CHAPTER 9: Deja Vu All Over Again
BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP!
The alarm clock sounded. Madoka Kaname's eyes popped open. She drowsily sat up as she clutched her stuffed animal toy. "Awwww... I had another weird dream." She sighed.
The details of this one were pretty sketchy. But it was yet another dream that heavily featured her friend Sayaka. This time she was lying dead on the ground, in a place where they clearly weren't supposed to be. Madoka remembered clinging to Sayaka's limp body, hugging it, overwhelmed with grief, as an unfamiliar girl in red stood over them in shock and anguish. That was when the dream ended. But what could've happened to her? Madoka struggled to remember those rapidly-fading details as she sat there in bed.
"Good morning, Madoka." A voice amongst the stuffed animals on the shelf behind her abruptly greeted. It was Kyubey, the little creature she rescued at the mall. She smiled at him shyly and scratched her head while thinking back to the even weirder turn of events that actually happened to her yesterday.
"Madoka… You got in pretty late last night, didn't you?" Her mother, Junko Kaname asked her as they were brushing their teeth in the bathroom together, a daily ritual between them.
"I got invited over to a friend's house." Madoka told her.
Her mother gargled water and spit. "I don't want to start cracking down on you with curfews and stuff. Next time, let us know where you are before dinner."
"I'm sorry." Madoka smiled and apologized. She looked over and saw Kyubey resting lazily in a washbowl, amused that her mother could neither see nor hear him.
"Hey, Mom… This might sound silly, but, um, if someone could grant any wish you wanted using magic, what would you wish for?"
"I'd wish for those two trustees to get kicked right out of the company." Her mother keenly grinned. Madoka chuckled nervously. "Come to think of it, there's the CEO. He's too old to keep up the pace like he used to, so maybe I'd wish for him to retire." Her mother mused as she applied her makeup. "Thing is, he hasn't named a successor yet."
Madoka thought about asking her what she would do if she became the CEO, but the ambitious, scheming look in her mother's eyes was already starting to scare her. So instead she changed the topic.
"Hey, Mom… This might also sound silly, but, um…" Madoka hesitated. It felt rather childish to raise the subject of bad dreams to her mother at her age. Dreams were just dreams, after all. They had no influence on the real world or the people in it.
"What is it?" Her Mom patiently smiled.
"It's nothing." Madoka cleaned her toothbrush and put it away.
"Now, c'mon! Smells like your Papa's got breakfast ready!" Junko excitedly headed to the door.
"Is there something wrong?" Kyubey asked Madoka as he clung to her shoulder on her route to school.
"No, it's just…" Madoka's pace slowed. "Usually Sayaka and Hitomi are here with me by now." She stopped and checked her phone. "We always walk to school together."
"Something's off." Homura said to Sayaka as they watched Madoka from behind while they were traveling to school.
"You noticed it too?" Sayaka replied. "We should be there. Hitomi and I should be walking with her. Wonder why they aren't?"
"This might warrant investigation."
"But what do we do, with Kyubey hanging on like a pet?"
"I don't know."
"We have to do something!" Sayaka protested. "I don't trust him alone with her for one spitting second."
"Anything we say or do would be tactically ill-considered." Homura warned.
"What do we have to lose? He already knows we're here!"
"He knows we exist and oppose him. But nothing else. Wisest if we keep it that way for now."
"Whatever. I'm going in." Sayaka started a run.
"What? Stop!" Homura grabbed her. "Your face might be disguised, but your soul is still unique! We don't know his methods of identifying magical girls. What if getting close allows him to deduce your identity?"
"Hmmm. Maybe you've got a point." Sayaka gave pause, then slid her ring off her finger and put it in Homura's hand. "Just try and stay within a hundred meters of us."
"What?" Homura examined the ring. "This is crazy. You can't be serious about-"
"I'm not leaving her alone!" Sayaka trotted. "I trust you." She waved back "Maybe for the first time ever!"
"Are you alright?" Sayaka heard Madoka's concerned voice approaching her. Her separation limit was already getting tested. She was feeling a little woozy and disoriented as she got closer.
"I'm fine! Just fine! Got out of bed not too long ago! I guess a part of me would rather be back there."
"I know how you feel." Madoka giggled. "Saya Otonashi, right? Is there something you wanted?"
"No, no. I just saw you walking along from back there." Sayaka looked back behind them. "You looked…" Homura was out of sight. "A bit lonely."
"I am aware that you are a magical girl. I sense the presence of your Soul Gem." A voice addressed Sayaka directly in her mind.
"I'm not lonely at all." Madoka corrected. "I'm worried. My friends walk to school with me every day. Since we were in elementary school."
"Maybe they're both sick today?" Sayaka moved to the shoulder opposite the one Kyubey had perched on.
"But your soul is not in the immediate proximity to your body." Kyubey's voice pressed.
"They both looked fine yesterday."
"Well, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you." Sayaka tried her best to sound more cheerful. "For today."
"You are an anomaly." He prodded, his facial expression never changing. "You, and Homura Akemi." Madoka was obviously not privy to his thoughts.
"Thanks." Madoka said. "This may sound strange, but if someone could grant any wish you wanted with magic, what would you wish for?"
"Easy. Wish for a million wishes." Madoka giggled. "I like the sound of your laugh." Sayaka complimented.
"She's the one who now possesses your Soul Gem, yes?" Kyubey continued. "I can sense her moving around with it. What is the meaning of such a rudimentary ploy?"
"I always thought my laugh was kind of childish. It's embarrassing." Madoka said. "So I only laugh like that when I'm with my friends."
"That's too bad. It's like you're hiding a part of yourself. A part that someone might really like about you." Sayaka replied. "Still, I suppose I'm lucky."
"Hiding a part of yourself, indeed." Kyubey injected his thoughts into that part. "You are taking measures to conceal your identity. Even your outward appearance is somehow… Not correct."
"Lucky? How?" Madoka asked.
"That you showed that part of yourself show around me. I guess that makes us friends." Sayaka smiled. "For today." She put her arm around Madoka's back. Kyubey instinctively leapt off.
"Yeah, friends." Madoka smiled back. "For today."
"But what are you hiding it from? Myself?" Kyubey let go of her shoulder and landed hind-foot first on the ground. "Or perhaps… Her?"
The two girls arrived at school. A luxury car had just pulled up in front of the steps. Hitomi Shizuki promptly stepped out of the passenger seat.
"Oh, hello Madoka. I'm sorry I couldn't walk to school with you guys today."
"It's okay, Hitomi. I'm just glad to see you here." Madoka trotted over to greet her.
"Are you alright, Miss Otonashi?" Hitomi approached and asked. Sayaka was feeling lightheaded and woozy again. Homura must have gone in around back.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking." Sayaka collected herself.
"Madoka just told me you were walking to school with her earlier."
"It's no big deal. I was just trying to be nice to her."
"All the same, I'd like to thank you for doing that." Hitomi whispered as they walked up the schoolhouse steps. "It's been a tradition for me and Sayaka Miki to walk to school with her." She paused. "But I… I don't think we'll be doing so again. For quite some time."
"Eh?" Sayaka wanted to press her on that, but Kyubey was sitting at the top step, watching them.
"If you happen to see her walking alone tomorrow, please do so again." Hitomi requested. "Doing so would put me in your debt." Now Sayaka was really curious. The bell rang, and the girls scrambled to put their things in their lockers and make it to Miss Jones's classroom on time.
"Aren't you coming inside the classroom with us, Kyubey?" Madoka telepathically asked.
"I appreciate the offer. However, It may be better if I stay with Mami." Kyubey gazed at Homura, who was approaching from the opposite end of the hallway. " For now ."
"That's unusual." Homura muttered to herself.
"Thanks." Sayaka whispered as Homura discreetly handed Sayaka's ring back to her. They all took their seats. Sayaka next to Homura, and Hitomi next to Madoka.
"Good morning, class!" Miss Jones said cheerfully.
"Good morning, Miss Jones." The class repeated together.
"The good news is that with a couple of exceptions, you all did quite well on that quiz! You should be proud of yourselves!"
Suddenly, the Other Sayaka came bursting through the doorway. She was out of breath.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Miss Jones!" She bowed as courteously as she could manage. "I had to give an absentee excuse note to Miss Yamazaki!"
"Hmmm." Miss Jones checked a notebook on her desk. "It was very rude to just come barging in the way you did."
"S- Sorry again." Sayaka apologized as her focus wandered in the direction of her empty seat.
"Since your prior tardiness record has been spotless until now, I'm going to forgive this transgression." She marked it in the notebook. "Now please take your seat."
"Uh, actually." Sayaka interjected. "M- May I please exchange seats with someone else? For today?"
"Eh? You want to switch seats, too?" Miss Jones gave Sayaka a perplexed look, then craned her neck and gave the Sayaka next to Homura a more befuddled look.
"Miss Otonashi." Miss Jones addressed Sayaka. "How would you feel about exchanging seats with Miss Clown here?" She placed herself between the Sayakas. "Would you object to it?"
Everyone's eyes trained on the disguised Sayaka. "N- I guess not." She slowly slid out of her seat and backed up.
"Good. Now take your seat, please." Miss Jones picked up a pen and began writing on the digital blackboard. "And who knows? If moving closer brings your lagging scores up, I may be willing to make this change permanent." The class collectively chuckled at their instructor's remark.
There Sayaka sat. Back in her old seat. Back where she seemingly belonged. Only, she didn't belong there. The events separating her life from her counterpart had morphed her into being a stranger in a familiar land. Madoka gave her a warm, reassuring smile, something she would've done regardless of the person she was sitting next to.
Hitomi, on the other hand, was less accommodating. She offered a small, feigned wave, then went right into taking her usual studious notes. It was clear to her that there was an issue between Hitomi and Sayaka's counterpart. And that they were both pretending there was nothing wrong while unintentionally making it the big, giant elephant in the room. Something changed yesterday, she was sure. Something that created a rift between these three girls.
In the hallway, across the building, Kyubey trotted into the girls' bathroom.
"So what'd you learn?" Mami Tomoe asked him telepathically.
"That Homura Akemi and the other girl, named Saya Otonashi, are collaborators in some capacity."
"Might they have designs on this city?" Mami asked while washing her hands as thorougly as a germaphobe.
"That I cannot say. What I can say is that they appear to have a shared interest in Madoka Kaname."
"Hm. So it's indeed likely they have a mutual goal of preventing the birth of a new magical girl." Mami scoffed, "Same old cycles start again. Bullied children will inevitably become bullies themselves."
"It would be unwise to underestimate them." Kyubey said.
"Akemi is very astute, and moves efficiently, judging by what I've seen." Mami noted. "It would not surprise me if she were the senior in the partnership."
"At the other end, Otonashi's entire appearance looks like it is somehow fabricated."
"Maybe her wish was to change herself with magic." Mami mused. "That would certainly provide a fair number of advantages in life."
"Yes, and that would not be an unprecedented wish." Kyubey concurred. "However, there is one more thing I must note: I do not have any recollection of making a contract with either of them."
"Hm? What do you mean? How could you grant a wish and not remember it?"
"I do not know. It could be the result of a side effect of what they wished for, but without evidence I can only speculate."
"For now," Mami continued, "We must be ready for anything. And we must protect Madoka from them."
"The tactically more beneficial thing, I think," Kyubey opined, "Would be to make Madoka Kaname a Magical Girl, soon as she can!"
"That can only be her decision to make, Kyubey." Mami clasped her hands and looked into the mirror on the bathroom wall. "While I would certainly welcome her with open arms if she chooses, I'm not going to press her if she's not up to it."
"Of course that's your prerogative." Kyubey said. "But I highly doubt those two view her the same way as you."
"I just hope she doesn't get backed into a corner," Mami clenched her fist. "And left without a choice."
"Something really really weird must've happened yesterday." Sayaka muttered to Homura as they watched Hitomi and Sayaka's counterpart take careful steps to avoid one another as they picked out their lunches. Homura wasn't particularly interested, she was watching Madoka proceed to the building's rooftop, the place where she and Sayaka normally ate their food together.
"Where the heck am I going?" Instead of following Madoka to the roof, her counterpart seemed to be headed elsewhere.
"Don't know." Homura straightforwardly replied. She took a few steps in Madoka's direction. "Not my concern."
"But we've gotta look into this." Sayaka clutched Homura's arm. "Something's gone screwy between them. I'm sure even you can tell that."
"There are always relationship variations from timeline to timeline. Typically, delving further into them served little more than to waste my time."
"Is that how you came to see the rest of us?" Sayaka frowned. "Gee, and you wonder why I was so quick to dislike you."
"If investigating the matter is so crucial to you, then you pursue it." Homura jerked her arm away. "I need to talk to Madoka."
"And trot out the same scary, cryptic warnings like last time? What do they say is the definition of insanity?"
Homura was nonplussed. "And I suppose you have an alternative to consider." She added, "Besides sticking your nose in the conversation at the most inopportune time."
"How 'bout this…" Sayaka proposed. "I go talk to Madoka, you go talk to Other Me and Hitomi."
"No."
"Would it really kill you to care about us others from time to time?"
"I don't need to justify anything to you." Homura headed towards the roof.
Sayaka quickly dashed in front of Homura, blocking the stairs in front of her. She obstinately pounded her fist to her palm. "Rock-paper-scissors. I win, we do things my way, you win, you can go play the psycho transfer student all over again."
"You cannot be serious."
"Let's do it!"
"I don't have time for this." Homura tried to dodge around Sayaka, but Sayaka backed up right against the doorway. "Tch." Homura scowled. "Fine. One round."
"Rock… Paper… Scissors… Shoot!" Sayaka threw scissors.
"I win." Homura threw rock. Her frown slowly morphed a wry smile.
"Darn it!" Sayaka exclaimed Just…" Sayaka stood by. "Talk with her. Not at her. Then she might be more open to what you've got to say."
"I'll keep that in mind." Homura proceeded. Sayaka retreated down the steps. "It would be more productive if you talked with Hitomi Shizuki. She would be the more forthcoming, between the two of you." Homura advised as they split. "But I'm sure you already knew that much about yourself."
"Here you go, Kyubey." Madoka cheerfully fed Kyubey a piece of her packed lunch.
"Have you decided on your wish yet, Madoka?" Kyubey chewed as he spoke to her.
"No I haven't. I'm drawing a blank. Is that weird?"
"Most girls do accept my offer right away." Kyubey said bluntly.
A dark figure suddenly stepped out of the doorway. It was Homura, walking towards them with urgency. Madoka instinctively picked Kyubey up and held the little creature in her arms.
"It's okay." A voice reassuringly echoed from atop a tower on the other side of the school building. It was Mami Tomoe, attentively watching over her ward.
"I haven't come to fight." Homura glared at Kyubey. "I wanted to catch it. Before it made contact with Madoka Kaname. But it's too late for that now."
Her stern glare abruptly switched to Madoka. "Well? Now what? Are you going to become a magical girl?"
"I'm uh…" Madoka reluctantly put Kyubey down.
"I warned you." Homura reminded. "Before we were so rudely interrupted. Remember?"
"Yes."
"Very well then. I hope my warning was not in vain." Homura turned to go back inside. "Goodbye."
"Homura… Wait!" Madoka struggled with what she wanted to say. "I uh… I'd like to know what you wished for when you became a magical girl!"
Homura stopped and gazed into Madoka's eyes. This wasn't the first time Madoka had asked her that question. Far from it, in fact. But Homura could never answer her. Not because she didn't want to, she ached desperately to do so every single day, but it was actually because she had been fighting for so long, had been reliving this chain of events so many times, that she could no longer precisely remember the wish that began her lonely, burdensome journey. 'Protect Madoka', were the only words that still endured. And with Mami and Kyubey both watching, she dare not risk betraying such an intimate detail about her life. She flipped her hair, turned, and walked coldly away.
The lunch period at Mitakihara Middle School was unique for its kind, as rather than eat in the cafeteria, the students were allowed to dine wherever they'd like, under the condition that they always clean up after themselves when finished. Some would go eat by the playground. Some would eat in their respective club rooms. Some would eat at their desks. Others, like Sayaka and Madoka, would eat more in exotic spots. Madoka, once upon a time, had confided that she had a fear of heights, so Sayaka started taking her up to eat on the rooftop as a therapy of sorts.
Hitomi Shizuki, on the other hand, would only rarely join them. Typically, she'd do what the rest of the Honor Students of her ilk did, and dine while she crammed at the library. And there she was, quietly reading while she ate a bowl of chicken and rice.
"Is this seat taken?" Sayaka politely approached.
"Oh?" Hitomi yanked her head away from her book. "Ah, hello, Miss Otonashi. Um, no, it's fine. You can have lunch there if you'd like."
"You can call me 'Saya'." Sayaka checked around the room. No staring eyes of Kyubey. No curious substitute teachers. No counterpart. The other students were too buried in their studies to pay any special attention to her presence. This was her best chance to get Hitomi to talk. Now if only she could think of a tactful way to do so. "If you wanna." She sat down and ate a single grape.
"Um, that thing you said to me earlier," Sayaka continued. "About walking to school again with that girl," Hitomi peeked from behind her book. "Can you tell me more about it?"
"It's a personal matter, is all. I'm hoping a little bit of time and some separation can smooth it out."
"Are you not getting along with her?" Sayaka asked, already suspecting the issue wasn't with Madoka.
"Who? With Madoka? Oh, no, no." Hitomi confirmed. "I have no issue with her. She's a wonderful friend!"
"Then what's up?"
"It's with her friend." Hitomi continued, reluctantly. "Sayaka… That girl you swapped desks with earlier today." She nibbled on her food as she tried to focus on her book.
"Oh," Sayaka shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. "Yeah. Her."
"She's really not a bad person." Hitomi prefaced, upon noticing Sayaka's sudden discomfort. "I want to apologize for her remarks yesterday. She can be rather uninhibited to the point of being rude." Hitomi was now apologizing to Sayaka, on behalf of Sayaka. Now this was getting really bizarre. "I always found her carefreeness to be quite endearing."
"But… Now you're not getting along with her?"
"It's not because of anything she said or did." Hitomi clarified.
"So what happened then?" Sayaka pressed. "Between you two?"
Hitomi set her book aside and took several bites of her meal. She glanced around the room, surveying the other inattentive students, before discreetly reaching for her bookbag. "I can't talk to my Mother about it. She would just tell me to drop the whole issue and stick to my studies. She'd probably even sign me up for another extracurricular." She rifled through the bookbags contents. "My father is always working and traveling. We don't get much chance to talk at all." She stopped for a moment, visually searching through the items inside. "I can't say anything to Madoka. She and Sayaka are close to a point where I often feel like the third wheel." She sighed, and reached for a slip of paper inside. "And I can't trust any of the other kids in class. Most of their parents know mine… Their unbridled gossip would eventually find its way back to my Mother." She handed the slip to Sayaka. "You might be the only person I can reasonably confide in, under the circumstances." She spoke in a hushed tone. "If you care to hear me out."
"What's this?" Sayaka opened the note. She read it over. Now she remembered. Hitomi had a secret admirer. She'd even said something about getting a love letter, way back in that world Sayaka left behind. Back in that life before magic, witches, time travel and space aliens. A simpler world with much simpler problems.
"It's a love confession note. From a boy in school." Hitomi attested.
"If he can't say it to your face, then he's not worth it." Sayaka said, flatly regurgitating the romantic advice Madoka's mother gave to Madoka, who relayed it to the both of them.
"If only it were that simple," Hitomi elaborated. "The thing is, I think I know exactly which boy in class wrote it."
Sayaka shuffled uncomfortably in her seat, she immediately reread the note for clues. But deep in her gut, she pretty much knew exactly which boy Hitomi was talking about. The only boy who could possibly drive a wedge between the two of them, Kyosuke Kamijo. "W- Who?" She timidly asked. "Who is it?"
"It's someone you haven't met in school yet. His name is Kyosuke Kamijo."
"Oh?" A chilly sense of déjà vu worked its way down Sayaka's spine. "How do you figure it's him?"
"The handwriting on the note, it's incredibly crude." Hitomi added. "To the point where it's almost not legible."
"A lot of boys have crummy handwriting." Sayaka pointed out. "I don't think I know a boy where that's not the case."
"And then there's the part where it says 'Should I ever gain my strength'." Hitomi rested her hand on her cheek and stared longingly into the distance.
"A shy fella?"
"No more than you or I. But the thing you should also know about him is, he has been cooped up in the hospital for the last few months. He'd gotten into a rather serious accident, one that caused him to almost entirely lose the use of his hand. He's been pretty down emotionally ever since."
"Yeah," Sayaka slowly munched another single grape."I can see why."
"At the risk of reading too much into this, the handwriting, so poorly done that it looks like it could be coming from somebody learning how to write again, plus the choice of words, which I believe he means it both to be his physical and emotional strength." Hitomi stopped and finished her meal. "And then there's the third clue, the manner in which I received the letter."
"How'd you get it?" Sayaka twiddled her thumbs under the table.
"I received it from Nakazawa. Who was adamant that he received it from Naganuma. Who said she passed it along on the instructions of Ohtani. Who said he was just doing what Matsumoto told him to do. I found out that it had been passed along at least seven times before I received it. I know I'm jumping to a major conclusion, but that suggests to me that the letter writer wasn't able to be physically present to deliver it himself. Like say, a boy at home." She paused "Or stuck in the hospital."
Sayaka slowly sipped her drink. It was a bit of a jump, but Sayaka could see that, these clues formed a tenuous, but plausible connection back to Kamijo. "But what's this got to do with that girl you're friends with?"
"Well, she's a good, longtime friend of Kamijo's. She's known him since they were both very young children. After his injury, she's gone out of her way to keep him comfortable, to make visits and bring him gifts. She hasn't said anything, but I suspect she's sees Kamijo as someone she wants to be more than friends with, some day."
"So take a step back, and let her have her chance." Sayaka selfishly advised. "I mean, you don't even know for sure this silly note is his!"
"I was going to do that. I was ready to pretend this note was a non-issue." Hitomi admitted. "But I'm afraid I allowed my curiosity and zeal to get the better of me."
Sayaka folded her arms uncomfortably. "What'd you do?"
"For the last few weeks, I've been secretly visiting Kamijo without Sayaka's knowledge. I just had to know for certain if the note was his. So I'd fib a few excuses to Sayaka and Madoka here and there, then sneak off and go visit him. Then I'd strike up a conversation, talk about school, help him write things, even flirt a little, look for any conclusive evidence he's smitten with me."
So that explained why she never came to help Sayaka pick out a bathing suit. And the forgotten purse she'd found that night. And the reason she was in the lobby that day. "I- Is he?" She asked, almost inaudibly. "Has he said?"
"No. I'm still not sure yet. To be honest, I don't think the note even matters anymore." Hitomi put down her book and tiredly rubbed her eyes. "You see, before his accident, I confess that I had a bit of a crush on him too. He's so much gentler than the other boys in class. He'd do such nice little things, like stop and help a classmate who tripped and fell down. Or give up a seat on a bus. Or volunteer to help a teacher grade papers. And he's smarter too. He'd explain math problems to friends who didn't understand. And he was talented, too! He had been a violin player, one who'd play for anybody willing to listen."
This was all sounding familiar. They were all the qualities Sayaka had seen in him. "Man, he sounds like quite the catch." She enviously uttered.
"But after the accident, he couldn't play it anymore. He's like an artist who feels they're worthless without their talent." Hitomi wiped a tear from her eye. "But his gentleness, his intelligence, and his soul are all still there, desperate for someone to help make those other qualities shine. And the more I've been talking to him, the more I'm sure that my infatuation has blossomed into full-blown love. I want to show him he's still a wonderful person, even without his talent."
"So you two are pining to help the same guy. Lucky him." Sayaka pecked and nibbled at her food. "D- Did you tell her this stuff yesterday or something?" The butterflies were in her heart, not her stomach, so she thought maybe eating while talking would make her appear more casual and less uncomfortable than she really felt inside.
"If only I had." She shook her head glumly. "Then things wouldn't be nearly as awkward as they suddenly got."
"Eh?" Sayaka stopped eating. "What happened?"
Hitomi paused for a moment. "Yesterday, while I was in the middle of a visit, Sayaka walked in and discovered the two of us together."
Sayaka's heart sank, spoiling her nascent appetite. In a momentary flash, she remembered how furious she herself had been, simply stumbling upon Hitomi's purse at the hospital. "... What did she do?"
"She slammed the door and ran away, before I could explain myself." Hitomi was rubbing her hands, regretfully. "I've wounded her, quite badly."
The lunch bell loudly rang. It was time to get back to class. "So I avoided walking to school with Madoka today, because I assumed she would be there with her and things would be awkward. I suppose she assumed the same of me, and Madoka wound up going all alone." Hitomi gathered her things and got off her seat. "So thanks again. If you see her alone tomorrow, please do that again. You'd be doing me a favor."
"You're not going to resolve anything, just avoiding each other." Sayaka said, staring off into the distance in her seat.
"I'm going to write an apology note, for lying about where I've been going. As a start." Hitomi said as she looked back. "But I'm not going to apologize for my feelings toward Kyosuke. Mine are just as true as hers."
Sayaka gathered her food, with a whopping amount of second helpings, and rushed out of the cafeteria. There would be no lunch on the roof with Madoka today. Madoka's fear of heights was pretty much conquered by now, anyway. Nor was she rushing to meet up with Hitomi. Her opinion of Hitomi was so low that she frankly didn't care if the two of them would ever be on speaking terms again.
She hustled down the schoolyard steps, well past the playground, toward the woodland area. If Mitakihara Middle School weren't so prestigious, and had its own gang of delinquents, this is where they'd probably hang out.
"'bout time! I'm starvin'!" Sayaka heard a voice say above her. "Look out beloooow!" Kyoko nimbly jumped from a high tree branch and onto her feet below.
"You don't have to hide all the way out here, you know. The school allows visitors around lunch period." Sayaka handed Kyoko her meal and an apple juice box, and the two sat down on the grass.
"Oh, please! Like I give a damn about grown-ups and their rules! I'm just hangin' out here 'cause I don't wanna get in no fight." She took her utensil, stuck it right into a chicken leg, and chomped down.
"Fight? Why would anybody here pick a fight with you?"
Kyoko stared cautiously at the school building. "There's another Magical Girl at this school. She's a pretty tough one."
"Really?" Sayaka also looked back toward the school building. "Wonder who?"
"I can damn well tell ya' who." Kyoko took a moment to wolf down her chicken meat. "Mami Tomoe."
"Never met her."
"Eh, I crossed paths with her a long time ago." Kyoko chomped a big bite of chicken. "If ya' ever met her you'd pretty much get all the wrong ideas about us Magical Girls." She swallowed. "Y'see, she's one of those "idealist" types. Outfit's all prim and pretty. She judges other magical girls only on the terms of being a friend or a foe. Mindset's all 'bout protectin' humans." She reflexively stuck her tongue out. "Works hard, makes the grades and acts real high and mighty about it, too." Kyoko laughed. "Oh, and she even calls out her attacks! Laaaaaaame! Ya' gonna to finish that?"
"I was planning to." Sayaka nibbled her way through her lunch.
"But, she is pretty great in a fight, though. Really tough. But she acts like this whole city belongs to her. And any girl who doesn't do exactly what she does is not welcome to stick around."
"The haughty type." Sayaka asserted. The image that sprung into her mind, though, was of Hitomi. "Someone who could stand to be brought down a notch or two."
"Yeah! That's exactly it. Plus I think you got a few more in there."
"For reals?" Sayaka slurped on her juicebox. "You're kidding! How can you tell?"
"I just can." Kyoko chewed and spoke. "We Magical Girls kinda have this sorta extra sense. It lets us sniff each other out."
"How many?"
"At least two." Kyoko stopped and sniffed the air like a dog. "Mayyyyybe three? A little harder to tell, but it feels like there's another one in there."
"Wow!"
"And they're all going to the same school as Mami Tomoe." Kyoko started chomping on a small bag of chips. "So either she's made a few allies, which I doubt, knowing her. More likely some old rivals of hers have banded together and are going to tackle her head-on. And I don't wanna get caught in that avalanche!"
"You could help her out." Sayaka suggested. "Then she'd owe you a favor."
"Noooooo way!" Kyoko slurped down the rest of her juice. "'Sides, I know she can hold her own. Trust me, it'll take more than a few small fry Magical Girls to bring Ol' Mami down for good."
"Have you decided upon your wish yet, Sayaka Miki?" A voice worked its way out of the bushes, where Kyubey emerged.
"Wish for them to break up." Kyoko nodded. "Get Miss hoity toity out of the picture."
"I dunno. What's to stop him from falling for somebody else?" Sayaka picked at a few stray blades of grass. "Now that you've got me thinking about the ways my wish could go wrong, I've only been thinking about all the ways it could go wrong. Gah! It's making my brain hurt."
"That's unusual." Kyubey noted. "Most girls accept my offer right away."
"Give her tiiiiiiime." Kyoko bluntly pushed Kyubey away from her food stash. "If she's gonna be riskin' her neck out there, it had better be for a damn good reason!"
"I mean, there's a bunch of stuff I want to have or do." Sayaka laid back flat on the grass. "But, there's nothing I want right now that's worth that much. Maybe I'm just ignorant. Blissfully ignorant."
"Whaddaya mean by that?" Kyoko opened a box of Pocky sticks.
"Of struggle." Sayaka stared thoughtfully at the clouds above. "I think about all the people out there who would give anything for a chance like this, people like you, and realize just how lucky I really am. I've got parents who love me. I've got plenty of food. I go to a good school. I have a best friend. I live a good life. I've never had to struggle to get anything before. So why did I get this chance? What have I done to deserve it?"
"Don't go overthinkin' it." Kyoko chewed. "Everyone wants something they can't have. Far as I care, ya' earned yer pay with what ya' did yesterday."
"But it's one thing to fight for your own life. And, I admit, I got a real rush out of fighting back there." Sayaka sighed. "But it's another to fight for a real purpose. And now to have the chance to create mine… I can't think of a worthy reason right now. Sorry."
"Boy, now yer' making' my head hurt!" Kyoko complained. "Shit!" Kyoko chomped her Pocky stick. "Tell you what… How 'bout you come with me on a few more witch hunts. Maybe if you get that rush again, you'd get a better idea of what you want out of this gig. How's that sound?"
The school bell rang. "Really? You'd be willing to put up with me?"
"Sure! I mean, yer' willing' to put up with me!" Kyoko chuckled and playfully punched her arm. "I'm sure you'll do fine."
"I- I'm supposed to be at practice today. Can we do it Monday?"
"Sure. Some jerk topped My 'DDR ' score. I was gonna spend the rest of the day at the arcade, anyway."
"It's a date, then!"
"Just don't you go crampin' my style." Kyoko leapt back up into the tree. "I don't want word getting out that I'm helping a rookie find her legs."
"Is she joking?" Sayaka started back toward the school, stopped and looked up. "Tell who? Those other magical girls? I wouldn't have a clue who they are."
"... Miss Jones? Are you listening?"
"Oh? Sorry!" Miss Jones shook her head rapidly. "I guess I let my mind wander a bit. What were you two ladies just talking about just now?"
"Sayaka Miki." Miss Yamazaki sat down next to her in the teachers' lounge. "She brought a doctor's note to me this morning. Apparently she tripped and hit her head yesterday while crossing the bridge." She poured some sugar into her cup of coffee. "She told me she woke up at the hospital, and doesn't remember anything else that happened. I was asking you if you've noticed any odd lapses from her in class today."
"Sayaka Miki… Hmmm…" Miss Jones pondered. "That would be the short-haired, rather tomboyish class clown wannabe, right?" She said, feigning unfamiliarity. The two ladies nodded to verify. "She managed to stay awake for me this morning. Made a rather unusual request to switch seats with someone up front, though."
"Just the same, I think I'm going to limit her to warm-ups in gym class this afternoon." Miss Yamazaki said. "and limit her activity during practice this afternoon. Can never be too careful with how you treat head injuries, these days."
"Coddle her too much, and she'll quit on you." Miss Asagiri, the school's music teacher, sat down across from them. "She's the type of girl who'll resent that kind of treatment." She sipped on her coffee and scratched her temple. "Though I may be projecting a little bit of my younger self on to her, admittedly."
"So what are your opinions of the young lady, then?" Miss Jones sat back and stirred her tea. "I'd like to get to know my students better. Your thoughts would be most helpful."
"She's… Highly outspoken." Miss Yamazaki nibbled on her lunch. "Isn't afraid to confront somebody she thinks is in the wrong. Even if she winds up in trouble for it."
"Kind." Miss Asagiri added. "In all the little ways. Gives an extra pen to a student that doesn't have one. Lends others her notes. Breaks tension with silly jokes. Those sorts of things."
"But a bit of a slacker though, as far as her studies go." Miss Asagiri took another sip of coffee. "Like, I can tell she's smart, but she really needs to apply herself. It's not a lack of ambition… It's more like, she's afraid to stand out in any way. Afraid that standing out will make others expect things out of her. And then afraid that failing them means embarrassing herself."
"I'd say she's more afraid of success. And the dramatic things that can happen when the world changes suddenly." Miss Yamazaki nodded. "Perhaps joining my team may help her grow up a bit."
"Perhaps," Miss Asagiri sighed. "But I was always kind of hoping she'd join the school band. You know, I gave out a pop quiz in music class last week, and she was one of the only girls who could correctly name The Renaissance, Classical and Impressionist eras. To the other girls, anything before 1990 is ancient history."
"Knowing a little about musical eras is different from actually being able to play an instrument." Miss Jones commented.
"I went to school with her parents. I've stayed in touch with them." Miss Asagiri replied. "I know she took some piano lessons when she was younger. They had to drop the classes for some reason. I told them, if she ever had any interest in picking it back up again, just send her my way."
The bell rang, and the ladies gathered their things.
"Thank you, ladies." Miss Jones bowed. "You've been most insightful."
"That transfer student's a bit of a weirdo." One girl whispered to another as they walked by. "That book she's reading is blank."
"I can hear them." Sayaka muttered to herself. "It isn't blank. Jerks."
It was a free study period. Sayaka and Homura were in a classroom reserved for new students, and the students who had fallen considerably behind in their studies.
"'The Wibbly-Wobbly of Temporal Mechanics'?" Homura read. "Strange topic for you to have any interest."
"It's from Miss Jones's library." Sayaka closed the book and put it down on the desk. "I read a few pages when I want to think about something besides my own messed-up life."
"I take it your talk with Hitomi Shizuki proved revelatory."
"So you care now?"
Homura momentarily looked back at the gossiping girls. "I'm not entirely disinterested, if that is enough reason for you." The somewhat less intense look on her face did seem to suggest to Sayaka that she was trying.
Sayaka frustratedly planted her face firmly on top of the book. "Either I'm paranoid," she closed her eyes and sighed. "Or the Universe really is making me its big, cosmic punching bag. Of course she was seeing Kyosuke behind my back. To be honest, I kind of suspected something way back when she first told me she had feelings for him. That day she told me at the restaurant," She paused. "Back in the world that I… Fled."
"Has your counterpart discovered this secret as well?"
"Worse than that." Sayaka muttered, face still on the book. "She caught them red-handed together. Somehow she didn't go to any of the places she was supposed to go, so of course she'd wind up in the worst possible spot." She put her hands atop her head. "I can't help but feel like this is all my fault somehow. Like my little lucky breaks become her mounting misfortune or something."
"There were always distinctive differences in the timelines I experienced." Homura recounted. "Some were subtle and others more significant. You shouldn't assume Shizuki was seeing him in the previous world, nor should you believe your existence here is inherently hazardous or detrimental to hers."
"As much as I wanna believe you're right… It doesn't make me feel any better." Sayaka peeked from out of her book. "Huh. Wait… Were you trying to console me just now?"
"No." Homura slightly tilted her head. "I'm telling you what I experienced in those prior timelines."
"Too bad." Sayaka wanly smiled. "For a moment there, I thought I was talking to an actual friend." She paused and glanced into Homura's eyes. "Were we ever friends?" She paused again. "You and me?" Homura remained silent and poker faced. She dejectedly changed the subject. "How'd the talk with Madoka go?"
"Exactly the same as it was in the last timeline. Except..." Homura hesitated. "You weren't with her. I had thought that with you not in the way, she would be more open to my words, but now I'm not so sure you were ever a factor."
"Important enough to be the punching bag, not important enough to change my friend's life." She quipped. "Swell." Sayaka thumbed through the pages of her book. "Can I ask you something else? Did I ever make a wish for anybody but Kyosuke?"
"No."
"Good. I still think my idea of using those nano-thingies on him is the best option. Heal him, let him decide who he wants. And if the karmic cost is just a friendship with Hitomi, then I'd say she got off easy. As far as Madoka's goes, well… I think you and I should just kidnap her and stuff her down in the deepest deck of the TARDIS, until this all blows over."
Homura tilted her head and raised her brow.
"What? Too drastic for you?"
"The Other You would then wish for her safe return, I imagine."
"Yeah. I would do something like that. You're right." Sayaka slouched. "Still, there's gotta be a way we can get through to her without Kyubey knowing."
"I'm open to ideas."
Sayaka thought carefully for a moment, then popped up from her desk. "I got it! Hypnosis!"
"That's stupid."
"No, no… Hear me out. I saw Miss Jones do it on a security guard at the mall. We can just ask her."
"Yeah, no. Sorry. I'm not going to hypnotize Madoka for you." Miss Jones shook her head as she rewired the makeshift Soul Gem microwave to a three-pieced headset dangling from the ceiling, back inside the TARDIS Control Room.
"Why nooooot?" Sayaka whined.
"Long answer: Because it's more than just a neat party trick, it's a very delicate form of mind control. And since we know that Kyubey is psychic-capable, there's a very good chance he would have the ability to recognize the signs of hypnotic suggestion. And then he would know something was up. And I'd rather not risk that." She tied the wiring together, and plugged it into the wall. "Short answer: I want Kyubey to stick around Madoka, at least for the time being."
"You do?" Homura exclaimed.
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I was certainly hoping to keep her out of it. But now that she and Kyubey have made contact, I'm thinking I can somehow use bunnycat's preoccupation with her against him." She carefully placed the custom-built machine back into its slotting on the wall. "That he's so obsessed with getting her to contract, that he doesn't notice the trap I'm going to spring around him."
"What kind of trap?" Sayaka asked.
"You'll be the first to know once I think of it." Miss Jones took a pocket watch out and checked the time. "That reminds me. The bunnycat's going to need a jail cell." She walked over to her coat on the rack and counted out a roll of cash. "Sayaka, will you please head over to the mall's pet store and buy a pet carrier?"
"Right now?"
"Yes please." She strode over and stared directly into Sayaka's eyes.
"Why now?"
"Because a good student obeys her Sensei." She calmly put her hand on Sayaka's shoulder and waved a pocket watch in front of her.
"Can't it wait?" Sayaka's eyes were immediately transfixed on the watch.
"No. So please be a good student and obey your Sensei." Sayaka's head dangled to one side.
"Yeeeeeeeeees. Caaaaaaaan't waaaaaaaait. I'll go buy a pet carrieeeeer." Sayaka's eyes widened and her tone of voice went completely flat and relaxed.
"Good student. Now when you come back..." She smiled and whispered the rest of her instructions into Sayaka's ear.
"Yeeeeeeaaaah. It's been a looooong daaaaaaay." Sayaka yawned as she took the cash from Miss Jones's hand and headed toward the door. "But I first must buy a pet carrieeeeer." Miss Jones hastily affixed Sayaka's disguise to her hair as she started her walk.
"What'd you do to her?" Homura stared at the robotic Sayaka.
"That was a quick and dirty example of a hypnotic suggestion at work." The two watched Sayaka proceed out the door. Miss Jones put her hands on her hips. "Go right ahead and call me a hypocrite. But I couldn't think of another way to get her out of the room until she broached the topic." She waved Homura over with her finger. "Now then, let's you and I have that scheduled pow-wow."
She opened the microwave door. "But first another test. If you'd please, would you place your Soul Gem inside again?"
Homura slid the Soul Gem onto the microwave tray. Miss Jones tapped two minutes on the timer, and pressed the 'Start' button. Dark energy swirled into orbit around her gem, then settled back inside once the timer expired. Miss Jones grabbed a portable tablet wired to the microwave, and examined the data displayed on it. "It says there's been a nineteen point eight four percent increase in the amount of Depleted Ectomatter since yesterday. Busy night I take it?"
"Always." Homura breathed.
"Would you happen to have a Grief Seed at the ready?"
"Always."
"Care to share?"
Homura flipped her hair and reached into her pocket. She tossed her Grief Seed over to Miss Jones. Miss Jones took out some bunched metal wires and tied the Grief Seed to the headset suspended from the ceiling. "This setup's going to look a bit silly. The device is actually designed to be worn over someone's head." She took out her multitool, pressed a button on its side and waved it up and down the headset. "But it's got to be function over fashion until I get a chance to build a better one with more than just cannibalized parts and local tech."
She handed Homura the tablet, walked over to the microwave, and set the timer again. "It's your Soul Gem, so if you'd care to do the honors, just press the 'Engage' button on the tablet screen." Homura looked at the screen display. She pressed the button. A laser pulse fired from the top. The swirling darkness around her gem was instantly zapped from inside the microwave, and into the Grief Seed.
"You've cleansed my Soul Gem. With extra steps." Homura removed her Soul Gem from inside the microwave.
"Goodness, you're sure hard to impress." Miss Jones tittered. "I've successfully tested and calibrated my Artificial Soul Gem Absorbent Radiation Device, or ASGARD." Miss Jones cheekily winked.
"Did it really need to have a name?"
"It's the little extra touches that show how much one cares." Miss Jones smirked. "Now all that's left is to figure out what could serve as a suitable replacement receptacle for the Depleted Ectomatter. Which, thanks to the data we've just obtained, will be only a matter of time."
"Thank you." Homura said politely.
"There's no need for thanks." Miss Jones untied the Grief Seed from the metal wiring that bound it to the device. "It's just what I do." She tossed the Grief Seed over to Homura, then adjusted the settings on the microwave. "Now then, onto experiment number two. Will you please fetch that Grief Seed you lent me? It's in the lower left-hand pocket in my coat on the rack."
Homura felt around the pocket and took out the Grief Seed. Her Memento. She examined its design one more time before bringing over to Miss Jones. "What are you going to do with it?"
"Scan it. First I gotta know what I'm dealing with if I'm going to replace it with something better suited." She set the timer, and stuck the Grief Seed inside. The darkness inside it started to quiver around, gyrating from side to side inside the shell as quick laser pulses beamed it from the top.
"Give it a little more juice." She grabbed the tablet from Homura's hand and slid her finger along the screen. "Just enough to excite the Depleted Ectomatter."
The Grief Seed flashed as it spun, the darkness excised into its orbit, revealing within its center a tiny, but observable, blue glowing core. "As I suspected." Miss Jones put her hand to her mouth. "As you can see, there's still a tiny embryonic bit of Active Ectomatter, shining faintly in the center. Like a white dwarf star, burning away quietly until it's gone." Suddenly, sparks shot out of the back of the microwave, and the inside went dark.
"What happened?" Homura recoiled.
"An overload. That's what happens when primary safety systems get bypassed." Miss Jones patted down the back with her sweatshirt sleeve. "Don't worry. It's nothing I can't fix."
"The Grief Seed?" Homura opened the microwave door."
"Intact." Miss Jones pulled the Grief Seed out. The darkness had settled back inside its shell. "Interesting that you care about the state of the Grief Seed." Miss Jones sat in a chair and leaned back. She closed her eyes and took a deep, thoughtful breath. "Be honest with me. How many times did you have to kill her, Homura?"
"Kill her?" Homura tilted her head. "Kill who?"
"You know who." Miss Jones solemnly spoke. The door suddenly opened behind them.
"I bought the pet carrieeeer." Sayaka said. She set it down beside the door and walked over to the Control Console.
"Ah, Sayaka. We were just talking about you." Miss Jones called over to her.
"It's been a loooong daaaay. I need to go take a naaaap." She changed her Soul Gem into its egg form and set it on the console."
"Awww. Not gonna stay and chat with us?" Miss Jones teasingly asked.
"It's been a loooong daaaay. I need to go take a naaaap." She walked over to the interior door, and headed toward her quarters.
"Now do you see what I mean? She's all robotic and stuff. Bunnycat would notice for sure. Though a much better hypnotist would have the ability to mitigate some of the symptoms of mind control. But they're still going to act juuust a little bit off. And it didn't help that I've allowed my skills to atrophy through the years."
Homura got up and followed Sayaka into her quarters, where she keeled out on top of her bed. "Is she okay?"
"She'll be fiiiiine! Won't remember a thing about it. In fact, she's about to enjoy the best night's sleep she's had in quite some time." Miss Jones stood up. "She's earned as much." She approached Homura. "Back to my earlier question: How many times have you had to be her executioner?"
"You figured it out?" Homura staidly watched Sayaka from the doorway. "Our secret?"
"The breadcrumbs were all there, in hindsight." Miss Jones said. "First, the wacky readings I was getting from her Soul Gem after I first arrived. Next, while she and I were spying on Kyubey, he mentioned something about wanting to recruit her because he already calculated she'd fail." She explained. "Then that familiar's labyrinth you ambushed us in, contained readings similar enough to Sayaka's gem on the train that it should've raised all the red flags for me right then and there." She lamented. "Poirot I'm not." She continued, "But the biggest clue hit me smack dab in the face a few nights ago. I was trying to tune my ship's energy sensors to distinguish between a magical girl and a witch. It couldn't do it." She put her hand on Homura's shoulder. "But that experiment we just did on the Grief Seed confirmed it conclusively. That dim, remnant core we saw was in fact the magical girl's remnant soul." She continued in a hushed tone. "How many times did you do it, Homura?"
"I didn't keep count." Homura whispered. "But so many that it became routine."
"You hardened your heart to survive." Miss Jones consoled. "It's an all-too-common coping mechanism when one experiences so much traumatic death around them."
"Madoka asked me what I wished for today." Homura's eyes went wide. "I can't remember what it was. I just know that it was my mission to save her life."
"So you just focused on your mission. On Madoka Kaname. And she's all you've needed to carry on." Miss Jones sympathetically caressed her back. "Amazing feat, soldiering on this long. So amazing it shouldn't even be possible for any human, let alone a girl your age."
"That's because I'm not human." Homura stared into her open hand. "Anymore."
"Poppycock." Miss Jones rejected. "There's much more to being human, than the sum of your parts. It's all the experiences you've had. All connections you've made to others. And the friendships and those lasting memories forged along the way."
"Memories that I can no longer remember." Homura shook her head. "Friendships with people that I can no longer maintain."
"But if you didn't at least still care a little, then you and I would be having this pleasant conversation." She reminded.
"I was ready to dispose of her. Then she called me a witch." Homura recalled. "She meant it as a desperate insult, but that word did make me remember a time when I was about to become a witch." She closed her eyes. "Madoka and I were bundled together amongst the ruins, our Soul Gems black. I was all too ready to give up right then and there. I didn't care about anyone or anything anymore. I only wanted to die with her at her side."
"But then Madoka saved you. One more time." Miss Jones held out the Grief Seed. "And she used her friend to save you."
"I didn't realize who the Grief Seed was." Homura's head sank. "Sayaka and I were on bad terms by then, she didn't matter to me."
"But remembering made you realize, Madoka's not the only reason you've come this far."
"I do want to remember them all. I want to remember caring. I want to remember being their friend." Homura's eyes teared up as she clutched her chest. "But I don't know how."
"I can help you with that." Miss Jones said.
Homura rubbed her sleeve on her eyes and glared skeptically at her. "You're asking for permission to hypnotize me?" She sniffed.
"Oh, nothing so heavy-handed." Miss Jones pressed the button that slid the bedroom door in front of them closed. "Just a telepathic memory revival. Way less invasive than hypnotism."
"Will I feel anything?"
"Well, that's the general idea to it." They made their way into the control room. "But I'll try to balance it so that the painful memories don't overwhelm you, if that's what you're worried about."
Homura took a pair of glasses out of her pocket. She looked at her teary-eyed reflection in those red framed, reflective lenses. "Very well." She choked. "Try it."
Miss Jones pushed her glasses up and soberly approached her. "Admittedly, I'm a little bit out of practice when it comes to forging a psychic link. When Sayaka and I joined to search for Kyubey, I accidentally overstimulated her brain. So I ask that, if at any point you feel the need to puke, please do not do so on my clothes."
Homura stood firm and closed her eyes. "Do it before I change my mind."
"Heh. As you wish." She placed her hands on each side of Homura's face, placing her index and middle fingers on her temple.
"Think back. Way back. " Miss Jones telepathically instructed. "Back to before your life as a Magical Girl." Miss Jones breathed steadily. "Yes. I see a young girl. So lonely. No parents. Passing through life without knowing friendship. Sickly too. Born with a weak heart."
Homura winced as the pain of her oldest memories came flooding back. "If it gets to be too much, just imagine a door and close it. That way I'll know not to poke further. "
"I'm fine." Homura telepathically assured. "I can handle it."
"Ah, yes, a happier day. Your surgery was a success. Your first day at a new school is soon. The adults have told you how prestigious your new school is. You're looking forward to meeting your classmates." She pressed on. "But it doesn't quite go the way you hoped it would. You're beset by questions from everyone. You tire too easily in Gym class. You're behind everyone in your lessons. Hmmmm. You hear them gossip. Deep down you fear this is going to be the same as your life at Catholic School."
Memories poured into Homura's mind. She had suppressed so much of that life. Though she might have kept the glasses around, she could still scarcely believe that the unconfident girl in the memory was once upon a time, her.
"But some classmates try to be accommodating. I see one is leading you to the nurse's office. Ah, yes, Madoka Kaname, she tells you her name. " Miss Jones slightly moved the tips of her fingers. "And another girl voluntarily gives you her class notes. Hello, Sayaka Miki. She says she copied them from her friend Hitomi, so she guarantees they're top-notch. Yeah."
Homura remembered that first meeting with Madoka. There was no way she could ever forget it. But that memory of Sayaka giving her those notes had been completely buried. Reliving it here and now felt both unexpected and refreshing. They proceeded through the next door of hidden memories.
"But your spirits are still low. You're walking home from school feeling down, oh so depressed, a despair so deep that causes you to contemplate death." They both jerked back reactively. "What's this? The world before you is suddenly different. Something's after you. A monster! Is this creature somehow manipulating your mind?"
It was Homura's first fateful run-in with a Witch. Also unforgettable. But what happened to her next, was nothing short of a miracle.
"Two girls… They've come to your rescue! An unfamiliar, spiral-haired blonde, and a girl you immediately recognize wearing a frilly pink dress," Miss Jones continued. "Yes, she is absolutely glowing with magic... So beautiful in that outfit. Brimming with the same sort of grace and self-confidence you've longed for. 'Twas love at first sight!"
"But her life was to be cut short. Being a Magical Girl means having to face fearsome foes, and now you see her, standing before the fiercest." Miss Jones winced. "You know in your gut that she cannot survive this. You beg her not to go. But nothing you do will change her mind. She's resolute. She tells you she was glad to be your friend. How proud saving you made her. She says her final goodbye, and flies away. Her fate was sealed."
That first time Homura was cradling Madoka's lifeless body, she remembered what happened next, the event that permanently bound her existence to Madoka's. Through the next doorway of memories.
"But that little white creature sits high above you offering hope. A wish. You already know what you want. You want to meet Madoka Kaname again, but this time not as the protected one, but as her protector!"
Yes, that was her wish! She could not bear to go on in a world without Madoka, so she wished to do it all over again. And her wish came true. Exactly in the way that she wanted. Or that's what she believed, so naively, at first.
"You're introducing yourself to her again. In front of the whole class." Miss Jones went on. "You're with Madoka and Mami Tomoe now. Practicing. Learning and experimenting with your magic. You've studied how to make bombs. Even used one against a Witch in your first big battle. Mami Tomoe is so proud. Madoka is so happy, she gives you a big wonderful hug right on the spot."
"Hearts together, you defeat Walpurgisnacht this time. But something's terribly wrong with Madoka." They both reflexively winced. "Her Soul Gem looks wrong. You realize, too late to save her, that it's become a Grief Seed. In that moment, deep in the pit of your stomach, you realize Kyubey has fooled you all!"
Images and memories were flowing more freely between them now. "You're in another battle. A little before you've decided to tell them. You're fighting a Witch, in a candy-colored world of treats and sweets. The poor thing looks like a pitiful little stuffed doll." She pressed her own head against Homura's forehead. "But that doll is a dirty trick. Its real form within is much bigger, much scarier, and… Ohhh, no! It's got you in its mouth!" They heavily gulped her synched-up breaths. "But a new Magical Girl leaps to your rescue! It's Sayaka! She's propping its mouth open with her swords, its teeth piercing into her flesh! But she's still desperately clinging to you! Trying to pull you out! She won't give up!"
Sayaka saved her life back then? How could that memory have faded? "She did it! You don't know how you could ever thank her. So you pay her back with the only thing you have: The truth. So you tell her... While you two are playing video games… Then later you tell everyone what you've discovered about Kyubey." Miss Jones paused. "But they don't believe you? It only confuses and upsets them. The idea that Witches are fallen Magical Girls, is just too horrifying to consider. It only makes Sayaka more suspicious of you." She remembered being particularly hurt by Sayaka's accusations. Was that why she let that memory wither? "And then she turns into a Witch herself. The truth is out. Mami can't handle it." Their faces both pained at the sight of Mami Tomoe killing Kyoko Sakura and turning her guns onto herself and Madoka. That door they both reactively mentally slammed closed.
"But let's not dwell on the sadness." Miss Jones rubbed her fingers around in a circle on her temple, winding through the memories like they were a video tape. "You still occasionally shared tea with Mami, bought meals for Kyoko, still stepped in and broke up the conflicts between the girls, but you must keep your distance, and focus on protecting Madoka. Because you know deep down things could never be the same."
Never be the same, indeed. Homura was stepping into another door. More memories were flowing through Homura's mind. A lonely little girl about to attend a new school. Meeting her best friend for the first time. A fateful encounter. Choosing to embrace her destiny, only learning too late that the figure she blindly trusted was not an ally. A life of battle, of discord and strife, the only beacon of hope was her best friend. The story was replaying all over again. But the face she loved in this version was not Madoka's. Something was off. Did Homura go through the wrong door? Should she say something about it?
"... And your relationship with Sayaka... It never recovered."
Miss Jones released Homura from their psychic link, stumbled back, corrected herself, and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry I couldn't find more happy memories." She panted an apology.
"It's alright." Homura rubbed tears from her eyes. "I'm alight."
"Sayaka doesn't react well to your honesty." Miss Jones noted.
"No, she did not." The pain of Sayaka's rejection remained in the pit of her gut. Both their guts.
"I said I would tell her everything," She shook her head. "If I told her what witches really were, she would most likely believe me, but after experiencing the reactions all the others had…" That image of Mami Tomoe's homicidal freakout flashed in both their minds.
"I don't think Sayaka Miki would handle it much better." Homura concurred, a fresh memory of Sayaka freaking out at the sight of her own zombified form floated to the top of her mind.
"Dammit." Miss Jones cursed.
"If you really can free us from Grief Seeds, then hopefully she'll never need to know." Homura picked the somewhat-tarnished Soul Gem up from the control console. "You should be focusing your energy on that."
"Yes. Looks like it could use a good cleaning." Miss Jones pulled out her multitool, and immediately got to work repairing the microwave. "As I thought, a simple overload. Switching out a few electronic components for sturdier ones should do the trick."
"I have another Grief Seed." Homura said. "If you need it, you can have it."
"Thanks, but that's not the point of this next experiment." She dismantled a number of electronic components from the pile of scrap on the floor, and with her wand attached them to the back of the microwave. "Experiment One was to get data on the energy transfer between Soul Gems and Grief Seeds. Experiment Two was to get data on Grief Seeds themselves." She took her pocket watch out again. "Experiment Three, will be centered on garnering data on the viability of other Ectomatter containers, such as this one."
"Your watch?"
"It's an Ectomatter container, as I've said." She tossed it to Homura. "There's an obvious slot on that headset it'll go. Place it there."
"So why is this watch a compatible container?" Homura studied the watch's markings.
"It's a Soul Gem…" Miss Jones hesitated. "Of sorts. How should I phrase this? Inside the watch contains an imprint of my soul, an echo of my being. And as I explained prior, I'm tapping my vast reserves of energy to balance hers. With that thing serving as a receptacle." She readied the machine. "All people of my kind receive a personalised watch like it once we go through our initiation ritual and become Time Lords. Uh, Time Ladies, I suppose would be my case."
"Initiation ritual?"
"Quite the unpleasant experience, wouldn't recommend it." She finished her repairs and modifications and slotted the microwave back into the wall. She stuck Sayaka's Soul Gem inside, and set the timer. "Now for the most important part of the equation." She took the headset and put it over her head.
"What are you going to do?" Homura asked.
"Exactly what I've been doing: Using my body to purify her soul. Only this time, I can regulate the flow of energy with a machine instead of wasting energy focusing my mind." She picked up the tablet and adjusted the settings.
"And the watch?"
"For the moment, just an intermediary. Needs to recharge. My own body, though, it has some extra bits that function as Depleted Ectomatter purifiers, somewhat like a human liver would for alcohol." She turned the microwave on, as darkened matter swirled out of Sayaka's Soul Gem.
"But you said that was dangerous!"
"It'll chip years off my lifespan, but what's a few decades from a body that can endure for over a thousand?" She pressed the 'Engage' command on the tablet. "Stand back, please."
"Miss Joooooones!"
"This student is worthy of my attention, why?" Their Leader boredly cursed through the young subject's educational records.
"Uh, S-" The Younger Monitor cleared his throat. "Sir! Our Predictive Matrix… It couldn't properly make a prognostication when it scrutinized this subject."
"I trust you gentlemen did your due diligence and checked your machine?"
"Affirmative, Sir." The Elder Monitor nodded impatiently. "Everything was working at optimum levels."
"And then it happened again, Sir." The Younger added.
"What, specifically, did it envision?"
"It said that this one would lead a revolution amongst the Great Houses." The Younger revealed. "That the subject would become one of the most significant souls in the Universe. When I read that, I believed it was prudent to follow The Deca Protocol."
"And other times, it would say that this person would become a full-fledged renegade. Wreak all sorts of havoc out there." The Elder chuckled rolled his eyes dismissively. "But most of the time, indeed, the vast majority of predictions," he emphasized, "Predicted this person would become little more than a mediocre Time Lord. In either one of the Service duties, or a small Functionary role, at best."
"B- But after all the diagnostics and recalibrations, it displayed this error." The Younger Monitor displayed in image in front of their leader, reading '31-91'.
"So what's your opinion of the student?" Their Leader turned to the Tutor.
"When properly motivated, the student is quite perceptive and intelligent. Very ingenious. A true lateral thinker." The Tutor opined. "But I confess I have had quite the difficulty engaging with this one. Been caught sleeping countless times. Devising mischievous contraptions a number of others."
"Did the student pass the initiation exam?"
"With borderline results." The Tutor grumbled. "I was going to plead a case on the student's behalf in front of the full assembled Council. That was, of course, before these two intervened.
"I still contend that this is all much ado about nobody." The Elder Monitor grumbled. "This individual shall play little more than a minor role in our fair society, I am certain of it."
"That is a name rather unbefitting of a so-called 'Revolutionary' figure." Their Leader tried his best to sound the student's name out under his breath.
"Sir, may I remind you that their machine is supposed to only serve the purpose of general guidance," The Tutor explained. "It is not, nor was it ever designed to, foretell the absolute fate of every single individual it observes. Such a tool would undermine the very principles of freedom and self-determination, principals our academy portends to uphold."
"That so? What say you two?"
"The purpose of the technology was intended to ferret out the radicals, the non-believers and any other anomalies who could upend our eternal society, so we could correct them before they become our undoing." The Younger recognized the question was really a litmus test intended to gauge his loyalty. So he toed the line.
"Hah! And what did your marvelous machine say about me, again?" The Tutor goaded. "That I was to become a politician?"
"That was a long time ago. With a less refined Predictive Matrix." The Elder Monitor countered. "It's accuracy rate has quintupled in the centuries since. Indeed, it hasn't made an errant assessment in nearly three hundred years!"
"Then you're due." The Tutor laughed from his hardy belly.
"Enough of this!" Their Leader commanded. He tuned the console displaying the student's record and the assessments off and shot out of his seat. "Arguing serves us no purpose. If you all truly feel, this student is a matter that is deserving of my personal attention, then the prerogative of guiding this student's path forward is mine alone. Do any of you challenge that?"
"N- No, Sir." The Younger Monitor tensed.
"I would not, Sir." The Elder concurred.
"The student is at your mercy, since you do have Overriding Authority over the Council," The Tutor sighed and straightened his collar. "I will follow your judgement henceforth."
"Very well, then. Thank you all for bringing this to my attention, Dear Subjects."
"Shall I make the case that I was preparing for the Council to you, exclusively, Sir?" The Tutor asked.
"That won't be necessary." He took a deep breath. "You will immediately send all your personal logs on this student to me. Then I want you to make your case to the Council as you were, they shall pass their recommendation onto me." He turned to the Monitors. "You shall keep running assessments. Send the revised results directly to me." He then made a final statement to the group. "That is all. Long Live Gallifrey!"
"Long Live Gallifrey!" The gathered group repeated. "May it reign in the heavens eternal!" They collectively saluted their leader.
