Les Fleurs du Mal – The One You Left Behind
Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica. All Madoka-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of Studio SHAFT and Gen Urobuchi.
[-]
Homura couldn't believe that she'd been so stupid.
No, that was a lie; she could very much believe it. Ever since Walpurgisnacht had first drawn near, she'd been making all manner of idiotic mistakes, one after another.
This world was supposed to have been so simple. An ordinary one, with no visible traces of magic or monsters. A quiet little paradise for Madoka to enjoy, and to experience the human life her own selflessness had unjustly cut short.
Instead, it'd spiraled into…this. A wretched perversion of Mitakihara City, where maniacal Magical Girls dwelt in the shadows and every woman-loving-woman she'd ever drawn fanart of roamed its streets.
Was Madoka even happy here? Could she be? Or was this another case like her counterfeit love? Homura wanted Madoka to be happy, and her powers were clearly capable of altering the sleeping Goddess' feelings without her knowledge, so…
Homura tipped forward, suppressing the urge to vomit.
After all, there was no way to know, objectively, if the girl she was fake-dating even was Madoka Kaname. It was her body, certainly.
But could her treacherous subconscious have hollowed that body out, and inserted the Madoka who existed only in her deepest fantasies? A puppet with no mind or will of her own, serving solely to make Homura believe she'd succeeded?
The very idea of it was so obscenely, despicably horrific that Homura was forced to reject it out of hand. Not because it didn't make a certain amount of vile, logical sense…
But because otherwise, there was no way she'd even be able to function.
Regardless, this mistake was on another level entirely. Across a hundred different time flows, Mami Tomoe had been, at best, a liability. An obstacle to overcome in her unceasing mission to keep Madoka safe.
The blonde's potent combination of inspirational charisma and mental instability meant that the other girls always seemed to be dragged into her inevitable downward spiral. Her depression was like a virus, infecting and dooming the others right alongside her.
And of course, at worst…
Sometimes when Homura closed her eyes, she could still hear the dreadful sound of her mentor shooting Kyoko Sakura dead in a mad frenzy, and preparing to do the same to her.
It wasn't Mami's fault, of course. At least not completely. By the time they'd met, her poor mind had already weathered three years of isolation and misery at the hands of the Incubators, until it was all but impossible to see a way out.
Homura could certainly relate.
Still, it meant that logically speaking, the best course of action would've been to eliminate the musketeer immediately. Or even not to introduce her into this new world in the first place. Madoka hadn't known Mami before the Incubators sunk their teeth into them both, so unlike Sayaka Miki her absence wouldn't have been missed.
But somehow…Homura just couldn't bring herself to take that step. No matter how many times she watched Mami Tomoe die, she'd still tried to save her, even up to the very end.
The fact that her warnings always fell on deaf ears didn't change how much it hurt when they did.
And so she'd spent the past few repeated days, whenever she could spare a few moments away from Madoka, trying to restore Mami to some semblance of her original self. Aided by the mana she forcibly drained from the Soul Gems she'd abducted, the process was going remarkably well. She wasn't yet completely healed, but she was a lot closer than anyone could've anticipated, considering Suzune Amano had essentially reset her mind to zero.
Now, however, thanks to the distraction provided by Nagisa Momoe…
That newly recovered Mami was now loose in the world.
It didn't take long to figure out the culprits. While her Familiars were forbidden from invading her personal sanctum – she needed some place where she could still get the barest trace of privacy – they were all too happy to report that Sayaka Miki and Kyoko Sakura had been spotted trudging up the street that led to it.
Which meant that, like her fellow Messenger, the blue-haired girl hadn't lost her memories at all. Had probably shared every one of them with her food-loving paramour by this point.
Homura was certain her Familiars would be able to find the other girls, given enough time. But she didn't have the luxury of a few weeks or even days.
If those three weren't found and stopped within the next six hours, then there was no telling what might happen.
Unfortunately, she couldn't afford to conduct the search herself. Madoka had been left alone for far too long at this point. On this final day, with the Night of Walpurgis so near, every second they spent apart courted disaster.
If she fucked up as badly here as she had the previous timeline, there was no guarantee there'd be another.
So with a growl of frustration, she began gathering every spare bit of mana she could find in the air. Pouring it into the assembly of Familiars gathered dutifully before their Mother.
Dozens of her minions – Clara Dolls, Lottes, Luiselottes, Lieses, and Lilias alike – all began to swirl together. The borders between their twisted, papercraft-like forms blurring and blending until they were all one great, big pastel-colored mess.
One that, a moment later, reformed into a single entity.
She was still most akin to a Clara Doll, albeit one blown up to the size of a small kaiju. But each of the other Familiar types also gave this new creature their own "flavor," from malformed wings to jaws the size of a large car, ready to crush into dust anything the Nutcracker Witch desired.
But most striking of all were the alterations to its head. While still possessing the Clara Dolls' pale face and rictus grin, this new minion also wore large, pointed ears, and a long nose tipped with whiskers.
"You are the Mouse Queen," said Homura, imbuing her voice with determination and purpose. "Your sole mission is to find Sayaka Miki, Kyoko Sakura, and Mami Tomoe, and return their Soul Gems to me."
She paused for a moment, wondering if she should add the next part, knowing the Familiar would take it as an absolute order. Ultimately, though…
She couldn't afford not to.
"You are to deliver all three intact, if possible," she finally commanded, accepting the consequences. "But if they resist…eliminate them all."
[-]
"We need to get a baseline of where your mind is right now, I think," Sayaka declared. "Do you recognize what this is?"
She gestured to the monitor on the desk in front of them. They'd found a cheap internet café to lie low in after smuggling Mami out of Homura's base, under the assumption that it probably wasn't safe to go home right now.
Their golden-haired senpai frowned slightly. "It's a computer," she said. "I know that much. But I wouldn't know the first thing about working it."
"That's actually okay. Ya sucked balls with tech even before ya got mind-wiped," drawled Kyoko, preemptively dodging a swing from her roommate.
Sayaka began typing at the keyboard, bringing up a handful of image searches. "What about these?" she asked.
Mami's face screwed up, as if it was causing her physical discomfort to concentrate on these things, but she named each object as it scrolled by nonetheless.
"Boat."
"Chicken."
"Sword."
"Horse."
"Flute."
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid that one isn't familiar to me."
"Take this seriously!" Sayaka growled at her roommate, pushing her away from the keyboard and hastily closing the tab she'd opened with dozens of brightly colored dildos. "Anyway, I think this means you're pretty much good on general knowledge. It's only some of your specific memories you're still missing."
"Can't we jus' do the same thing ta her ya did ta me?" said Kyoko.
But the blue-haired girl shook her head. "Thing is, Mami-senpai was Awakened already. It isn't Devil Girl's magic that's got her like this, but Amano's. Only she can lift it all at once, and we've got no idea where her Soul Gem might be."
"Should we be sayin' stuff like this out in the open?" Kyoko pointed out, raising her lip to show off her pronounced fang.
Sayaka was about to offer a reflexive retort, but on second thought realized the other girl was right. She'd gotten sloppy. Words like "Awakened," "magic," and especially "Soul Gem" were like giant neon signs for Homura's Familiars.
"I didn't want to do this in front of you, Mami-sempai…not without a warning, at least. But I guess we've got no choice," she sighed. "C'mon, Kyoko. Time to summon our inner despair Pokémon."
"I was thinkin' they're more like Stands. Or Personas. Personae? Whatever, I don't give a shit," said Kyoko with a snicker. "Anyway…!"
And with that, the pair began the process of unleashing their inner Witches.
By the time Mami was able to get her bearings and come to terms with what she was witnessing, the combined essences of Oktavia and Ophelia had already transported all three girls into their shared Labyrinth space.
"I…oh my…" she murmured, looking lightheaded. "You girls really are quite…unique."
"Well, you taught us pretty much everything we know. That's why we want to get the old you back," Sayaka told her former mentor. "Give it enough time, and you should be able to do this too. No way we're leaving our senpai out of the Messenger gang."
Mami's expression turned somewhat queasy, as if she wasn't certain how much she really liked that idea. But she offered no response but a single, slow nod.
"Kay, let's try somethin' else, then," said Kyoko. "Whadaya remember 'bout me? Kazamino City ringin' any bells?"
The blonde grimaced again, hand flying to her temple.
"I…I believe so. But it's hard," she answered. "For some reason, I seem to recall a great deal of…soba?"
Kyoko snapped her fingers triumphantly. "Yeah, at Uchitate's!" she exclaimed. "We used ta go there all the time after a full night patrollin', cuz they pretty much never closed. Ya'd always get that dainty li'l bowl o' kake soba, while yers truly…"
"Asked for one of everything," Mami completed for her, sounding all but breathless. "I…I remember! I remember you! Sakura-san…my sweet kohai…"
"That, or she's seen you eat exactly once," Sayaka couldn't help but joke, though she too was grinning. This was actually working!
But as soon as the victorious air began, it was snuffed out by the tone in Mami's voice taking a sharp downward turn.
"And then…then it was…over…" she mumbled, her golden eyes briefly fading out of focus. "Because…Because you…"
Sensing alarm, Sayaka clasped her hands around her senpai's. "Not all the memories you're gonna get back are good ones," she said. "You went through a life with a lot of happiness, and a lot of sorrow. I wish I could give you back only the first bit, but I don't think that's how this works."
"There…There's so much," spoke Mami in a very small voice. "I…I'm scared, Miki-san. Of what I might find. Of who I used to be. I did…bad things, didn't I?"
Sayaka chose not to answer that one right now.
"The important thing is that we're here for you. Both of us," she replied instead. "This is a fresh start. For you. For us. For all of our friends. But if that's gonna happen…we need our badass senpai. And we need her soon."
Kyoko looked like she was about to offer encouragement as well – albeit, probably with her own personal "spin" on it – when her head suddenly perked up, like a rabbit sensing predators.
"Ya hear that?" she asked of the other two. "Sounds like…music. The real fruity kind yer inta."
The blue-haired girl rolled her eyes but held her breath, trying to listen. At first she heard nothing, but after a few seconds she started to pick it up, just barely loud enough to rise over the Labyrinth's natural din.
"Sounds like Tchaikovsky," she said, putting all her years of studying to impress Kyosuke to use. "Yeah…Yeah, this is definitely from…"
Her eyes went wide as she thought through the full implications of the piece she recognized.
"Oh shit."
That was when an enormous paw slashed through the barriers of the Labyrinth, tearing them asunder in one clean swipe.
[-]
"So, umm…" muttered Madoka, a bit awkwardly. "I've, uh…never seen uniforms like those before?"
"We all attend different schools in Kamihama City. We just happened to be here on business, and thought we'd stop by," said the eldest of the girls sitting across from her.
They'd gotten introductions out of the way at the start. Her name was Yachiyo Nanami, and the girl whose face and hair so closely mirrored her own was Iroha Tamaki. The brunette with passionate red eyes was Tsuruno Yui, the short green-haired girl was Sana Futaba, and the energetic young blonde was Felicia Mitsuki.
Strangely enough, every one of them – especially Iroha – seemed to fill her heart with something akin to déjà vu. She'd never been to Kamihama before in her life, so that was a rather silly thought, and yet…
"Well, whatever your business is, I hope I can help!" Madoka exclaimed, biting the inside of her cheek as soon as she did. That probably came off as too desperate, didn't it?
Regardless, none of the girls seemed to mind. On the contrary, Tsuruno raised a fist in the air and declared, "You got it, Kaname-san! The Mightiest Mag…err, Mightiest Middle-schooler, Tsuruno Yui, is glad to meet you at last!"
She declared this very loudly, and by the end at least half the cafeteria was staring at them.
"Yeah, yeah. I don't think she lives up ta the hype, if ya ask me," piped up Felicia, whose rough dialect reminded Madoka of Kyoko. "This is s'pposed ta be the girly who…"
Sana quickly placed a finger to the blonde's mouth and made a shushing sound out of the corner of her own.
"I think what Felicia-chan means to say is…umm…" she said, twiddling her thumbs together nervously. "It's, err…It's nice to meet you."
"We might not have a lot of time, so there's something I'd like to ask you if it's okay, Kaname-san," added Iroha swiftly. "We're, uh…doing a school project, you see. Well, umm, I am, and they're helping. And we're…going around to different middle schools, and asking girls if…if they…"
"We'd like to know how you're feeling today," Yachiyo cut in. "It's a psychology survey, you see. Only ten questions, so we should be able to get it done within a few minutes."
"Oh," whispered Madoka, rather lamely. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but that hadn't been it.
Given how she'd began the morning, the topic seemed almost serendipitous. Honestly, she didn't really have a firm enough grasp on her mental health to answer her own questions, much less some stranger's. Part of her was incredibly tempted to decline.
But on the other hand…these girls had traveled such a long way, hadn't they? It'd be cruel not to at least offer them a few minutes of her time.
"Well…okay then…" she finally managed to respond. "What do you need me to do?"
"The nature of the survey is…word association," said Iroha. "So I'm going to say a word, and I'd like you to answer with the first thing that jumps to your mind."
"Like if she said 'meat,' ya could say 'hungry.' Or if she said 'umbrella,' ya could say 'hungry,'" Felicia remarked, fidgeting in her chair. "I'm hungry."
While an (overly) enthusiastic Tsuruno jumped to her feet to assist her friend with this dire predicament, Iroha opened with the first word: "Law."
That was an awfully heavy one to start off with, wasn't it? "Umm…police, maybe?" said Madoka, thinking of her aunts.
"Cycles."
"That's…huh. Water, I guess? Like the water cycle?" said Madoka.
"Entropy."
"I, uh…I'm sorry. I don't know what that is," said Madoka.
"Magic."
"Maybe…a bunny rabbit? You know, like in those magician shows!" said Madoka, though for a split-second the conjunction of "magic" and "rabbit" caused her chest to tighten strangely.
"Goddess."
Madoka's eyebrows shot up her face, as that tightening feeling noticeably intensified. "Well, my family's never been, err…all that religious," she said. "So I guess something like…light?"
"Devil."
"Right here," spoke another voice, causing all their heads to turn.
The moment Madoka's rose-colored eyes fell upon Homura's face, that uncomfortable sensation vanished without a trace. That was how much simply being in her girlfriend's presence affected her now.
It was enough that she completely missed the expressions of alarm spreading over most of the Kamihama girls. Yachiyo's face alone remained stoic.
"These seem to be interesting new friends," Homura stated evenly. "Would you mind introducing us, Madoka?"
"That's quite alright. We know precisely who you are, Homura Akemi," interjected the blue-haired girl, before Madoka could respond. "Would you like to take our test as well? I'll admit, I'm curious what sorts of answers you might offer."
"No, I think we're both done here," said Homura, her voice somehow managing to be toneless and biting all at once. "Though I'll admit my dismay that you couldn't come up with something less obvious."
"The time for subtlety is long past us. As you should know better than anyone," Yachiyo returned swiftly, her ocean-blue eyes narrowed to slits.
Madoka, who was barely following this conversation at all, still felt a strong urge to step in as both girls grew steadily icier.
"Stop it!" she exclaimed, more loudly than she'd intended. "I guess you two must…know each other from somewhere. But let's not make a scene here, okay?"
"Too late," murmured Sana, as Tsuruno and Felicia returned to the table, laden with enough food for a family of gorillas.
Felicia was gleefully raising drumsticks to her face and, somehow, managing to strip them to the bone in a single bite. Even Homura seemed momentarily distracted by the sight.
But that moment passed quickly. "Madoka, could I speak to you?" she asked in hushed whispers. "Alone, if possible?"
"Stopping in the middle of the experiment would invalidate the results. The whole point is to test her initial reactions, without…outside influence," said Yachiyo. "Surely you wouldn't mind staying for just the last four prompts?"
"No," answered Homura, again before Madoka could get a word in edgewise. "I don't think that's a good idea."
Yachiyo's frown deepened. "A pity," she breathed out. "Then we'll just have to skip straight to the last one. Iroha-san?"
"Okay," replied the younger girl, nodding mutedly. Her rosy eyes shifted forward, to meet their match across the table. "I'm sorry for this, Kaname-san."
Then, before anyone could react further, she gripped Madoka around both wrists and spoke a single word.
"Connect."
There was a great flash of light. All around the table, middle-schoolers threw their hands in front of their faces, trying to block it out. And, when it finally faded…
Madoka was still in the same spot. Sitting next to her girlfriend and across from five girls she barely knew. Inside, nothing felt any different.
The only change was that she was now wearing a frilly costume of pink, yellow, and white.
[-]
"The fuck is that thing?" demanded Kyoko, her voice panicked as she hastily dodged a follow-up strike. "An' how the hell'd it even get in here?"
"Can't answer the second one," said Sayaka, drawing two swords and using them to block the creature's next attack. Sparks flew as blades clashed with gnashing teeth. "But Homura's Familiars are all Nutcracker-themed. This must be her version of the Mouse King."
"We'll preten' I got the firs' clue what that means," the redhead drawled, spinning her spear and summoning up a lattice of barriers to hold the beast at bay.
"Less talking, more running!" shouted Sayaka, grabbing the stunned and frozen Mami by the hand and dragging her along. "Come on, we need to get some distance!"
But that was easier said than done. This was a Labyrinth, which meant the normal laws of physics didn't apply. No matter how far they ran, there was no guarantee they'd actually get anywhere.
Of course, it also meant that nothing should've been able to get in uninvited. Clearly, nobody had told that to the Familiar.
Sayaka chanced a glance back, and saw that the monster had finished stepping through the wide, gnarled rift it'd torn in the Labyrinth's edge. Standing at its full height – at least ten meters, if not more – its "mousey" traits were all the more striking. It even had a wormlike tail trailing behind itself.
Really, at any other time, the sight would've been almost comical. The world's largest, strangest furry.
If only it weren't trying to kill them.
"H…How are you…?" stammered Mami, recoiling behind Sayaka as she summoned cutlasses by the handful and tossed them at their steadily advancing foe. "I mean, this is all so much. I don't understand what's happening at all…"
Sayaka and her roommate shared a quick glance, and knew they were thinking the same thing. To watch their juggernaut of a mentor cowering in terror was an unnerving sight.
Especially against an enemy she would've been able to wipe out in a single shot, if only she could remember how.
"Hate ta admit it, but neither o' us can match ya in sheer DPS," said Kyoko with a frown. Her spear had detached into its chain form, to attack from a greater distance, but the Familiar shrugged it off as easily as it did Sayaka's swords. "Dammit, the hell's this thing made of?"
"Other Familiars, probably," answered the other girl. "Doubt she realizes the irony. Transfer Student's so obsessed with Walpurgisnacht, she didn't even notice she was copying her schtick."
She said these words without letting up in her assault, despite how little difference it seemed to be making. Even after doubling the number of blades yet again, the creature's advance didn't slow one iota. Each trudging, unsteady footstep brought the monstrosity closer to its quarry.
"I wish I could help. I truly, truly do," whispered Mami, holding her trembling hands to her mouth. "But I'm just…useless. A burden. Just like I was to…"
Suddenly, her voice fell away, and her golden eyes grew wide, as if she'd just realized something. But there was no time to voice it to the others.
The mouse-like Familiar had caught up to them once more.
To their surprise, however, it didn't immediately attack. Instead, it leered down upon them, opened its gaping, twisted maw…
And spoke.
M̶̧̺̣̪̟͓̦̞͓̰̹̜͎͋̇̑̌̑̏̀̇̚̕͘͝E̸̢̧͌̆̉̓͋́͋͝Ŗ̸̨͇̰̬̫͉͍̦͓̠̯͊̀̔̓́͛̒̅̆̊Ṃ̵͔̞̝͋͆̏̄̀͝͠͝A̷͙̦̯̘̹̎I̶͎̗͑͜D̸̹̣͊̏̆̀̓̍̈́̃́̈́̅̇̊̔͝ ̴̧̢̤̞̰̺̪̱͖͙̘͕̈́̇͌͜ͅͅA̶͚͍̖͍̘̩̼̯͎̾̒͋N̴̢̼̻̺̠̰̒̊ͅD̴͎͔͎̎̈̈́͛̉̈ ̸̡̜̲̯̞̥̣͙̆̊̒͒̆W̷̳͙͕͓̋̿́̔̈̎͌̂͌̎̃̾͘̕͝Ụ̴̰̝̯̳͇̳̰̳̬̭̯̌́̈̐͑̔̊D̶̢̛̺̻̭̺͍̍̍͌̍̉̋́̆̓͋́̈́̚͝Ą̶̳̮̫̙̞̀͆̓ͅÑ̷̨̨̻͖͉̱̈̒̇ ̶̜̣̄͆̓ͅȦ̸̝͈̱͖͉̭͔̩͚̦̈͜N̵̜̣̥̹̟̋͐͐̊̇̄̃̈́̒͒̉̍̕Ḓ̷̻̭̼̞̮̹̺̠̠̗͒̒͐̓̈́́̉͐͝ ̸̼̜̣̟̤̞̠̣͔̏̈́̂͆͊̈̍͒͊͘͘̕͜͝ͅḒ̵̭̠̥͖̝̻̯̝̐͋̽̆͐͘͜R̴͚̟̜̜͗̊̃̐͆̈́̿͆̿̇̕Ȩ̴̡̥̗͉̬͔̩̬͔̯͓̤̮͆̓̎S̴͉͙͆̌̿̋͌̓́̕͠S̵̲̜̩͎̮̺̩͔͉̣̻͎̥̍͌͘-̴̢̨͙͇̯̣̘͍̪̗̮͎̞̓͐́͆͒̆̀͗̈́̕̚̚͠U̷̡͉̤̻͇͕̙̞̱͈̭̻̫̫̓̿̅̈̈́͆͗͐̈́̚P̶̧̧͉̪̫̣̲̺̖̩͎̈́̂͆͋̎́̉͘͜ ̸̨͓͈̬͝A̶̛͓̥̱̘̻͙͖͚̭͌̃͑̽͑͐̃͌͜Ḽ̷̨̱̱̒̄̀́͗̐́̊͊͋͐̒͘̕Ḻ̷͈̱̠̝̺̺̗̒̈́̿̇̎͒͊͘͜ ̶̫͋̾̂̍́̈́̀̓͜͝I̶̖̟̟͙̎Ṇ̶͕̤͔͆̊̏͜ ̸̢̼̳͔͔͇̙̞͔̥͔̳̱̈́̓̈̏̐͌͊́́̂͋̕͜͝A̷̧̦̗̦̖͖̙̰̖͍͌ ̵̨̙̪̯̱̅̓̍͂̍́̚͝͠R̴͎̳̭̯͉̯̺̘̼̖̺̈́̂̕ͅO̶̖̒̈́W̶̫̹̆̑͌̌̈́̊̊̐͆͋̎͘͝
F̶̘̗̯̠̖͋̆͋̇̌̑̿͗͘Ì̷̻͕̜̱̟̼̦̼̺̘̿̽́̋̐̃̚͝ͅN̸͖͇͇͚͍̹̹͎̭̜̹̊ͅḒ̷̰͕̼̰̠̤̼̦̍́͆̍̃̽̉̕͘͝ͅ ̶̨̢̛̼̲͙͓D̸̹̾̅̈͌̏̒̄͒͘̚Ě̵͓͇̫̠̟͕̯̰̩̤̤͚͙̾̍̉͊̊͋̈́̐̚̕͜L̵͚̀͝I̶̧̢̪̙̮̦͇̯̽̀̑̾͂̅̅̿̊̊̏͜͠͝V̴̢̛̞͖̰̘̥̯̼̄́̅̓Ę̷̨̡̯͔̗̰̜͚̳͕͎̞̉̈͋̆͆͒̊̊̌̾͌̆̚͝R̸̢̤̤͓̰̱̹̖̖̪̘͛͂̍͒͛͋̎̄̏̌̌͆̕̕͘ͅͅ ̸̢̭̤̭͙̯̘̏̐̎̍͋͂̿̊̋̉̑̄̓̈́͜͝M̴͙̪̪̊͂̂͘͝͝͝Ö̴̡̨̧̡̬̮̯̝͉̰́͋͑̓͑̈́Ţ̷̧̭͇̻̬̩͈̭͓̈́̈́H̵̨̧̧͔̘̤͇͇͍̩̟̼͚̞̍̊̍͊̕̕͜͝Ȩ̷̨͙͈̱̿̀͂̀̀́̊̈́̕͝R̵̡͖̼̝̫͍̻͓͚̬̫̄̈̐̌̏̊͌ ̶̡̛̻̩̀͒͋͌̎̉̈́͝W̵̨͚̳̺̣̥͓͉͕͋̃͐͋͜ͅI̵̡̫̦̘͇͑̄̓̔̍͂̚͜͜L̵̨̧̬̩̱̗͂̈́̏̈́̀Ḽ̴͎̩͇̰̗͇̽̇̓̏̄͠ ̶̪̯̈́͌͝Ḃ̶͍̱̠͕̩̫̱̥̺͍̞̥͒̀́̇́͋̈́͛̃͑̇͗̓̕͜E̷̘̐̾̍̐̂̈̇̕̕͝͠ ̷̥̳͇̦̜̰͈͈̳̪̬̺̃̉͆̏̌̓̌̊͐P̸̡̢̛̩̤̠̬̐͊̕ͅL̴͈̍̏̽̋̒̒͆̈͘̚E̸̡̧͕̩̞̫̦̺̹̼̗͔̱͆͛̒̓̓̕ͅͅÄ̷̭͉̣͓̙́̂̒̍̔͂̿̇̎̈́͑S̴̨̡͚͈̮̗̬̫͗̓͜E̷̢̛̻̻̖͕̮̺̺̭̘̟̘͓̯̜͂͂͆͋̀̔͋͛̈́͂͆͛D̵̦̱͖̲̏̇́̑
Ô̴̧̻̗̲̌͒̓̈́͒̏͒̔̕͝R̸̤͙̘͗͒́͌̄͋̓͒͆͘͝ ̴̨̩͔̻̮̗͚̗̪̰̱̜̆̀È̴͍̎̌L̵̢̢̛̗̺̖̮͇̜̜̭̮̈́́͂͛̎̆̒̇̄̽͆̅͑͘I̴͙͉̻̟͋̀͐͌̉̊͊̀̽̄̍̀̆M̷̦̟̗͙͚͔̖̒I̷̗͓͔̯͍̘̖̽̔͌Ņ̸̨̛̹̻̗̟̟̞̭͕͎̰̘͗̽̒͒̕͜͝͝ͅĄ̴̢̲͚̤̼̯̣̰̟͉̰̓͑̈́̀̊͊̈̽̿̾̔̕͝T̸̡̧̙͙͙̗̪̳̻͚̈̃̇̈̍̚͠E̵̢̨͉̳̜̰͉͗͂̉̒̽̈́͆͜Ȩ̴͓̹͖͍̮̤͕͙̗̍L̷̨̦̯̣̜̪͖̈̄͆̋̾͘͠ͅͅĮ̴̛̹͖̳̱̲͉̝͗̈́̃͑̿̽̂̀̐́̒̈́̕͠M̶͙̩̪̐̾͜Ḯ̵̫̱̖͙͎͇͝N̸̢̡̟̺̹̭̤̳̦̦͚͙̓͑̿̅̇̕͠A̴̛̪͙̗̟̘̖͒̑̂̀̓̓͊͊̄͊̐̉͌̌T̸̨̨̨̧̜̭͉͉͎̫͖̞̄̍̄̒̌̾̇̂̐̿͑̈́͗͠͝E̷̛͇͈̿͋̿͘̚͝E̸̡͉̬͓̳͆̑̌̿̀͋̂͆͝͠Ļ̷̡̝̼͚͆͑̃̀̇̊̋̓̅̚͘͝I̷̲͐̉̀͑M̵̧͔̏I̷̛̬͚͉̿͗̉́̅̕N̸̨͕͈̯͍̝̤̱̳͓̤̜͍̝̹̔̒̂̓̄̇̃͛́̕̕A̸͇͉̞͚͈͓͇͓̝͖͈͑̉̀̊̋̃̒̾ͅT̴̤͍̮͎̫͕̳̘̤̘̼̀͐̒̇̓̚E̶̛̘̲̿͘͠E̵̤̤͙̱̞͗̅̉̌̎̕L̶̦̱̫̗̦̮̝͎̘͍̳̤͇͉͑͊̉͌͋̓͂́͗̅̋̇̇̚I̸̢̫̮̭͈̥̖̻͂̐̆̈͑̀̎̉̀̄̃͋͠M̵̢̩̟͐̀̈́̓͊̏̕Ḯ̵̪̠͍̙̉̎̆̈́͋͋̌̒̿͗̑͂̇N̵̡̡̨̹͉̻͓̳̝̲͍̜̙̖͑͜A̸̪͇̙͍̦̓̊̌T̴̢̧̡̛̤̣̣̝͎͕̯̝̪̹̑̈̏̍E̴̡̝̯̍̇͐̍͌̇
Of course, its words were in runes. But the two Messengers understood its meaning immediately.
This creature was here for them. All three of them. And it wouldn't rest until it had them in its clutches.
Dead or alive.
[-]
It was like the entire world had slowed to a standstill. A rather ironic metaphor for her to use, admittedly, and yet Homura couldn't think of a better description.
For sitting in the middle of the Mitakihara Middle School cafeteria, being stared at by half the student body…
Was Madoka Kaname. In full Magical Girl regalia.
It was like looking through a window to the past – a past that, in this time flow, should've never even existed. Ultimate Madoka, the concept, had wiped away every trace of Madoka, the Magical Girl, from history. Past, present, and future.
What was sitting at her side was an inherent contradiction in the fabric of time and space. Though as the Devil responsible for filling that fabric with more holes than swiss cheese, Homura probably shouldn't have been surprised.
Regardless, panic seized her entire body, and it took all the effort she could muster simply to keep it from showing on her face. What could this possibly mean? Had Madoka, somehow, been Awakened, just like the others?
But if she had…why was it the Magical Girl she was staring at, and not the Goddess?
Homura braced herself for what Madoka might say next. What she might do next. If Iroha Tamaki had somehow restored her memories along with her costume, then it was all over.
Which is why Homura had to suppress an enormous sigh of relief when Madoka let out a confused, "Wh…What am I wearing?"
Still, this was no time to get complacent. She had to be tactful about this, because the Kamihama girls clearly weren't screwing around.
"Madoka, I'll explain later. But right now, we need to leave," she said swiftly. Her next words were directed to Iroha and Yachiyo, with a glare so fierce it could've stopped a bullet. "If you value your lives, you won't follow."
She wanted so dearly to follow those words up with a quick shot to their Soul Gems. Just intense enough to stun them, so she could spirit them away to her pocket dimension. Where they wouldn't be able to meddle any further in this incalculably critical day.
But there would be no way to explain that to Madoka. Not if she still wanted to have a chance at salvaging this time flow.
So instead, without waiting for the pink-haired girl's answer she seized her by the hand, and ran straight for the exit. People were staring and the Kamihama brunette was shouting something, but Homura paid them no heed. As always, her sole focus was on Madoka.
The girl looked…terrified. It was hard to blame her. Homura's mind was whirring in overdrive trying to come up with one, but she simply couldn't think of a mundane explanation for why someone might spontaneously burst into a frilly pink costume in the middle of lunch.
She wanted to put as much distance as possible between them and the Kamihama girls, but Madoka was already straining against her grip, so she knew she couldn't wait long. Seeing no other choice, she dived through the nearest door, which turned out to be a bathroom.
The light was off when they entered, so Homura was pretty sure they were alone, but she still checked every stall just to be certain. Meanwhile Madoka just stood there, hands on her knees, panting for breath after their impromptu sprint.
"Homura…chan…" she muttered between breaths. "What…Why did you…?"
"I'm sorry if I scared you, Madoka," said Homura. She still wasn't sure what lie to use right now, so she'd just have to wing it. "But those girls from Kamihama…I know them. Or at least know of them. They're not the kind of people you can trust."
Madoka swallowed audibly, and finally managed to rise back to full height. When she spoke again, though her voice was still quiet, it held a great deal more conviction.
"You said the same thing about Momoe-san," she pointed out. "Homura-chan, don't take this the wrong way, but…is there a person on Earth besides me you do trust?"
Homura didn't have a good answer to that, so she didn't try to offer one.
Seeming to take the hint, Madoka sighed and slumped back against a nearby sink. "I…I care about you so much, Homura-chan. I hope you know that," she told the raven-haired girl. "But I also know…that you've been lying to me. Keeping things from me. I still remember what that girl with the sword said – about you messing with my memories."
She grasped the soft fabric of her skirt, clenching her fingers tightly through the material.
"I still don't know what's gone. But when I look at this costume, it's like…like I can feel the hole. The one you left behind," she continued on. "I was able to push it out of my mind these past few days, because there were other things that seemed more important. That are more important. But I…I…"
"Madoka…" Homura started, but Madoka wasn't done.
"I'm sorry if this isn't fair to ask. But I need you to be honest with me," she said. "So…will you? Will you give those memories back?"
Homura fell back herself, all but collapsing against one of the stalls. Things had changed so quickly, and her normally calculating mind was struggling simply to keep up.
What could she say to allay Madoka's fears? To halt this incredibly dangerous line of questioning, before she said something both of them would regret?
"It…It's a lot more complicated than that…" was all she could come up with. She hated how pathetic her voice sounded.
"Then explain it to me. You can do that, right?" Madoka all but begged. She took a step toward her girlfriend, her rosy eyes shining with mist. "Homura-chan, I know you've suffered. So much. And the last thing I want is to add to that. But…But something's wrong. I think I've felt it for a while, but whatever just happened in there…it changed things. Changed me."
"Madoka…there's so much I want to tell you," whispered Homura. "But…But remember this morning? One day – that's all I asked. One day, and I promise you. Everything will become clear."
"And I feel awful that I'm going back on that," said Madoka, biting her lip. "I'm trying to tamp these feelings down, to tell my stupid heart to just wait, but…"
She swallowed, and then took a very deep breath.
"Okay…that's fine. I won't ask you to tell me," she added, after a heavy beat. "Because I'm pretty sure I've already figured it out. This weird dress I'm in…it looks a whole lot like yours, doesn't it? What you were wearing when you fought those other girls."
Homura's blood turned straight to ice. No…No, this wasn't happening…
But Madoka continued to stride forward, with timid, hesitant steps. Until she stood directly in front of her girlfriend, and had taken Homura's fingers in between her own.
"I'm like you, aren't I? Like Mami-senpai…and like Sayaka-chan," she finished, her voice barely audible. "Tell me the truth, Homura-san…"
Madoka leaned forward until their foreheads touched.
"Am I a Magical Girl?"
[-]
Mami had never been more terrified in her life.
In fairness, there was really no objective way to know whether or not that statement was true. Even if she was steadily reclaiming more and more of the puzzle pieces from her broken past, a great number of them still hadn't come back. Might never come back.
But of the memories she could stake claim to, this was far and away the most horrific. That gruesome abomination was bearing down upon them like a nightmare brought to life, and the only reason it hadn't torn her to shreds already was the valiant heroism of the two girls next to her.
Girls whom she barely knew anything about, and yet, could feel her heart aching for.
Yet perhaps the most frightening aspect of all this was that it wasn't all that surprising. Buried deep in the emotional center of her brain, in the unconscious part that hadn't been wiped away by whatever force had reduced her to a vegetable, there was a dim sense that she'd faced monsters like this before. Many times over.
It fit with what the girls were claiming – that she was every bit the magical superheroine as they were. If not more so. Hadn't they been calling her "senpai" this whole time? Saying she'd taught them everything they knew?
Mami watched on as the blue-haired girl swung her swords faster than the eye could see, and as the redhead twirled around a series of chains to hold back the beast's counterattacks, and wondered how that could possibly be true. These girls were absolutely incredible. Whereas she…
She was nothing. A trembling, weak-kneed mess, seconds away from bursting into tears.
Strangely though, even that thought seemed to spark something in her core. Whenever she was overwhelmed by these feelings of helplessness – of standing to the side, a damsel in distress unable to help anyone – another set of memories started to bubble to the surface.
She'd felt just like this, once. If not worse. But when?
And why did her head feel like it was about to…
"Alright, my turn," said a gentle, masculine voice. "I spy, with my little eye…something blue."
The twelve-year-old Mami rolled her eyes but remained grinning. "Daddy, you picked the sky three rounds ago," she reminded him. "Anyway, I'm too old for these kinds of games."
Her father let out a chuckle from the front seat.
"Forgive me, darling, but no matter how old you get, you'll still be my little princess," he replied. "It's hard enough to imagine you're almost at that age where the boys will start…ahem, paying attention."
His wife briefly took her hand off the steering wheel to playfully swat him across the arm.
"Let's not go there, honey. Especially not today," stated Mikage Tomoe. "I'm not going to be able to concentrate on my speech with those kinds of thoughts running through my mind."
"This is going to be a big one, isn't it mama?" asked Mami, her attention instantly perking up at the mention of her mother's political career. "You're announcing that new endorsement."
"Yes, well, having the former mayor of Mitakihara City sing my praises is a pretty big deal. Especially since he belongs to another party," the older woman said, as she began pulling them off the freeway. "Mind, I'm ninety-percent sure he's only doing it because he has sour grapes over my main opponent beating him in the last election."
"No point looking a gift horse in the mouth, that's what I say," remarked Tetsu Tomoe, chuckling again. "Did you see the numbers this morning, darling? You're a shoo-in for reelection at this rate."
"Well…perhaps. Poll numbers can be misleading. I won't trust I still have that Diet seat until it's in my hands," the politician answered coolly. "Next term I'll have enough seniority to begin effecting some real change. Not just in Mitakihara, but on the national stage. And that starts with same-sex marriage."
Mami's mouth widened into a little "O" shape. "Do you really think you'll be able to do it, mama?" she whispered.
At this, her mother bit her lip.
"It will be…difficult. We don't have anywhere near majority support yet, even in my own party. Expanding civil partnerships might be a more achievable stepping stone," she said. "But this one's personal to me. I love my cousin like a brother. And Ryoma deserves to be as happy with his partner, as I am with mine."
Tetsu reached over, and squeezed his wife lightly on the shoulder.
"You'll have us at your side, every step of the way," he told his wife.
Mami nodded vigorously in agreement, her hands balled up into fists. She always got so fired up when her mother talked about making a difference in the world.
"I'll do my part too, mama!" she exclaimed. "Don't you worry! Everything's gonna be…"
That was when the truck came out nowhere.
Back in the present, Mami clutched at her shoulders, falling to her knees as she wept openly. This pain was excruciating – like her brain was about to split in two.
But the memories were flooding back now, and they were too much, too much…
She didn't know how long she'd blacked out. If it'd been seconds or hours.
She didn't know how much pain she was in. At a certain point, it seemed like her body had shut down its ability to feel, just to protect itself.
But she did know one thing. She was crushed between two pieces of metal, unable to move anything but her head and a single arm.
An arm that was reaching desperately toward the other end of the wreckage that'd once been the family car, and was now leaking profuse amounts of blood.
"Mama…daddy…" she said, or at the very least tried to. She was losing quite a lot of blood as well, and a great deal of it had built up in her throat. "I…I'll save you…I need to…save you…"
She had no idea how she would do that, of course. She was a weak, useless, ordinary girl. Nothing special about her. She wasn't the skilled mover and shaker that her mother was. Not sweet and good like her father.
She was just…
Just…
OH DEAR. IT SEEMS YOU ARE IN QUITE THE PREDICAMENT.
Mami was hyperventilating. In both the past and present, all she could see was red.
The red of blood and pain and fury. The fiery red that, along with coolest blue, was about to be snuffed out before her eyes. Just like before.
And once again, there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Mami let out a deep sigh, as she felt the magic flow out of her body for the first time, restoring it to its original state.
Minus all of the life-threatening injuries, of course.
"That felt…quite unusual," she said. "Is it always like that?"
The perpetually grinning creature she'd met earlier that day tilted his head to the side.
I SUPPOSE THAT DEPENDS ON WHAT, PRECISELY, YOU FOUND "UNUSUAL" ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE. BUT IT IS TRUE THAT MAGICAL GIRL BODIES ARE QUITE DISSIMILAR TO THOSE OF ORDINARY HUMANS.
CERTAINLY, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SURVIVE THAT AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT WITH YOUR PREVIOUS BODY.
The reminder of everything that'd just transpired wiped away any trace of emotion from her face, apart from abject sorrow.
"If only I'd been able to help them, too," she spoke solemnly, looking down from the mountain she'd perched herself upon. Her eyes were locked upon the road below, where the site of the accident lay stark beneath the setting sun.
Half a dozen emergency vehicles were parked around the wreckage, not to mention several news vans – given that a sitting senator had been identified as one of the victims.
"With my new power, I could lift the pieces of the car off of them, as easily as if they were pillows," she added in a whisper. "But by the time I did…it was too late…"
I DID FIND THAT RATHER CURIOUS. MY SPECIES LACKS THE FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS ADOPTED BY HUMANS, BUT IN MY EXPERIENCE THE BOND BETWEEN PARENTS AND CHILDREN TENDS TO BE INCREDIBLY STRONG.
SO, I WONDER WHY YOU USED YOUR WISH TO SAVE ONLY YOURSELF, AND NOT YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER?
Mami's golden eyes went wide. "Wait…that was possible?" she said in alarm. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
The creature looked thoroughly nonplussed.
BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T ASK. I'M AFRAID THAT SUGGESTING A WISH IS COMPLETELY AGAINST THE RULES.
"Whose rules?" demanded Mami. "I…I don't understand at all…"
OUR OWN. MY KIND PLACES ENORMOUS IMPORTANCE ON DEALING WITH HUMANITY FAIRLY. OUR GOAL IS NEVER TO EXPLOIT OR ABUSE THE CONTRACTS WE CREATE.
YOU HAVE MY SYMPATHIES, MAMI TOMOE. BUT A WISH YOU COME TO REGRET CANNOT BE RENEGED UPON.
Mami held her newly formed Soul Gem in her palm, gazing as it twinkled in the twilight. The creature, too, was looking at it with interest, as if waiting for something to change. For the briefest moment – so quick that Mami was sure she must've imagined it – she thought she could see a flash of something like disappointment in those blank, rosy eyes.
Then her own eyes steeled in cold determination.
"If my parents were still here, I know what they'd say. That there's no point in dwelling on what might have been," she said. "Instead, I need to pay their kindness forward. And save every life I can…in penance for not doing the same for theirs."
She reached out her hand, wreathing it in magic once more as she did.
"Kyubey, I believe you said your name was?" asked the blonde girl, now bearing the uniform of a Magical Girl once more. "Those Witches you mentioned…I think I'm ready to hunt my first."
The enormous Familiar rose up to full height, roaring gutturally. Its claws extended to double their original length, slicing straight through both Sayaka's blades and Kyoko's spear.
"Dammit…this isn't going well," Sayaka breathed heavily as she summoned up a fresh pair of sabers, only for them to swiftly meet the same end.
"Gee, ya think?" said Kyoko, raising up another lattice barrier to buy themselves a few precious seconds. "We ain't got a choice, Li'l Miss Bluebell. We gotta fin' some way ta…"
Her voice was cut off instantly, however, by a sound both of them had come to know well, across the hundred-odd time flows they were now connected to.
The gunshot of a flintlock rifle, its bullet striking the mouselike creature square in the back.
Slowly, both girls' heads turned to the side.
To take in Mami Tomoe, fully transformed into a Magical Girl and holding the rifle against her shoulder, its barrel smoking as it dissolved back into golden ribbons.
"Never again," she growled, readying another gun and taking aim at their foe.
[-]
Homura's fingers twitched, as she viciously struggled to beat down a fight-or-flight reflex that was practically screaming "flight."
But she knew enough now to ignore that impulse. Turning tail and leaving Madoka alone when things got too personal was how she'd fucked up the last timeline.
Still, the fact remained that she was in a territory now with no safe answers. Madoka wasn't going to be satisfied with the same pat deflections and half-truths she'd been skating on so far. She wanted, needed, some real answers.
And she was asking for them at the worst possible time.
Homura hated – truly hated – leaving the pink-haired girl in the dark. That'd been the hardest lesson to learn, across all those doomed time flows: that sometimes, ignorance was the only thing that could keep Madoka safe.
Because when she looked at those puffy eyes and reddened cheeks, it was hard to suppress the urge to tell her everything. To let the dam burst and confide in the girl she loved more than all the stars in the sky, and all the ones still left to be born.
Madoka would listen. Madoka would understand. Madoka would forgive. And that was precisely why Homura couldn't tell her.
The Goddess' forgiveness was the one and only thing still capable of breaking the Devil.
Nonetheless, Homura had to tell her something. If she expected to get away with another lie, then it needed to be a damn good one. And she'd never been all that good at coming up with those under pressure.
The black-haired girl took a deep breath. At this point, she had no choice but to try.
"Madoka…" she finally said. "I won't deny it. You are a Magical Girl."
That much, she would have to admit. Those Kamihama girls had forced her hand. Especially given how much she'd already foolishly revealed, back when they were searching for Mami Tomoe.
The next words partially caught in the other girl's throat. "Then…why?" she asked quietly. "Why would you make me forget something like that?"
"Because being a Magical Girl isn't a blessing. It's a curse," responded Homura. "Somehow, by a quirk of fate, I gained the ability to free you from that curse. At least for a little while. And I took it without hesitation."
The best lies, after all…were those just a shade away from truth.
Madoka's rose-hued eyes fell askance, as if she couldn't bear to stare Homura in the face as she asked this next question.
"And…did you ask me about it first?" she murmured. "Did I consent to it?"
Homura didn't have an answer to that one. Which was really answer enough.
"Homura-chan, I…I do trust you. So I know you must've truly believed that was what was best for me," said Madoka. "But it's still…hard to hear, okay? That I was some kind of…magical superhero…and that you took that away from me…"
The other girl knew it wouldn't help to reveal she'd been much, much more than a simple "hero" before Homura had kicked her off her pedestal.
Still, she should've anticipated this kind of reaction. Being a Magical Girl, helping and saving people, had been the one and only thing to ever give the timid, awkward girl any kind of confidence. To turn her into the strong, noble protector of the weak who'd first captured Homura's heart, all those years ago.
Little by little, Homura's sojourns through time had eaten away at that confidence, until their roles where wholly and completely reversed.
And yet it'd been the Madoka of that final time flow, meeker and shyer than ever, who'd saved her once and for all. Who'd existed as a Magical Girl for all of three seconds, as she made the Wish that would save everyone.
Except, of course, for herself.
"There's…a lot more to this than you know," Homura finally told the pink-haired girl. "That's what I was going to tell you tomorrow. I just need to get through tonight, and…"
"Why is that, though?" Madoka interrupted her, eyebrows raised. "What's happening tonight?"
Homura had ample experience to know that telling Madoka about Walpurgisnacht would only make her more eager to follow. Besides, the mega-Witch wasn't going to show up this time, right? Just so long as she kept a cool head.
And that meant ending this conversation as soon as humanly possible.
"Madoka, I…I can't tell you more than that," she said. "I'm sorry."
It was impossible to read the expression that fell across the other girl's face in that moment. Nor the tone in her voice when she spoke once again.
"Okay then. I won't force you," she whispered out. "But I'll admit…it does hurt that you can't be honest with me about this. I would never hide anything from you, Homura-chan. Nothing."
Those words were like a needle stabbing straight through the Devil's heart.
"There's…a lot more I want to talk with you about. But I think I need some time alone, first," she continued after a moment. "I'll see you after school, okay? We need to go back to my aunts' place so we can pack and stuff."
And with that, the girl who had once been a Goddess hoisted her bookbag over her shoulder, and began walking away.
Homura wanted to throw out a hand and stop her. But what could she say? There was no longer any way to keep Madoka at her side, short of tying her up and kidnapping her. Something she had tried in a couple of time flows, and which'd invariably backfired in a spectacular fashion.
So instead, all Homura could do was watch as the girl she loved faded from her sight, the bathroom door swinging shut behind her.
The raven-haired girl stood there, stewing, for several minutes. Wondering if there was something, anything she could've said to keep Madoka from leaving.
She knew that Madoka was hardly the type of person to test people. And yet Homura couldn't shake the overpowering feeling that she'd managed to fail.
The more she focused on those thoughts, however, the more they turned into frustration and ire against the interlopers who'd forced her into this position in the first place.
Even if she couldn't do anything for her Goddess right now…
The Devil could at least take care of one nuisance.
[-]
The moment Mami Tomoe joined the fight, its momentum shifted quite dramatically.
Her days spent as an invalid clearly hadn't dented her talents in battle one iota, because she was right back to functioning as the one-woman army she used to be. Earsplitting gunshots erupted in volleys of ten or more, as one rifle after the next filled the Familiar with mana-coated lead.
Bolstered by this furious cover fire, Sayaka and Kyoko struck back with renewed fury, their reformed sabers and lances skewering the beast from every angle. Its incredible stores of magical energy and mindless aggression meant it kept coming back from each attack, and yet…
"It appears to be slowing down," said Mami, using a fresh array of shots to buy herself enough time for tactical observation. "It regenerated from a similar attack within three seconds a while back, but now it took nearly twelve. I believe it may be running out of mana."
"So weird ta hear ya speakin' like this again, blondie," Kyoko drawled, grinning toothily. "Good weird, but still."
"I still don't have every remaining trace of my memories returned to me. But certainly enough for this battle," replied the musketeer. "A pincer attack seems our best chance at ending things. Miki-san, Sakura-san…"
Both girls nodded, not needing her to finish the sentence. "We've got your back, senpai," Sayaka told her, before shooting forward like a bolt of lightning.
If this were an RPG, both of the younger girls would be classed as speed characters, darting over ground and air so fast that the naked eye could scarcely keep up. They assailed the Familiar from opposite sides, attacking so furiously that it was powerless to do anything but defend.
Which kept it rooted just where their "power character" wanted it to be.
Mami dissolved a hundred prepared rifles back into their constituent ribbons, and swiftly reformed them into a cannon with a barrel the side of a long-hauler truck.
As the words she'd shouted countless times before took hold of her, like the embrace of a long-lost friend.
"TIRO…FINALE!"
The cannon erupted with enough force to level a small village. A round of pure, golden mana shot forth, searing the air and forcing all three girls to avert their eyes.
When the smoke cleared at last, the creature was gone, reduced to little more than a handful of cinders.
"We…We did it…" muttered Mami as she came back down to the ground, the last of her weapons dispersing around her, leaving her standing amidst a small sea of yellow ribbon. "We won!"
"You won, blondie. Ya really MVP'd that bitch," said Kyoko, clapping her senpai on the back and snickering.
That part was expected. What wasn't was the redhead burying her face in Mami's stomach and squeezing her tight.
"I missed ya, Mami. So goddamn much," she choked out, through what sounded suspiciously like sobs. "By the way, if either o' ya ever bring this up again I'll deny it ta my grave."
Mami's own golden eyes were far from dry as she accepted the embrace, and as Sayaka similarly threw her arms around her shoulders. The three of them stayed like that for several moments, simply basking in each other's warmth.
But they all knew they couldn't afford to remain still for long. When Mami finally separated from her two kohai, her expression was all business.
"She's able to track us. Even in this pseudo-Labyrinth the two of you created," she said. "That means there's nowhere left we can hide."
"We knew we'd be putting a huge target on our backs the moment we took you out of there, Mami-senpai. But we didn't have a choice," responded Sayaka. "We can't – we won't – do this without you."
"No matter how much firepower we got, we ain't gonna beat Devil Girl in a fair fight. We jus' ain't," Kyoko added with a frown. "The only way we stop her is by talkin' her down. An' that means all o' us."
She held out her palm in offering, but much as she was tempted, Mami hesitated to take it. One thing still needed to be cleared up first.
"If we're going to do this…" she began, biting her lower lip. "Then I cannot be operating at half-capacity. I'm starting to remember, now – our entire history together. Fighting side by side, vanquishing the Wraiths. But I'm also getting the distinct sense…"
She took a deep breath, and then, "That this is only one history, out of many. Everything that you and Akemi-san have told me thus far only makes sense with that in mind."
"Our veteran's as sharp as ever, I see," said Sayaka. "You hit the nail right on the head. And 'this' timeline…it's going pear-shaped at record pace. If we hit sundown without convincing Homura to stand down, then it's all over."
Mami nodded once. "Then…I'd like to take you up on your earlier offer," she told the blue-haired girl. "This role, of 'Messenger.' I accept it wholeheartedly. That is…if you'll have me."
The two younger girls shared a brief glance.
"Only…Only if you're sure, senpai," Sayaka stated carefully. "Remember what I told you earlier? You won't just be getting your good memories back. Becoming a Messenger means connecting to every version of yourself, across time and space. You, err…might see some things you'd rather not."
"I'm through with running away. With standing by and taking a passive role in the affairs of the world," spoke the blonde girl. "If this is what it will take to stand at your sides, and finally be worthy of the second chance my Wish once granted me…"
She reached out both her hands, and squeezed those of each of her kohai.
"Then I am ready."
[-]
All five of the residents of Mikazuki Villa sat idly on the roof of Mitakihara Middle School. Iroha and Yachiyo were leaned up next to each other, holding hands as they watched Tsuruno practice a random hodgepodge of Chinese martial arts. Sana was sitting alone at the roof's edge, staring out into the distance, while Felicia pounded away furiously at a gacha game on her phone.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon…yeah! Ultra Rare Dairy Driver, come ta mama!" she exclaimed jubilantly. "Been tryin' ta complete this set fer months. Now ta enter the cheese-tastin' phase…"
"Yachiyo-san?" Sana called out, without turning around. "We know she's going to come for us soon, right? So, umm…why are we just sitting here?"
"Because there's nowhere we can go where she wouldn't find us," said Yachiyo matter-of-factly. "Running would be pointless. At least this way, we minimize the chance of bystanders getting caught in the crossfire."
"Tsuruno Yui, the mightiest Magical Girl, doesn't like the idea of an enemy her strength cannot beat!" the brunette declared as she shifted stances. "Master, are you certain we can't…"
"I'm certain," the older girl cut her off firmly. "You haven't seen what we did, in the time flow she abandoned for this one. And that was a mere fraction of her power. The Goddess and the Devil operate on a completely different set of rules, compared to us 'ordinary' Magical Girls. If this were a game of chess, we'd all be pawns…knights, at best. They are queens."
"Ya los' me with that one," Felicia yawned, eyes still glued to her phone. "But if we're all abou' ta get smacked down, then I'm at leas' goin' fer another ten-pull…"
But before her finger could reach the screen and complete the microtransaction, a bolt of energy shot it out of her hands.
"Right on schedule, I see," said Yachiyo, rising slowly to her feet and pulling up Iroha alongside her.
Homura Akemi, for her part, was wearing her usual mask of icy stoicism. Only in a small, pulsing vein at her temple, and a slight tightening of her lips, did the utter wrath she was feeling boil to the surface.
"Apart from today's events, I bear none of you any ill will," she whispered coldly, as she stepped through the rooftop's doorway. Rather than merely lock it behind herself, she squeezed the handle with a pair of fingers, crushing the metal into scrap. "And so I will make this quick."
No other preamble. No questions or explanations. With those words, the Devil sprang into action.
Even though they knew it was futile, simple instinct was enough to trigger transformations in Tsuruno, Felicia, and Sana. The former surrounded herself in flames, while Felicia extended her hammer to three times her own size and Sana did the same with her shield.
They might as well have been summoning tissue paper.
Homura sped through the fire like it wasn't even there, diving straight for the orange gem at the waitress' waistband. Within a second she had it in her fingers.
Felicia tried to stop her with a series of quick hammer-swings, which Homura ably dodged – apparently not willing to chance finding out whether its memory erasure magic would work on a Devil. But the blonde was hardly a paragon of good temper even at the best of times, and after the first few swings failed to hit their mark her technique rapidly grew wilder and more frenetic.
Making it quite easy for Homura to slip around her, grab the purple stone dangling from a chain along her stomach, and pull.
Sana, seeing no other options, yelped and activated her personal magic, vanishing from sight. But the Devil, of course, didn't see the same way ordinary humans did.
Her eyes shimmering with a chaotic kaleidoscope of cursed energy, all Homura had to do was casually reach around the green-haired girl's shield, and yank at the choker surrounding her petite neck.
A summoned cloud of shadows enveloped the three girls, preventing them from retrieving their Soul Gems as Homura rounded on their leader.
"Not even going to transform?" she asked bitingly. "I'm almost insulted."
"There's no point to it. Especially since she wouldn't be able to do the same," said Yachiyo, gesturing to Iroha, who flushed. This whole time, their fingers had remained linked. "But I would like you to listen to me, just for a moment."
"No. No more stalling," Homura snapped back. "I don't want to hear anything else out of you."
"Not even if I told you who sent us?" Yachiyo's blunt voice cut through the air like knife. "You're desperate to know, aren't you, Akemi-san? The identity of the person interfering with your plans from across time and space?"
Homura's expression barely flinched, but it was enough. Yachiyo's mouth curled into a smug smile.
"There, I finally touched a nerve," she went on. "You saw part of the truth when you invaded Iroha-san's mind, back in the previous timeline. You'll find the rest in mine. Unless the Devil is too frightened to peer into the memories of an ordinary Magical Girl."
"Garden-variety reverse psychology," hissed Homura. "It's cute that you think that will work on me."
Without any further warning, she seized the crescent moon-shaped jewel at the base of Yachiyo's sternum, and yanked it out with far more force than was necessary.
Iroha's eyes went wide with fear as she watched her partner stumble back, stunned by the backlash of mana as her very soul was torn away. But Homura didn't give her any time to react further than that.
With a sweep of her wings, both of them were now standing in Homura's basement chamber, along with the unmoving bodies of the other four girls.
"You aren't a Magical Girl in this time flow, so I can't incapacitate you in the same manner as the others," said the Devil, using her magic to manifest a rope and cloth. "I'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way."
Iroha, meanwhile, had been looking upon the piled-up bodies of the other girls she'd captured with barely constrained terror. Her whole body shook as she turned her gaze back at her captor. With eyes that shimmered like rose-hued diamonds.
The black-haired girl was struck in that moment just how much Iroha Tamaki resembled Madoka. How much this felt like…
Homura forcibly shook her head. This was no time for such thoughts. She had a mission to fulfill.
"I'll come back for you once Walpurgis Night has come and gone. Then you girls won't be a threat any longer," she nonetheless found herself assuring the pink-haired girl as she applied the restraints. "In the meantime, I'm casting a spell to slow down your metabolism. You won't have to eat or use the restroom until I return."
As she ran a mana-coated hand over the girl's face, however, she began to speak, for the first time since Homura had arrived on that rooftop.
"I…just want you to know…Akemi-san…" she slurred, already drowsy from the magic. "I've met…a lot…of bad people. And…you're not…one of them…"
The Devil let out a guttural snarl before teleporting away.
[-]
Mami Tomoe had no words to describe what was happening to her.
It wasn't simply the act of remembering. That, she'd had more than enough experience with over the past few days.
It was that these simultaneously were and weren't "her" memories. Dozens of different lifetimes were being downloaded into her head, all at once; dozens of different paths that apparently, somewhere out in the cosmos, an alternate version of herself had chosen to take.
She saw timelines where she'd reconciled with Kyoko, her wayward student, and ones where they became bitter enemies. Timelines where she'd found true companionship with Kyoko or Sayaka or even Madoka, and others where she remained miserably alone. Timelines where she'd protected her precious kohai to her dying breath, and one in particular where she…
Well, Sayaka hadn't been kidding when she told her not all the memories would be happy ones.
Watching herself brutally murder the girls who'd been so kind to her was easily the worst image that bubbled up from the maelstrom of recollections, but it was hardly the only one of its nature. The girl she saw in many of those memories was cold, ruthless; willing to do just about anything for the sake of her duty.
A duty that was almost entirely a lie.
Yet those dark thoughts were overwhelmingly drowned out by a far greater abundance of light. She saw study dates and slumber parties. Lazy days spent going out to tea shops and arcades, and nights spent fighting victoriously side by side.
She saw four girls who, once upon a time and in their own special ways, had loved her as a sister. And whom she had loved in turn.
As well as one more girl who, through some quirk of fate, she'd been given a chance to protect and nurture. A sweet, gentle, cheese-loving girl who, despite the loftiness of her station, needed her now more than ever.
"Yo, Mami…Earth ta Mami…" said a voice that was simultaneously an unfathomable distance away, and intimately close. "I wasn't out this long, was I?"
"It's taking all my self-control not to make a crack about how you had less of a brain to reconstruct than she does," spoke another. "Give her time to adjust. We both know better than anyone that a hundred lifetimes' worth of memories can be…a lot."
But Mami was already stirring. Clutching at her head – and brushing her fingers along the Soul Gem perched decoratively upon it – the blonde girl slowly managed to sit up.
They were still in the shared Labyrinth of her two kohai, though it seemed they'd since managed to repair the damage the monstrous Familiar had wrought. Amidst the chaos of sight and sound generated by the Mermaid and Wǔdàn Witches, Mami struggled to stumble to her feet.
"Whoa there!" exclaimed Kyoko, grabbing the older girl by the shoulder to steady her. "Ya don't have ta push yerself too hard."
"Yes I do," Mami replied at once, her yellow eyes focused and unblinking. "I've just remembered every last sin I have ever committed, in this life or in others. Forevermore, they are my burden to carry. But one comfort I can offer myself…"
Magical energy, golden in hue, began to suffuse her entire body, ribbons enveloping her like some gilded mummy.
"Is that those sins were almost exclusively practiced out of ignorance," she continued, her voice strong and firm. "Something that is, thankfully, no longer an issue. I have been touched now, as you have, by the light of hope itself. Hope Herself. And more to the point…I have come to know her as the girl she once was, before her rebirth. The Goddess, and the Devil in turn."
The ribbons began to unfurl, sending Mami spinning like a top. Until a small piece, no larger than the size of her head, was flung from her shoulders by the centrifugal force. A piece that unfurled into a doll-like being in a blue dress and yellow bonnet, a bright pink price tag hanging from her neck.
Candeloro, the Dress-Up Witch, now lived once more.
"Every time I learned the truth, she became my worst fear. But thanks to you, my sweet kohai, I can finally accept her as part of myself," said Mami, watching as her externalized Witch glowed gold, adding her power to the Labyrinth already formed by Oktavia and Ophelia. "And I can stand tall, together with my true friends. No longer alone."
Mami pulled the grinning Sayaka and Kyoko into one more, crushing group hug.
"And now…" she added swiftly, her own smile truly genuine for the first time in so, so very long. "It's time to remind those girls that they aren't alone, either."
[-]
Homura stood before the enormous guillotine, the chest of Soul Gems open at her feet, and staring at the dimly glowing soul of Yachiyo Nanami in her palm.
She'd been doing this for far longer than made any kind of rational sense. She'd told the meddlesome girl that she wouldn't fall for her petty mind games. There were far more important things now than indulging idle curiosity.
And yet…
The raven-haired girl couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something important here, and that bothered her. The Goddess was meant to be all-knowing, and thus by extension, the Devil who'd pilfered her power. It simply wasn't right that some unseen force could be interfering with her plans from the safety of another time flow, knowing everything about her but refusing to offer the same courtesy.
More than just being infuriating, though, the prospect was also dangerous. Forget Homura herself – who knew what this unknown enemy had in store for Madoka? Sure, Iroha Tamaki and Yachiyo Nanami claimed to be doing the Goddess' will by restoring her to heaven, but by their own admission they'd never actually spoken with her.
The idea that an entity powerful enough to transgress time and space could be out there, agenda unknown, and with full knowledge of what she and Madoka truly were…
No. No, Homura couldn't accept that.
And that meant she had to find out the truth. No matter the risk.
The Devil gritted her teeth, pressed Yachiyo Nanami's Soul Gem to her forehead, and dove into the girl's memories.
"Dove" was an appropriate term, because whether it was because of the blue-haired girl's water-based magic or her generally frigid demeanor, entering her mind was like plunging headfirst into the freezing-cold ocean. Even with her expanded senses, it took Homura a few moments to get her bearings and "swim" forward.
Compared to her time perusing through Iroha Tamaki's mind, her companion had a remarkably well-organized one. Homura pushed through memory after memory with little resistance – although that might've been a consequence of the girl and Soul Gem being separated, meaning there was no conscious mind to resist her.
Or perhaps Yachiyo Nanami had ordered her mind like this on purpose. Yielding an easy path for Homura to see what she wanted her to see. Perhaps even to lead her into a trap.
If so, she'd underestimated just who she was dealing with. The Devil would call that bluff.
Homura pushed forward, and suddenly, she wasn't in the ocean anymore.
She wasn't, really, much of anywhere. A dreamscape of vague and shifting colors, with no distinguishing features or landmarks in any direction. Yet Homura recognized it immediately.
This was what she saw whenever she went back to the past. The chaotic, timeless void that greeted her eyes each time, for the mere fraction of a second it took to jump from one time flow to the next.
A "place" that existed only between two ticks of a clock.
"This…isn't a memory…" Homura whispered to herself. "This is a…"
"It looks like Nanami-san succeeded. I really wasn't sure if she could, to be honest," said another voice, before she could finish the thought. "Not that I'm not confident in her abilities. But I know better than anyone how stubborn you can be."
"No…no no no no no no no…" Homura gasped out, stumbling back. "It can't be you…anyone but you…"
Yet as the figure stepped forward, there was no mistaking that uniform. Those black, curled pigtails, reaching down nearly to the waist. Those cheap, red-rimmed glasses.
"Hello, Homura," spoke Homura Akemi.
[-]
While all this was going on, the Devil's body remained perfectly still, unaware of anything else going on within her realm.
Which was quite fortunate for the tiny creature who casually strolled up to her feet, and swept up the open chest of Soul Gems with its fluffy white tail. Depositing every one of them in the ovular compartment in its back.
THE TIME…HAS FINALLY…COME…
TO SAVE…EVERY…UNIVERSE…
ONCE…
AND…
FOR…
ALL…
Lightning cracked through the perpetually storming skies, and then the Incubator was gone. Leaving not a single trace behind.
[-]
COUNTDOWN TO WALPURGIS NIGHT
Five Hours Remain