"Is this how you plan to end your reign then, Akemi Homura?"
Royal-blue pools peered with disdain at the white furry creature she'd entrapped at the beginning of her rule. Its fluffy tail swished back and force, catching the former magical girl's gaze. "I do not intend to cease my rule, Incubator." She quipped, brushing her raven locks back in a dramatic fashion. "I merely intend to form a compromise with the Goddess. We may still keep our happy dream, as we wanted, so long as we do not interfere in the business of the Magical Girl system aside from offering comfort." The furry critter shook its head, its long appendages swinging with the motion. "This is why we will never understand you humans. You change your minds so quickly; soon it will only be a matter of time before you change it again to suit your wants in that moment." Red beady eyes glanced over to the sleeping redhead, her head resting gently on the raven-haired girl's lap. "Based on your desires a mere two months ago, I was certain that you would have been more inclined to ascend to the Law of Cycles with Kaname Madoka, as that is the girl you had poured such meaningless emotions into." It sighed in resignation. "Yet it appears that human emotions are fleeting, and change at a moment's notice. Since when did you ever harbor such emotions for Sakura Kyouko in the first place? It just doesn't make sense."
"Love doesn't have to be logical," Homura replied with a distant smile, her gaze on the scarlet Devil atop her lap, her breathing soft and quiet. A small blush formed on the raven-haired girl's cheeks. "That's what makes it so special. It makes up its own rules, and ignores the ones that already exist." Kyuubey almost slipped out of its perpetual smile at hearing such an illogical statement. "It is emotions like this that have led us Incubators to believe that humans are an unstable race, and therefore cannot be used as a reliable source of energy for the universe." It closed its eyes. "With that in mind, perhaps you would be willing to release me from this world?" A pale hand grabbed at the scruff of its neck, forcing Kyuubey to pry its eyes open, staring into the cold eyes of the raven Devil. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that, Kyuubey." Royal-blue eyes narrowed, her grip tightening. "You are the Incubator that brought us girls into this mess in the first place. Therefore, since we need at least one Incubator to absorb the grief cubes of the Majuu, you will take responsibility and remain here, doing your job as the caretaker of magical girls." A glint of violet shimmered amidst the royal-blue orbs. "Do I make myself clear, Incubator? You made this mess. You clean it up."
She dropped the creature back down to the floor with a satisfying THUD, its eyes forced shut from the impact. "…Very well. I suppose it is only logical to assume responsibility for my actions." It pushed itself to its paws, staring up at its long-time captor with half-lidded eyes. "With that being said, you and Sakura Kyouko are no longer one of my magical girls. I will take my leave of you, now. Do take care in your task of hospitality." With that, the creature turned on its heel, stepping with padded paws out of sight of the two Devils, where it would hopefully never make its acquaintance with them ever again. Homura watched the critter go, a satisfied smile on her face. Finally. Finally, she would no longer have to have that messed up creature in her life. Not to harm Madoka, not to make things harder for Kyouko…nothing. She closed her eyes softly, feeling the venom leaving her system once more, her eyes back to the royal-blue pools they always possessed.
She was free.
After what felt like an eternity, she was free of the suffering that came with being a magical girl. She didn't have to worry about repeating the timeline, over and over and over again. She didn't have to despair over the fact that she was the only person who would ever remember the existence of Kaname Madoka, the girl she'd fought so long to save. And finally, she didn't have to worry about the constant battle between her and the people from the Law of Cycles in order to maintain her rule. With such a favorable outcome like the one that she'd found, it seemed like there would be a drawback, such as her losing anyone she loved. Yet, looking at the scarlet Devil she was supporting, she knew; she didn't get any drawbacks from this at all.
"So, that rat-face Kyuubey is finally out of our hair, huh?" Said redhead pushed herself off the raven Devil's lap, staring up at her with groggy eyes. "About time. I was ready to punch his face in the last time I saw him. I mean, seriously! He creates all these problems with the witches and the Majuu and everything else, and then he and his kind just expected to high-tail it outta here, with no consequence?!" She slapped her hands together, as if slapping the Incubator away. "Forget that!" Homura smiled at her lover's antics. "Yes. Kyuubey may be the only Incubator remaining, but he WILL remain to take responsibility for the magical girls that have been contracted." She reached out a hand, taking a scarlet lock in her grasp, feeling the velvety texture through her fingers. "But let's not think about that creature. He's no longer our problem, after all." Homura smiled softly, slowly leaning her face toward the redhead's, her eyes fluttering softly shut.
What met her was a palm in the face. Royal-blue eyes blinked in bewilderment as she looked questioningly at her lover. Kyouko frowned. "We'll have time for that later, Homura! Weren't we gonna go see Madoka and the others off?" With that, she pushed herself up to her feet, simultaneously taking hold of Homura's hands and pulling her up as well. "C'mon! We don't wanna miss the sendoff, after all!" Kyouko grinned light-heartedly at the younger girl, gently leading her along as she stepped out of the bedroom, proceeding out of the Devils' abode and out towards the park, where she knew the others were waiting for them.
"They're late." Sayaka muttered, glancing down at a nonexistent watch on her gloved hand in irritation. "They've got someone who devoted her whole existence to time before; how could they lose track of it?!" The Goddess gave a soft giggle, her voice lilting and bell-like. "I'm sure Kyouko-chan just needed another nap before they went to go see us off. It's perfectly fine; we're not in a hurry, after all!" Golden eyes glanced down at Mami, who was sitting beside Nagisa, giving her farewells. "It's going to be lonely, not having you guys around all the time to talk to…" The blonde noted sadly, her eyes wavering at the notion. Yellow-red eyes softened in understanding as the snowy-haired child responded with a gentle hug. "Nagisa understands…not having someone near to help and comfort you can be hard. But Nagisa knows that Cheese can be strong! And if ever Cheese needs someone to talk to, you can always come talk with Pumpkin-chan and Apple-chan, since they're here to comfort and shelter you when you need a happy dream." Her expression grew firm. "That being said, Cheese, do your best! Don't go out of your way to die early just so you can rejoin Melon-chan, Raspberry-chan and Nagisa in the Law of Cycles! These things have to progress naturally!"
"I know, Nagisa-chan…" Mami nodded in agreement, a sad smile on her soft features. "These things have to be done properly. I can't just speed up the process. That would make me a pretty lousy sempai, after all!" She attempted a reassuring smile, but it was clearly forced. Nagisa smiled back, patting the older girl's shoulder for comfort. "You'll be okay, Cheese…"
"Hey, everyone's still here!"
The cheery voice of a certain redhead resounded through the park, causing all the girls to glance over at the two Devils approaching the area. "I thought you'd try to leave without saying goodbye!" Sayaka rolled her eyes. "Only if you guys were any slower! What, were you making out or something? Was that what took you so long?" Kyouko blushed at the thought; right, they were a couple now, people might think they would do stuff like that. "Wha, no! I-I was just takin' a nap, that's all!" Homura nodded in agreement, in her lover's defense. "She's right; we haven't gotten that far yet!" Well, not when Homura was herself, anyway. The azure knight gave an amused smirk as she stared sidelong at the pair. "Sure, sure, I'm inclined to believe you two Devils, who went out of your ways to seem untrustworthy." Kyouko flinched at the remark. She hadn't been the most honest of characters in her life, but the remark kind of stung. "L…Let's just start with the…thing now." She stepped in front of the azure knight before stopping, a frown of uncertainty on her soft features. "…This is it, then, huh?" Kyouko muttered, eyes wavering. "This is where we say goodbye."
Sayaka smiled, shaking her head. "If you guys think you can get rid of me that easily, you've got another thing coming!" Stepping a bit closer to the redhead, she pulled the smaller girl into an embrace, feeling her tense up in surprise at the sudden action. "Even still, though…I'm gonna miss you, you little jerk." She playfully punched the side of the older girl's head before loosening her hold, staring into the scarlet pools with a sad smile. "I know your mind is set…but it would ease my conscious to admit that I really did fall for you. You're not gonna be so easy to get over, y'know?" The knight chuckled lightly, her eyes tinged with sadness. "So…so you'll have to forgive me if I try to steal you from under the Devil's nose." Kyouko blinked in surprise at the declaration, her face dusted with pink. "Wha…I-I'm a Devil now, too, Sayaka." She tried countering. If Homura was listening to what the azure knight was suggesting, there would surely be another battle in the park! "A-And anyways, I thought you were against stealing?" Sayaka grinned at the girl's comeback. "It's not unlawful to steal love. Besides, since when did you care about what I was and wasn't against?" She glanced toward the raven Devil, confirming her location; it appeared that she was having a diplomatic discussion with Madoka.
Well, they were both leaders in their own rights. Madoka was the leader of Law and Order, while Homura was the leader of Dreams and Fantasies. Confirming that the Devil in question was too busy with official matters to do anything, Miki Sayaka decided to try her boldest move yet. Tightening her hold around the redhead, she leaned down and pressed her lips softly against hers, eyes fluttering shut as she did so. Kyouko's eyes widened in surprise. "MMmnn!" Her muffled squeak was small and barely noticeable, but it clearly displayed her distress on the matter. Yet, with all the abuse and forced moments of passion she'd already been put through, she didn't fight it. It was better to let the azure knight get it out of her system than to push back and start another conflict, leaving things stale for whenever they might come to visit.
A fair-skinned hand rested on the knight's shoulder, causing her to break out of the kiss, leaving both her and the redhead flustered. A sheepish grin made its way to the blue-haired girl's face as she glanced over to see Tomoe Mami's stern expression of disapproval. "S-Sorry, Mami-san…but it's at times like these where you should have no regrets, right?" The blonde sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know why you're apologizing to me, Miki-san, when Kyouko's the one that you've traumatized." With a firm hold she pried the knight away from her remaining family member, stepping closer to the girl, noting her wavering eyes of uncertainty. Even after being fully tainted by the curse of the Devil, Sakura Kyouko was still rather pure and innocent. A small smile made its way to the blonde's lips. "At least I know that's never changed." The redhead glanced up at her former mentor. "Ah, Mami…" Given the last encounter they'd had with one another, she still felt uneasy, not to mention exposed. Even during the farewell party, Kyouko had found it hard to look the blonde's way. Mami frowned at her straying glance. "I'm really sorry for what I did before, Kyouko." Gold eyes stared softly into scarlet. "I had completely misunderstood this whole time what it was you were trying to do. Why you had betrayed me in the first place…it was so that you didn't cause the death of another family member."
"I don't care what my reason was, Mami." The redhead chided herself. "It was still unnecessarily cruel, what I did, and I'm sorry I hurt you." She glanced toward the raven-haired girl, watching her as she quietly made amends with the pink-haired Goddess. It came as a relief to her to see that Homura didn't seem to have any lingering feelings for the ethereal female. Whatever insane crush she'd once had on the girl was gone, just as Sayaka's long-time crush on that violin player had faded away. She blushed slightly at the thought of the blue-haired girl again and quickly shook her head, attempting to remove it from the forefront of her mind. "I know it's a little late to be asking this, especially after all that I've put you through…" Her scarlet eyes softened, reminiscent of the childlike innocence they once had when she'd first contracted. "But would you accept…being my sister?" Mami stared at the younger veteran, her lips parted as she took in the request; she smiled softly, taking the redhead's hands in hers as she stared into her eyes. "I'd be honored…if you don't mind accepting this poor excuse of a sister, anyway." She added jokingly, a playful shrug from her shoulders. Kyouko smiled back, pulling the blonde into a gentle embrace. "Idiot. It takes one to know one, doesn't it? I'm not exactly the model sister, either." She closed her eyes gently, taking in the warmth of the older girl. It had been a long time since she'd been able to open up to the blonde.
No. Maybe this had been the only time she'd truly opened herself up to her. If she had been honest from the start, they never would have had to go through the heartache that they did. But on the other hand…if they hadn't, it was possible that this outcome would have turned out differently. It was all a matter of cause and effect. She might have lost the opportunity to end up together with Homura, if things had turned out differently.
Would she have wished this any other way?
"Things turned out for the better…didn't they?" The redhead murmured softly into the blonde's shoulders. "In the end, we got our happy dream…without having to keep the Law of Cycles restrained. Sure, Homura and I are pretty much banned from going to visit the Law of Cycles or even helping a magical girl in need against any Majuu, but I think that's fine. We never did connect well with the rest of society in the first place. And it's not like you guys can't come to visit us. Honestly, I kinda like the idea of our little realm being a Paradise for everyone." Mami nodded in agreement, tightening her hold on the redhead for just a moment longer before she released her, stepping back, a smile on her face. "I'll be sure to visit your house every day, Kyouko." The blonde assured, glancing over at the raven Devil, noting that her conversation with the Goddess had ended. "So long as Akemi-san is okay with the intrusion, at least." Kyouko grinned light-heartedly. "Who, her? Don't worry, she doesn't bite too much. Besides, telepathy's always a pretty handy tool to make sure it's safe to come by." Mami blinked in confusion, tilting her head to the side. "…Safe? Why wouldn't it be safe?" The redhead flinched, stuttering slightly. "Ah, uh…well, Homura might…um…well, y'know…and I-I don't think…"
A pale hand rested on Kyouko's head, catching her off guard. Somewhere in the midst of her stuttering, Homura had made her way back over to the redhead, stopping in front and placing a hand on her lover's head, petting it softly. "You're cute when you stutter. What exactly is it that you think I will try to do?" Kyouko shrugged helplessly. Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Homura herself, rather than the Devil side of her. Surely a kiss or two, she knew, but did she ever want to genuinely take it further? "…Never mind. Your Devil side's just got my mind all muddled." The raven-haired girl chuckled lightly. "Mine? When yours is the master of illusion? In all honesty, so long as I have compassion towards you, I don't think that side of me should spill forth again." Kyouko nodded in understanding, a thoughtful expression on her soft features. "And as for mine…I think she's always here." Her hand flew to her breast, where the heart would be located. "She is me…so I don't think I should have any problem with being taken over like I was."
Mami stood by, watching the Devils' exchange with a small smile. It was a little surreal, watching the redhead's happiness from afar as if they had been regular humans progressing through the different walks of life, and she was now watching her sister figure leave with the one that she loved. No, she reminded herself, they would never leave. Both Akemi-san and Kyouko would always be there. "Well, shall we watch them go?" She suggested helpfully, catching the scarlet and raven pair's attention as they turned to face the Goddess and her messengers. Kyouko blushed lightly at the sight of Sayaka, a troubled frown on her face, but she quickly shook it off. There would be plenty of time to sort out that awkwardness later.
The pink-haired deity looked down at her friends, a smile on her face. "This is where we part, now." She stated softly, watching as Sayaka and Nagisa conjured forth their elephant-driven chariot and climbed in. "But this isn't goodbye. After all, we can come see you when we want to. Be sure to expect plenty of visits, Homura-chan, Kyouko-chan. As Goddess, I'm afraid I will have to check up on you to make sure you are adhering to your end of the deal, and aren't interfering with the Magical Girl system aside from offering a place of comfort if they should need it." Golden eyes shimmered with sadness as she and the other girls began to rise in the air, the pathway to the Law of Cycles opening up once more. "As much as we'd like to do more, I'm afraid we can't fight the battles for them. I exist as only a concept, now…and you must exist as only a dream-keeper." She closed her eyes softly, feeling the aura from her perpetual realm flowing through her every being, becoming once more every bit of the Goddess she once was, the being that existed to take in the souls of magical girls so that they would not suffer as witches.
As the three ascended high up into the skies, a bright light shone from the realm above, enveloping everything in a sea of white for just a moment. Once the light had finally cleared, the three remaining girls looked up with squinted eyes, only to find that all trace of Madoka and her messengers were gone. Mami released a long, drawn-out sigh. It was sad…but she was glad it was finally over. It had only taken place for about two months, yet to the blonde the illusionary world felt like it had lasted a lifetime. Collecting herself, the older girl turned to glance over at the Devils, a sad smile on her lips. "Well…goodbye…I'd best be on my way back home. I'll come and visit you two every once in a while, okay?" Without waiting for a response, the blonde stepped away, taking her leave. She walked out of the park, leaving the pair standing by themselves.
"So…" Kyouko mused quietly, staring ahead at where the blonde had disappeared to, before glancing back at the skies with a wistful expression. "I guess that's it." Homura nodded, placing an arm around the older girl's waist. "That's all it can be right now. We cannot go to anyone. If they should want to see us, or if they should need the comfort of our dream, they can come to us. But I'm afraid Madoka has forbid us from interfering in the mortals' domain any further." Pressing lightly against the redhead's back, she led her gently out of the park, making their way slowly to the Devils' abode, where they would have to remain. Sure, it was possible with the power of illusion to create an entire realm for them to enjoy in their home, but in the end, they were not to leave the house again, in the event that the Devils should be tempted to take control of the mortals' existence once more. That was what Madoka had said. And, as long as she had Kyouko by her side, Homura was willing to stand by those conditions.
"Let's go home, Kyouko."
Tomoe Mami came and went from the Devil's abode from time to time, enjoying the company of the two magical girls as she shared stories of her exploits. In time, however, the blonde began to weaken from her battles, and soon she, too, was taken in by the Law of Cycles, relieving her of any suffering she had to face against the might of the Majuu. The remaining Incubator continued to watch over the last of the magical girls in the world, yet slowly, over time, these girls began to dwindle, until there were almost none left.
It was only natural. As the Incubator was set on giving up on their world, it did not contract another girl since the end of the Devil Homura's tyranny. While it collected the grief cubes that the girls had handed it, the Incubator remained set on the idea of leaving the pathetic human race to handle on its own, eventually leaving them defenseless against the Majuu. Of course, this was a long time past. Countless ages had come and gone before the last magical girl was finally taken into the Law of Cycles, and with that, Kyuubey had fulfilled its responsibility. It no longer had any reason to stay around this planet any longer.
So, as it had once tried a long time before, the Incubator left the human race, heading off with its hive-like race to search for other, more reliable sources of energy for the universe. The magical girls of the human race had fulfilled their purpose. Perhaps if the being known as witches had been more readily accessible, Kyuubey might have been more inclined to harvest the girls more readily, as the benefits would have been far worth it, but as it was the system had been turned completely against the Incubators' favor. The power of wishes had been underestimated. Perhaps in the future, they would think to limit the types of wishes offered, as the genies in the stories of humans were always said to do.
After all, the truth of the matter was, without Law and Order there would be Chaos. And with Chaos, there could not be a balance. The Incubators required a set balance in order to stabilize the energy of the universe. With heads held high, the proud scientific race disappeared from sight, in pursuit of a more reliable method to combat the entity known as Entropy.
"It's quiet out there…" The soft voice of the redhead resounded off the walls of the living room as she peered outside. From what Sakura Kyouko could tell, it appeared as if the Apocalypse had struck the land. Whether that was through the influence of the Majuu, or simply through human stupidity, it was always hard to tell. From the start, she'd seen how cruel and wasteful humans could be; it truly was a miracle that the race lasted as long as they did. Maybe they had been destined for extinction, from the start.
"Humans no longer walk the land, after all." The cool voice of her lover attracted Kyouko's attention as she glanced around behind her, watching as the raven Devil made her way closer. She was wearing that black spaghetti-strap dress again. She seemed to like that look, Kyouko silently noted. "The species of human had lived much too long for their own good in the first place, after all. They thought themselves above all other creatures…" Homura placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder, a small frown fixed on her pale features. "But in the end, they were simply mammals. No stronger, no faster, and no smarter than the rest of the animal kingdom. It was only a matter of time before they perished. Even without the help of the Majuu, this outcome would have come to pass."
Kyouko nodded solemnly, staring vacantly out the window for a few more moments of silence before finally releasing a sigh, closing the curtains to the outside world and leaning back against the younger girl. "I guess you're right about that. Even without magic, humans would have killed each other off. That sense of 'emotion' we all evolved with may allow us to love and care to the point that we would make a wish, but it also made humans selfish and conceited." She closed her eyes softly, taking in the warmth of her raven-haired partner. "Sometimes I wonder what my life would've been like if I had remained human…would I have become selfish and conceited, as well?" Homura smiled, shaking her head, taking the redhead's hand in hers as she led her gently away from the window and toward the dining room, where they already had the supplies set up for making paper dolls. "Don't be silly, Kyouko. You've always been a pure soul with nothing but good intent for the people you care about. It is sweet souls like yours that get tested against the cruelty of mankind." Kyouko nodded slowly, her scarlet eyes fluttering open as she contemplated what her lover said. They stopped in front of the dining room table, their bare feet brushing against the tatami-mat floor. "Sweet soul, huh? I wouldn't go that far. Remember that I've always had a nasty temper." The raven-haired girl shrugged lightly before gently setting herself and her lover down on different pillows, getting themselves comfortable for the project at hand.
"It sure would be nice if everything could've stayed a happy dream," Kyouko mumbled softly, taking a piece of paper in hand as she passed another piece off to Homura. "Then nothing cruel would've happened…no one would have had to suffer, or get hurt. We could've all just remained happy." The raven Devil glanced quietly at her scarlet partner, a sad smile on her face. "Oh, but Kyouko…don't you remember what you told me so long ago?"
"Dreams end."
A/N: Aaaand that's a wrap! As happy as the compromise is, they couldn't really do anything about the eventual extinction of the human race. And, well, they're immortal, so they just kind of hang around.
Sayaka's not done yet, and since she too is immortal she can come by with the others as many times as she wants to try to steal Kyouko, or share her, or something in Greek mythology. I dunno. Still, Kyouko prefers a more pure love, and Homura doesn't want to share. So, Sayaka will just have to keep on trying. XD
This may be the end of the story, but I'm not quite done with this fanfic yet! I still need to put out a bonus chapter, along with a cover art. I made one, and I like it, but I might consider making a couple more and deciding between them.
Once again, I'd like to thank you all for your support! This has been an amazing adventure, and I really hope that any future projects I make (after the bonus chapter, of course) will be as good, though maybe not as "cheery". As usual, I would love to hear everyone's comments and suggestions.
See you all for the bonus chapter!
