A/N: Hey guys, MCN here to bring you the next chapter of PMMM: Reconnect! Ok, not gonna lie here, I was pretty disappointed with how the previous chapter performed in terms of reviews, I know that's not the only way to measure a chapter's success, I mean the chapter still earned the story a couple more Favs and Follows, I don't know, I guess that's just me being self-conscious. Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you guys like it, and I'll see you afterwards.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Under Lock and Key

The light of the rising sun illuminated the dark streets of Mitakihara City, the thick miasma that coated the urban landscape in the dead of night disappeared as quickly as it came, like it was all just a bad dream or a trick of the tired mind. However, despite the golden light that filled the sky, the unnatural half-moon continued to hang there, perfectly in the center, its light shining down on a single spot. Much like the moon, the hill illuminated by its light was perfectly, impossibly bisected, the pathways that lead up and around it ending unnaturally and incomplete, as if to prevent any from finding their way to the top. And at the very peak of the hill, sitting in a lone white chair overlooking the city, was none other than Akemi Homura.

To most, Homura would probably seem like an ordinary middle-schooler; smart, athletic, beautiful, if not a bit anti-social. However, Akemi Homura was far from normal, at this point it wouldn't be correct to even call her human, the reason, the floating purple orb the girl stared intently at. The Dark Orb, the result of her Soul Gem mutating under the weight of all the curses it accumulated that should have shattered it to pieces. With it, she gained power beyond any being in the universe, and established herself as the new governing force to its unsuspecting inhabitants. Yes, Akemi Homura could only be described as a Devil, having torn a Goddess from heaven and imprisoned her, all for the sake of her own, twisted love for her.

Homura was brought out of her thoughts by a rustling of the grass. She turned with an almost expectant look in her eye, but it quickly disappeared once she saw it to only be two of her Clara Dolls, extensions of her consciousness taking the form of demented little girls.

"…How many were there tonight?" Homura questioned, the creatures responding with incoherent giggles and cries that only she could ever hope to understand. "That many? That's more than triple what they were last night." Homura said with a concerned tone. "I suppose that also means the victim count has risen as well." Homura inquired, the Clara Dolls seeming to comply. Homura let out a tired sigh. "How troublesome, as if the Wraiths weren't enough." She lamented as she fazed the Dark Orb back into the back of her hand. The Clara Dolls let out soft giggles as they retreated from the peak, their job complete.

"And where do you think you're going?" Homura called to them, making the creatures stop and look back nervously. "I thought I told you, you're going to patrol during the day today as well." She reminded them of her command, the two minions dropping their heads in disappointment. At the action, a smile appeared on the Devil's face. "Today is a very special day for Madoka, and I will not have her be disturbed."

Madoka lightly hopped off the train as it came to stop, the pinkette rushing out of the platform and down the sidewalk of the shopping district. Despite leaving fairly early, the trains were running behind schedule, so she still managed to be late.

"Oh geez, Sayaka-chan isn't gonna let me hear the end of this." Madoka lamented to herself, not looking forward to her best friend's inevitable teasing.

Figuring that Sayaka would actually make them search around, Madoka dressed comfortably for the outing, wearing a yellow top under a bright pink hoodie, as well as a black plaid skirt and a pair of dark pink, zip-up sneakers over white knee high socks. Madoka dashed through the streets and eventually made it over to the agreed meeting place in front of the mall. Of course, Sayaka and Kyoko were already there waiting for her.

"I'm sorry for being late!" Madoka apologized as she trotted up to them.

"Geez Madoka, you're so slow!" Sayaka complained sarcastically.

"I told ya we didn't need to rush." Kyoko jabbed with a toothy grin.

Both girls were in outfits Madoka had never seen before; Sayaka wore a blue shirt with yellow trim under a white vest with the zipper undone, as well as blue Capri pants and matching blue high top converse. Kyoko on the other hand wore a plain white t-shirt under an olive green jacket, paired with light brown shorts held up by a white belt and bright red, heeled boots. One last thing Madoka noticed was the digital camera that hung from a strap around Sayaka's neck.

"Oh, is that new?" Madoka asked.

"Yep, I borrowed it from my mom." Sayaka replied as she took the camera in her hands and aimed it at Madoka. "Say cheese!" Sayaka said, Madoka quickly flashing the piece sign as Sayaka snapped a photo of her. "See, check out that quality, nobody's gonna doubt a photo taken by this bad boy!" She gloated as she showed Madoka the photo.

"You do know that Photoshop exists, right?" Kyoko countered, much to Sayaka's chagrin.

"Hmph, get your jabs in while you can Kyoko, cause I'll be the one who gets the last laugh." Sayaka declared proudly as she brandished her camera.

"Sure, sure," Kyoko dismissed her blue haired friend's boast. "So, where do we start?"

"Hmm…" Sayaka pondered. "Well, all of the rumors say that the living shadows have been spotted in dark alleys and under bridges, so…

"Arcade it is then." Kyoko interjected, already on her way to the entrance of the mall.

"Huh, h-hey, wait, Kyoko!" Sayaka cried as she chased after the redhead, Madoka letting out an amused giggle before following herself.

As expected, the following hours mostly consisted of the trio playing around, usually spurred on by Kyoko's suggestions. From the arcade, they ate lunch at the food court, and went shopping throughout the rest of the mall, but by the time 4 o'clock came rolling around, Sayaka put her foot down and dragged them back into the streets of the shopping district, but even then all they really did was window shop, with the occasional peek into an alleyway.

"…Hey you guys, doesn't this place seem kind of… empty to you?" Sayaka said as she took a bite out of a crepe.

"Eh, what do you mean Sayaka-chan?" Madoka inquired, looking up from her own crepe.

"Actually, I've noticed that too." Kyoko replied, gaining the girl's attention. "Like the arcade, it's usually packed on the weekends, but today we were pretty much the only ones in there." She recalled with a bite of her crepe.

"Yeah, and come to think of it, the whole mall was like that to." Sayaka concurred. After some thought, Madoka understood what they meant, in fact, even the streets that were usually flooded with people became nearly abandoned once she entered the shopping district.

"Do you think… it's because of the Shadows?" Madoka wondered out loud.

"Eh, Madoka you really think so?" Sayaka asked sounding just a little bit too excited.

"Get real, we haven't seen a single one of those things all day, there's no way they could've "spirited everybody away" or something stupid like that." Kyoko denied before taking a large bite of her crepe.

"Oh yeah, then how do you explain the Shopping District being practically abandoned on a weekend?" Sayaka demanded with a defiant hand on her hip.

"Well, living shadows or not, people are disappearing, so I guess people want to steer clear of the place where it's all happening." Kyoko suggested with a tone that said it should have been obvious.

Madoka sighed as the two girls fell into another argument, neither wanting to admit fault or defeat. Honestly, Madoka wasn't sure what to think, which side to take, even though it should have been obvious. Just as she was about to go back to just eating her crepe and waiting for the arguing to stop, she felt something roll against her foot, looking down to see a round, red object lying beside her.

"Huh… a tomato?" Madoka recognized the fruit as she picked it up. She then felt a tap on her shoulder and looked down to find two young girls smiling up at her, pointing to the tomato on her hand. "Oh, did you drop this?" Madoka asked as she kneeled down to eye level with the girls, both nodding silently in response. "Here you go." She said with a smile as she offered the fruit back to them. One of the girls snatched the tomato out of Madoka's hand, showing it off to the other girl as they both giggled with delight.

Madoka let out her own giggle as she watched the pair skip off merrily, laughing the whole way. Madoka returned her attention to her dessert; about to take another bite before she realized that the giggling of the girls had suddenly stopped, cut off by what she could swear was a gasp of pain. She turned in the direction the girls ran off to, noticing a strange black mist seeping from the alley between two nearby buildings.

"Sayaka-chan, Kyoko-chan, look." Madoka said, the two arguing girls looking up with irritation before their eyes fell on the mist as well.

"Smoke?" Sayaka said quizzically.

"A fire?" Kyoko suggested with equal uncertainty.

"…I don't think so." Madoka denied before she began walking towards the alley, Sayaka and Kyoko exchanging hesitant looks before following. Madoka's pulse was pounding with each step she took, all of her fear and instincts told her to run away, and yet something just told her to face whatever it was that awaited her there, a foreign sense of curiosity and courage filling her.

Still, airing on the side of caution, she only peaked around the corner, followed by Kyoko, and then Sayaka above her. At first all they saw was an empty alleyway, the last of the mist fading away with no source in sight, but just as they were about to give up, a strange looking shadow began crawling on the ground. The girls' eyes all widened in shock as the shadow began to take shape, forming what can only be described as a "weird, black, bug looking thing".

"S-Sayaka-chan!" Madoka exclaimed as silently as she could.

"That's it, that's the thing I saw!" Sayaka replied.

"No way, you've gotta be kidding me." Kyoko whispered in utter disbelief. Just as Sayaka had described, the creature just wondered aimlessly, its antenna twitching wildly as it searched the alleyway for something unseen.

'That's… that's the thing from my dream.' Madoka realized, bits and pieces of the nightmare coming back to her as she watched the creature search.

"…Hey, idiot, don't just stand there, take your picture!" Kyoko urged the blunette above her.

"Eh, o-oh, right!" Sayaka cried as she fumbled with the camera around her neck. She activated the device and messed with the zoom for a moment to get the best image she could. "Alright, say cheese." She said offhandedly as she hit the button, the flash illuminating the alley for just a brief second. However, that was more than enough to gain the attention of the living shadow, the creature quickly turning its head towards them and standing on its hind legs. The girls all gasped at being discovered, the creature fazing back into the ground and began crawling towards them.

"And that's our cue to book it!" Kyoko declared as she and the rest of the girls made a hasty retreat.

However, they didn't get very far, as suddenly three more identical creatures popped out of the ground, cutting them off. Gasping in shock, the trio turned to run in the other direction, only for the first shadow to block their path, followed by a fifth one joining it. They were surrounded, the girls huddling up back to back as the shadows closed in on them.

"S-Stay back!" Sayaka demanded as she threw her half eaten crepe at the closest shadow, the creature not even reacting as it bounced off its head. Sayaka gulped nervously as the shadow took a step forward, crushing the dessert underneath its foot before lunging at her, the girl reaching her hands up in a desperate attempt to defend herself.

"Sayaka!" Kyoko exclaimed as she turned to see her friend being attacked. Or at least that's what it seemed like, until the shadow just landed off to the side, leaving Sayaka completely uninjured.

"...Eh?" Sayaka said quizzically as she examined herself for any injuries.

"Are you ok Sayaka?" Kyoko inquired, equally confused.

"Uh, yeah, I think so." Sayaka replied simply, unable to find anything wrong with her. That is until she gazed down at her bare left hand. "Huh, hey, my ring!" She exclaimed in realization as she looked over to the shadow. As expected, the creature held the silver piece of jewelry in its claws, examining it with great interest before knocking it against the floor, as if hoping for some kind of reaction.

"It… it took your ring…" Madoka stated. The shadows then seemed to completely shift their interest to the trinket, waiting to see if their comrade could get their desired effect.

"They seem to… really like it." Kyoko said incredulously, the previous tension suddenly fading. "What, are they like birds or something, do they just like shiny things?"

"Well, considering the alternative is being spirited away, I'd say a ring is a small price to pay." Sayaka admitted, feeling the same lack of tension. "So what do you say we just back away slowly and…"

"Give it back…" Madoka practically whispered, taking a few small steps forward.

"Eh, Madoka?" Sayaka said in confusion and concern.

"Give it back." Madoka repeated, a little more desperately.

"Hey, calm down, it's just a ring, I can always get a another one, a cuter one too." Sayaka insisted.

"Give it back!" Madoka cried as she lunged forward into the crowd of shadows, grabbing the ring in the creature's claw. "Give it back! Give it back! That's Sayaka-chan's, give it back!" Madoka pleaded as she struggled against the shadow's grip for the trinket.

"Madoka, don't…!" Sayaka called as she attempted to approach, only for the shadows to brandish their claws at them, as if to prevent them from interfering.

"Crap!" Kyoko cursed as she and Sayaka were forced to back off. "Madoka are you crazy, it's just a ring!" The redhead insisted, though her voice fell on deaf ears as Madoka continued to fight for the ring.

"Ugh… give it… give it…" Madoka grunted with each pull, however, her strength eventually failed her. The shadow sent her flying with one last tug, the girl landing up against the wall of the building.

"Madoka!" Sayaka and Kyoko cried.

"Gah…" Madoka moaned in pain as she struggled to her feet. She opened her clenched left fist and was relieved to see the silver trinket in her palm, clenching it safely over her chest.

"Madoka, get out of there!" Sayaka warned. But it was too late, the living shadows had already surrounded her, forcing Madoka up against the wall with no escape.

"Madoka, just give it to them, it's not worth it!" Kyoko demanded.

"…No, you're wrong." Madoka mumbled to herself, clenching the ring even harder.

Her reason attempted to convince her that Kyoko was right; that it was just a cheap trinket, and that it certainly wasn't worth her life. But as she dwelled on the subject, an image kept forcing itself to the surface: a faded, fuzzy memory of Madoka holding a lifeless Sayaka in her arms. It almost didn't seem real, almost imagined with how unclearly she could see it, but as the static cleared the more she pondered on it, the memory ceased being of her and her friend and became that of two strangers, of a young boy, no older than herself, holding a young girl in his arms, trapped in an endless sleep, having lost something important.

Forget it…

"Forget it,"

There's no way you're taking Kairi's…

"There's no way you're taking Sayaka-chan's heart!" Madoka declared to the creatures, tears welling up in her eyes.

"…What?" Sayaka said with a confused tilt of her head.

"The hell is she even talking about?" Kyoko said with equal confusion.

Before Madoka could even ponder the answer herself, the shadows lunged forward all at once, Madoka crying in fear as she turned away, willing to guard the ring with her very life.

"MADOKA!" Sayaka and Kyoko exclaimed in horror as the visage of their friend became lost to them in the pile of shadowy bodies.

Suddenly, a bright light shown through the blackness, it threw all of the shadows back and blinded the two friends. Madoka herself kept her eyes shut, waiting for the pain and agony that never came. Madoka cautiously peaked her eyes open, surprised to find her right arm outstretched, clutching a strange, glowing weapon.

"WHOA! D-Did Madoka just summon a sacred sword!?" Sayaka exclaimed in both shock and absolute awe.

"Sword? Isn't that just a… giant key?" Kyoko observed, tilting her head in confusion at the impractical looking weapon.

Madoka gazed at it as well; its shape was certainly that of a classic skeleton key, golden metal forming the square guard around the black handle. A blue rainguard connected the golden guard to the silver, cylindrical blade, at the very end of which was a set of teeth that formed an outline of a crown. Extending from the hilt was a long, silver chain, ending with a silver token that Madoka recognized as the symbol present on the weapons in her dream.

"…Key… blade." Madoka muttered the word as it popped into her head. Before she could ponder any further, the Shadows all reappeared around her, the way they twitched violently and hopped in place showing that they were much more aggressive than before.

"Ah, they're back!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"Madoka, be careful!" Sayaka added with concern.

"Uh… um…" Madoka stammered nervously as the creatures stared her down menacingly. Suddenly, one leaped at her, Madoka crying in fear as she rolled out of the way. The roll was surprisingly well executed, Madoka immediately returning to her feet, but she was then immediately attacked by another Shadow, Madoka bringing the Keyblade up in a desperate attempt to block. The claw of the black creature would clearly slip passed the blade of the weapon and tear into her flesh, and yet it did not. Instead, it bounced off some sort of transparent barrier that flashed for just that second around the Keyblade's edge before fading away. Madoka stared in awe as the creature staggered back from the failed attack and retreated, as if afraid of Madoka's retaliation.

The rest of the creatures shared its sentiment, fading back into the ground and changing positions, as if preparing for their next assault. This all reminded Madoka so much of her dream the night before that she had to wonder if she was in fact still dreaming, but as she took another look at the ring clutched in her hand, she new that this was really happening, that her friend was really in danger, even if she wasn't entirely sure why.

You have gained the power to fight… use this power to protect yourself and others

Madoka put on a determined look as she pocketed Sayaka's ring and returned her attention to the Shadows surrounding her, bending her knees and holding the Keyblade with both hands in a defensive position. One of the Shadows returned to the surface and swiped it's claw at her, Madoka bringing up the Keyblade in defense and deflecting the attack. With the creature staggered, Madoka retaliated with a downward swing and followed up with a forward thrust, finishing the combo with a turning sweep slash that defeated the Shadow. Another Shadow leaped towards her but Madoka rolled out of the way and began slashing at another unsuspecting Shadow, catching a third in the last swing of the combo. She prepared to engage the dazed Shadow only for another to sneak up behind her and claw at her back, Madoka staggering forward at the sudden pain and allowing another Shadow to land a leaping swipe at Madoka's face, sending her rolling to the ground.

"Madoka!" Sayaka cried in concern as she watched her friend struggle to her feet. Remarkably, the attacks didn't seem to leave any noticeable damage; Madoka's clothes were unscathed and her face unscarred, however, that didn't stop the attacks from being painful.

Madoka rose to her feet and lowered back into her fighting stance. She swung at the nearest Shadow only for it to meet her blade with a claw swipe, the two bouncing off of each other. The next Shadow went to attack, but Madoka rolled to the side, catching it in a combo once it landed. The creature died on the forward thrust, leaving the final sweep slash to catch the remaining two Shadows that were flanking her on either side. Madoka focused her attention on one, blocking a retaliating swipe of its claw before unleashing a combo that defeated it. The last remaining Shadow managed to land a leaping swipe on Madoka, making her stagger and have to roll out of the way of another swipe of its claw. Madoka quickly steadied herself and slashed at the Shadow, the creature desperately trying to fight back, but it was no use. Madoka landed the final sweeping slash on it, ending its existence.

"Did… Did that really just happen?" Kyoko said incredulously.

"Madoka!" Sayaka exclaimed as she dashed forward, bringing Madoka into a big, friendly hug. "You did it Madoka, you defeated the living shadows!" She cried excitedly as she squeezed her shorter friend.

"I-I did?" Madoka muttered in disbelief, as if she hadn't been there to witness her own victory.

"You were so amazing Madoka, how did you… when did you…!" Sayaka stammered as she pulled back, allowing Madoka room to breath.

"Madoka, where did you learn to fight like that?" Kyoko asked as she ran up to join the two flustered girls.

"Eh… w-well…" Madoka struggled to answer. "I don't know. I just… started swinging." Madoka admitted as she looked down at the Keyblade.

"Hehe, isn't it obvious?" Sayaka stated with a haughty laugh. "Madoka was a hero in her past life!" She declared, pointing an incriminating finger at the young pinkette, who only gasped in shock and confusion. "Yep, she's fought this ancient evil before, and now that they've resurfaced, the memories of her past life and her dormant powers have awakened so she can defeat this threat once more!" She said dramatically.

"Huh? You idiot, there's no way some shounen manga plot like that could happen in real life!" Kyoko replied, her hands resting defiantly on her hips.

"Oh come on Kyoko! Look, she even has a sacred sword, what more do you want?" Sayaka argued.

"Sword? Are you blind, that's just a giant key!" Kyoko rebuked.

"Well, it was more than enough to defeat those shadows; it's a sacred sword!" Sayaka insisted.

"It's a giant key!" Kyoko shot back.

"SACRED SWORD!"

"GAINT KEY!"

"Keyblade." Madoka spoke up, flinching as they turned their glares to her. "Th-that's what its called, a Keyblade."

"Keyblade? But where's the blade part?" Kyoko questioned. "More importantly, where did you even get it?"

"I… I don't know, it just sort of… came to me." Madoka admitted, wondering where the weapon came from herself. "…Memories… from a past life…" She mumbled to herself as she examined the weapon in her hand, seeing small flashes of that same boy wielding it himself, fighting off creatures identical to those she had. However, before she could ponder any further, another wave of Shadows materialized around them, making Madoka immediately fall back into her battle stance.

"Looks like they're back for more." Kyoko said as she and Sayaka huddled behind Madoka.

"Give them another taste of your power Madoka!" Sayaka cheered from behind the pinkette.

However, before Madoka could even respond, the closest Shadow to her was pierced by a long, black, ethereal spear, followed by two more that ended up killing it.

"Huh, what…?" Madoka said quizzically before she was cut off by the sound of demented giggling. Suddenly, a young girl fell from the sky, holding a spear of her own and stabbing it into the head of one of the Shadows. It gestured to a rooftop, prompting three similar looking children to come flying down as well. They grabbed their discarded spears and began mercilessly killing the Shadows, all the while giggling with delight.

"W-What the hell…?" Kyoko said, a chill running up her spine at the sight before her.

"We're… being rescued, right?" Madoka asked, almost feeling sorry for the slaughtered creatures.

"I don't think I want to be rescued by these guys." Sayaka admitted with a disgusted look on her face.

The four children stomped playfully on the shadowy remains of the last creature, stopping only once it had completely faded. They then turned to face the trio all at once, the girls all jumping in surprise before Madoka fell into her battle stance. One of the girls simply skipped over to them, reaching into her pocket and pulling out what seemed to be a strange purple lizard, though it did not seem to be organic at all, rather made of some sort of metallic material. And yet, it sprang to life, crawling around the girl's hands before turning its attention to the pinkette before it.

"Madoka, are you alright?" An echoed voice emanated from the lizard, making Madoka gasp in surprise.

"That voice… Homura-chan?" Madoka recognized immediately, relaxing her stance.

"Ehh! Homura?" Kyoko cried in shock as she stepped forward to gaze upon the creature with Madoka.

"That's definitely her voice." Sayaka confirmed, joining them at the other side of Madoka.

"Good, it seems they got there in time." Homura said through the mouthpiece, relief evident in her voice.

"Wait, where are you? How are we even talking to you right now, and who the hell are these creepy children?" Kyoko interrogated the small metallic reptile.

"Alright you devil, spill it, what's going on here?!" Sayaka demanded with her arms crossed in the same hostile manner that she always used when speaking to Homura.

"…None of that matters right now." Homura replied, the lizard looking away as if to express the dishonesty.

"LIKE HELL IT DOESN'T!" Kyoko and Sayaka bellowed in irritation.

"Just know that these creatures, whatever they are, have infested the entire town." Homura informed, the shock and concern for the situation overriding the duo's annoyance with the secrecy.

"Wait, seriously, the whole town?" Kyoko said, jaw agape.

"Yes… many people have already…" Homura didn't dare finish that sentence as Madoka's face fell into a look of horror.

"W-what about my parents, my family! Mama, Papa, Tatsuya, are they…?" Madoka asked frightfully.

"Don't worry Madoka, the Kaname family is being protected, no harm will come to them." Homura assured, much to Madoka's own relief. "That being said, the streets are no longer safe. For now, just follow the Clara Dolls, they will take you to a safe location." She instructed, the children all standing at attention like a platoon of soldiers. "Don't worry Madoka, you don't have to fight anymore."

"I… don't?" Madoka muttered before the Keyblade suddenly vanished from her grasp. She couldn't deny the wave of relief that washed over her at that statement, at the weapon in her hand disappearing from existence… and yet, she also felt uneasy, the same uneasiness that always came with dealing with Homura. Regardless, Madoka just nodded in compliance and followed the Clara Dolls as they led her away, Sayaka and Kyoko exchanging worried looks before following as well.

Meanwhile, without anyone realizing it, a small, furry creature was watching them from a dirty alleyway. Its white fur was tattered and dirtied with mange, it's beady pink eyes were foggy, yet began to clear ever so slightly as it watched the girls walk by.

"…Just… a little bit… more…" Homura encouraged herself between pants, wiping the sweat from her brow.

These creatures that invaded her paradise, at first they were little more than a nuisance, easily dealt with alongside the Wraiths that she exterminated each night. However, as time went on, the threat they posed became very real; they began to appear during the day, and others were taking notice of their presence and the mayhem they brought with them. And there was just so many of them, they grew in number with each passing day, it felt as if when one died two more appeared to take its place, then three, then four. It was maddening. In short, this endeavor had gone from dealing with pests, to defending against a full-scale invasion, and Homura struggled to exterminate the creatures while keeping any more from getting in.

"You're wearing yourself rather thin there, Akemi Homura." Homura quickly wiped the tired look off her face as she turned to the commenter; a small, white, distraught looking creature that lied curled up in a ball by the foot of her chair. "At this rate, even if you manage to fend off the Shadows and reinforce the barrier, you won't be able to handle fighting the Wraiths tonight." It insisted, its voice level and devoid of any real concern despite its disheveled appearance.

"…I'm fine, this is all for Madoka's sake after all." Homura stated as she fixed her posture in an attempt to hide her exhaustion.

"I could aid you if you would just free one of me from these curses. Even if all I could be is a mouth piece, you could benefit from my insight." It insisted as it attempted to turn its head to look at her out of the corner of its foggy eye.

"It seems you have mistaken me for someone you have given any reason to trust you." Homura replied with a cold look in her eyes. "Besides, you seem to be more than capable of offering criticism as you are."

"Unfortunately, all I can do is offer superficial comments that you yourself have already accepted as truth, everything else is lost to me, buried beneath all of these curses." Its body trembled as it spoke, betraying the agony it was experiencing that its calm voice masked so well. Homura couldn't help but crack an amused smile; it was a punishment she was rather proud of, born from necessity, but not lacking in poetic justice. These creatures, the Incubators, which once forced innocent girls to fall into despair, now carried an infinitely heavier burden on themselves. Now forced to experience pain and anguish when they have never even experienced joy or happiness, a fate befitting the ones that ruined the lives of so many.

"…Like that weapon Kaname Madoka summoned." It added, Homura's heart skipping a beat as her interest was suddenly piqued. "I believe I have seen it somewhere before, or at least something similar. I know it's important, but in my current state I cannot even recall its name." The Incubator stated, shivering at another attempt to uncover more information within its own mind. Homura remained silent, contemplating for a moment whether or not to hear it out. However, she quickly dismissed her curiosity and returned her attention to the skyline.

"It doesn't matter anyway, what that weapon is or why Madoka wields it." Homura said as she narrowed her eyes in a determined stare. "She will live her life as an ordinary girl… I will never let her fight again." She declared as she redoubled her efforts throughout the city, the Incubator at her feet curling back up in agony.

"Hey, isn't this… Mami-san's apartment?" Madoka wondered out loud as she was led up the steps of the complex.

"Is this really the "safe place" they're leading us to?" Sayaka added, somewhat directed at Kyoko.

"It's a nice place, but I wouldn't exactly call it safe, at least not enough for this apocalypse going on right now." Kyoko admitted reaching into her pocket for the key Mami had given her as her roommate.

However, once they made it to the appropriate floor, the trio immediately noticed the large series of brass locks placed on Mami's front door, all held shut by a large keyhole that's shear size made Kyoko drop her key in shock. One of the Clara Dolls strolled up to the door, and with a wave of its hand turned the head of its spear into key teeth and slid it into the keyhole. With a single turn, all of the locks opened up, the loud sound of the tumblers made the three girls take an apprehensive step back. The moment the final lock opened, the Clara Doll turned the nob of the door and swung it wide open, the trio of girls peaking inside hesitantly, only to be met with the familiar sight of Mami and Nagisa sitting in the living room sipping tea

"Mami, Nagisa?" Kyoko said as she walked through the door, gaining her roommates' attention.

"Sakura-san, Kaname-san, Miki-san, oh thank goodness you're all alright!" Mami said with overwhelming relief as she stood up from her seat. The older girl wore a plain white shirt under a yellow cardigan, paired with a plain brown skirt and black thigh socks, an outfit one would wear when doing errands around town perhaps. Nagisa wore a pair of orange striped overalls over a yellow long sleeved shirt, again an outfit to go out in.

"Welcome back Kyoko-nee-chan!" Nagisa greeted casually, but the bright smile on her face said that she was genuinely happy to see her.

"Mami-san, Nagisa-chan, it's so good to see you're ok." Madoka said as she walked through the door with Sayaka.

"Yeah, things are crazy outside…" Sayaka added, only to be cut off by the door slamming shut behind them, the sound of the locks closing again making the new arrivals expressions fall. "Uhh…"

"Sorry about that. Come, sit down and have some tea with us." Mami offered, sitting back down at her spot at the table. The trio exchanged worried glances before accepting the offer and sat down around the table as Mami poured out a glass of tea for each of them, as well as cutting each a slice of pie that she had handy. "It's so hard to believe that this is all really happening, it's like something straight out of a fantasy story." Mami said with a concerned look on her face. "Nagisa-chan and I were just out grocery shopping when we were attacked by those creatures."

"And let me guess, those weird "Clara Doll" things swooped in and rescued you?" Kyoko interjected before shoving a piece of pie in her mouth.

"Yes, exactly." Mami confirmed. "I was very surprised to hear Akemi-san's voice come from that trinket they carried, and without much explanation, they just brought us back here and locked us in. She said it was to keep us safe." She explained before taking a sip of her tea.

"That creep, just what the hell even is she?" Sayaka said bitterly as she scowled at the thought of the raven-haired girl.

"Don't say that Sayaka-chan, she's helping us after all." Madoka defended.

"But how though!?" Sayaka demanded in frustration. "Those girls were obviously her minions, and there's no way anyone good would have such creepy looking followers."

"I don't know about that, but that girl is definitely hiding something, no ordinary person could do all of this." Kyoko conceded, gesturing her fork to the window, making the two girls look. It was then that they noticed that a magical barrier was just barely visible over the windows.

"Is that…?" Madoka wondered.

"Yes, Homura-nee-chan seems to have fortified this whole room, that's probably the only thing keeping those creatures out." Nagisa deduced before taking another bite of the cheese on her plate.

"So she really is trying to help us." Madoka said with a relieved smile.

"Mmm… I guess, I just… ugh, this whole thing just doesn't sit right with me!" Sayaka exclaimed as she fell on her back in frustration. "That girl has gone out of her way to avoid us all year, so why is she going to such lengths to protect us now, why us!?" She demanded with both her fists raised.

"Maybe… maybe she really did want to be friends with us, and was just shy before." Madoka suggested.

"And it took the damn apocalypse to finally get her to warm up to us?" Kyoko rebuked sarcastically as she picked off a piece of Sayaka's pie when the girl wasn't looking.

"W-well… does the reason really matter, she's helping us, and so we should be grateful, shouldn't we?" Madoka stated hopefully.

"Easy for you to say Madoka, you don't even need her protection." Sayaka replied as she hefted herself off of the floor. The implication startled Madoka a bit, especially once she saw Mami and Nagisa's confused expressions.

"What do you mean by that Miki-san?" Mami inquired curiously.

"Oh yeah, it turns out Madoka here is a warrior chosen to fight the living shadows and save the world!" Sayaka gushed as she wrapped her arm around the nervous looking pinkette.

"Eh, really!?" Mami exclaimed in disbelief.

"No way, Sayaka-nee-chan is making things up again!" Nagisa argued, clearly having been influenced by living with Kyoko.

"It's true, believe it or not." Kyoko replied, much to Mami and Nagisa's shock. "I'm not sure about all that chunnibyou stuff, but Madoka definitely fought off a whole bunch of those shadow guys using this weird, key shaped, sword-yet-not-a-sword looking thing." She elaborated.

"Yeah, the Keyblade!" Sayaka recalled. "It appeared in a bright flash of light, and before we knew it those monsters were history! Madoka, show it to them!" She requested.

"Eh, r-right now?" Madoka asked apprehensively.

"Would you Kaname-san?" Mami said, a hint of enthusiasm in her voice.

"Do you still have it with you?" Nagisa inquired as she looked around for where the older girl could've been keeping it.

"Uh, no I… well… Oh right!" Madoka suddenly exclaimed, reaching into her pocket and pulling out Sayaka's silver ring. "Here Sayaka-chan." She offered the trinket to her.

"Huh? Oh yeah, my ring." Sayaka said with surprise, having all but forgotten about it. "Thanks Madoka." She added as she took the ring and placed it back on her finger.

"Eh… Miki-san, that ring…?" Mami said with an intrigued look in her eye.

"Yeah, those living shadows actually tried to steal it, Madoka fought them to get it back for me. Can you believe that?" Sayaka explained with an amused laugh.

"Risking your life for a ring was a pretty dumb move Madoka, you should treasure your life a bit more." Kyoko scolded, Madoka bowing her head apologetically.

"Say, Miki-san, where did you get that ring?" Mami inquired.

"Where? Umm… I don't really remember actually, I think it was a present from someone, or something." Sayaka replied uncertainly. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just… I have one just like it." Mami said as she showed off the ring on her left finger.

"Huh, oh yeah, they match." Sayaka concurred as the two girls brought their hands forward to compare them.

"I have one too!" Nagisa stated, bringing her own hand forward.

"You know, now that you mention it…" Kyoko chimed in as she showed off a ring of her own, hanging around her neck from a piece of black string.

"Wow, they're all the same." Madoka said in amazement.

"That's not really saying much though." Kyoko stated. The rings were simple in design, simply a round piece of silver metal wrapped around the finger, the only distinguishing feature being an ovular gem that was a different color that seemed to correspond to the girl that owned it, blue for Sayaka, red for Kyoko, yellow for Mami, and white for Nagisa.

"Yeah, it's just a coincidence." Sayaka waved it off, unconcerned.

"I don't think so." Mami disagreed, much to the group's curiosity. "You see, when those creatures attacked us, they tried to steal our rings to." She revealed, shocking them.

"Wait, seriously!?" Sayaka exclaimed.

"Yes, I found it strange at the time, because they didn't seem to be interested in anyone else's belongs, they just went ahead and…" Mami paused, remembering the fate that befell other bystanders.

"Yeah, and come to think of it, they only attacked Madoka because she took the ring from them, they weren't actually interested in hurting us." Kyoko remembered thoughtfully.

"That's it!" Sayaka suddenly shouted as she shot up from her seat. "The living shadows are attacking people because they're looking for these rings! That's why Homura is protecting us, to keep the rings safe!" She declared.

"Oh please, will you give that chunnibyou crap a rest and be serious for once?" Kyoko jeered in exasperation.

"I am being serious, unless you have a better explanation in mind." Sayaka challenged. Kyoko paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond. As much as she hated to admit it, Sayaka's "theory" did seem pretty believable after everything that had happened so far, though she refused to give Sayaka the satisfaction.

"…Hey Madoka, what was that you said before?" Kyoko inquired, Madoka only tilting her head in confusion. "You know, when you wrestled the ring back from the monsters, you were screaming something about Sayaka's "heart" or whatever, what did you mean by that?" She clarified, the girls all directing their attention at the pinkette to hear her answer.

"Oh, that? Well, that's just what the Heartless do, they go around stealing people's hearts, turning them into Heartless as well." Madoka answered without hesitation. However, once she saw the surprised looks on her friend's faces, she covered mouth in shock, realizing what she had just said.

"Heartless?" Sayaka pondered the new name for the creatures.

"They steal hearts?" Mami repeated.

"Oh, I think I saw that!" Nagisa proclaimed. "When they attacked people, these weird pink things would pop out of their chest before they disappeared!"

"That… That's right, and when they were gone, more Heartless would take their place!" Mami recalled.

"Madoka, how do you know all of that?" Kyoko asked in bewilderment.

"I…I don't know." Madoka replied apprehensively.

"…Madoka, is there something you're not telling us?" Sayaka said, the shocked gasp and worried look on her friend's face confirming her suspicions. "I knew it, you were never any good at hiding things." Sayaka teased, Madoka sighing in defeat.

"I'm sorry." She apologized sheepishly.

"Kaname-san, if there's something bothering you, you should tell us." Mami offered sympathetically.

"Yeah, don't leave us hanging like that, whatever you have to say can't possibly make things any worse." Kyoko insisted boorishly, earning an elbow to the side from Sayaka.

"Well… I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this real, or not?" Madoka said after a long pause. "And I don't just mean the Heartless or the Keyblade; I've actually been thinking like this ever since I got back to Japan."

"Oh yeah, you lived abroad for awhile, didn't you." Mami recalled.

"I'm actually not so sure about that anymore." Madoka admitted, much to the group's confusion. "You see ever since I came back, I've been having these really strange dreams. At first, they were fuzzy, and I couldn't even remember what they were about after I woke up, but recently they've been getting a lot clearer, more vivid, and eventually, they didn't feel like just dreams anymore, but more like…"

"Memories?" Sayaka suggested, Madoka just nodding her head in confirmation.

"Wait, you're not seriously trying to tell us that you've actually awoken memories from your past life, are you?" Kyoko interjected, an incredulous look on her face as she tried her best to ignore Sayaka's smug expression.

"Um… I'm not sure about a past life or anything, but they're definitely somebody else's memories." Madoka replied. "They're disjointed, and the settings are always different, but the one thing that ties them all together… is a boy, fighting the Heartless with the Keyblade." She explained as she began to recall some of those memories. "That's why it came so naturally to me; when I held that Keyblade, it felt like I was that boy in another one of those memories… and that really scares me." Madoka paused, clutching both her hands to her heart to keep them from shaking.

"Madoka…" Sayaka said in a concerned tone. However, she was suddenly cut off as the room began to subtly shake, and the light from outside began to dim.

"Eh, what's happening?" Mami wondered aloud.

"An earthquake?" Nagisa suggested as she clung to Mami in fright.

"Everyone, look, the sky!" Kyoko said as she shot up from her seat and stared out the window. The girls all followed her gaze, a shocked gasp escaping each of their lips as they laid their eyes upon the large crack that streaked across the sky, shards of what should've been the blue atmosphere falling to the earth as eerie blackness seeped through the crack, robbing the sky of its light.

Homura cried in agony as she fell out of her chair, a sharp pain shooting through her chest that intensified as the crack grew in size.

"It's… It's too much… their breaking through!" Homura exclaimed as she felt the Heartless pound against her shattering labyrinth, threatening to bring the whole thing crashing down.

"It's just as I said, Akemi Homura. You've stretched yourself far too thin, and now the power that you've delegated to keeping the labyrinth stable is insufficient." Kyubey construed in a tone that nearly made it sound like a mocking friend declaring, "I told you so". "If you don't commit to it quickly, the whole thing will collapse and the original laws of the universe will be restored. Not to mention the shock would render you unable to fend off the invasion any longer; this world will be devoured, along with anyone that you were trying to protect." He warned, his apathetic tone showing that he was merely stating facts, where in any other context it would be a threat to sway her decision.

As such, Homura couldn't deny the Incubator's warnings; the pain from the barrier just cracking was enough to make her terrified of how she would feel if the whole thing shattered. She would be incapacitated, and that would leave Madoka and those dear to her to fend for themselves against the invading shadows, not to mention the possibility of Madoka rejoining with the Law of Cycles with no labyrinth to cut her off from it.

"No… that… that absolutely cannot happen…" Homura resolved as she struggled back to her feet. A single tear fell from her eye as she realized what it was she had to do. "I'm sorry, Madoka." She whispered to herself before summoning the Dark Orb from the back of her hand. The ornate object glowed an eerie purple, resonating with a similar glow in Homura's eyes as her clothes became engulfed in purple flames, burning away and replacing them with a revealing, black dress. Black feathered wings sprouted from her back, her eyes turning a dark, crimson red as a pulse of dark energy rippled through the air, turning day into night and repairing the crack in the sky.

Mami's living room shook violently as the dark pulse reached them, the girls all struggling to retain their balance. Just as the shaking began to stop, the girls noticed cracks appearing in the transparent barrier that protected the apartment, the hairline fractures creeping all across it before it finally shattered into countless glowing pieces that faded away a moment later. Suddenly, the dark atmosphere that plagued the rest of the city flowed into the room, tugging at their nerves, their instincts, telling them that they were all in mortal danger just being there.

"That… can't be good." Sayaka stated, just to break the deafening silence.

Not a moment after she said this, a Heartless materialized beside her, though unlike the Shadows they had encountered before, this Heartless was much more humanoid, its black head encased within a silver helmet, giving it the aesthetic of a knight. Before they knew it, a whole platoon of four Soldier Heartless surrounded them, stomping in place as if they were clumsily marching.

"So much for a safe location." Kyoko jeered as the group huddled together. Without any warning, one of the Soldiers hopped onto its toes and unleashed a rotating kick, spinning like a top right towards Mami and Nagisa.

"Look out!" Madoka exclaimed as she instinctively summoned the Keyblade and guarded against the attack, the Soldier recoiling back and leaving it open for Madoka to land a combo on it, the final slash sending it flying back.

"K-Kaname-san?" Mami stammered in shock at the display.

"Amazing Madoka-nee-chan!" Nagisa said, awestruck.

"Isn't it?!" Sayaka exclaimed in agreement. The other three Soldiers then unleashed a similar attack all at once, Madoka staggering back as they recoiled against her guard.

"Everyone, this way, let's give her some space!" Mami said as she guided the rest of the group into the kitchen, allowing Madoka to focus all of her efforts on defeating the Heartless.

One of the Soldiers marched up to her and slashed with its right claw; Madoka easily rolled out of the way, allowing her to land two slashes to the creature's exposed side. However, before she could land the finisher, another Soldier came at her from behind with a rotating kick, Madoka staggering back from the impact and turning her attention to her assailant. She swung the Keyblade at it just in time to parry a claw swipe, but the moment she swung in retaliation, the Solider leaped over her head and lunged across the room out of Madoka's reach. Before she could even consider going after it, another Soldier unleashed a rotating kick that Madoka fortunately blocked just in time, the Heartless staggering just enough for her to land a combo that knocked it back into Mami's sofa. She went to finish it off, but the first Soldier intercepted her, Madoka ducking underneath its claw and retaliated with a quick upward slash that defeated it, a strange pinkish red object popping out from the black fog and floating up into the air before fading away.

Madoka then turned her attention to the fourth Soldier, guarding against a swipe from its claw and countering with a combo, the creature dying on the forward thrust allowing the sweeping slash to parry the two rotating kicks that the remaining Soldiers advanced with. Madoka avoided a claw swipe from one of the Soldiers with a shoulder roll, instead engaging the other, landing a combo that defeated it. Madoka evaded a claw swipe from the last Soldier only for it to lunge away as she slashed at it. Rather then go after it, she stood her ground and guarded once the Heartless came at her with a rotating kick, blocking the attack and leaving it wide open for a combo, ending it this time with a powerful upward slash that ended its existence in a puff of black smoke.

"Yeah, way to go Madoka!" Sayaka cheered from the kitchen entryway.

"Kaname-san, you were incredible!" Mami added with a subtle applause.

"You're so strong, Madoka-nee-chan!" Nagisa beamed. Madoka's face flushed as she let out an embarrassed giggle, awkwardly scratching the back of her head.

However, the moment didn't last, as behind her appeared yet another Soldier, accompanied by four additional, floating Heartless. These new Heartless had strange cone shaped bodies, the two floating closer to the ground being blue in color, while the two that floated overhead were red. All four had yellow caps on their pitch black, spherical heads, and the beady yellow eyes that all Heartless seemed to have.

"Oops, spoke to soon." Sayaka lamented as Madoka lowered into her battle stance once again.

The Soldier marched forward and swiped at Madoka with its claw, the pinkette easily guarding against it and retaliating with a combo that sent it flying across the room. She quickly attempted to close the distance between them before it could recover, but one of the blue floating Heartless that had scrambled about the room glowed blue as cold air collected around it. Before Madoka even got half way across the room, the Blue Rhapsody fired a blast of ice magic at her, making the girl stagger as her right shoulder was frozen solid.

"What the… the blue ones shoot ice!?" Kyoko exclaimed.

"Wait, so does that mean the red ones…" Sayaka began, but was cut off by the sight of the Red Nocturne summoning a fireball in the space above Madoka. "Madoka, look out!" Sayaka warned.

Fortunately, Madoka noticed the spell just in time to roll out of the way, however the ice on her shoulder hindered her enough to keep her from standing up right away, leaving her wide open for a rotating kick from the Soldier. The kick knocked her back down, but also broke the ice on her shoulder, but just as she began to reengage the Soldier, the second Blue Rhapsody fired another Blizzard spell, this time freezing Madoka's leg to the floor and rendering her immobile. A Red Nocturne took that chance to fire another fireball at Madoka, but this time she managed to guard against it, as well as a claw swipe from the Soldier. The armored Heartless lunged out of the way of Madoka's retaliating upward slash just in time to leave her open for the second Red Nocturne to coat itself in flames and ram into her.

Madoka cried out in pain as the flames bit at her side, the force and heat from the hit separating her leg from the floor, but making her lose her grip on the Keyblade and sending her crashing into the table. Madoka struggled just to sit up, the pain from the fire still lingering, her eyes widening when she saw the Red Nocturne floating above her already charging another fireball. She could faintly hear the cries of warning from her friends, but the pain and fear she felt at that moment mixed together into a fog that prevented her from doing much else other than cower with her head down, awaiting the spell that would end her life. However, it never came, as just when the fire was ready to be thrown, a plate crashed into the Heartless, causing the creature to turn its attention to its new assailant. Madoka did the same, and was shocked to see Sayaka, Kyoko, and Mami all holding plates, teacups, and silverware, ready to be pelted at the Heartless.

"Don't even think about it you creep!" Kyoko exclaimed as she threw another plate, the Red Nocturne just floating to the side to evade it.

"You stay way from Madoka!" Sayaka demanded as she tossed a knife at the creature, only for it to bounce off of its body harmlessly.

"Shame on you for attacking a helpless girl!" Mami scolded as she threw a teacup, only for the Heartless to intercept it with a fireball, shattering it in midair and the trio's confidence along with it. Before they could even consider retreating, the Red Nocturne coated itself in flames and threatened to charge forward.

"No!" Madoka exclaimed, the Keyblade disappearing from its place on the floor and reappearing in her hand as she forced herself to her feet. She caught the Heartless in a leaping upward swing, halting its attack, following up with a midair downward slash and finishing it off with an aerial spinning slash.

Madoka stumbled as she landed, but took the time to glance over at her friends, exchanging brief relieved and appreciative looks before Madoka turned her attention back to the battle. She immediately engaged a Blue Rhapsody that was charging a Blizzard spell, defeating it in a basic three hit combo before having to roll away from the Soldier's rotating kick. Fortunately, she caught the remaining Red Nocturne and Blue Rhapsody charging their attacks, and thus rolled two more times in order to avoid them, stopping in the perfect spot to attack the Blue Rhapsody, defeating it on the sweep slash that also parried a claw swipe from the Soldier. She finished off the Soldier with a quick upward slash, recovering just in time to evade another fireball from the last remaining Red Nocturne. She then leaped towards it with a skyward slash, but the Heartless floated out of the way just in time in a desperate attempt to stay alive. It coated itself in fire and charged one last time at the pinkette, only for Madoka to roll out of the way and catch it in a mid-air combo, finally defeating it. Madoka panted heavily once she landed, falling onto her butt in exhaustion as the pain she had ignored during the fight began to make itself known once more. The Keyblade also disappeared from her grasp, the girl unable to summon the will to keep it around.

"Madoka, are you alright!" Sayaka asked as she and the rest of their friends crowded around her, Sayaka and Kyoko helping Madoka to her feet.

"Y-Yes, I'm ok…" Madoka weakly assured, wincing in pain every once in a while.

"We have to get her to a hospital!" Mami stated.

"Are you kidding, we won't last five minutes out in the Heartless infested streets!" Kyoko countered.

"Well we can't stay here either, now can we?" Sayaka shot back bitterly, the issue about to erupt into an argument.

"Everyone, look at this." Nagisa spoke up, the older girls turning their attention to her. The stark haired girl showed off a strange transparent bottle that had what seemed to be a sparkling green liquid inside that mysteriously took the shape of a five-pointed star.

"Ohh, pretty." Sayaka said curiously.

"What is it?" Kyoko wondered.

"I don't know. It just popped out of the last monster Madoka-nee-chan defeated." Nagisa explained.

"…Hey, isn't that…" Madoka mumbled, recognizing the object.

This should help!

Silently, Madoka took the bottle from Nagisa's hand, stared at it for a moment as if to confirm it was what she thought it was, and suddenly threw it in the air, the bottle suddenly popping and the liquid transforming into a shower of clover petals that rained down on her. Madoka felt a wave of relief wash over her as all of the pain and exhaustion faded away, the girl standing on her own and examining her magically healed body.

"Wow. Madoka what was that?" Sayaka inquired in awe.

"A healing potion, sometimes the Heartless drop stuff like that." Madoka explained.

"My, how convenient." Mami said.

"Great, so now this isn't even a shonen manga, but a damn video game." Kyoko griped with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, whatever it is, it looks like holing up and waiting it out isn't an option anymore." Sayaka lamented, arms crossed in contemplation.

"So what do we do?" Nagisa asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Kaname-san, I don't suppose those memories of yours could tell you how to fix this problem, could they?" Mami inquired to the pinkette.

"Eh, the memories?" Madoka replied quizzically.

"You said before they were of a boy that dealt with these creatures before, right? So did he by any chance have a way of permanently doing away with them?" Mami suggested, the rest of the group looking to Madoka hopefully.

"Well…" Madoka began in an uncertain tone. However, as she pondered the possibility, the desired memory popped into her head.

Don't bother with the small fry.

"…Find the leader." Madoka nearly whispered. "We have to defeat the Heartless leader, then the rest of the Heartless should go away." She explained what she gathered from the fragmented memory.

"Great, so where's the leader?" Kyoko scoffed in response.

"Um…" Madoka attempted to answer. After a moment of silence, Mami walked over to the window, looking over the skyline of Mitakihara City.

"Look, over there." Mami instructed, the rest of the girls all crowding around to see what the older girl referred to. "See that strange cloud hanging over the transmit tower." She stated, pointing to the black mass that in fact hung over the tallest building in Mitakihara, pulses of blue, red, and purple light flashing from it every once in a while.

"Sure ain't like any cloud I've ever seen before." Kyoko affirmed.

"You think that's where the boss Heartless is?" Nagisa asked.

"…Only one way to find out." Madoka stated, clenching her fists in determination as she gazed at the cloud of darkness.

Madoka slashed through a Blue Rhapsody with the Keyblade, the creature dropping yet another Potion as it faded out of existence, bringing her total to three. She dismissed the weapon and collected the prize, giving her friends a wave to assure them that the coast was clear.

"Just two more blocks to go." Madoka said as she looked up at the broadcast tower in the distance. "Maybe I should use a Potion before we get there, just in case." She pondered, holding the item in her hand, ready to be used.

"Sorry Madoka." Sayaka said, catching Madoka off guard.

"You wouldn't have to waste time and energy dealing with the grunts if it weren't for us." Kyoko elaborated with a guilty look on her face.

"In the end, we're just a hindrance to you." Mami added apologetically, Nagisa just clutching Mami's arm and looking down in shame.

"…That's not true." Madoka denied, much to the group's surprise. "Back at the apartment, you all helped me, remember?"

"Well, I wouldn't say what we did "helped" per say…" Sayaka admitted, the girls fidgeting awkwardly at their clumsy attempt at assistance.

"No, you did help, really you did." Madoka insisted. "At that time, I was so scared that I couldn't move at all, if you hadn't helped me, I definitely would have died." Madoka held her hands to her chest to keep them from shaking at the memory. "If I was alone, I don't think I'd be able to fight at all, so… thank you, I'm really glad you're all with me." Madoka thanked with a wholehearted sincerity that only she could muster. Her bright smile and kind words put her friend's worries at ease, returning the favor with supportive smiles of their own. The tender moment was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder coming from the cloud overhead; the girls all exchanged determined looks and pressed onward.

The transmit tower was a popular landmark in Mitakihara City, easily visible from the skyline and the source of most of the city's radio, TV, and Internet signals. The girls all entered the large and empty parking lot that preceded the front entrance to the management building at the base of the tower itself, now having a clear view of the ominous cloud that hung above it. It was now that they realized that it wasn't a cloud at all, but a large orb of dark energy that had a swirling vortex of black mist surrounding it.

"Well, we're here." Sayaka said, a hint of nervous anticipation in her voice.

"And the boss Heartless… isn't." Kyoko lamented as she looked around at the empty lot in disappointment.

"Perhaps we guessed wrong." Mami proposed regretfully.

"Hey~, boss Heartless-san~, please come out~!" Madoka cried, moments passing only for her own echo to be her only response.

"I don't think it's here." Nagisa said, breaking the silence.

"Great, now we get to go on a wild goose chase all over town." Kyoko stated irritably, lazily placing her hands behind her head as she turned to leave. Madoka let out a dejected sigh before she turned to follower, along with Mami and Nagisa. However, Sayaka just stood there, her arms crossed and a pensive look on her face.

"Sayaka-chan?" Madoka said quizzically.

"Hold on, I wanna try something." Sayaka responded as she pulled out her phone.

"You have an idea, Miki-san?" Mami inquired curiously.

"Sort of. You see there was this other urban legend that I wanted to test out today." Sayaka explained. "Apparently, if you text a certain sticker to the transmit tower service line, then the tower will glow, and bring you good luck."

"Huh? The hell kind of bogus story is that?" Kyoko scoffed.

"Oh, just like how the living shadows were a bogus story too?" Sayaka rebuked, Kyoko reluctantly going silent.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to have a little luck on our side." Mami admitted with a comforting hand on Kyoko's shoulder.

"It might give us more than that." Sayaka said, much to her friends' confusion. "Look, check out which sticker we have to send." She held out her cellphone for all to see, the sticker already selected and attached to a blank text.

"That's… a keyhole?" Madoka said in slight confusion. Suddenly, a flood of disjointed memories entered Madoka's mind, all of Sora battling powerful adversaries just before sealing a mystical Keyhole. "A Keyhole!" Madoka repeated in realization, startling the rest. "Sayaka-chan, you're a genius!"

"Huh?" Kyoko breathed quizzically.

"Kaname-san?" Mami added in confusion.

"Heh, heh, was there ever any doubt?" Sayaka gloated at the praise. "After all, if there's a key, then there's a lock, right?" She said before she hit "send". The girls all stared up at the tower in anticipation. A few moments passed before a faint sparkle of light appeared at the very top of the tower, the whitish blue glow spreading down the length of the metal construct until the entire thing was shining brightly.

"Wow." Madoka breathed in awe.

"So pretty!" Nagisa admired along with the rest. Eventually, a small part of the tower began to glow more intensely than the rest, before fading away and revealing a mysterious keyhole.

"Oh yeah, that's two for two!" Sayaka gloated, flashing a confident smirk and a victory sign.

Her celebration was cut short as the ground beneath them shook violently; the girls just barely managing to keep their balance as the various shadows cast around them began to coalesce into a single black vortex. Emerging from that dark void came a massive Heartless, Madoka's eyes widening in shock as she recognized it as the monster from her dream, the Darkside. However, once it fully emerged, it became clear that where the Darkside's skin was pure black, this giant Heartless had dark purple skin, and was just a bit larger in size; the Dark Follower.

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't that way too big!?" Kyoko exclaimed with wide, shocked eyes.

"Kaname-san, can you really defeat such a creature?" Mami inquired with grave concern.

"I-I…" Madoka stuttered as she gazed up at her opponent. She didn't know if she was up to the task, not quite recalling how the battle in her dream turned out, just that she was just as afraid then as she was now. However, she knew she couldn't back down; everybody was counting on her, her friends, her family, everybody in Mitakihara, and she couldn't let them down.

Don't be afraid… keep your light burning strong…

With a determined look on her face, Madoka summoned the Keyblade and lowered herself into her battle stance.

"Stand back everyone!" Madoka instructed.

"Right!" Kyoko complied before running for cover.

"Nagisa, this way!" Mami said as she took Nagisa's hand and followed after Kyoko.

"Be careful, Madoka." Sayaka said, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. "Remember, we're all here with you." She assured with a wide grin. Madoka offered an appreciative smile of her own before Sayaka turned to join the others, leaving Madoka to face the Dark Follower.

It was at this time that the giant Heartless noticed Madoka's presence and went on the offensive, rearing a fist back before slamming it down towards Madoka, the girl rolling out of the way. A pool of darkness appeared around the spot the Dark Follower hit, summoning three purple variants of the Shadows. Madoka recalled the attack from her fight with the Darkside and made quick work of the Shadow that immediately obstructed her and went for the impaled fist, slashing at its exposed wrist just as before. Eventually, the Dark Follower raised its fist from the ground, allowing Madoka to deal with the Shadows. She guarded against their claw strikes, feeling like they were just a smidge stronger than the ordinary Shadows, but she was still able to quickly dispose of them.

With its minions defeated, the Dark Follower made another move, leaning forward and supporting itself on its right hand as it buried its entire arm into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent Madoka flying back as she attempted to attack the right hand. The Dark Follower seemed to feel around underground, as if looking for something, giving Madoka a chance to rush up and slash at its exposed face. However, she only managed to land two hits before the Heartless lifted itself up, pulling a ball of orange, swirling energy out of the ground. It admired the orb for a moment, cradling it in its hands before sending it flying up to join the shadowy vortex in the sky. Not a moment later, spheres of purple energy began raining down from the sky all over the lot, the Dark Follower standing up tall and motionless as if it expected the rain to take care of Madoka for it. Madoka rolled out of the way of a falling sphere, only to be hit by another, recovering from her stagger just in time to evade a third.

"EH, us too!?" Kyoko exclaimed as she and Sayaka narrowly evaded an orb.

"Look out!" Mami said as she pulled Nagisa out of the path of an orb before having to evade one herself.

Eventually, the energy rain ceased, and the Dark Follower aimed a punch at Madoka, which she easily evaded. Just as the pool of darkness formed and the Shadows emerged from it, Madoka hopped onto the Dark Follower's arm and ran up onto its shoulder, slashing at its head. She managed to get in two full combos before the Heartless pulled its fist up from the ground and stood up straight, turning its head to the side for its beady yellow eyes to stare directly at Madoka. It then raised its hand and attempted to swat the pinkette off of its shoulder, forcing Madoka to leap off and safely land on the ground. She was then engaged by the three summoned Shadows, getting clawed by two of them in a surprise attack, but she managed to dispatch them easily enough. However, Madoka failed to notice that the Dark Follower had reared its fist back, charging it with a large amount of glowing energy.

"Madoka, watch out!" Sayaka cried, alerting Madoka to the attack. The Dark Follower then threw the punch at Madoka, the girl rolling out of the way as the fist crashed into the asphalt, creating a large and powerful shockwave that sent Madoka flying back a couple of feet. However, the shockwave propagated beyond the boundaries of the lot, crashing into Madoka's friends as well, all crying out in pain as a result.

"Ugh… Sayaka-chan… everyone…" Madoka uttered in grave concern as she forced herself back onto her feet. "Are you alright?!" She called out to them as she attempted to come to their aid.

Unfortunately, the Dark Follower caught her attention as it prepared its next attack, resting on its knees as it collected energy into the heart shaped crevice on its torso and then firing an energy ball that homed in on the pinkette. With a narrowed gaze, Madoka stood her ground and guarded against the attack, the force sending her sliding back a few inches, but she managed to bounce the orb back, sending it crashing into the Dark Follower's face. Regardless, the Heartless charged up another attack, and this time shot out two orbs, one of which once again bounced off of the Keyblade and into its face, while the other flew right over Madoka's head and went towards her still recovering friends.

"NO!" Madoka cried in despair as she could only watch the orb careen closer and closer to her defenseless friends. However, a moment before it collided with any of them, a Clara Doll leaped out from nowhere and blocked it with its spear, much to the quintet's relief.

"Thank goodness." Mami said.

"Geez, it's about time you guys showed up again!" Sayaka scolded the child-like creature, but was seemingly ignored.

"Wait, we only get one this time, what gives?" Kyoko griped, who was also ignored in favor of the Clara Doll giving a friendly wave to Madoka. She was surprised by the gesture, but then looked up into the sky, realization dawning on her as she saw the hairline fractures continuously appearing and disappearing.

"That's right, Homura-chan is out there fighting too, isn't she." Madoka said, glancing back at the single, solitary Clara Doll that was all that the ebony haired classmate of hers could spare. Her train of thought was cut off by the Dark Follower charging up yet another attack, this time firing three orbs of energy at once. Madoka evaded the one that homed in on her and then leaped into the air to knock the second away, leaving the Clara Doll to block the final one. With renewed determination, Madoka quickly used a Potion and fell back into her battle stance, ready to end this struggle.

The Dark Follower threw another punch at her, summoning three more Shadows in a pool of darkness that went ignored in favor of Madoka climbing up the arm. She vigorously slashed at the Heartless' head, keeping her balance as best she could when it hefted its fist from the ground and stood back up. Once again, the Dark Follower noticed Madoka's presence and attempted to swat her away, the girl nimbly leaping off and slashing at one of the Shadows down below. She dispatched them just in time to catch a glimpse of the Dark Follower rearing its fist back, charged with dark energy, and then bring it down to create another powerful shockwave that Madoka just barely leapt over. Meanwhile, the Clara Doll planted its spear into the ground and expanded it into a black wall that protected the bystanders from the shockwave.

Before the Dark Follower could lift its fist off from the ground, Madoka leaped onto it and began to scale its arm. The Heartless attempted to swat her away one last time, but Madoka jumped to avoid the coming hand, and with a loud determined cry, she landed a heavy slash through the Dark Followers face, creating a visible wound where dark energy began to crackle out from. Madoka landed back onto the ground and looked back at the stunned Heartless, standing there motionlessly before it finally succumbed to the wound and fell over, dead.

The Dark Follower's body began fading away into darkness, the resulting black mist floating up to join the now dissipating vortex in the sky. As light began to peer through, the keyhole on the Transmit Tower shimmered for a moment, the Keyblade responding with a shimmer of its own. Understanding, Madoka adjusted her hold on the Keyblade so that its teeth were facing down and pointed it at the tower, a beam of light shooting from its tip into the keyhole. There was a faint clicking sound before the keyhole shimmered out of existence, a small smile appearing on Madoka's face as she dismissed the Keyblade, feeling that the whole ordeal was finally over with.

"YOU DID IT MADOKA!" Sayaka exclaimed as she nearly tackled Madoka from behind in a tight hug.

"I can't believe it, you actually defeated that giant thing! Nice going!" Kyoko praised with similar joy as she gave the girl congratulatory high five.

"Is it over?" Nagisa apprehensively asked as Mami guided her over to the trio.

"Yes, it seems that did the trick." Mami said as they all gazed up at the brightening blue sky. The heavy atmosphere that persisted throughout the entire battle was suddenly nowhere to be found, and they knew that things had now returned to normal. "Well done, Kaname-san."

"Can you believe it Madoka, you like totally just saved the world!" Sayaka gushed as she pulled away from her best friend.

"Hihihi, I don't know about that but…" Madoka giggled shyly at the praise, despite the great sense of pride she felt at that moment. She actually couldn't believe it, to think that she actually managed to defeat such a powerful creature, that she actually succeeded in protecting her home, her family, her friends. It was all so overwhelming; it nearly made her go weak in the knees. However, Madoka's attention turned to the Clara Doll, the creature taking its leave with its job complete.

"Ah wait, Doll-san!" Madoka called out, the Clara Doll stopping and looking at her over its shoulder. "Um… just… thank you very much for your help." Madoka said with a grateful bow of her head. "And also… tell Homura-chan thank you as well." She added with a bright smile.

"You shouldn't be thanking me." Madoka was startled when the doll responded in Homura's voice. However, after a moment of thought, she realized that it didn't come from the doll, but rather from behind her. She and the others turned around and looked on in shock as Homura lowered herself into the lot with her large black wings.

"Eh, w-w-wings!?" Kyoko exclaimed in shock and confusion, pointing at the long, feathered appendages that protruded from Homura's back.

"Akemi-san, that outfit is a little…" Mami awkwardly protested, covering Nagisa's eyes to the younger girls chagrin. However, they went ignored by Homura, the girl silently stepping forward, her eyes glued onto Madoka.

"Um, Homura-chan, are you…?" Madoka questioned, but was cut off when Homura suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Madoka in a desperate hug. The girls all gasped in surprise at the sudden action, Madoka so flustered that she failed to react.

"I'm sorry Madoka, even though I promised never to let you fight again, I…" Homura apologized, her voice low and sounding like she was on the verge of tears.

"H-Homura…chan?" Madoka breathed bewilderedly as Homura's grip tightened ever so slightly.

"H-hey, what do you think you're doing you creep!" Sayaka said as she pulled Homura off of Madoka and stood between them protectively. "No, we're way passed creep, are you even human?" Sayaka accused, Homura's gaze turning dark and perturbed.

"S-Sayaka-chan, you shouldn't say that! She's been helping us, remember!" Madoka defended.

"You mean helping you Madoka." Sayaka rebuked, Madoka gasping quizzically in response. "It's been bothering me for a while, but now there's no doubt about it, Homura only cares about protecting you, and the rest of us are just baggage!" She declared incriminatingly.

"Say what?" Kyoko said in a dubious tone.

"Miki-san, don't you think you're going jumping to conclusions." Mami suggested with concern.

"I know, even I can see that, but… I just can't get that image of her out of my mind." Sayaka asserted. "Our families, our friends, everybody else in the world, you don't care about any of them, do you, you… you devil!" Homura was visibly shocked by the utterance of that last word, looking away in either shame or contemplation. However, not even a moment passed before the girl's entire demeanor changed, a deranged smile spreading across her face as she looked back up with a condescending glare.

"My, so you actually did manage to remember that. You always were a sharp one Miki Sayaka." Homura teased almost playfully, though there was a clear sense of malice in her voice. The girls all tensed up, Sayaka standing much more protectively in front of Madoka, and Kyoko and Mami shifting their stances as if preparing for a fight. "I suppose now you're going to demand that I explain things to you all; who and what I am, what my intensions are, etcetera. But I'm afraid I can't do any such thing with Madoka present, I'd like to not trouble her with all this unpleasantness any more then I already have."

"Screw that, you honestly think after all of this we're just going to let you brush this off!" Kyoko rebuffed angrily.

"I believe we deserve an explanation Akemi-san," Mami asserted. "And if you won't comply, then…"

"Then what, Tomoe Mami, what will you do to me?" Homura cut her off tauntingly, not at all fazed by the threat, with good reason.

"We'll… um, we'll… what will we do?" Mami pondered out loud, unsure just what she could possibly do against the powerful girl, and why she was so confident in her threat.

"Good, it seems this ordeal hasn't made you remember anything troublesome. I must say, my memory blocks are much more effective now than they once were." Homura said tauntingly.

"Memory blocks?" Nagisa said curiously.

"What are you talking about, just what did you do to us?!" Sayaka demanded. Homura just chuckled lightly in response, much to Sayaka's ire, she seemed dangerously close to attacking the devilish girl, however the hateful glares they shared were soon replaced by confused gazes, as Madoka stepped passed Sayaka.

"Madoka?" Homura said quizzically.

"…Who is Sora?" Madoka asked, much to the entire assembly's confusion.

"Sora?" Kyoko said, unfamiliar with the name.

"Could that be… the boy from your memories?" Mami guessed.

"Boy? Memories?" Homura parroted, her face going a bit pale when Madoka nodded in confirmation.

"Homura-chan, you've been messing with our memories, right?" Madoka inquired, Homura flinching at the accusation, meaning a world of difference coming from Madoka. "So you must know about them, about the strange memories I've been seeing."

'Strange memories… could it be, the Law of Cycles…?' Homura panicked in her head, but after a moment of thought she knew that couldn't be the case. If she had truly recovered her memories of her time as the Law of Cycles, then she wouldn't still be here, but of course that just raised the question of what else could she possibly mean.

"In those memories, there's a boy named Sora, who uses the Keyblade to fight off the Heartless, and helps people everywhere he goes." Madoka explained. "At first I only saw them as dreams, but recently I've been able to recall them as if they were my own memories, and I was able to fight because of them. It's just so strange, I have memories that shouldn't belong to me, they've shown me amazing things that I know shouldn't be possible, and yet… they feel more real than my own memories." Madoka admitted with her face tilted towards the floor and her hands gripping her chest.

"Madoka…" Homura breathed, the girls all giving her sympathetic looks.

"Homura-chan, you know why that is right, I know you do." Madoka accused, much to Homura's shock. "Please, tell me why, you don't have to explain anything else, just tell me who Sora is, why do I have his memories, why can I use the Keyblade, and why… why do I feel like my memories are a lie." She desperately pleaded, fighting back tears of fright and frustration. Homura silently lowered her head, her eyes covered by the shadow of her bangs, masking her face and making it impossible to tell what was going through her mind. The girls all awaited her response, ready to fight for an answer if need be.

"…Pathetic." Homura practically whispered the girls all surprised by her response. However, before anybody could offer a reply, Homura brought her gloved hands together in a loud, echoing clap, the girls all gasping as a sudden sharp pain ran threw their heads. Madoka's pain faded a moment later, but her friends succumbed to theirs and all fell into unconsciousness.

"Eh, S-Sayaka-chan? Sayaka-chan, everyone, w-why!?" Madoka panicked with concern for her friends.

"Am I really this pathetic?" Homura said in a depressed voice as she began approaching Madoka. "Even though I tried so hard, even though I did all I could to give you a happy life, I just keep messing up…"

"Eh, Homura-chan, what are you…?" Madoka began to inquire, but was cut off when Homura placed her hands on her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry Madoka, to think that I didn't notice that you were suffering all this time." Homura said, her face lowered and her voice dripping with shame.

"Eh, n-no, it's not like I was really suffering, I was just…" Madoka argued.

"But it's ok, everything will be fine soon." Homura asserted as she cupped Madoka's cheek and lifted her head to look her in the eye with a sad, but caring gaze. As soon as she felt the soft glove on her face, Madoka suddenly felt exhausted, her vision blurred as she struggled to keep her eyes open, a calm, soothing feeling slowly lulling her to sleep.

"Homura…chan." Madoka muttered as her body began to sway, her legs threatening to give way.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you see a happy dream, and once you wake up, you won't remember any of this. Those monsters, that weapon, and most certainly not those memories that have plagued you for so long." Homura assured, resting her forehead lovingly on Madoka's own. "Whatever is happening to you, I'll fix it, and then you can return to your normal, happy life, I promise." Suddenly, the calm and soothing feeling was replaced by a cold and hallow one, like a dark force was pulling at her heart, threatening to overshadow it.

"No… I… I don't…" Madoka whispered as she felt the last bit of her free will begin to slip away into the darkness.

Madoka!

Suddenly, Madoka's eyes shot open, the bright pink orbs flashing a deep blue as Madoka's consciousness fully returned to her.

"NO!" She cried in defiance, summoning the Keyblade and swinging it at Homura. The devil narrowly managed to evade the attack, lunging backwards with a beat of her wings, creating a good amount of distance between them.

"Madoka?" Homura said, shocked at the petit girl's attack.

"Homura-chan… what… what were you doing to me?" Madoka questioned, panting heavily and grasping at her chest.

"How… how did you resist?" Homura inquired, mostly to herself rather than to Madoka.

"…That feeling, that cold darkness, that was you changing my memories?" Madoka deduced, Homura looking away in guilt. "So it is all a lie; Mama being transferred overseas, us living in America for three years, coming back to Mitakihara last year, those were just memories… you put in my head?" Madoka was devastated, but at the same time relieved, she no longer had to feel guilty or distraught over how those fun times with her family and foreign friends didn't stack up when pinned against the memories of Sora's adventures.

"…Yes, that's right, I won't deny that." Homura admitted, returning her gaze to Madoka.

"Why… why are you doing this Homura-chan?" Madoka demanded.

"I did it for you." Homura asserted. "Everything I've ever done was for you, Madoka. You can only be happy here, in this world that I created for you." Homura spread her arms to the sides, the clouds above flying by at unnatural speeds, the sun arcing across the sky until day turned into night and then back again, demonstrating Homura's control over the world. "You don't have to fight in this world, you don't have to sacrifice yourself for anyone in this world. Anything that hinders you, or makes you unhappy, I can just erase, anything that you desire I can just create, all you have to do is live your life however you want to. I can't tell you why, but all of this was necessary, all of it… was so that you could live a happy life, Madoka." Homura looked at her with desperate eyes, as if pleading for her to understand, to see the purity in her intentions.

"…All of it? Even what you did to Sayaka-chan and the others?" Madoka replied, glancing down at her unconscious friends.

"Yes." Homura replied without hesitation, not so much as a thread of remorse in her voice. "As I said, only I can give you this happy world, and if they ever became aware of me, of my intentions, they would surely stand against me, and destroy this peaceful existence in order to restore order… just as you would." Homura raised her hand out towards Madoka, and in a burst of purple flames, a dark purple bow appeared in her grasp. Madoka gasped and lowered into her fighting stance at the appearance of the weapon, Homura's smile fading and being replaced with a hurt frown.

"I don't want to fight you Madoka," She stated as she drew the bow's invisible string, an arrow made of bright, purple energy forming between her fingers. "But I will if I must, if it means keeping you here, where you can live a happy life." Homura declared, taking aim and meeting her gaze with Madoka's.

'This… this isn't right, what Homura-chan's doing is wrong!' Madoka thought to herself as she stiffened her stance. 'I have to stop her, I have to free Sayaka-chan and everyone else from her power!' Madoka's grip on the Keyblade tightened so much that they began to shake, her feet glued to the floor. 'Huh? Why am I trembling so much, why am I so scared to fight her? The Heartless were much scarier than her, but then again, those were just faceless monsters, this is Homura-chan, my classmate, my… just my lonely classmate. She's practically a stranger to me, like a creepy supernatural stalker. She's dangerous, so I'm just defending myself, she needs to be beaten, the world needs to be saved, so… so…!'

"…I don't… I don't want to fight you either, Homura-chan." Madoka said, easing up her stance. She didn't understand why, but she just couldn't bring herself to fight Homura; perhaps she didn't think she could win, or she didn't feel comfortable fighting another human, either way, she couldn't do it. Homura was surprised, but lowered her own weapon with a satisfied smile.

"Madoka… thank you, I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you never have to fight again, for real this time." Homura assured, presuming Madoka's surrender. However, this was not the case. While it was true Madoka did not wish to fight Homura, she certainly didn't want to have her memories tampered with again, and she couldn't just let Homura do as she pleased with the rest of the world either.

'But… if I can't fight her… then what else can I do?' She wondered, her grip tightening around the Keyblade. 'Please… tell me what I should do… Sora.' She pleaded, hoping the boy's memories would once again have the answer.

Suddenly, the Keyblade began to shine, grabbing both Madoka and Homura's attention. However, it didn't remain there for long, as Homura felt a disturbance in her barrier and quickly shot her gaze up into the sky. Floating there in the sky, where the enormous fissure used to be, was a shimmering Keyhole, through which one could see a bright, swirling vortex of color.

"What? What is that?" Homura said quizzically at only the latest of the bizarre and unfamiliar happenings in her world.

"Another… keyhole?" Madoka said with equal confusion. Madoka glanced between the keyhole in the air and the shining Keyblade in her hand; the intention was obvious, but this time no memory came to explain things to her. Regardless, Madoka took a leap of faith, shifting her grip on the Keyblade and raising it up towards the sky.

"Madoka, wait!" Homura cried as she dashed forward. Just as she closed the distance between them, a beam of light shot out from the tip of the Keyblade, the mere radiance somehow knocking Homura back onto the floor as the beam flew into the keyhole.

A blinding light shined forth, illuminating the sky and forcing Madoka to look away, but when she looked back, the keyhole was nowhere to be found, and the sky had returned to normal. Madoka tilted her head in confusion at the lack of any effect the grand display had, when suddenly a bright portal opened behind her, a powerful vacuum of air threatening to pull her in. Madoka struggled against the suction, desperately attempting to step forward when each step brought her further back, until she was eventually lifted off of her feet and hurdled towards the portal.

"Madoka!" Homura exclaimed as she sprang into action, lunging forward with her hand outstretched. Time seemed to be moving in slow motion as Homura reached for Madoka's hand. She just barely managed to graze the tips of her fingers, but ultimately she slipped through her grasp, the frightened girl disappearing through the portal before it vanished without a trace. Homura slid across the ground, groaning in pain before standing back up on her feet, frantically searching for any sign of her friend. "Madoka? Madoka… MADOKA!"

A/N: And there you guys have it, Chapter 2. Man, this chapter turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be, at first I thought it was just the battles that were making it long, cause seriously guys, battles add a lot of text, but I feel like all of the exposition could've also been a contributing factor. So yeah... I'll be honest guys, I don't really like how this chapter turned out, there was a lot of exposition that I had to get out of the way, with how the Heartless out invasion made the girls all notice the inherit strangeness of the world that they never really noticed before and such, but I don't know, what did you guys think, to much exposition or was it balanced out enough with the action? But anyway, we finally got the ball rolling, Madoka has the Keyblade and is now on her way to her first new world, which world will it be you ask, well you're just going to have to wait and see. I'd say expect future chapter lengths to be comparable to this one, I'll probably just have the entire story of one world visit be contained in one chapter, it's just easy for me to write it that way. Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter, feel free to leave a review telling me your thoughts (pretty please), and I'll see you all next time.