Chapter 21

Imposter

The city was in ruins. The looming shadow of Walpurgisnacht bore down upon it, a mad jester leering at the carnage, suffering, and death it had inflicted. So many lives were lost, including her friend Mami Tomoe.

"Well, I better get going." Madoka said calmly.

"But… Miss Tomoe… that thing killed her!"

"I know, but someone has to stop Walpurgisnacht, and I'm the only one left who can."

"No! You can't beat it by yourself, it's too strong! It'll kill you too, Miss Kaname!"

"Even so, I have to protect everyone. It's my job. I'm a magical girl."

"Please… We can run away… I mean, this is hopeless! No one would blame you if you did, Miss Kaname!" Homura begged and pleaded. Madoka was everything to her. She couldn't lose her too!

"Homura. It's okay. I'm glad I got to become friends with you. Saving you from that Witch was the best thing I ever did. And I'm always going to be proud of that. Y'see? That's why, in the end, I'm glad I got to become a Magical Girl. I really am!"

"Miss Kaname..."

"Goodbye, Homura! Take care!" She smiled gently, that smile that signaled her doom. She leaped off into the distance, towards the Witch, as a blinding light shone forth, while Homura could only scream.

"Wait! Don't go! MISS KANAME!"

Homura awoke, to find herself lying on some sort of altar. Standing over her was a purple skinned man. One of the gods, she remembered. And then she recalled where she was. Olympus.

"What happened?"

"You passed out. But don't worry, you have been granted the honor of being healed by Apollo, god of medicine!" The purple skinned man said dramatically. "Though I must say, your anatomy is a bit unusual. But, I suppose that's what to expect from an offworlder! Doctor's recommendation: You should get more sleep."

"I'll take it into consideration." Homura said flatly.

"Ah well, time to join in the celebrations! Dionysus is breaking out the good stuff!" He shrugged, and walked away. As he did, Homura sat up. The sun had set, and it was night. If anything, Olympus looked even more beautiful after dark. Beneath a starry sky, the gods danced about, glowing with lights of their own as they flew from island to island, celebrating their victory.

"Homura! You're okay!" She heard a familiar voice, and turned to see Sora approaching her.

"Yes, it seems." She stood up, and looked around. "Where are the others?"

"Donald and Goofy are joining the party. Hercules went back down to Thebes to be with Meg."

"He's not staying up here with the gods?"

"Nope. He said: 'I can visit my family anytime I want. If I stayed, I'd have to be apart from the person I love most… And that life would be empty.' Or something like that."

"Empty..." Homura pondered.

"But enough of that, look!" Sora pointed excitedly into the air. Homura followed his direction, looking straight up.

There, she saw a constellation depicting Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Even as she marveled at this, she saw the stars moving through the sky, arranging themselves into another pattern. Hercules. She recalled in some of the myths of the gods creating constellations to honor heroes forever. Well, Hercules certainly deserved one.

But then, to her surprise, it didn't stop there. The stars were still moving. At first, she was confused, but then utterly shocked. The stars were arranging into a constellation of herself! She gasped in awe, though soon, her heart felt heavy.

Now that the fighting was over, she had time to think. To find the truth. They thought she was a hero… but… she wasn't one. She wasn't brave or compassionate. She hadn't set out to save any of them. She had only joined up with the others for her own selfish goals, and then blundered her way into success. She was a nothing girl. No family. No past. No future. She did not deserve success, thus she had to break the laws of the World in order to cheat her way to a semblance of victory.

"Haha! That's amazing! Congratulations Homura!" Sora grabbed Homura's hands and spun her around, dancing.

But she wanted this… this connection, this friendship. Even though it was brief, traveling with Sora, Donald and Goofy had brought to her a happiness she hadn't felt in years. They were courageous, yet compassionate. Confident, yet not afraid to be silly as well. It reminded her of the times she had fought alongside Madoka and the others. Those few and precious timelines where they had all been friends.

The dread chill that washed over her at the sound of the rockslide and Sora's cry of fear as the boulders came crashing down upon him.

"Say Homura, could it be that Madoka's potential to become the most powerful magical girl is because you kept turning back time?"

Homura flinched, and let go of Sora. She looked up at her constellation again. It didn't deserve to be so honored. It was a monument to falsehood and deceit. She was a liar, a killer, a violator, a monster. So many people she had hurt, so many lives she had ruined in pursuit of her selfish goals.

"I don't have much left, but this is thanks for saving me! You were amazing! I hope I can be brave like you someday!"

She wasn't brave. She was a coward, a weakling, a selfish unwanted girl who desired things she should never have.

She thought back to the what everyone had said.

"Hmm… that's a tough one. All I knew was that she was in trouble. Suddenly, I wanted to save her with all my heart, but… it's not like I could tell you how."

"Heroes never quit!"

"Yeah, we fight with all our heart!"

"I can visit my family anytime I want. If I stayed, I'd have to be apart from the person I love most… And that life would be empty."

The conclusion was clear.

"I'm leaving now."

"What?!" Sora asked.

"I can't stay with you. If I am to find Madoka, then I must focus on her to the exclusion of all else. My own wants, my own desires, they cannot factor into it. They are dangerous distractions."

"But… I can help you find Madoka! We work so well together! With all of us, we'll find Madoka for sure!"

"Sora, the time I spent with you all. It's been great, but… that's why I have to leave. This… is not the kind of person I can be. I'm so sorry. I'm no hero. You deserve better."

"But you are! Is this about the rockslide? It's not a big deal! I don't blame you!"

"And that's why I must leave you." Homura felt a pain in her chest. She realized she was fighting back tears. "I wish you well on your journey. You'll be better off without me."

She turned so he wouldn't see her cry. She wanted to stay, so badly. But pursuing her own happiness always made things worse. What right did she have to such things considering all she was and all she had done? What mattered was saving Madoka. She was alive, which meant that she was out there somewhere, lost and in danger. Madoka had a loving family and a bright future. Madoka was the one who deserved happiness, not a freak like herself. Every part of her being had to be devoted to that task. Anything less was a betrayal. Her adventure here had taught her that.

She heard a strange sound. When she looked up, she saw a dark vortex forming. That meant it was time for her to go. Her time here was over.

This was interesting. Very interesting. Xigbar didn't know the whole story, but this girl was quite a find. Though also concerning. Xehanort had unearthed a real gem, though he still wasn't entirely sure what her purpose was. On the surface she looked like your average teenage girl with magical powers. Nothing he hadn't seen a million times before on a million worlds. But there were so many interesting things beneath the surface.

He had quickly returned to base and questioned Young Xehanort. The smug punk was condescending as usual, and only revealed that Homura was involved with one of the new Princesses, who had also gone missing. But if that was the case, then why would the old man see to it himself? Finding a lost Princess might be a difficult quest, but there were plenty of other members of the organization who could perform it in his stead.

No, there had to be more to this story than was being let on. Xehanort was moving so incredibly hasty here, he hadn't even bothered to check where Sora was before sending the girl to Olympus. It was unlike his usually meticulous self.

This Homura was certainly a strange one herself. There was a lot of darkness within her, though it took a form he hadn't seen before. That transformation she had performed was full of curiosities.

Thankfully, she seemed to be leaving Sora of her own volition. He had his role to play, and Xigbar didn't want Homura driving him off-script.

But now, the million munny question: Was Xehanort still on script? He had to find out for sure, but he couldn't raise the old coots suspicions. As far as he knew, Braig was just a man obsessed with the Keyblade and willing to go to any lengths to have one.

More observation was necessary. Perhaps he could track down the errant Princess before anyone else did. That might answer some questions. But that was a journey and a half itself. Ah well, he'd been at this for ages, no use getting impatient now.

"So why are we still here?" Pete asked, as he followed Maleficent. From all accounts their business in this World was finished. There had been a moment of hope when he had unearthed the box, but according to Maleficent, it was the wrong box. Apparently, that right box would have some sort of 'Book of Prophecies' in it. He didn't see what was so important about it. Pete rarely read. Books were for nerds after all.

However, it did seem highly important to Maleficent. But if it it wasn't here, then why were they still on this World? Especially in the realm of the gods?

"Silence, fool. I am observing." Maleficent snapped as she looked out the window of the building the two of them were currently in.

"Observing what?" Pete stepped over to the window and then gasped. It was the black-haired girl from earlier!

"W-why are you obs-s-serving h-her?" He stammered.

"She intrigues me..."

"Really? To me she's… she's…" Pete remembered the distorted voice, glowing eyes, and unnatural flames. "Scary..."

Maleficent snarled. "If I wanted your opinion, I would ask for it!"

"S-sorry!" Pete shrunk away. Why did she always have to be so mean? "It's just, what's so intriguing about her anyways?"

"Plenty of things. Her abilities are so very fascinating. She could be very useful."

"Useful for what? I thought we were going after that book? Does she know where it is?"

"Not likely. However, I have many schemes, and it always helps to have more than one fuse lit."

Maleficent chuckled as she opened a Dark Corridor and walked inside. Pete shuffled dejectedly after her. "Aww man. She never tells me anything!"

"No! Homura, that's not true!"

Homura's words filled him with dread, but even worse was what he could sense around her. Wisps of darkness swirled about Homura as she spoke. He was about to warn her when something even worse appeared. A Corridor of Darkness appeared out of the blue. He dropped into a fighting stance, expecting an Organization member to emerge. But none did. The portal just stood there. What was happening?

"What's going on?" He heard footsteps, and turned to see Homura walking to the portal. "Homura! Don't go in there! Homura!"

But she said nothing. She paid his words no heed. She didn't turn around. The Corridor closed and she was gone.

Homura marched through the darkness. It had been hard, but now, she could focus on what really mattered. The Devil, for all her arrogance, was correct. The last few years in her perfect world had softened her, made her forget how to concentrate on a goal and pursue it no matter what, her only redeeming quality. She supposed she could have thanked Sora and his friends for reminding her of that, but that was just a distraction. Eyes filled with determination, Homura kept walking.

"You, Homura Akemi, are a demon!"

Homura stopped and stared. A silhouette appeared in the distance, drawing ever close. Out of the gloom stepped Sayaka Miki. She wore her Puella Magi costume, a blue and white corset and miniskirt, mixed with thigh-high stockings, elbow gloves, and a flowing cape.

She held out her hand, and suddenly a cutlass was in her grip, pointed at Homura.

"I warned you! I told you this was bad! You've broken the Law of Cycles! You've ruined everything!" As she spoke, a greater shadow formed behind her. A gigantic mermaid clad in knights armor took shape. "Our salvation is lost because of you! You really are a devil!"

Homura took a step back. But then she realized that, this too, was a distraction. So she grit her teeth and kept walking.

"You took away our powers! Our knowledge! Left the world vulnerable!" Mami emerged from the darkness, also in her costume. Her arms were replaced with tentacle-like ribbons, each gripping muskets pointed at Homura. "You put everyone in danger and look what happened!"

Homura remained silent as she kept walking.

"You took away my happiness. My peace!" Nagisa appeared next to Mami, also in her costume. Her face was white and clown like, with razor sharp yellow teeth. "And for what? So you could play god? Who gave you the right?!"

The Sweets Witch slithered out of Nagisa's human form like a snake shedding its skin. It leered at Homura hungrily, its saliva dripping onto her shoulder.

Homura flicked the drool off of her and kept walking.

"Traitor!" This time Kyoko, however, her red hair was now literally fire. She rode atop a blazing nightmare horse and pointed her spear at Homura. "You never cared about any of us! You've just made everything worse!"

Homura suppressed the urge to flinch as she kept walking.

"Monster!"

"Liar!"

"Demon!"

"You ruined my life!"

"You killed everyone!"

"You'll pay for this!"

"This is all your fault!"

The accusations rang loudly through the darkness over, and over. More warped and distorted Puella Magi appeared, ones she barely recalled. They emerged from the shadows, their expressions hateful and their voices accusatory as they approached her.

Homura remained silent and kept walking. They weren't real. She kept repeating to herself over and over, even as her lip trembled. They weren't real.

"Crack baby! Crack baby!"

"Nobody loves you!"

"Freak!"

"Failure!"

"Good-for-nothing!"

"What can you expect from someone like her though?"

This time, it was her classmates from her old private school, before she moved to Mitakihara. They wore their fancy uniforms and had the faces of Clara dolls. They mocked her, ridiculed her. One of them even hurled a tomato, at her. The others followed suit, laughing and pelting her with fruit.

Clenching her fists, Homura ignored the barrage kept walking, only to find her progress stopped. The crowd had formed a circle around her, blocking her escape. Their accusations and insults were gone now, replaced with a dead silence. Footsteps could be heard in the distance. As they approached, the crowd gradually parted. A feeling of unearthly dread came over Homura as she heard those steps, drawing ever so closer. She prayed that what she feared wouldn't happen. She was let down.

Madoka Kaname stepped through the crowd. As she approached Homura, dark splotches covered her body, staining her pink dress black. Her arms elongated and turned into tentacles that dragged along the ground.

"Madoka… Please don't… I just wanted you to be happy! Please don't." Homura begged. Her strength faltered. Her legs felt weak. She collapsed to her knees, pleading over and over. "I did this for you."

"For me? For me? You think I wanted this? You think I wanted everything you cursed me with? What's wrong with you?" Madoka's voice was barely more than whisper, though it might as well have been the howling of a Titan to Homura's ears. "I never should have saved you. It was the worst mistake I ever made. I hate you!"

The crowd picked up again, their accusations and mockery drowning out Homura's protests. She covered her ears, but the noise grew louder and crueler. Finally, she took off running, closing her eyes and screaming at the top of her lungs. Where she was going she neither knew nor cared. She screamed and screamed until her throat was raw, and then she screamed more. Soon all the voices were drowned out. Eventually, she found she couldn't scream any more. She ran until she couldn't any longer. When she opened her eyes, she was alone in the void. The fruit stains were gone. None of the Puella Magi appeared to accuse her. None of her other selves arrived to mock and deride her. There was only the endless writhing darkness.

Homura realized at that moment that she had tripped and fallen while she was running. How clumsy of her. Picking herself up, she dried her tears and kept walking.

And she kept walking.

And she kept walking.

And she kept walking...

Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!

~Dragonexx