A few months back, I wrote this wish-fulfillment as a knee-jerk response to Rebellion. I decided to touch it up and post it. It's seven short chapters totaling around 9-10K words. It was going to be only one chapter, but I had a few more scenes in mind, so I decided to just go with it.

Special thanks to my fiancée. This story is dedicated to you.

Déjà Vu

"Hey, Homura-chan? Have you ever felt déjà vu?"

It was a peaceful afternoon, all things considered. A few sparse clouds dotted the sky, and the cherry blossoms rode the wind, gently swaying in front of them.

Despite that, Madoka's question made Homura squirm.

"I have," she said at length, providing no more information than what was absolutely necessary.

Madoka—bless her pure, adorable heart—didn't pick up on the social cue. "Do you remember what it was about?"

"No," Homura said flatly. Seeing the slightly downcast expression on Madoka's face and ignoring her conscience telling her that it was a bad idea, she asked, "What about you?"

Madoka smiled again, as the world began to feel just a bit brighter. "I've been feeling it a lot recently," she confessed. "Around you, usually."

Homura had expected it, but it sent her heart into a frenzy, nonetheless.

They sat side-by-side on the grass atop a hill, gazing out at the city skyline. Well, Homura was deliberately looking at that, if only to avoid Madoka's piercing stare.

Homura let her hair fall in front of her face. The more Madoka learned, the more apparent Homura's inhumanity became, and the less likely Madoka was to listen to her pleas, falling into the Incubator's clutches instead.

Madoka pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, tucking in her chin a bit. She turned her head, just barely avoiding eye contact but not wanting to look away, either. "Why is that?" she asked quietly. "Why do I feel so…strange around you?"

Homura knew what Madoka meant, but she still wished that it had an alternative meeting.

"I don't know," she said. "Déjà vu is strange, but it means nothing. You likely just met a girl with black hair, and I reminded you of her."

"Mhm. That doesn't really sound right."

Homura bit back a curse. Where was this determination coming from? Madoka usually backed off quite quickly. Why was she putting so much effort into this confrontation? Into her?

Madoka fiddled with her ribbon, inadvertently undoing the precise knot. "I've been having dreams about you," she said. Homura had never been so quick to squash her own fluttering heart. "They're not happy—n-not because you don't make me happy! It's j-just that…sometimes, they're kinda scary."

Homura tensed, but she was careful not to let it show. Of course, a dream about her would be frightening.

Madoka hung her head. "Sorry…I took you out here to relax and talk, not unload all of my problems onto you."

"It's no issue," Homura said evenly. "I dream about you, too."

Damn it.

Madoka's eyes widened. "Y-you do?! I—oh, you mean the nightmares, right? Where you're fighting a Witch."

That wasn't exactly what I was referring to, but…

"…It's a mere coincidence. You don't know me. I'm just a monster that crossed paths with you."

Suddenly, a strange, alien warmth filled her, radiating out from the right side of her body.

Madoka was holding her hand.

Homura's pulse reached unfathomable speeds, sending all of her blood to her face. Madoka's was the same.

"It's not a coincidence," Madoka insisted, "and you're not a monster."

Your kindness blinds you.

"Homura-chan…we've met before, haven't we?"

Homura said nothing.

"Please Homura-chan. We're…f-friends, right? You can tell me anything."

Not this. It's too much.

Tentatively, Homura shifted their hands so that their fingers were intertwined. The simple action was so…human. She knew that she didn't deserve this kindness from the girl that she had failed so many times, but she selfishly took it anyway.

"You can open up to me. I'm here for you."

A single tear. That's all that Homura would allow. She'd pull Madoka just a bit closer and—

Ah. She was full-on crying now, wasn't she?

Why did she always do this around Madoka? Why couldn't she keep up her mask? Why didn't Madoka ever abandon her when it became clear how pathetic she was?

As if she could hear those thoughts, Madoka said, "You've been alone for a while, haven't you?" A nod. Madoka's shoulder was soaked. She rubbed Homura's back, trying to stay calm herself. "C-can, can you tell me? I understand if you don't want to, but—"

Everything. Homura told her everything.

Like the pathetic demon that she was, she gave every last detail. She spoke of her despair at watching Madoka die again and again. She vented because no one would ever listen to her about what was going to happen. She cried because Madoka was so selfless, and it hurt.

When she finished, she instantly regretted it.

Her purpose was to keep Madoka safe, innocent, and happy, yet she had just increased Madoka's burdens tenfold.

Pathetic.

"I'm sorry."

Both said it at the same time. Of course, Madoka would view this as her fault.

"I broke my promise," Madoka whispered. No shock was present—after finding out that magic was real, time travel was likely not so far out of the realm of possibility. "I hurt you again and again, didn't I?"

Homura wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "You were selfless," she said evenly, lest she start crying again. "It's…it's one of the things that I like most about you."

"O-oh…"

Homura silently cursed. She had already risked scaring Madoka off with her ridiculous story, but now she was acting like a creepy stalker, and—

"I, um, like your determination."

Huh?

Madoka looked down at their clasped hands with a blush. "That's not really a proper response to what you just told me, is it? My mom would tell me that I need to be more considerate of your feelings."

She absolutely did. Homura was about to have a heart attack with how fast her pulse was.

Madoka suddenly brightened. "How about this? Now that I know, I swear that I won't become a magical girl!"

Before she could stop herself, Homura said, "You can't keep that promise."

You'll always put other people first.

Madoka's smile wavered. Whether it was due to the lack of faith or believing it to be true, Homura wasn't sure.

Her thumb brushed over the back of Homura's hand, filling them both with warmth. "Then how about this: I swear on destiny itself that I won't forget you…or at least, not this very moment."

Homura blinked. "Why this moment specifically?" she couldn't help but ask.

Madoka gave a mischievous grin. "Because I don't want to forget our first date, silly!"

Homura coughed and sputtered, causing Madoka to giggle.

She didn't believe that Madoka could remember anything beyond a vague feeling, but she was filled with hope, nonetheless.

Maybe, just maybe…one of these times, she would succeed.

"Class, please welcome Akemi Homura: our new transfer student."

It was the same thing every time. The same people bombarded her. The same expression plastered itself on her face.

She hated it.

She pushed her chair back. "If you will excuse me, I—"

"Oh, do you need to go to the nurse's office?"

Homura's head shot up. Right in front of her was Madoka, grinning like a loon.

"Nice to meet you," Madoka said with a wink. "Maybe this is a weird question, but have you ever felt déjà vu?"

…Years.

Homura had spent years in an endless time loop.

The girl in front of her had died over a hundred times, shattering her heart into a million pieces.

But now…at this very moment…

"You're not alone anymore…Homura-chan."