She stared up into the second floor railings, from where several of those seemingly young girls watching her and other Mitakihara refugees walked inside the building. The place was less of an apartment complex and more of a hotel building, with lobby and front information center. Four stories high and painted in blue and white in and out of the building, its front appearance fooled anyone's expectation of just what kind of shady business that its owner could possibly done.

There was still a small part of her skeptic of the entire Lost Boys-esque magical society of the Puellae Magi, but then she saw a strangely familiar face as one of the magical girl holding her house on against these government agents' siege walked from behind Sayaka. Hinata Makoto was a popular girl in their high school days, it was difficult to not hearing anything about her. Of course, the news about her 'suicide' was spreading just as fast, but she didn't pay it many thought other than it was such a waste. She and Hinata were barely acquaintances.

Until Sayaka said to her that the girl and Hinata Makoto were one and the same, only just recently resurrected from her 'death'. Sayaka told her many things on the way to Kansai region, that including the very system that played them for a fool. She remembered one of her advice to her daughter; that it was okay to make mistake when you're still young. In the system where one small slip could mean death sentence, she basically told her daughter it was fine to jump head first into the beast's maw. She was beyond horrified by the time Sayaka finished narrating and the implication finally sinking in.

She would like to do nothing but to curl up and wish this was just a dream.

It wasn't.

Now she stood in the middle of a hideout of girls that spoke and acted older than their supposed ages. One of those girls jumped down from the third floor and landed right in front of them, a forest green haired girl with strong aura of authority. The girl frowned a little when she saw Hinata stiffen.

Homura stepped in the between of Mitakihara refugees and the girl.

"They need to rest."

A simple request, plain and easy. But there was an underlying threat in it. The green girl nodded after a moment of silent.

"We'll show you your rooms."

She motioned them several girls waiting at the stairs. Without words, those girls walked up the stairs with a relaxed pace, almost like they were waiting for the refugees to follow. They did just that.

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Puella Magi Madoka Magica fanfiction

Observation

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Magical Girls are exist.

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May the 20th, 2011

She didn't know about the entire business the magical girls had with their private meetings, but she was well-informed enough. They had TV in every complex. Not to mention, every time Madoka went back to their assigned complex, she would spent her time to explain just what happened between those girls. The recent developments seemed to show that this entire fiasco was because of several parties offended someone in the government, and that someone deemed all magical girls were abhorrent by nature.

But several days passed with her under the watch other these same girls, and she had nothing but pleasant experiences with them. Sure, it was difficult to talk with someone that looked younger than her in an equal ground, but then they proved her wrong by showing that physical appearance was not a scale that she could measure them with.

They were all intelligent, a little bit prone of suspicious thought but quick to tolerate. They would often answer some inside joke that only those in big name corporations would know, not afraid to add some innuendos here and there, and talk things that teenagers should not have their thought there yet. Overall, they were just a bunch of adults that looked younger than the usual. Some were more leaning on frat boy kind of attitudes, but even they had they moments of insightful mussing.

She had no problem whatsoever with the Puellae Magi.

But she heard whispers from them, the whispers talking about her husband, and that worried her to no end. It was nothing like those girls taking fancy on her husband; the owner of this 'anthill' and the leader of this particular Order, Emma Nejibana, once said that most Puellae Magi had bad experience with men that most of them ended up asexual or lesbian.

If anything, the way those girls stared at her was more worrying.

"Looks like we have a potential traitor at our hand."

That was the most often accusation that they often whispered. She would like to think that their 'experience' with men clouded their judgment toward her husband, but then she saw something that she never saw in Tomohisa's eyes.

Doubt. Fear. Suspicion.

Her husband was a good man, but he was just a man. Prone of mishaps was a nature of mankind.

*knock, knock*

Gentle raps against their door prevented Junko to come face to face with Tomohisa regarding the matter, and after a sigh, she decided to answer her guest. On her doorstep was a young boy. The son of Matriarch Nejibana, he was the assigned bellhop of the Kaname family. Junko smiled down at the boy and ruffled his messy hair.

"Shouichiro. What's going on?"

"Today is Friday. We have a joint dinner every Friday."

"It's that so? We'll be there, then."

Again she smiled down at him and let him skipped down the stairs.

"Are you going?"

Tomohisa jerked his head upward, not paying attention to his surrounding until she directly asked him. Junko knitted her eyebrows together. She disliked on how it went to.

"… I'll be there." He finally said, bringing about his best smile.

She didn't fall for it.

The dinner was more of a grand feast not unlike those in western balls or social gathering. Everyone could take as much as they wanted, with tables already marked according to each family or particular group. The Puellae Magi in the apartment complex were mostly of a wandering lone wolf that Emma took and gave shelter, but it didn't mean there wasn't those who still had their family, perfectly aware of their brethren's double life.

One out of six supported their elderly parents or their orphaned siblings with a delivery service, not all of which were legal. Not that other option were any better; they just had to avoid people suspicion by not coming out in public that much. But other than that, they were in all, but name, perfectly socially fitting people.

The joint dinner was an all-you-can-eat banquet. Madoka already sat on their assigned table, the other Mitakihara and Asunaro girls sat on the neighboring tables. They chattering about something inside a large paper opened wide on their Mitakihara table, with Madoka stole some glance from it and added her own two cent. When she saw her family walked down the steps, she waved enthusiastically at them.

"Mama! Papa! Over here!"

From the other tables, the girls looked up at the family and gave them a wave on their own. Except for Homura, who still looking down at the sheet of paper, her sandwiches untouched.

"Good evening, Kaname-san." Mami smiled so sweetly, something that soothed Tatsuya from his bad mood. Ever since they evacuated from their home, he stopped playing around with everything he could get his hands on. They said children were the best mood reader, but Junko only believed it now.

"Homura-chan, you should eat." Madoka persuaded her friend as she pushed her sandwich plate closer into her arm reach.

"I'll eat when I want to."

"Give it up, Madoka. The most that she eats is caloriemate and instant noodle." Sayaka rolled her eyes, "Not that she need many with that stick body of hers."

"This stick body can survive getting crushed by a skyscraper. I'll manage."

Sayaka and Kyouko whistled in sarcastic awe while Mami only sighed.

"Hey, Kaname." Hinata called.

"Yes?"

"You said that Akagi wants to create a paradise. For all I know, our situation right now is not what I traditionally call paradise."

"Maybe her definition of paradise is different than us." Kyouko shrugged, "I just know that she's a complete nutjob for blowing the entire thing out of proportion. Who know whether she's not just making up things as she goes?"

"No…" Madoka clasped her hand on her mouth as she tried to remember every detail of her encounter with the supposed dead Puella Magi, "She said that her heaven is where every people can accept our existence, or something of that effect."

"Then let me think." Kyouko faked mused for a moment before throwing her hands up, "Nope. Ain't a paradise at all."

"It's because her paradise has not been achieved yet."

A new voice added herself into the conversation. Homura only glanced up a little before clicking her tongue. A white, almost holy looking girl walked up to their table with a black themed girl trailing not far behind.

"Has stalking us become you favorite pass time, Oriko?" the time mage grumbled from behind her clasped hands. The white girl only laughed it off.

"Greeting for you too, Homura-kun. But it's just… interesting events seem to unfold in your district. I can't help but to be curious."

"Back to what you said 'not been achieved yet'. What do you mean?"

"If what I heard about this… legendary Ada, then I can only presume one thing from the scenario. If the golem army is activated and attacking normal people when the parley is broken, then…"

"…There won't be any normal people." The revelation dawned on, and they could only widen their eyes in horror. Madoka shook her head in disbelieve. "Or at least, until non-magic users ceased their hostility toward Puellae Magi and integrate themselves into our lifestyle."

"It's a form of subjugation, just like when United State dropped the Fat man and Little Boy on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Using mass-destruction weapon to threaten any potential enemy from raising their hands against the superpower, creating a form of social strata through the amount of landscape sculpting one can dished out." Homura combed her hair as she leaned back on her chair, "That woman is a genius. She goaded all parties involved into doing just what she wanted by expecting us doing what we should do in such situation."

"But that's not a paradise; it's a dystopia!" Sayaka was livid. She didn't expect it to go that far.

"It is paradise. At least for us. We will get what we want the most; the freedom to use our talent unhindered by society's stigma. Not to mention the perk of being superpower. The world is ours in all but name."

A silent fell on the table, all while Sayaka looked around with incredulous expression.

"You… don't actually considering it, right?"

"Well, it's world domination. Who don't want that?" Kirika shrugged carelessly.

"Siddhartha Gautama?" Kaoru answered with a smirk, a notion that Kirika didn't share the sentiment of.

"It was a rhetorical question."

"Beside it's already too late." Oriko said as she took a table beside them with tag of Inaba, "The Order already decided after they heard about the sieging of Mitakihara. Beside, attacking us was what they did to us 21 years ago and what they did so many time to our ancestors. If you think that we'll let it happen many years to come, then we're sorry to disappoint you."

Sayaka's frown went even deeper. The tension was visible. It was almost looked like everyone was preparing to pull out their respective weapon and start the bloodbath right on the table. It was difficult and frightening when she remembered just what these girls were capable of, but after gathering some measly courage, Junko clapped her hands together, distracting the girls from problem they had in hands.

"It's getting late. We should eat our dinner before it goes cold, right?"

She said it with the most cheerful voice she could muster. She didn't know whether they'd buy it or not (she suspected it didn't), but when the girls started to go back eating, she sighed in relief.

Kaname family dined as they chatted amicably with patrons of other tables, trying their best to avoid some of the more uncomfortable subjects and the impending problem. After much nagging, Homura finally finished her plate of sandwiches. Nearby fellow patrons rejoiced at this, which then the black haired girl deadpanned as 'her second bicycle training'. But beside that, the dinner was peaceful enough.

Unfortunately, the thought wasn't shared by other inhabitants. Several girls, seemingly representative of Yokohama, were making fuss over something that Nara people had shown them. Junko only heard some of the conversation, it had something to do with the South East Alliance and the sightings, but she couldn't make any sense of it.

The artificial peace didn't hold on for long, not when they knew their situation was far from peaceful. When they retreated to their assigned place, Madoka would sit on the windowsill and stared out to something far away out of the town.

Junko watched silently as she saw her husband took a seat beside their eldest, speaking in a hushed tone. Madoka didn't turn to him, but she could hear the girl answered back at her father's conversation. A long and mouthful answer.

The businesswoman would be glad if their family didn't break apart from the sudden change, and talking with each other could always help them understand each other better, to know just what kind of issue that nagged in each other's mind. With the society that survived through secret and deception, the sudden torrent of truth would destroy someone's view of this world. But at least it was better than to keep lying to those who finally found out.

She just wished that those whispers toward her husband could just stop already.

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May the 23rd, 2011

She slouched on the couch, hand on the TV remote as she tried to escape those news that started to become unbearable with each passing days. Conspiracy theorist and paranormal expert (those things are really exist?) wormed out of the woodwork and spouting their nonsenses. More sighting of the magical girls from around the world made these people grew bolder, and even became somewhat a cash cow for these so called 'expert'.

Of course, the quality of the true and fake 'expert' could be seen from what their theories were about. The initial wave of theories, when that first recording of battle against Walpurgisnacht surfaced in the internet, were surprisingly accurate, if not for their missing details and handwaving at the holes in those theories. How they existed, what they were fighting, the reason why they had not making themselves public yet, those kind of things that somehow went through the Order's watch and festering the mind of normal people.

The fake on the other hand, only grasping at a thin thread in the dark. They had no goal in which they wanted to convey, and more like a reflex babbling that people would shout when they were startled. Just trying to ride the infamousness of the mainstream gossip.

One of those theories was saying the Puellae Magi are child eaters. Just how absurd they could be?

But the sightings were not a lie. She heard the news, said coming from the South East Alliance, saying the real reason for those videos were to gain as much sympathies from the normal, to blunt the ensuing damage from the incoming clash between magic and non-magic people.

Many were skeptic at this.

But Oriko had pointed out that most, if not all, of those recordings were depicting the heroism of the Puellae Magi. They couldn't hide the fact that this extraordinary girls were fighting with ferocity of a wild beast and the damage to both material and physical were horrible and bloody, but they showed that these girls were doing a great service toward mankind as a whole.

"Almost like some sort of propaganda, don't you think?"

"It is propaganda. She tried to erase the assumptions that…" the sentence was left hanging.

Junko glanced up toward her company. Red eyes met her purple ones. Then she remembered something of this supposed dead girl.

"Do you miss you family?"

"I heard that my father committed suicide, while my sister is happily married. I had said it once; my existence is no longer needed in actuality. They don't need to know."

"But you're here, alive."

"Only because of your daughter's kindness. A misplaced kindness."

Junko could see that. Even though her voice was talking with distain, her eyes could never look more grateful.

"Is there nothing that can change your mind? Your family might be the possible victims of this war."

"I'll save them, but they don't need to know."

It was so sad.

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May the 27th, 2011

It was an ordinary day in their secluded life. Tatsuya was playing in the garden, with several jungle gym and swings made of used tires. Tomohisa was gardening several others after he got his permission for it, right at the time when their potatoes needed to be harvested. She still getting herself used with the housework, washing some dishes and sweeping the floor.

At least until the alarm was sounded.

"Attention, inhabitants. Red code alarm. Please proceed to the lobby to have your instruction. I repeat, red code alarm. Please proceed to the lobby to have your instruction."

Intercom that was sitting neatly at the left corner of the window suddenly screeched. She didn't even need to hear the repeat as she bolted into the lobby to search for her family.

Most Puellae Magi were already there, including Madoka, as they were watching something from inside the flatscreen TV.

"This is insane…" one of them breathed out.

"What should we do now?"

"It's too late for us to give most of them a hand. Just hope the damage won't be that severe."

"Severe?! Even though those things are weaker than Walpurgisnacht, they still are Witches without barrier. Not only the damage is real, civilians are indiscriminately slaughtered."

"Order every nearby Puellae Magi to give the ground zero's girls back-up they need; those who refuse will be hunted down! Contain the familiar spreading before it grew into neighboring district and evacuate the civilians as best as they can!"

"So, the 'hiding from public' plan had finally thrown out of the window? What should we do now?"

"They're too far for us to give any help in battle, but there's still civilian casualty. We'll provide assistance in every way possible." Nejibana grabbed the girl by her shoulder and shook her once to emphasize her point, "Remember why we became Puella Magi and the reason why we still surviving to this day…"

"The closest Hyades checkpoint is, as you can expect, Kyoto. Other ground zeros will take more than 7 hours on foot, like Nagasaki, Hokkaido, and Tokyo. It's better if we send our strongest frontliners to Kyoto, while others go to the rest of the checkpoints, preferably those who can close long distance in to Hokkaido."

"Well, I got wings… But I can't carry more than two at the same time." Madoka murmured.

"My wings drain me too much of my strength." Homura added, "But my power can save time if only we can find a way to have you guys physically connected with me."

"Connected? Then you got yourself a deal, Akemi-san." Homura nodded at the older girl.

"I'm counting on you, Mami-san."

They said many jargons that she could not understand, but there was a same sense of determination in their eyes. They would abandon their longtime secrecy to help people that might turn their back on them. She couldn't reach her daughter and said to her a good luck before she run with her fellow magical girls until the stormy weather that suddenly brewed outside.

The television channels were all broadcasting this unusual sight. Out of nowhere, gigantic shadow came out of the line of clouds and started raining death to unprepared civilians. Buildings crumbled in a blink of eyes and lives were gone to hell as death rays and unknown diseases plaguing their flesh. In the middle of this chaos, countless young girls in various costumes and various colors dashed through the wreckage, engaging with the strange shadow and healing the wounded.

Eyes of children everywhere brightened up at the sight, while their parents only hugged them closer into themselves. When these girls walking through the ruined landscape with nothing but mild bruises and dust on their clothes, it was almost inhuman. It was something that people would be in awe of, something that people would be feared of. These inhuman young girls, shining so brightly in the middle of grim and ruined landscape.

This happened in every corner of the world, without exception. More than 350 Hyades were unleashed on the entire world at the same time; there was no way to miss it. And in everyone's head, one musing surfacing and repeating like a broken record, almost like they didn't want to acknowledge it.

Magical girls are exist.

It was all according to plan. The masquerade was broken. There wasn't a single life didn't know their existence.

But several girls that were chosen to stay behind the 'anthill' still expressed their concern over the matter. Saying that it wasn't over for them yet. Saying that it was just a preparation for the even larger stage of mayhem and riot.

The hot air from explosions of the fights didn't dismiss even it was miles away and the rain already turned into great storm. Junko brushed her finger underneath her nose, watching the small trickle stained her nail. She didn't really listen to those murmurs. She only wanted her family could be together again, even after the entire fiasco.

On May the 28th, at 20.19, her wish came true. All magical girls from the Order came back with their legs dragging behind them in a sluggish limp, so full of exhaustion and burden. Dark rings under their eyes and dirty stains from rain and mud.

Of course, she saw the broadcast of their act. The press seemed to take a special delight at them, trying to do some interview and generally being bothersome for those who just tried to help the casualties. There was nothing escape from the camera, a full 24 hours live broadcast.

On May the 29th, they went back to their home. The place was in a surprisingly good condition, with nothing marking their absence other than thin layer of dust and several expire food items. Madoka didn't say much since they went back, locking herself inside her room. Sayaka had asked her to watch over the girl, saying that before their escape to Nara, she didn't sleep keeping watch on the house at paranoia of Secret Service breaking through, a paranoia that was right on the mark.

On June the 2nd, Kazuko knocked on her door with Sayaka trailing not far behind. She heard from the teacher Sayaka had a great fight with her mother, and run to Homura's house since then. It was two days ago, and the blue haired girl still didn't budge from her decision. She might never stepping her feet again in that apartment as long as both her and Yurino still as thickheaded as they were now.

The girl quickly slipped inside Madoka's room and locked the door. Kazuko only patting her on the shoulder at this.

"They surely are planning something."

"…Who…? The girls or the government?"

"Both." Kazuko said as she downed the entire glass of neon blue cocktail, her eyes surprisingly sharp for someone who had gulped three shots.

"You don't have to say that. I even heard there would be a war."

"Madoka-chan will be in it?"

"It's her responsibility, or something… I'm not that sure anymore."

"The school is quite in riot too. Everyone started pointing at random girls, saying that they're magical girl. Now knowing what those girls can do, people suddenly feel that they're losing their privacy. Which I think as the biggest bull of all. Those that already identified as magical girls had stopped coming to school and under supervising. They can't even go to bathroom without alerting one personnel."

"Including Sayaka-chan?" Kazuko nodded, "It's what they're fearing; they dislike being under watch."

"They might do some violence if they kept under this kind of pressure."

Junko shook her head.

"They actually already planning to do some resistance after they heard about Mitakihara sieging, but the real problem is politic, I guess. Something about a conspiracy they made with those old men. I heard about some sort of reset button from the girls' side that could wipe all mankind." Junko shrugged. "Don't know the exact detail, though."

"Almost feel like a dream…"

That night, Junko had her husband drove Kazuko home. As she walked back inside the house, she saw Sayaka stared down at her impassively. Junko sighed; the girl's presence was almost like a ghost.

"She's one of them?"

"Why do you think they let her escorting me to this house, Junko-san?" the girl walked down the steps, hand on the banister. "I know Kazuko-sensei is a good woman, but I can't feel save. Not now… with every eyes watching me…"

"Sayaka-chan… you're just-"

"Paranoid? I guess I need more of it at times like this."

"Sayaka-chan, can you tell me more about… this?"

"About what?"

"Everything. Everything that I need, and want, to know."

June the 6th, the international world seemed to fight over something that no longer comprehensive since their argument about the potential threat of magical girls. Pro and contra thrown about in reckless abandon, with no one asking what the magical girls' opinion they had on the entire matter. Religious opposition started brewing up, saying that those girls were witches and demon spawns. Unnatural and have no place in this world. Her face was red at this. How dare they?!

Some even already started 'burn the witch' and stock act. Just what era they're in right now? Medieval Europe?

Anarchy was everywhere, and there was no solution in sight.

Second Arc, Broken Masquerade Ends

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A short chapter for my standard, but I can't think any other way to end this arc. Mostly I wanted to warp it in previous chapter but the transition felt iffy, so I ended change the perspective and thus, dividing the chapter. I had planned the circumstance of the reveal of magical girls to the world an anticlimax moment, in the way that it happens off screen. Mostly because the act of revealing the existence of Puellae Magi itself already dragged too long.

Of course, the exact details like the Hyades and the collateral damage from their appearance could still be elaborated again.

For Faust91x, I would like to say that it isn't really a reference, but it's the very same Kafuka Fuura.