.

"One… more thing…" Madoka smiled weakly. "I… don't want to become a witch. Sure, there were bad things; miserable things. But there are also a lot of things I still… want to protect…"

"Madoka!" Homura gasped, now reaching desperation.

Madoka was struggling to speak now. "Homura-chan… that's the first time you said my name… I'm so happy…"

Crying, Homura transformed. Taking out a revolver from the shield, she aimed it at Madoka's soul gem.

A scream, and a bang.

And L was forced to watch it all. For the last time, the scene disappeared in a whirr of time.

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L blinked. He was back in Homura's apartment. "Are we done?"

"Yes. You're back in present time." Homura nodded. "Since then, I've been running through this endless maze, trying to find the only exit out. But each time, there was another factor that kept changing randomly." She turned to L. "You."

"…I see." L nodded. "I think I also understand why I can read runes. And why I was able to see Kyubey. The presence of magic that was designed to last through time loops must have done it."

…and the night Siren attacked; the presence of magic in my mind must have saved my sanity as well. Talk about being blessed by magic.

But L noticed something through the timelines. Something not even Homura noticed.

Deciding to give the matter careful consideration, he turned back to Homura. "Well, what do you intend to do now?"

"…Walpurgis Night is in less than two weeks. We will take time preparing."

"Rather, you will." L corrected as Watari pulled over in a truck outside the apartment, carrying a mountain of files. "…I have loose strings to tie.

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April 25.

"The body of Miki Sayaka, second year at Mitakihara Middle School, has been found dead in a hotel room. Police are investigating the case as both an accident and a crime…"

L was not listening. Instead, he was focused in his conversation with the CIA. Around him, stacks of files were strewn around.

"The man known as Tim Carter has been trading with underground mafias for seven years. He meets with them in Moscow once a month for an arms trade."

"50 AK-47s. When is the next trade?"

"Next Saturday." L replied.

Closing the link, he threw the file away and opened the next one.

"This is regarding the death of Princess Joan. I have evidence that the death was an assassination, not an accident" he spoke.

"Thank you, L. When will you send the evidence?" the voice of a European intelligence officer asked.

"I will send it now." L muttered. Pressing the Enter Key, he picked up the file and threw it away.

Picking up a pocky stick, he began reading the next file.

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April 28

The stack was growing considerably smaller. L only had a few more cases to go.

"The man kills every Saturday. He has a mental condition that has him hallucinating humans are out to kill him. His next target area will be a park." He told a member of the RCMP.

"Do you have a description of the man?"

"Sending." L hit the enter key. Throwing the file again, he opened the next one. Reading, he turned. "…Akemi-san, I would like a word with you."

"What?" Homura was taking the time to replenish her calories through the consumption of microwave food.

"Are you sure it's wise to leave Sayaka's witch form outside like that?"

"…even witches will become silent when Walpurgis approaches." Homura said.

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April 30, noon.

Heavy rain pounded on the apartment as L, biting on a pocky stick, conversed with a representative of MI5.

"Jack Seylon. He had been acting as a double agent, feeding the mafia with information regarding MI5 activities against them. He had also been stealing funds from the government and rerouting them through a system of bank accounts towards the Mafia. I will send you a detailed list of the bank accounts."

"…Very well. When will he rendezvous next?"

"He meets with a leading member of the Mafia at a bar in East London. After that, they take him to their hideout for detailed questioning. I do not know their location, but I trust MI5 to be able to handle that on their own."

He cut the link and threw the file away. The area around him was now empty. "Shall we get going?" He asked Homura, who had been preparing herself for this.

"…yes." She nodded. "remember… I do not expect you to be able to stop Yagami-sensei."

"That's a very assuring statement." He muttered as they walked into the rain together.

And for once, not even L knew what was waiting for them.

But he did know one thing.

He was no longer exploring this world. He was fighting.

And he was fighting to win.

Against Kyubey.

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Flashback

L frowned as he viewed the sent video of Kamijou Kyousuke's operation. Everything was going routinely. Until 11:05.

Pausing, he peered. They had just made an incision into the wrist when it happened. The doctor made an error. He cut off the nerves, damaging them beyond repair.

Instantly, the entire operating room went into a frenzy. L mused. The doctor was now flailing, fighting the attempts to restrain him. Order was lost. But he paused again. A weird object on the doctor's skin caught his eye.

He zoomed. And frowned.

A witch's kiss.

Moving around the scene some more, he caught sight of something on a mirror. He zoomed into that.

And he frowned again.

Projected in the mirror were two pink round eyes on a fluffy white face. It was smiling.

It was then that L felt a twang of anger. Kyubey was manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

He found it. Hard Evidence.

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WALPURGIS NIGHT/ WALPURGINACHT APPROACHING: 1:07 hours.

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Author's note: Alright people. For those of you still with me, I'd like to say thank you to all. The next chapter is the Timeline Finale, and then we have our reset. The fic is not gonna be over. Not for a LONG time.