It's over. A bright magenta light shines, and there is our savior. Madoka walks towards us, her dress and hair flowing in the wind. The powers of the Law of Cycles have returned to their rightful owner. She looks very solemn, so I know better than to ask exactly what happened to Homura. Whether she's alive or dead, the most important thing is that Madoka is the God of this world again. "So, what happens now?" I ask the Goddess.

Madoka shakes her head, her golden-eyed gaze eventually resting on us, her friends. She surveys us closely. She looks at Kyouko and Sayaka, who are embracing out of what seems to be relief. And then...she looks at me and Bebe...Nagisa Momoe. "Well, I guess I'll have to put the world back to how it was before. That and my realm. It's probably a mess, since I've been missing so long," Madoka says.

Sayaka looks at Madoka in a sad way. "Do Nagisa and I...?" Though the question is incomplete, we all know what Sayaka was asking. Do they have to leave Kyouko and me?

Madoka's gaze becomes even sadder. "Yes. You two have to come with me. But Sayaka, I'm sure you have a lot to say to Kyouko. So before you go, I'll let you two say what needs to be said."

Madoka sighs sadly. They walk away, probably so they can enjoy their last moments together. I wish I could help, but I have my own weight in my heart. I feel a few tears begin to come down already. "Does...Does this mean...Nagisa has to go too?" I can see that she's already beginning to cry too.

"That's the way it has to be, Mami. I'm sorry." She looks away, but I can tell that Madoka is crying too. "I need to remake the world, but to do that without my angels being stuck here, they all need to come with me. However, I need to get things in order before I set the world back. This version of reality can have one last sunset. Like with Kyouko and Sayaka, I'll...I'll let you two say...goodbye." She fades away, her tears falling to the ground.

I sigh. "Well, do you want to come home, Nagisa?" She's still crying. I want nothing more than to hold her tight and tell her things will be okay, but even I can't say that truthfully.

"Y...Yeah. Home...would be the best place to spend one last day with you, Mami. But...can you carry Nagisa there? I'm scared." She manages to look at me sadly. Oh, my poor baby. I nod, and I lift her up, letting her hold onto me. It's moments like this that I can pretend I'm a loving mother, and Bebe my sweet child. But as much as I'd love our fantasy to continue, I am not her mother.

"Would you...like to know something, Mami?" I nod. The longer we talk to each other, the more time we'll have together. "Dad died before I could remember him, so I only had my mother. But she was very sick. She had to go to the doctor a lot, so I spent a lot of time at the hospital. As long as I could remember, I always went there after school. Sometimes, I'd even spend the night there. But one morning...my eighth birthday...my mother never woke up. The doctors...said she went somewhere where she wouldn't have to be sick anymore." I hear Nagisa choke back more sobs, and I squeeze her, letting her know I'm listening.

"Thanks, Mami." I nod, and she continues. "I couldn't take that my mother was...was dead, so I simply ran off. I ran way back home. I refused to come out for anything. Eat, cry, sleep. That was Nagisa's day when her mother died. But then, strange people knocked on the door the next morning. They said they had to put me in the orphanage, since I didn't have any family. But I ran. I ran as far away as I could, so long as I didn't think they'd find me. But by then, I was hungry, but I had no food. This became worse and worse until I thought I was going to die. Then, Kyubey showed up. He told me to name my wish, and I simply wished for the first thing that came to my mind: A cheesecake like my mother used to make me. I made it last, but pretty soon, Nagisa was so hungry again. It made it harder to fight the monsters, whether they were Wraiths or...or Witches."

I shake my head, crying for the little girl in my arms. No child should ever have to lose her family. Nagisa wasn't even old enough to have her own place to live, and it didn't sound like they could leave her any money either. "I'm sorry, Nagisa. I know what it's like to lose your family so suddenly."

"I-It's fine, Mami! Don't feel sorry for Nagisa!" She tries to smile at me, but both of us are too sad for that. "Anyway, my hunger made it hard to do much of anything. With that and...what happened previously, my Soul Gem went all cloudy very quickly. A-And..." She sobs more.

"And then, the nightmare begins," I complete Nagisa's train of thought. Even when her memories were gone, she still had basically the same nightmare. She starves to death, she becomes a Witch, and...she kills me, thinking I'm a walking, talking chunk of cheese. She nods against me, and I squeeze her again in a vain attempt to calm her down.

"The nightmares continued until I met the Law of Cycles. And then, I got to really meet you, Mami." Nagisa shakes her head against me. "Thank you so much for taking care of me."

I pat Nagisa's head as we finally get home. "You're the one who needs thanked, Nagisa. Even with everything that's been going on, I was happy because I didn't have to be alone. Words cannot tell you how thankful I am." I collapse on the couch, Nagisa doing the same next to me. We look at each other for a moment, then we both start crying again. I put Nagisa on my lap, and we embrace tightly.

"I...I don't want you to go, Nagisa!"

"I don't want to leave you, Mami!"

We both cry on each other for a while. I don't want to lose the only family I have left, and I can tell she feels the same. Eventually, we both cry a little less. I wipe the tears from Nagisa's eyes as she does the same for me. "Nagisa?"

"Yes, Mami?" She looked up at me.

"You...You've been the best family anyone could ever ask for, Beb...Nagisa." I slipped because I still want to think of her as my little Bebe.

"You've been like that for me too. Mami?"

"Yes, Nagisa?"

"Can you...Can you call me 'Bebe' like you used to, Mami? And I'll call you 'mama'. That way..." The little girl smiles at me. "We can be a family until I have to go."

"Of course...Bebe. Nothing would make me happier than that." I hold my poor baby tightly. "I just wish that we had more time together, Bebe."

She nods. "I wish that too, but we did at least get to be a family this long, right, mama? Homura can't be all bad if she let that happen...right?"

"I don't know, Bebe. I just know...That I'm so glad I met you. I love you so much, Bebe...Nagisa...my daughter."

"And I love you, Mami, my precious mama." She looks at me. Beneath the sadness, I can indeed see the love only a child has for their parent.

We stay in each other's embrace until I begin to fall asleep. Bebe tucks me in and kisses my cheek. "I wish you could stay, Bebe."

"I wish that too, mama. But I'll be there to greet you when the Law of Cycles comes for you. I'll miss you, mama." I give Bebe one last hug, whispering that I'll miss her too. I then fall asleep, the last thing I see being my precious Bebe.

The next morning, I awaken. I'm in my bed, and I'm alone. "Nagisa? You there?" Nothing. "Bebe?" I yell out her name. Still no response. I see the sun rising in the window. A new day for a new world, I guess. But I can't really enjoy it. I've lost the only family I had left.

Mami Tomoe has to fight all alone once again.