Chapter 19 - The Mahou Shoujo Killer
Madoka Kaname found herself standing in what looked like a white space. Like some kind of void. It was an area she felt like she recognised as the young girl looked around herself and saw nothing.
That is until a figure appeared before her. One with a white dress and impossibly long pink hair.
Madoka felt herself become surprised for a moment until she remembered the dreams she had been having recently.
Huh? This again? I see, then this must be another dream...
Madoka tried to look at the face of the figure in front of her, but it was like the face was being blurred out somehow. However she could see the mouth move, and eventually heard a voice come from those lips.
"...Kaname... I'm sorry..."
Unfortunately it seemed like Madoka couldn't hear every word that came forth. Only a few words from an entire sentence could be heard.
"Please, protect..."
The next thing the confused girl knew, her entire vision was engulfed in white.
Madoka Kaname awoke in bed with a start. Her thoughts rushing through her mind while breathing heavily as she found herself taken aback by the dream.
Normally she couldn't hear anything from the figure. But this time she did, even if it was only a few words.
Thinking on it more, she realised something about the voice that came from the figure.
That voice... her voice... it was... mine?
The realisation didn't really help Madoka much and in fact only served to confuse her ever more. Why would she dream about someone with her own voice? What was causing it? If there was a cause to begin with.
Her head titled towards her alarm clock and realised that it wasn't even midnight yet. With that, Madoka thought that she really should get back to sleep and hopefully dream about something much less confusing.
Homura jumped forward while turning her body around and kept her gun raised forward in front of herself. She was now able to see the owner of the voice that just asked for her name.
A young girl with an unconventional outfit. It wasn't too flashy though, no bright colours or anything. She seemed mostly clad in grey, white and black clothes, the kind of colours that allowed one to blend into the crowd decently enough.
Homura's vision zero'd in on the girl's pendant hanging around her neck with a small red gem in the middle of it. She figured that was very likely to be the Soul Gem.
"Who are you?"
The unknown individual did not immediately respond, instead she only stared at Homura blankly for a moment. The dark haired girl gripped her gun a little tighter while keeping it aimed at the mysterious girl. While Homura could see no weapon on her, she was no stranger to the intent to kill.
And this girl was practically radiating that intent.
"You... won't tell me your name?"
Homura narrowed her eyes at her. "I have no reason to tell you that."
The other girl looked down as she brought up one of her hands to stare at her palm.
"I see... that's a shame then..."
Homura thought she sounded genuinely disappointed while saying those words but didn't have much time to think on that thought as the girl suddenly charged forward at her.
A rather large sword with an orange coloured blade appeared in the Mahou Shoujo's hands as Homura responded just in time to use her shield and project a purple barrier of magic to protect herself.
The orange weapon slammed against the protective magic and Homura could feel an incredible amount of force from just that single strike. While it may have not been strong enough to break the barrier, it certainly made Homura work to keep her magical shield from showing signs of damage.
The other girl soon realised that she wasn't going to break through with a single attack so she pulled back her sword and jumped away to create distance.
Homura could then see multiple orange phantasmal swords that seemed to emit flames begin to appear above her enemy. It seemed she had a somewhat similar set of abilities to Sayaka. In fact the magical energy she was emanating was definitely somewhere around Sayaka's level too.
She's strong. I can't afford to get careless.
Homura began to turn the gears of her shield. The other girl launched those flaming swords but as the attack almost reached Homura, time froze.
The dark haired girl started to move out of the away of the attack and began walking toward her mysterious Mahou Shoujo assailant until she could get a good look at her face. Once she got within less than a metre of the girl, Homura stared right into the eyes.
Those eyes...
Homura recognised that kind of look within the eyes of her attacker. They were the eyes of someone who was completely determined to do something. This person was someone who did not do things like this on a whim, but instead most likely had a reason for it.
But what had Homura done to get attacked like this? Could it be because she was intruding on this girl's territory? But then why bother asking for a name?
Guess I have little choice but to ask her.
Homura walked around until she was right behind the sliver haired Mahou Shoujo. She switched the position of her handgun to be in her left hand and raised it up until it was aiming toward the head of the girl.
Time continued once more. The flaming swords struck a wall and exploded. The mysterious Mahou Shoujo was confused as to where the dark haired girl had gone but found out where the moment she felt the cold steel of a gun press against the back of her head.
"I'll get right to the point. Who are you and why have you chosen to attack me?"
The girl didn't seem all that scared of being shot in the back of the head as Homura could see her form relax a little. She glanced at the large orange sword pointing downwards at the floor before using her other hand to reach into her shield and silently equiped herself with another weapon. Once she did so the girl in front of her began to speak.
"...I'm Suzune Amano... as for the reason why... it's simply not something you should know..."
Homura narrowed her eyes slightly at that. So there was a reason, but it was deemed as something she shouldn't know about? Homura was certainly not satisfied with an answer like that.
"I don't think you're in any position to decide that."
She pressed the gun slightly more against Suzune's head to emphasise that point. Homura thought about this situation a little more. She really had no idea who Suzune Amano was, so it unlikely Homura had ever met her before or done something to wrong this girl in the past.
The dark haired girl then remembered how Suzune had asked for Homura's name. Perhaps this girl was looking for someone? Maybe it was just a misunderstanding that would be cleared up if Homura just revealed her identity?
It would be a risk to do so, but she eventually decided to go with it.
"Hmm, you wanted to know my name right? Then I'll tell you. I'm Homura Akemi. Mahou Shoujo from Mitakihara and as far as I know I've never met you before. Nor have I done something to wrong you, so if this is just a case of mistaken identity then-"
"No. This has nothing to do with who you are... only what you are."
Homura felt confused. What she was? What did that mean?
Unfortunately she wasn't allowed time to think on that as Suzune spun her body around incredibly fast and swung the large orange blade at Homura.
The sound of steel landing against steel rang out as Suzune was left visibly surprised to see her sword clash against another. She wondered where that black and blue katana had come from as she started to push her blade forward.
However even though Homura was only wielding the sword in one hand she still managed to push against Suzune's orange blade which kept the two swords locked against one another.
"What I am? What does that mean? Are you referring to my being a Mahou Shoujo?" Homura asked as the two swords created some light amount of sparks between them.
She didn't expect to get an answer really, so the dark haired girl was surprised that Suzune responded.
"Yes. You are a Mahou Shoujo, so I have to kill you."
As if they both had the same thought occur, both girls pulled their blades away at the same time and jumped back a moderate distance. Homura then aimed her handgun back at Suzune, her finger very much ready to pull on the trigger should the silver haired girl try anything.
So, she wants to kill me because I'm a Mahou Shoujo. But then, why ask for my name? What's the point?
She didn't get a chance to ponder on that though much longer as Suzune began to sprint forward. Homura reacted by firing a bullet immediately at her enemy's stomach.
But Suzune did not stop. At most Homura noticed the girl flinch but she continued her momentum even while bleeding from a gunshot wound until she was right in front of the dark haired girl. Homura instantly blocked an overhead sword strike with her katana. She wanted to jump back and perhaps take another shot but Suzune prevented that by immediately following up with another sword swing that aimed straight for the handgun. It connected with the weapon and knocked it right out of Homura's hand.
Before the gun could clatter on the floor the katana wielder counter attacked with a diagonal sword swing toward Suzune which forced her to block and defend against that strike.
The two began to trade blows back and forth. It didn't take long for Homura to realise that Suzune was quite experienced with her sword. It didn't seem like she was formally trained or anything, but rather it was raw talent and ability alone with a blade that allowed Suzune to keep up against Homura's sword strikes.
During the exchange of attacks, with neither side gaining a particular advantage, Homura noticed something else about Suzune's eyes. They seemed particularly focused on Homura's left hand. Almost as if she was trying to eye the Soul Gem.
It was from that realisation that Homura also noticed that some of Suzune's attacks had definitely seemed like she was going for the left hand instead of attacking the body like most opponents would.
If she wants to attack my Soul Gem, then that would mean she knows the life of a Mahou Shoujo is tied to it. And if she knows that then...
Several things clicked within Homura's mind at once.
The black and blue katana clashed with the orange blade once more as the two swords were being pushed against once another. Homura did her best to stand her ground as she began to speak.
"You the know the truth don't you? That we eventually become Witches. That's why you wish to kill me, isn't?"
A look of shock was clearly shown on Suzune's face as her sword was being slowly pushed back. However it lasted only a moment as she regained her composure.
"I see... then are you one of them?"
Now it was Homura's turn to be surprised as she didn't expect that kind of response.
"One of "them"? What exactly do mean by that?"
"The Wings of Magius. Do you know the truth because you're one of them?"
Homura broke the sword lock by jumping back a fair distance as her mind was becoming filled with questions. It looked like this encounter may yet yield some useful information after all.
"I've never heard of that before. Who are they?"
"So you're not aware of them? I see, forget about it then."
Suzune seemed uninterested in answering the question directed at her as she dismissed it and then began to channel magic into the orange blade giving it a glow of magical energy.
Homura could feel that it was becoming very powerful as a result. She positioned her katana in front of her vision and began to call upon the magic stored within the hair clip replica attached to the bottom of the sword. The black and blue blade started giving off a purple glow as Homura's magic was being sent into the blade to power it up.
Suzune shifted her posture as she readied herself for the next clash while keeping her attention squarely on the Mahou Shoujo in front of her.
Exactly what Homura wanted.
Sayaka! I need you!
The sound of breaking glass rang out in the abandoned factory as Homura watched Suzune's attention immediately shift to the new arrival. Sayaka Miki had crashed through a window and landed atop the conveyer belt as the silver haired girl was now completely distracted by the other girl's dramatic entrance.
Homura took her chance and charged forward which Suzune noticed at the last second but it was too late. Her concentration had already wavered and the power of her blade weakened because of it.
Along with the a less tight grip on her sword handle.
Homura's swung as hard as she could and managed to disarm Suzune in a single strike. As the orange sword flew through the air Homura sent out another message to Sayaka.
Restrain her!
Sayaka didn't waste a single second as her sword fragmented itself into a whipsword as she swung it forward. However instead of using the technique as a direct offensive attack, she instead utilised her ability to control the sword and forced it along a new trajectory.
Before Suzune even understood what was happening, the whipsword had wrapped around her and bound her arms to the body. Suzune tried to resist the hold but the whipsword only tightened around her. With the enemy's body restrained, Homura took a step forward, lifted up her blade and ended up pointing it directly in front of the other Mahou Shoujo's Soul Gem.
From Homura's perspective it seemed like Suzune Amano was trapped. Her arms were rendered immobile, so even if the girl could summon that orange sword back into her hand it would do little to help.
"Now then, you're going to answer my questi-"
Before Homura could even complete her sentence, Suzune's body seemed to flicker for a moment before disappearing from sight.
Both Homura and Sayaka felt their eyes widen as the enemy Mahou Shoujo was no longer in view.
Two possibilities instantly entered Homura's mind. Either Suzune also possessed the power to stop time, or she had a true teleportation ability. Considering the fact that Suzune's body emitted a flickering effect before disappearing, Homura had a feeling she actually teleported.
Sayaka's whipsword fell to the ground as the person it had been wrapped around just disappeared. The blue haired girl retracted the blade and transformed it back into its normal sword form as she looked around for any sign of Suzune.
"Where did she go?"
"I'm not sure. Be on your guar-"
For the second time, Homura's cut off her own sentence as she heard something. The sound of a bell chime. A sound right above her. She looked up and saw Suzune some metres above herself, sword in hand and ready to attack with a downward swing.
Before Homura could make an attempt to block the strike, she saw Sayaka leap into view and clash against Suzune with her own sword.
Sayaka managed to force Suzune away from Homura as the two broke the midair sword lock and landed some distance away from one another. The blue haired sword wielder shifted to battle ready stance just as Suzune did the same.
"And just what is your name?"
Sayaka felt her body shift a little from being surprised at the unexpected question but saw no reason to deny the other girl an answer.
"Oh, umm I'm Sayaka Miki..."
"I see, I'll remember your name too."
Suzune's sword suddenly was covered in flames before the girl immediately charged forward and swung her blade in a diagonal motion. Sayaka responded with her own swing as the two swords clashed together once more.
However the moment the swords connected with one another, Sayaka felt something strange overwhelm her senses for a moment.
What the...
Sayaka could feel something very strange being emitted from the flaming orange sword her cutlass was clashing against. Like there was something off about the magical energy as the opposing sword pushed against her own.
Wait a minute, could it really be...
The two girls pulled back their swords and swung back harder than before. The impact of the blades caused a small shockwave as Sayaka could sense the feeling more clearly now.
Her sword... why is it emitting magic that feels like a Witch?
Before Sayaka could think on that more, the silver haired girl backed away before her body began to flicker for a moment. Not a second later she once again disappeared.
The next thing Sayaka heard was the sound of a bell chime again. This time it was coming from behind herself. She turned her body around in time to see her opponent was right there. Sayaka them noticed that the orange blade was positioned ready to stab her.
And it was aimed for the Soul Gem.
Just as Suzune began to thrust her sword forward at her target, Sayaka started to create a small glyph to protect her Soul Gem. However neither would find out whether or not the sword could piece the magical defense as Homura suddenly appeared between the two girls. She swung her own blade in an upward motion as hard as she could and for the second time tonight she managed to disarm Suzune.
Homura immediately followed up that move by activating her shield and freezing time on the spot before Suzune could teleport again.
The time traveler took in a deep breath as she thought about something that confused her. Homura had noticed that while Suzune's teleportation ability offered her the power to launch a surprise attack on anyone, the advantage of surprise was diminished at least a little due to that bell she wore in her hair.
So why would Suzune wear something like that?
If it was simply a part of her Mahou Shoujo outfit then surely she would've thrown it away as soon as the battle began. And yet she did not do that. So what if it was not a part of the Mahou Shoujo outfit? What if it was a real item that held value to Suzune? Perhaps it had so much value that she was willing to make her teleportation ability less effective just to keep it on her person.
What Homura planned to do next was a risk, and if it didn't work then she would be left with little choice but to take Sayaka and leave the city immediately. Not that she didn't think the combined efforts between Sayaka and herself wouldn't be able to take Suzune down in a fight. But unless Homura could extract information from Suzune there was little point in continuing the battle.
The dark haired girl walked behind her opponent's form that was frozen in time. She took a hard look at the charm that was attached to Suzune's hair that kept it in a pony tail style. Homura then swung her blade and cut the string to remove the charm and bell from the hair before snatching it instantly with her free hand while making sure not to make physical contact with Suzune.
After seeing the silver haired girl not move a single muscle, Homura looked downwards to take a closer look at the charm in her hand. It looked fairly normal and ordinary. So it was definitely not a magical accessory to the Mahou Shoujo outfit Suzune wore, meaning it was regular item that she consciously wore into battle. And if that's the case...
Homura walked back towards the conveyer belt and jumped to land on top of it. She then turned around while standing up to make sure she would force Suzune to look upwards towards her and unfroze time.
The moment time continued, Homura could see Suzune's ponytail immediately undo itself as Sayaka looked incredibly confused as to what just happened. Homura decided to call out to her mentally.
Sayaka, listen to me. Do not continue fighting her at the moment. Just allow me to do the talking and only fight if negotiations fail.
Huh? Well, okay...
Sayaka wasn't sure what Homura was planning but she of course trusted her friend enough to follow through on whatever plan she had come up with.
The cutlass wielder looked back towards Suzune who seemed to have completely forgotten about the current battle as her hands reached back toward her silver hair, confused as to why her ponytail was undone. Sayaka could see the concern that was all over Suzune's face as she started to look down and around herself.
"Is this what you're searching for?"
Homura made sure to raise her voice as she spoke while lifting up the item she had taken from the silver haired girl. She watched Suzune turn around at Homura's own words and then saw surprise take over the girl's face as she was most likely wondering how Homura had taken the charm and bell.
"That's... Tsubaki's..."
Suzune's magical energy began to flare up as anger started to boil within her. The orange sword immediately flew back into her hand. The ends of her hair started to float upwards as an orange aura began to envelop Suzune's body.
"Give it back..."
Homura responded to those words by raising her handgun and aimed it directly at the charm. Her finger already on the trigger as she stared down at Suzune to see how the girl would react.
It seemed to go exactly as Homura hoped as the silver haired girl froze on the spot. Although the outpouring of anger fuelled magically energy didn't stop.
"I want two things from you Suzune Amano." Homura began, hoping that now she had something to leverage against her attacker this situation could be resolved with something actually gained from it.
"Give me these two things and I will return this back to you undamaged."
Homura watched Suzune in anticipation as her finger remained on the trigger of the gun. She was ready to make good on her threat if it came to that but it seemed like Suzune was at least considering the offer as the look on the silver haired girl's face indicated as such. After a few tense seconds of silence going by the situation seemed to become less volatile as Suzune's magical energy went down in intensity.
"...what do you want?"
Homura's felt a small sense of relief as she lowered her gun before beginning her explanation.
"Simple. Information, and to end this battle. The second should be obvious, as this fight is pointless and holds no value to me. As for the first, I want to know what it is you know about Kamihama. I am investigating this city so any information about anything strange or off you can provide would be helpful."
A few more seconds passed before Suzune started to relax her form as she came to understand what Homura Akemi wanted.
"I don't know much about Kamihama. I've only arrived in this city recently. However..."
Suzune remembered the encounter she had in Kamihama just last night. The Mahou Shoujo in black cloaks she had seen working together. As well as the other Mahou Shoujo who were strong enough to fight her off.
"...there is a group of Mahou Shoujo here in Kamihama. They call themselves the Wings of Magius."
Homura narrowed her eyes slightly as she recalled when Suzune accused her of being a part of this group because she knew the truth about Mahou Shoujo.
Thinking on it more, it was definitely odd for a Mahou Shoujo group to even have a name in the first place. Homura knew alliances were often made when multiple Mahou Shoujo inhabited a single city, but why go so far as to even give themselves a name?
"And just who they are they? Do they have a purpose for calling themselves that name?"
"I don't know that. What I do know however is that the Wings of Magius seeks to liberate Mahou Shoujo."
Homura raised an eyebrow at that. Her interest in this group growing.
"Explain."
Suzune responded by telling Homura of the brief encounter she had against the Wings of Magius during the previous night. She told her about the girls that wore matching black cloaks, and about the girl called Mifuyu Azusa. The one who claimed that the Wings of Magius could save Mahou Shoujo. For a moment Homura started to think this Mifuyu was the leader of the group. That is until Suzune spoke of another girl.
One that had the name Alina. While Suzune was unsure if it was a first or last name, she knew for a fact that Alina was powerful in combat and seemed to be a member of the Wings of Magius too.
After giving Homura a description of what the two girls looked like, Suzune took in a deep breath before staring directly into Homura's eyes.
"I've told you all that I know, now will you keep your word?" The silver haired girl griped the handle of her sword tighter while talking, something that Homura noticed.
The dark haired girl felt satisfied by the information she had managed to obtain from this impromptu hostage situation. There was no need to escalate things further.
"Of course. You may have this back then."
Homura tossed the bell and charm through the air toward Suzune who reached out and caught it easily before taking a long look at it in her hand. The expression on her face was clearly one of relief. For a moment Homura was curious about why such an item held a lot of value to Suzune, but considering that she just took the thing hostage she doubted that the other girl would be so inclined to say anything about it's worth.
"Now then, will you be on your way Suzune Amano? Or do you wish to continue this pointless battle?"
The silver haired girl glanced at the gun in Homura's hand and then turned toward Sayaka Miki standing behind her who looked willing to fight again should it come down to it.
"...No. I will leave as agreed."
Without any more parting words, Suzune's body began to flicker once more before disappearing again. Homura kept her guard up for a few moments in case of a potential sneak attack but it never came. The enemy Mahou Shoujo did in fact leave.
The two girls exited the factory after that. The unexpected encounter had left Homura rather exhausted. It was also nearing midnight so Sayaka needed to get home before her parents got mad. While they walked to the train station they discussed what in the world could the Wings of Magius be, but with such scare information to go on the conversation didn't amount to much.
During the train ride back to Mitakihara, Homura took the time to explain to her friend the information she had learned from Suzune before Sayaka crashed her way into the factory.
"So, she really wants to kill Mahou Shoujo before we become Witches?" Sayaka asked to make sure she heard Homura right.
"Yes. This seems to be a similar reaction to one that Mami Tomoe had actually."
"Wait, what?" Sayaka's mind suddenly imagined the older girl as a stone cold killer of Mahou Shoujo. Definitely not a pleasant thought.
Homura closed her eyes momentarily as she recalled that old timeline.
"It was... after you became a Witch. We were forced to slay you, in fact I was the one who dealt the killing blow. During the aftermath of the battle, Tomoe-san immediately killed Kyoko Sakura on the spot. She then turn her gun on me, saying that if we were going to become Witches anyway... that we should just die."
It was incredibly difficult for Sayaka to imagine the scenario Homura described to her. The very thought of Mami, someone who she always thought of as level headed and responsible would just... crack like that. Then again Sayaka knew her own reaction to the truth wasn't exactly the definition of level headed either so maybe she shouldn't judge.
"So, how did you stop her? We're you forced to... well..."
"Kill her? Not in that instance no. In fact if you can believe it, it was Madoka who struck her down and saved me. I know this may be rather unbelievable to you, but Madoka does in fact that the capability to make quick and often effective decisions in the middle of battle. Even if it causes her great distress to do so. No doubt it's part of why she ended up as an offensive Mahou Shoujo."
Sayaka did in fact find it rather unbelievable on the surface that someone like Madoka could be effective in a fight. Despite knowing that her childhood had the potential to become the strongest Mahou Shoujo to have ever lived, it was hard for Sayaka to shake away the image of a sweet and innocent girl Sayaka had known for many years.
"But we are getting off topic." Homura started. "Suzune Amano has a clear goal of wishing to kill Mahou Shoujo because of our eventual transformation into a Witch. This means any Mahou Shoujo could become a target, like what happened to us tonight. And that means-"
"-Tomoe-san could be targeted!"
Homura nodded her head in agreement to Sayaka finishing her sentence.
"Indeed, Suzune Amano has now made any trip to Kamihama more dangerous than before."
"Then... what do we do?"
Homura leaned back in her seat as she took in the sounds of the train moving along it's tracks for a moment before answering Sayaka's question.
"The only thing we can do, follow Tomoe-san into Kamihama to prevent the worst case scenario. With all three of us together it should be very difficult for Suzune Amano to accomplish her goal in killing any of us."
Sayaka didn't really have anything to add as she agreed wholeheartedly. However one thought still lingered on her mind, and since there was still time before the train would reach Mitakihara she decided to speak of it out loud to get Homura's thoughts on it.
"So, we'll pretty much be safe from her as long as we stick together but... what about other the Mahou Shoujo of Kamihama? If we don't do something then they'll be..."
Homura put a hand on her chin as she pondered on the situation some more.
"Hmm, well if Suzune Amano is to be believed then this "Wings of Magius" group can protect themselves against her. Of course that's assuming that every Mahou Shoujo of Kamihama is a part of them, it's also possible that there are those who are not affiliated with the aforementioned group."
Right when Homura finished her sentence the announcement on the train speakers said that they were coming up on one of the Mitakihara train stations next. The dark haired girl stood up as the train slowed down.
"Regardless, our main objective is to investigate what is happening inside of Kamihama. Keep that in mind."
The train stopped at the station and the two Mahou Shoujo exited the public transport onto the platform. Sayaka knew that Suzune Amano wasn't the priority reason for going to Kamihama but she also knew that if she did happen upon the silver haired girl again then she would definitely stop her from hurting other Mahou Shoujo. Sayaka wasn't going to just ignore someone that had admitted to wanting to murder others, even if it's for reasons that could be seen as noble.
Thinking on Suzune some more caused Sayaka to remember something she felt during the battle against her.
The feeling of Witch magic coming from Suzune's sword.
"Hey Homura, did you sense anything strange from Amano's sword during the fight?"
"I... don't think so. Admittedly I wasn't paying attention to her exact magical signature that much. Why? Did you sense something."
Sayaka looked downwards for a moment as she tried to recall the feeling of Witch magic overwhelm her, even if it was just for a moment as their blades clashed against one another.
"Yeah I did, and I think it felt like a Witch's magic."
The shock in Homura's face was plain as day from that statement. "What? Are you certain about that?"
"W-well I'm not exactly sure, but I know I felt something strange back there. I don't know if she's like me or not but... I need to know."
Homura wondered how could Sayaka have sensed something off and yet she herself could not. Was her friend becoming even more in tune and sensitive to magic than she was? Was this something natural or once again something made possible by the Witch inside Sayaka?
Regardless, it was certainly something Homura had to consider going forward.
"I see... alright then Sayaka. Should we find Suzune Amano again then we'll try to discover if she's in a similar situation to you or not."
"Thank you."
The blue haired girl smiled a little before deciding to check the time on her phone and immediately had a mini freak out.
"Oh crap! There's no way I'll make it back home in time! Damnit I'm so dead. I'll see you tomorrow!"
Sayaka began to sprint off in the direction towards her home. However it wasn't long until she felt something wrap around one of her hands which forced her to stop.
"Calm down, I can you help you get home in no time. Almost literally."
Homura had transformed and caught up to Sayaka by freezing time. She then had taken hold of the girl's hand which meant now the blue haired girl could move within the world of stopped time.
"O-Oh yeah, thanks for that." Sayaka said as she looked around. She hadn't experienced Homura's time stop ability many times directly so it was still a little surreal to her so see her friend force the entire flow of time to stop on her command.
"No worries, now let's go." Homura began to walk ahead of Sayaka which the blue haired girl was grateful for as she starting to feel the embarrassment creeping up on her from holding hands like this. Even if the reasons for it were purely for practical purposes.
Unbeknownst to Sayaka, Homura was also feeling something similar as she wondered that perhaps she should've taken hold of Sayaka's wrist instead.
Homura Akemi did not go to school the following day. Since today would be when Mami Tomoe goes into Kamihama, then Homura would need to find Kyoko Sakura and inform her of the current situation. Thankfully she didn't have to leave her home to look for the girl, as when Homura attempted to reach out to Kyoko mentally she did in fact get a response.
Not long after speaking with Kyoko through the mental connection Homura heard her doorbell ring. It really seemed like the redhead was already close by when they talked. She briefly wondered if it was a coincidence or did Kyoko already want to speak to her about something.
As Homura opened her front door she found out it was the latter as Kyoko spoke up first.
"Hey, so remember how I said you owed me for that favour of protecting Madoka Kaname? Well I'm here to cash in on that."
Homura raised an eyebrow at that as her mind went through a few different possible requests that Kyoko would ask of her. She stopped when she noticed that there was someone standing right behind the redhead.
A small nervous looking girl with short green hair and similar coloured eyes.
The time traveler felt a sense of familiarity as her eyes scanned the little girl from top to bottom. She was certain she had seen her before, but where? Before Homura could continue her thought, Kyoko spoke up.
"This kid, Yuma, she needs a place to stay. Think she can crash at your place for a bit? At least until I find her somewhere permanent."
Out of all the possibilities this was a request Homura wasn't expecting. However it was also one she was able to accommodate without too much issue.
After getting over the initial surprise, Homura invited the two girls into her home and made them sit on one of the couches in the living room before resuming the topic of discussion.
The green haired girl formally introduced herself as Yuma Chitose. After that Kyoko explained that Yuma's parents were murdered by a Witch and after just a small amount of time together Yuma become rather fond of Kyoko and the redhead ended up wanting the little girl to have a new place to stay. Somewhere both safe and easily reachable so that Kyoko could check on her regularly.
Which lead her to the home of Homura Akemi.
"I think that's everything, so how about it? Can you let her stay?"
Homura took one more look at Yuma as during Kyoko's explanation of the situation, the time traveler finally figured out where she had seen her before.
It was at the battle against Oriko Mikuni during that older timeline. Homura always did have a faint curiosity about who that irregular Mahou Shoujo was that accompanied Kyoko and Mami, and now she had the answer.
However Homura did not feel any magical energy from Yuma right now so it was clear she wasn't a Mahou Shoujo this time.
There's also one more thing.
Homura heard Kyoko's voice mentally which piqued her curiosity. The redhead clearly did not want Yuma listening in now.
We met Kyubey earlier and he told her she could be a Mahou Shoujo.
I see, so I take this to mean you don't want her becoming one?
Of course not. You don't want Kaname-san becoming one right? Figured you would understand and that she would be safer from Kyubey around you.
...looks like Yuma Chitose isn't the only one who's grown fond.
Shut up.
"Very well. She can stay." Homura decided to say out loud, the mental conversation was probably making Yuma nervous as she couldn't hear it. So it just looked like Homura and Kyoko had a staring contest for a few seconds.
Yuma and Kyoko looked quite relieved at the decision, however Homura wasn't done.
"There is something I wish to suggest in addition to this however. Kyoko Sakura, you are free to make this place your home as well."
The green haired girl looked even happier at that but Kyoko seemed more surprised than anything.
"Wait me as well? Are you sure? Hang on are you trying to make me in debt to you or something?"
Homura shook her head. "Nothing of the sort. Chitose-san is attached to you right? Would it not be best that you two lived together then?"
Kyoko tilted her head to the side before glancing at Yuma while mulling over the decision. She had initially planned to drop by frequently to check up on Yuma but the offer to live here basically meant she could always watch over the kid. One that raised Kyoko's suspicion though and that was how did Homura know that she could even make this home like her own.
Not once had Homura ever asked her about her parents or living situation. And yet it seemed like the dark haired girl knew exactly what Kyoko's circumstances were.
Nonetheless, Kyoko wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Despite how suspicious Homura came off as, there was always this sense that Kyoko could trust her and so she accepted the offer to live at the Akemi Residence. Much to Yuma's delight.
"Thank you so much Akemi-san!" The green haired girl said with such child like sincerity that Homura become at least a little understanding of why Kyoko wanted to keep her safe.
Afterward Homura directed Yuma towards the bedroom and told the little girl it would be her and Kyoko's room for the time being until Homura could get some time to do some renovations. Unfortunately since today she would be going into Kamihama again Homura couldn't afford to waste a large portion of magic creating a new room inside her home right now.
While Yuma was getting accustomed to the house, Homura gestured at Kyoko to follow her into the strategy room for another discussion they needed to have.
"Right, you wanted to talk to me about something?" Kyoko asked while sitting down as Homura did the same on a bench opposite to the redhead.
"Yes. Tell me Kyoko Sakura, have you ever heard of Kamihama City?"
"Mmm, Kamihama... sorry that name doesn't ring a bell."
It was the answer Homura expected but she couldn't help but be a little disappointed.
"Alright then. Get comfortable because it's time for a crash course."
Homura began her lengthy explanation about pretty much everything about Kamihama to Kyoko. The rumours about the girl who comes to one in their dreams to tell you to come to the city. About how Kyubey was unable to enter or monitor Kamihama. The fact that Witches were being gathered from other cities and going to that particular one. Then encounter with Suzune Amano and finally the information about the Wings of Magius group that Homura obtained from Suzune.
"I believe that's everything about Kamihama."
Kyoko titled her head to the side while trying to properly absorb the amount of information Homura had pretty much dumped on her.
"Damn you've certainly been busy these past few days."
"Most of this information came about in an incredibly short span of time believe it or not. Anyway the reason why I've decided to tell you this is because Mami Tomoe has decided to investigate Kamihama at Kyubey's behest."
The mention of the blonde's name got an immediate reaction out of Kyoko as it was clear on her face that she was suddenly taking this conversation more seriously.
"What? She's going there alone?"
"No not alone, Sayaka Miki and myself will be going with her. Which means we will need someone to take care of the Witches here in Mitakihara, and of course should the need arise... protect Madoka too."
"Always gotta be me ain't it? Alright sure, got nothing against the squirt anyway."
Homura stood up as it seemed it this conversation was nearing its conclusion.
"Once again your efforts are appreciated. It seems like there are a constant string of events that have ended up taking my attention else where and away from keeping Madoka safe. I can only hope this Kamihama businesses can be dealt with swiftly before the end of the month."
Thoughts of Walpurgisnacht went through Homura's mind as she began to walk past Kyoko and toward the door leading out of the room. The legendary Witch was already an obstacle that had not been overcome ever since Homura began this journey. Simply preparing for that thing was difficult enough, so she did not need anything else getting in the way.
"Hey..."
The sound of Kyoko's voice stopped Homura just before her hand reached the door handle.
"Yes?"
"Keep... keep Mami-senpai safe alright? She's pretty strong and all but she doesn't take surprises well which really can screw her in a fight."
Doesn't take surprises well? Now that's an understatement.
"Of course, that is the reason why Sayaka and myself are going with her after all. I must say though, you really should talk to her sometime. It's obvious you still care for her and-"
"I know! I know!" Came Kyoko's frustrated reply. Clearly from the tone of voice the redhead was well aware of what she needed to do next and didn't need Homura reminding her.
"It's just, I don't even know what to say. I need time to..."
Homura put her hand on the handle and opened the door but chose not to leave just yet. The girl saw her opportunity here. If she could play her cards right so she could well have the two Mahou Shoujo reunite and overcome the past between them. Homura knew her mistake the previous time was simply pushing too hard and too directly about the topic. As such she needed to speak her words differently here.
"Look, I understand not knowing what to do at times. It's hard when you have a goal in mind and yet, feel unable to accomplish it. Sometimes though, all you have to do is take that first step. Then everything else just falls into place before you know it."
With that, Homura left the white room and began heading back towards her living room. As she walked, her mind thought of Sayaka Miki. It seemed like without realising until after the fact that she had used her situation with the blue haired girl as inspiration for part of what she said.
Homura smiled a little at that. Indeed while she had never planned to have her friendship with Sayaka be rekindled, through unexpected events that is how things simply ended up between them. All because Homura took a chance to try and save Sayaka from her fate, and she succeeded.
Although it was highly unlikely that "everything will fall into place" regarding the Kamihama situation. It was only a feeling in the back of Homura's mind but she couldn't shake the thought that by going down this path into Kamihama she was going to be tested in almost every way possible.
After school ended, Madoka, Sayaka and Mami could see Homura waiting for them at the front gates. Sayaka had already explained that she and Homura were going with the older Mahou Shoujo into Kamihama. Something that Mami was definitely grateful for.
Madoka meanwhile looked lost in thought again but when asked about it she denied that anything was wrong and decided to go straight home, saying that she had some homework to take care of.
Homura was feeling more concerned about her. She definitely needed to have a longer talk with Madoka sometime in the future but unfortunately it would not be today as she had to focus on investigating Kamihama and keeping her friends alive while doing so.
"Anyway, thank you Akemi-san, Miki-san for choosing to accompany me for the investigation." Mami said with a smile, which brought Homura out of her thoughts.
"Oh right, it's not a problem. To be honest I've been wanting to look into Kamihama too so this works out for us."
"Yeah! And besides more numbers means it'll be safer right?" Sayaka chimed in.
Mami gave a short nod in agreement. "I think so too, so thank you two once again for this."
After a short talk about which train station to go to the three Mahou Shoujo began to head there. However as they walked Homura heard Mami's voice inside her mind.
Akemi-san, can I talk to you about something?
Homura's eyes glanced toward Sayaka for a moment and it seemed that her friend didn't hear the voice of the blonde. Meaning that this was meant to be a private conversation.
What is it Tomoe-san?
Well this is something that's been on my mind for a while but... does Miki-san's magic feel weird to you?
It took all of Homura's self restraint to not let her face betray her emotions within. With everything that's been happening lately this particular issue had been placed very low on Homura's priority list of things to deal with. As such she still had yet to come up with a proper way to explain why her friend was emitting Witch magic from her.
Although lately it hasn't been feeling as prevalent as before. Either that was Oktavia's doing or Sayaka herself had managed to suppress or disguise the Witch magic within her as something else.
Regardless, it looked like Homura was going to have to wing it.
I... yeah I have noticed it's a little different from the magic we emit. Is there something wrong with that?
It's just, well doesn't it feel kind of similar to a Witch to you?
There it was. Homura knew that now she had to chose her words very carefully from this point onward.
...yes I suppose it does. However Sayaka is very obviously not a Witch. So is it not possible that it's just a coincidence?
A coincidence? I guess that's possible but... I don't know. It's too strange for me to think it's all coincidental. Ah, has Miki-san displayed any strange behaviour at all?
No none that I've seen. Are you implying she could be under the control of a Witch's Kiss?
Is that not possible?
As far as I knew we Mahou Shoujo are supposed to have a high resistance to the effects of the Witch's Kiss thanks to the Soul Gem.
But a resistance isn't an immunity.
Homura paused for a moment to ponder on what to say next. She hadn't expected the conversation to go down this path but as long as Mami didn't suspect the truth of Mahou Shoujo then this talk can work in her favour.
I suppose you have a point there, but even so I have absolute faith in Sayaka as of this moment. She is most certainly not under the control of a Witch. I trust her with my life.
I see. Well if you trust her that much then I can't say much else then. I just wanted to bring this up in case there was something more serious going on.
Tell you what, I'll be sure to inform you if anything does happen.
The mental conversation ended there as Homura released an internal sigh of relief. That definitely seemed to work out for her in the end, and Mami still didn't suspect anything about the truth. Although Homura supposed that it would require quite the leap of faith to make the assumption that Mahou Shoujo transform into Witches upon a fully corrupted Soul Gem with such little information to go on.
In any case, Mami seemed content to drop the subject for now so Homura didn't feel like she would have anything to worry about in regards to that particular issue at least for a time.
Kamihama City, Shinsei Ward
The three Mahou Shoujo stepped out of the train and began their investigation into the strange city. Homura and Sayaka had their guard up more than Mami if only due to the encounter with Suzune Amano during the previous night and neither of course wished to be caught off guard by her.
However thankfully it seemed like Suzune was no where in the vicinity as the three girls wondered throughout the city in search of a Witch as Mami first wished to confirm how strong the Witches of Kamihama truly were.
It took a little time, but Sayaka eventually noticed something toward a building still under construction.
"A magical signature!"
Homura nodded as she felt it too. "More than one it seems. A Witch and..."
"A Mahou Shoujo." Mami finished. "It seems like she's being strained as well."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go help her!" Sayaka said quite loudly as she already started to sprint towards the incomplete building.
Homura found herself smiling at least a little at how strong Sayaka's desire to protect people was as she ran off after the blue haired girl with the blonde in tow. While Homura herself couldn't say she cared much at all for such ideals, she did find Sayaka's devotion to such a thing admirable in a way.
The three girls made their way through the building until they found the entrance into the Witch Labyrinth. They all felt the presence of a Witch and Mahou Shoujo fighting inside. Sayaka wasted no time as she transformed on the spot, summoned her sword and tore open the barrier with a single swing.
The Labyrinth thankfully wasn't very large as the girls jumped from weird looking platforms at differing elevations until they could see the source of the magical energies on a lower platform. A Witch who's main body seemed to look like a painting of sorts. It also seemed to be relatively undamaged in comparison to the Mahou Shoujo it was fighting. Going by her expression she seemed tired, frustrated and almost ready to give up.
Sayaka and Mami had the strongest reaction to such a sight and jumped ahead of Homura to help the girl. Mami instantly summoned several guns to her side and fired them all at once. The magical bullets made contact with the Witch, causing the creature to flinch as Sayaka landed between it and the Mahou Shoujo.
"Who... who are you all...?" The unnamed girl began to say but was cut off by Sayaka.
"Don't worry, we're here to help!" She quickly said to the girl before turning back to face the Witch.
Homura appeared seemingly out of nowhere beside the presumably Kamihama Mahou Shoujo as a grenade went off under the Witch, causing it to become disoriented for a little bit by the explosion.
"She's right, you can leave this to us."
The young girl could only stare in surprise as three Mahou Shoujo she had never seen before gang up on the Witch.
Mami decided to jump high into the sky and summon dozens of guns to both of her sides. With a single hand motion she fired them all at once. A rain of magical projectiles came down on the Witch, damaging it heavily and yet it wasn't enough for a kill.
The blonde was certainly surprised to see how tough the Witch ended up being to survive such an attack. Homura however wasn't particularly impressed. She saw little point in leaving this Witch alive as it felt weaker than the one she and Sayaka had found last night.
The Witch attempted to make a swing at Homura with a large white sheet but it's movement was quite slow. Presumably due to the fact that it had been weakened by Mami's powerful attacks so the dark haired girl dodged it easily.
"There's no need to drag this out. Sayaka."
She didn't need to say anything more as her friend nodded before increasing the strength of her sword several times over as it shined a blue light in the process. As the Witch prepared to attack Homura again, Sayaka leaped forward and with a single downward swing she split the Witch's main body in two in that one strike.
The Labyrinth already began to disappear around them as Homura casually flicked her hair before taking a look at the Mahou Shoujo the group had saved.
Blue hair, although on the lighter end of the spectrum in comparison to Sayaka. Similar coloured eyes but they did seem to be a darker shade of blue and all around blue and white was this girl's overall colour scheme in regards to her Mahou Shoujo outfit.
"Are you okay?" Sayaka asked as she was the first to come up to the girl that seemed to still be in a slight state of shock.
"O-oh, umm yeah I'm okay. Thank you for the help."
Mami gave the light blue haired girl a sweet smile. "It's not a problem. Helping out those in need is what we do after all."
Homura figured that it was now her turn to say something. "Anyway, are you a Mahou Shoujo of Kamihama? Or are you a visitor from another city?"
"Huh? Are you doubting me? Is it because I almost got beat up back there? No! That's not what was happening! The Witches in Kamihama are just stronger than others. I... I've beaten a lot of them before you know? So I'm the real deal! A real Kamihama Mahou Shoujo!"
Mami could only look on with a bit of a concerned expression as the girl attempted to save face. Sayaka just scratched the back of her head as it seemed like the Mahou Shoujo had gotten a little offended by Homura's question.
Well maybe not just a little.
"Look I'm sure my friend didn't mean it like that. Anyway, what's your name? I'm Sayaka Miki."
The light blue haired girl started to calm down enough from her outburst to answer the question. "Right, name. It's Rena Minami, and you two are...?"
"Homura Akemi."
"It's Mami Tomoe. A pleasure to meet you."
Rena took a better look at all three Mahou Shoujo who had saved her and did not recognise their looks, names or magical energy signatures from anywhere.
"So, are you all not from around here?"
Homura nodded as she chose to reply to that first. "Correct, we are Mahou Shoujo from Mitakihara."
"So... so I really just got saved a bunch of outsiders?! Damnit that's so much more embarrassing."
"There's no need to beat yourself up over it." Mami said in an attempt to reassure Rena.
"Today was just bad timing alright? If I had the others like usual..."
Homura immediately took note of the word "others", clearly implying she normally worked in a group. She thought of the Wings of Magius group Suzune had talked about and wondered if this girl had any connection to them.
"So then, you don't normally fight Witches alone?"
Rena gave a slight shake of her head. "No, I've got friends that usually... but I can still fight by myself whenever I want to you know! I can beat a single Witch just fine. I just wasn't at my best today!"
This girl... she's certainly either a prideful one or perhaps insecure. Homura thought to herself as she pondered on what to say next to steer this conversation towards getting some useful information out of her.
She eventually decided to simply go with the direct approach.
"I have a question, if you may. What are the Witch numbers like in this city?"
"You want to know? Well there's tons of them honestly. They just kinda swarm around Kamihama, sometimes it feels like we don't even get a break from Witch Hunting. Actually, I think there might actually be even more than normal now."
All three Mitakihara girls shared a look with each other as Rena did seem to support Kyubey's words about how Witches were being drawn towards Kamihama if there were supposedly so many of them.
It was however only the testimony of a single Mahou Shoujo so of course the girls needed to ask more in order to get a better understanding of the situation.
"I see, thank you for answering."
"Oh it's no problem. You all saved me so I can't really complain."
Homura then glanced towards her friends.
Well then, I think we've gotten the information needed from her, do any of you two want to ask her something?
Mami shook her head lightly at that.
No I think you've asked the important questions already. In my opinion we should try get to talking to other Mahou Shoujo to really confirm if Witches really are swarming the city.
I'm kinda just glad we managed to save her. Sayaka added. But yeah I agree with Tomoe-san.
Rena Minami meanwhile looked between each of the three girls. She had been a Mahou Shoujo for long enough to notice when a telepathic conversation was taking place even without her involvement.
Her eyes landed back on Homura Akemi and could feel something familiar about her. There was just something about the way she looked, the way she talked, and even just the general attitude she carried herself with definitely reminded Rena of someone...
But she couldn't continue those thoughts as Rena noticed Homura Akemi staring back at her. Obviously the mental conversation with her group had concluded.
"Well then, we should go on our way. Farewell Rena Minami."
Homura turned around and began to walk off before Rena could even respond. Mami and Sayaka said their goodbyes too before following the dark haired girl. Rena watched them leave as she heard the girls initiate another conversation amongst themselves.
"Akemi-san, did you really have to make that sound so dramatic?"
"Hmm? Is there something wrong with the way I worded it?"
"Well you made it sound like it sound like you would never seen Minami-san again."
"I didn't mean it like that, but in my defence, Kamihama is a large city. It's entirely possible that this would be our only encounter with her."
"Homura does have a point there, but I don't think this will be the last time..."
The voices of the Mitakihara girls eventually became too soft for Rena to make out any more. But before she could gather her thoughts and decide on what to do next she did hear Homura Akemi's voice again.
But this time it was inside her own head.
Rena Minami, I have on more question for you. Have you heard of the Wings of Magius?
It took the light blue haired girl a moment to compose herself from the sudden surprise of Homura talking to her through telepathy. She wondered why this was a question that had to be asked privately though.
Sorry, I don't know what that is.
I see. Don't worry about it then, and farewell.
Rena didn't think that last word had the same kind of impact the second time but that thought was pushed away as she did finally realise why Homura felt so familiar. Images of a certain girl with long blue hair went through Rena's mind.
Damn, if Akemi-san introduced herself as her long lost sister I probably would've believed it.
Next Time: A Concert of Swords