Rose by any other Name

To Homura Akemi, a rose was a flower that perfectly fit the essence of beauty. It reminded her of a time better than now. Those memories were vague and almost out of reach, but she felt that in her first life, everyone was more sincere.

It wasn't easy. Her life as a normal girl was taxing on Homura's heart. Every night before her drastic change of destiny, she would stare at herself in the mirror, and mulled over the long scar vertically across her heart.

She considered it ugly. It was the source of her many problems. Homura cursed her own weak existence. "Why am I even here?" She thought. The raven-haired girl barely managed to attend school, and she wasn't all that smart either.

She had absolutely no positive merits worth mentioning. Homura rarely read books, and would constantly stare at the white ceiling above her in the hospital room.

Her life was filled with dull grays - that is until she met Madoka. She was strong, confident, and beautiful. Her hair was a rose-like pink.

Madoka was the light to Homura's darkness, the confidence to her instability. Madoka was a rose by another name.

And yet she's had to watch Madoka's life get snuffed out hundreds and hundreds of times. Each timeline got harsher, darker for Homura's light.

Madoka was no longer the confident girl Homura once knew, but she still loved her nevertheless.

Homura loved EVERY part of Madoka, and that's why she couldn't reach the rose.

When Homura became the stoic magical girl, she had decided to focus solely on Madoka's safety. Everyone else was expendable. But then, in one timeline, she realized that was a mistake.

Madoka needed others to stay as Madoka. Her best friend Sayaka was her water, Mami Tomoe was her soil, and Kyouko Sakura as her sun, but what about Homura Akemi?

Just a stranger.

Just a stranger.

Just a stranger.

JUST A STRANGER.

Now that Homura Akemi stares at herself in the mirror, she can no longer see the scar across her heart. Her body had become flawless in every way possible.

Her bright violet eyes were far more mesmerizing than her previous dark purple auras.

But there was a sensation of emptiness. Her smile was crueler, her poster was colder.

The Homura Akemi of old died in that isolation field. This new Homura Akemi was nothing like her counterpart. Her monstrosity knew no bounds, and her heart was drowned with an everlasting dark love.

Would Madoka still save her?

"No," She thought, "I never asked to be saved. But she did."

"I love you, Madoka."

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A pair of golden eyes looked up on a black silhouette. They twinkled against the deep abyss that stared back at her. "Law of Cycles."

"Homura-chan."

"It's been a while. Or maybe it hasn't. Nice to meet you," The silhouette couldn't really remember correctly. "It's a beautiful world, isn't it? Free from Law. Free to chase your own desires."

"You're destroying the world...Homura-chan."

"I remember. All those moments I reversed time. They were all done with Madoka in mind."

"Homura-chan! Listen to m-"

"The reason why I didn't fall to despair wasn't because I had hope. It was this emotion that is mine and mine alone, and it felt solely for Madoka!"

"Please listen to me!" She vibrated the tightly shut window. It managed to open ever so slightly without the silhouette's notice.

"What?" Her voice became cold. It made the Goddess flinch.

"Please. Let me back in. I have to do my job…"

"Have to? Have to? Have to?! There is no such 'have to' in my world. In my universe. Don't talk like an incubator."

"I'm begging you! Homura-chan!" She desperately pleaded with her, "You're destroying everything! Why can't you see that?!"

"Because there really is...no better feeling than love itself. Love kept me going," She drew nearer to the Pink Goddess, "It stopped me from transforming into a witch, and ultimately allowed me to become what I am toda-" The Demon's eyes opened wide as she noticed the small creak in the window, but before she jumped back, a white gloved hand grasped firmly on her arm, not letting go. "Let me go!" She cried out.

"No, not until you see that what you're doing is wrong!" The Goddess pulled harder and harder as The Demon desperately tried to pry her hand off.

"LET. !" A wave of darkness pushed against the wave of light. A surge of energy almost collapsed the private labyrinth between the two deities.

Without warning, the reality around The Demon cracked and split in two.

A much more human Homura spawned from the broken reality, and was pulled into the window along with The Goddess. The Demon shut the window, and struggled to maintain her breathing. "That won't stop me.." She clenched her chest, "That won't stop me."

"I'm sorry, Homura-chan. But I had to."

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2 weeks after the Blight of Kazamino…

"We've been searching left and right for the blueberry...Still no sight of her. Are you even still sure she's around here?" Kyouko bit a pocky in her mouth with her fang slightly exposed.

"No doubt about it, Sakura-san. I can feel her magical residue in Mitakihara, but I can't seem to pinpoint it out," Tomoe scratched her temple as she looked dumbfounded at her own gold soul gem.

"You're the scout, not me," Kyouko said, unsatisfied with her upperclassman's answer. "Dammit...Where the hell did she go...Yuma couldn't give me any straight answers either…"

"Don't be too harsh on her. We'll find Miki-san soon. Just be patient."

The weather had been colder than usual. Ash-colored snow fell against the redhead's palms, almost immediately melting as they pushed against her warm skin. "I can't help but feel restless...I don't want to lose anyone..y'know?" For a moment, a bad memory resurfaced in Kyouko's mind, but she quickly drowned it out, "But she's tough, I'm sure that as long as we find her, she'll be fine."

"The real question is Kaname-san...I fear she's taking this harshly.."

"Hitomi too…" Kyouko added, "I knew what we were getting into but...I just wasn't expecting to lose someone that quickly…We were just getting around to being friends..."

"We didn't lose her," Mami said sternly, "She's missing. We'll find her."

"I hope so," Kyouko said, unconvinced, "Let's hang out with the little shrimp today. Gotta distract her from the blues!" She said awkwardly.

Kyouko's upperclassman smiled at her, "Of course!"

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Madoka's melancholy seeped through her ballet. Every swift movement was carried out with a sense of loss. "Madoka," Homura called out as she sat on a wooden chair,watching her performance, "I think you need a break."

"Y-yeah...I probably do," Madoka pulled up a chair next to her raven-haired friend with a sense of sad tiredness in her eyes, "I can't believe Sayaka's missing."

"Don't worry," Homura pushed out words of encouragement, "She'll be fine."

"I hope so…" She said unconvinced, "I just want to see her again…"

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After the ballet session, Homura walked back toward her large apartment. As she opened the door, fourteen dolls greeted her with green-orange eyes plastered on their plastic-like faces. Their smiles were eerie against the funeral clothing they donned.

She closed the door behind her, and walked toward the Pendulum room. With a wave of a finger, the Pendulum room shifted into a prison. One that held Sayaka together with black pins against her shadow, a mask that covered her face, eyes, and ears, and Oktavia was sealed under heavy cement.

The walls were covered with runes. They read Restoring the Law of Cycles will sadden HER.

A winged figure greeted the raven-haired girl. The bright violet eyes gazed back into the dark purple orbs. "I wasn't expecting you," The Demon said.

"Mother, Madoka is sad."

"I know."

"Then what do we do?" Homura slowly turned more and more pale, her eyes transformed into the same ones of those dolls. Her limbs became jointed and mechanic. "I feel guilt...I can't see Madoka this way…"

"Be patient, Love. Bittersweetness is a part of the emotion. Pain, happiness, hope, despair. They are all a part of that. Soon, Sayaka Miki will return without any memory of us. But for now, I need to stay here, and you need to provide Madoka company."

"How long?"

"It's amazing just how strong the bond between her and the Law of Cycles is. It must truly love her," A disgusted expression threw itself against the sleeping Sayaka.

"How long?" The doll demanded.

"Watch your tone."

The Doll flinched back. She felt an intense fear grip at her. "The only reason I'm letting you masquerade as me is because I am busy," The demon looked back at the frightened doll, "Take good care of that body. I don't need it in terrible condition when I come back."

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A time long since passed...

The story of a sleeping princess was always a romantic one. Hero Prince swoops in, kisses the princess and she wakes up. Life isn't that simple.

A Pink Goddess watched over a sleeping raven-haired girl who held her flower bow against her chest. She was completely still, but her eyes darted back and forth against her closed eyelids.

The lobotomized soul gem quickly grew in despair, but the devices around her cleansed it. It was a never-ending cycle of hope and despair.

It was all just a ruse to drag the Law of Cycles into the palms of the incubators, but The Pink Goddess couldn't help but look at her beloved.

From time to time, she'd come down from her heavens in a form unnoticed to all. She would come up to the sleeping princess and hold her black hair in her white gloves with a melancholic expression.

The Pink Goddess truly loved the sleeping princess. She smiled bittersweetly, "I'll be seeing you soon, Homura-chan."

"WHERE DID IT ALL GO WRONG?!"

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Chapter End.

Wow. This chapter was pretty emotional. Wasn't really expecting that. Sorry for the late chapter. Got sorta lazy as I was writing for my other projects (that and finals are coming up...blegh..)

Also, if you want to support me as a writer, visit my group's website at tfostudios . com. We have two chapters posted up there.

There are two sections: Joseph Turner is my story, while Frank 'O' Nuffil is my friend's. Nightfall will be published as an official work someday, so I just want to gather enough of a fanbase so that I can get my group's name out there in the field. It'll be on FictionPress soon too (Friday, Oct 7).

Also, my PMMM Rejection amv is like...10% done. So many effects, seriously. It's coming out awesomely though.

Wish me luck.