Notes: No excuses, this is long overdue. I'm sure only a handful of people actually care, but I'm among them. The majority of this was already written, and originally I was going to split it into two chapters. But when I recently realized it just needed a couple more scenes to be done, I went ahead and got it done. There are some things I just really want exposed in this fandom. Since this is soooo late, they probably already have been, and if so, I'm doing it again, my way.
Wreck-Creation for Fun and Profit
A Puella Magi Madoka Magica Fanfic by
Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)
Chapter 4: Hatcher
Blue Knight froze, startled by both the memories flashing before her eyes, as well as the familiar sensation of a tear rolling down her cheek. She watched, mesmerized, as the teardrop hit the ground, only to become a giant tsunami that rose up and crashed down upon the fleeing Incubators. She suspected she was meant to feel something at their cries, but there was nothing. The only pain she felt was from the memories. Memories that weren't entirely hers, she knew. After all, she'd been dead for the last few scenes.
Suddenly, a green beam of light struck her in the chest. Again, she felt nothing, this time due to the magical armor that she wore. She did not understand it: the armor looked and felt like normal clothing, yet it either turned back or absorbed all force directed against it.
There was a roar, like a beast enraged, and then a fireball the size of a building flew past her, headed in the direction the green beam had come from. She turned, confused, and saw someone she recognized instantly.
Red Dragon.
"I know her," Blue Knight murmured, the jumbled memories in her head pushing against each other, trying to find an order that made some sense.
"You're slow, Blue," Red Dragon said as she approached. "Keep moving so I don't have to watch your back all the time." There was no real reproach in her tone, only amusement, and something... warm.
"You," Blue Knight whispered, reaching for her. "You're my..."
Red Dragon blushed faintly, and reached up to grasp Blue Knight's hand. "Let's get one thing straight. I'm the bossy one, not you. If anything, you're mine. Got it?"
"I was... dead?" Blue Knight asked. "I was, wasn't I?"
"You weren't the only one. Let's not do that again."
"You should be hunting, not talking," said the dark-haired girl that was suddenly beside them. "This will not please Kriem-sama."
Red Dragon scowled. "Back off, Homu. If Blue needs this, I'll give it to her. That's the job I was given, and if you have a problem, take it up with the one who gave it to me."
"You two are supposed to help me," Homuhomu insisted.
Glaring, Red Dragon flexed her wrist, producing an apple out of thin air, and tossed it to Homuhomu. "There, I helped. We'll follow you when I'm done here."
Homuhomu stared at her for a long moment, but finally vanished without a sound. In her place, however, was an apple core, proof that she had at least not wasted the gift.
"She's scary," Blue Knight murmured.
"Nah," Red Dragon disagreed. "She's family. You get used to her, eventually." She brought out another apple and pressed it into Blue Knight's free hand. "Eat it. You'll feel better."
Without knowing why, Blue Knight bit into the apple. It didn't taste at all what she felt sure apples should taste like, however. It tasted like magic. And magic tasted good.
"Good, right?" Red Dragon asked. "I've always got plenty."
Blue Knight knew this was true, somehow. This was Red Dragon's job: to feed the family. Just as it was her own to protect the family. "I think I'm okay now."
"Sure, you're okay. I'm with you."
Blue Knight looked down at their hands, still joined, and knew it was true. "Thanks, Red."
"It's fine," Red Dragon responded with a toothy grin. "Now let's go find the Incubator that dared to aim at you, if Homu hasn't gotten it yet."
Kriem was aware that Madoka was using her to gather information on the Incubators. She did not mind this, not really, considering how much she herself had learned in the process. In fact, she was using her newly created friends in much the same way: as they became aware of anything of interest, so did Kriem. It was inaccurate to call them familiars, as they were far more useful and independent than that, but they were also not human. Technically, no one that Kriem brought back was human any longer, but it was especially true with them. They had been crafted out of the essence of Kriem's most treasured memories, and born of her magic. There would be a few problems with their own memories, she knew, but she would deal with that later. It was important that they knew where they had come from. They could handle it, she knew, because the part of them that would reject not being human simply didn't exist.
They were not familiars, and yet they were enough like them that Kriem's word was law, and anything that existed outside of her barrier was expendable. They were her cherished friends, preserved as she had known them, with some key exceptions: they did not fear pain or death, and they lived for her.
With that taken care of, Kriem was able to focus entirely on manipulating her barrier. Especially with the creation of her final assistant, who had greatly boosted the barrier's reach and stability. It would not be long now, she knew. The time of the Incubators, at least on this planet, would soon be at an end. Then, she would have to decide what to do about Madoka. She did not for a moment think any of her powers would prove effective against Madoka, which left talking as the only real option. Kriem feared, more than anything else, that Madoka would either not understand her need not to be alone anymore, or that she would simply reject the way in which Kriem had solved the issue.
But Onee-chan, who had naturally assumed the role of Kriem's advisor, felt sure that Madoka would either understand, or at least agree to disagree. Kriem remained uncertain, however, which was part of the reason why she had been very selective in creating her final assistant. It was a gamble, but one that Kriem was willing to bet everything on. She blamed the Incubators for giving her the idea, and knew that Madoka would as well. But if there was going to be a Walpurgisnacht, Kriem figured it would be best to have it under her own control. Hers, however, would never be mistaken for a witch, at least not based on looks. She thought the power suit was a nice touch, frankly. Madoka wouldn't like it, but she could see her own mother anytime she wanted. And if she was really going to hold it against Kriem, then their partnership never would have worked for long, anyway.
"I didn't think you'd be my trump card, Kaa-san," Kriem said softly, glancing at the silent figure next to her. "But whatever works, I guess."
"A pretty girl like you should have more confidence," Kaa-san replied sternly. "I raised you better than that."
"Unfortunately, the same is true of my 'sister' up there," Kriem sighed. "So I don't think confidence will help much here. But I missed your pep talks, I really did. With any luck, so does she."
Homuhomu abruptly appeared behind Kriem. "All Incubators are within the barrier as you commanded, Kriem-sama."
"Good work. Now go back and get your sisters."
Homuhomu frowned. "They made it very clear that they do not appreciate my mode of travel. I thought it best to-"
"Homuhomu," Kriem interrupted. "Giving them space is one thing, if they desire it. But we do not abandon family. Go back and get them. Consider it an order, if you must."
"Yes, Kriem-sama," Homuhomu murmured. "I apologize."
"I don't want you to apologize," Kriem replied, turning and reaching out to stroke Homuhomu's cheek. "I want you to realize that you're part of a family now. Remember, you're the second oldest. I expect you to look after your little sisters."
"We don't need any looking after from her!" Red Dragon shouted as she stomped up to them, with Blue Knight running along behind her. "And we aren't that little, either!"
Kriem smiled at them. "I know that, Red. But it doesn't change the fact that we are a family, and you need to get along with each other. If you can't, maybe I'll have you and Homuhomu become a team, while Blue works with Onee-chan."
"But she's mine!" Red cried, latching onto Blue's arm and causing her to blush.
"We all belong to each other," Onee-chan corrected, placing a hand on Homuhomu's shoulder. "I have no problem working with any of you, although I must admit that I prefer Homuhomu."
"What? Why?" Red demanded.
"We are compatible," Onee-chan replied. "She has unmatched aim with my muskets, and I think her dolls are just precious."
Red stared at them blankly. "She has dolls? Where?"
Onee-chan shook her head. "You will only be able to see them when Homuhomu trusts you. It just means that you have some work to do on your relationship."
Red scowled, but Blue moved past her and extended her hand to Homuhomu.
"I'm sorry I called you scary," Blue whispered.
Homuhomu hesitated, but eventually grasped Blue's hand. "I will try to be patient with you."
Blue felt a peculiar tingle pass from Homuhomu's hand to her own. It was magic, she quickly realized, but not the nourishing type that Red possessed. Instead, it raced upward, to her eyes, and made them water. Blue blinked, and when she did so, the world around her changed.
There were curious-looking dolls absolutely everywhere: racing back and forth carrying debris, swinging from the top of Kriem's barrier in human chains, and especially clustered around each member of the family. Blue noticed that a redheaded doll hanging onto her own arm had a small, green hole in its chest. With a start, she knew at once that it must have thrown itself in front of the attack earlier, trying to protect her. Smiling, she patted the doll's head. "Thank you."
Though Blue was not expecting a reply, the doll made a loud, rattling noise, as if its mouth was full of loose teeth.
"She wants you to know that her name is Jealousy," Homuhomu translated. "And also the next time you touch her hair, she'll bite your fingers off."
Blue quickly withdrew her hand. "Sorry I offended you," she said to Jealousy, who appeared to be ignoring her now.
Homuhomu shook her head. "If you had offended her, she would have bitten you. They're all a bit moody that way."
"Do they all have names like that?" Blue asked.
"I suppose. I haven't gotten around to asking them all, and they're not exactly big on talking to me."
The battle came to an abrupt halt when what seemed like a black fog engulfed the entire Incubator planet. The witches simply stopped fighting, as if they had suddenly stopped getting orders. And probably they had.
"What is that?" Kyubey asked, only mildly curious as he stared at the black fog.
"She's nearly mastered manipulating her barrier," Madoka replied. "I thought it would take a little longer than this. Within a few minutes, all life on that planet will be at her mercy."
"She's a witch," Kyubey pointed out. "Does she even have mercy?"
"I didn't think I had to tell you this, Kyubey. We aren't dealing with your standard witches anymore. We haven't been since your people decided to give them a major upgrade."
"That's true," he agreed. "So are you going to shape her into your successor? Or perhaps a partner?"
"That will depend on her. It's about time that she got what she wants."
"In that case, you'd better hope she isn't like a standard witch. Because we both know what they want."
Madoka did not respond to that. Not for the first time, she wondered if they would still be where they were, if she had known what Kyubey wanted, when she first met him. She had been a goddess/concept for a while now, and certainly long enough to have learned a couple of things about Incubators.
Perhaps the most important was that there did not seem to be a physical copy of any of the contracts between an Incubator and a girl, anywhere in existence. That was bad, but not really surprising. It left things open-ended for the Incubators, who could always claim that the girls had never asked to see any contract. And Madoka knew that on average, most girls would not care to see anything written if they had an unlimited wish coming to them. But for all they knew, if there was a written copy, the fact that magical girls were actually immature witches might even be in the contract itself. The Incubators were probably confident enough that no one but them would ever see it, after all.
Of greater concern was the energy crisis that the Incubators were trying to defeat. Or at least, said they were trying to defeat. While human, Madoka had not been a science whiz. As a goddess, however, there was little she was not an expert in, or could not become an expert in with a little focus. Above all, she was aware of her own power, and had studied it extensively. Magic was, in the end, a form of energy. A rather specialized and unique form, but still energy. Not surprisingly, the Incubators also used magic as the basis of their own abilities. So it was not surprising that there were some magical girls with magic very similar to that of the Incubators. However, there were also a very small number of magical girls whose magic was virutally a carbon copy of the Incubators', and Madoka did not think that was accidental. Furthermore, she had become aware that there were some Incubators who displayed the exact same magical powers as some of the magical girls she had saved, and that was certainly no coincidence.
Based on that information, Madoka had formed some theories.
First, something in the contracts allowed the Incubators to sample, borrow, or outright take a bit of the power they turned on in magical girls. That would certainly explain why Walpurgisnacht was now capable of time travel. And assuming witches were still considered under contract, it would even mean that taking their power at that point was allowed. Risky, but allowed.
Second, there was no energy crisis. Not currently, at least. Not that Madoka had seen, and she had seen quite a bit. Magic was energy, and magic was something the Incubators had an abundance of, even before their energy harvesting was factored in. Just the power required to grant even the simplest of wishes was staggering. Reality alteration was not a simple process, nor was it ever intended to be. That the Incubators had made it their way of life, however, clearly pointed to them having massive amounts of energy stored up. Which was likely, since they had been birthing witches for so long. And Earth was not the only place they had set up shop. So even if an energy crisis did occur, two conclusions would be automatic: the Incubators had caused it by hoarding so much energy, and they would be in the perfect position to profit by selling their excess energy to interested civilizations.
Both theories, if true, were very disturbing. But there was only so much Madoka could do about either, without seeing a physical contract, or revealing her existence to a whole generation of magical girls. The latter was not entirely out of the question, but it would bring about some problems that Madoka was not quite ready to face, yet.
Some Time in the Near Future...
It was not unusual for magical girls to fight each other, especially if they hailed from the same general area. While witches were not exactly uncommon in most places, their Grief Seeds could be. Naturally, competition for them tended to get rather fierce at times.
The interaction was somewhat different, if the magical girls in question hailed from drastically different areas. What follows is a real-world example.
Magical Girl A (for simplicity's sake, let's call her Makoto) was born and raised in Japan, and has recently joined a student exchange program that allows her to study in the United States of America. She is tall, muscular, and generally physically imposing even when not transformed. And while she can be impulsive and quick to anger, she is essentially a kind-hearted person. Her favorite color is forest green, and she enjoys crushing on boys who remind her of her previous boyfriends.
Magical Girl B (for simplicity's sake, let's call her Kimberly) was born and raised in the United States. She is somewhat short, but very limber, and a talented gymnast. Worthy of note is that, due to being raised in a society where it is common for fictional superheroes to conceal their identities, Kimberly does the same when transformed. She is friendly, spirited, and outspoken. Her favorite color is pink, and she enjoys stretching, which serves the dual purpose of improving her gymnastic ability, and making her very popular with boys.
A meeting between the two might go something like this.
The two magical girls run into each other while hunting the same witch. Exercising caution, they decide to team up and destroy the witch together. They are successful, and share the resulting Grief Seed. They introduce themselves to each other, and although Makoto considers it slightly rude that Kimberly does not remove her mask, she does not comment on it.
The two find they have much in common: they each have a small but dependable circle of friends, a rather long history of failed relationships, and a desire to find the perfect boyfriend. Also, each became a magical girl in order to help a close friend.
Things are going fairly well, and they arrive at the topic of what convinced them to finally become a magical girl. Kimberly admits she was initially afraid, but ultimately decided that it was more important to protect the universe from witches, aliens, demons, and all manner of foreign monsters that might threaten humanity. And Makoto, having been instructed that the only real threats to humanity are witches and the universal energy crisis, finally recognizes that Kimberly must be concealing her identity because she herself is a witch, promptly punts Kimberly's head like a football and, once Kimberly is down, proceeds to stomp her into oblivion.
Or she tries, but only gets in one good stomp before an enormous beam of light slams into her, erasing both magical girls from existence.
Enter two new girls, neither of them magical in the most obvious sense.
Mystery Girl A (let's call her Haruhi, since this happens to be her name) is Haruhi. She is dressed like an average Japanese schoolgirl, with one major exception. She is not an average Japanese schoolgirl. Or not just one, at least. She is also not in the United States as part of an exchange program. Rather, one day, she woke up, decided she wanted an American hot dog for breakfast, and walked to the nearest American hot dog stand. It was exactly one block from her house. Despite Haruhi having lived, to her knowledge, in Japan all of her life.
Better not to question this just yet.
Mystery Girl B (let's call her BQ, since this is her current codename) is, by comparison, a smaller and younger girl. Or at least looks very much like one. This is because Americans do not typically respond well to aliens walking around, looking like aliens. BQ is a Hatcher. The simplest explanation: in Japan, there are Incubators, and in America, there are Hatchers. Likewise, in Japan, Incubators tell girls about an energy crisis that may or may not actually exist. In America, Hatchers tell girls... the truth, frankly: that there are things other than witches lurking out there. And they would know, having introduced most of them to America personally. The end result being that there are two brands of magical girls, who are even more likely to fight to the death should they meet each other. This is not an accident, although the Hatchers are quite good at making the battle sites look like them.
Haruhi and BQ have known each other for some time. Sort of. Haruhi knows BQ by another name, or another label, anyway. So does nearly everyone else. And while it should be an oddity in this day and age, a little girl not having a proper name, BQ manages quite nicely. People just call her Kyon's little sister. Because that's what they all believe her to be. And if Kyon were a Hatcher himself, it might technically be true. He isn't, and so it isn't.
BQ is quite proud of Haruhi. Haruhi is the first successful test of what is tentatively being called a Hatchling. She has an Incubator's signature ability: reality alteration, but on a much grander scale. Except that the only wishes Haruhi is able to grant are her own, although not on any level that she is aware of. Conveniently, on a level that BQ is very much aware of. BQ is the one that convinces Haruhi's mind that his wishes are her own.
BQ is about to congratulate Haruhi on her victory when a familiar pair of red eyes flash from a nearby dark alley. "You can come out now, Incubator QB," BQ said. "It has been several years since we last met."
"Indeed, Hatcher BQ," Kyubey agreed as he slowly emerged from the alley. "An eventful several years."
"I have been made aware of the mess you are currently involved in. I take it that is why you are here now, in my assigned territory, without proper clearance? I could easily report this to Central."
"You could do that. But I would like to think that our time together has at least made us comrades, if not friends."
It was not the sort of response that a race of emotionless entities would ever offer. And if BQ had been an emotionless being, he likely would have destroyed Kyubey then and there.
He did not, for one very simple reason. He and Kyubey had been dealing with humans for a very long time, and had learned that it was impossible to remain emotionless, with constant exposure to such creatures. They were just so much fun to manipulate, it was impossible not to become invested emotionally in them. How else could the fun of their misfortune be enjoyed?
Central, which had always depended on individuals like the two of them to deal directly with humans, could never understand this. At least, they refused to. And yet they could not deny that sacrificing the purity of a few members of their race was necessary, so they mostly stayed out of the way. Which meant that Incubators and Hatchers that dealt with humans were largely given free reign, within reason. There were territorial boundaries, but little else. And even those could be relaxed temporarily, if the handlers in question agreed to it.
In other words, it was no accident that Kimberly and Makoto had run into each other. It was only polite for visitors to bring a gift or tribute with them, after all.
"So, here we are," BQ said. "I suppose you'll want the grand tour?"
"I'm more interested in your pet project, actually," Kyubey replied, waving his tail in Haruhi's direction. "How is it that she doesn't need to transform into a magical girl, and yet she doesn't seem to be a witch, either?"
BQ chuckled. "I would be happy to explain. But the tour is the best place for that information to be shared. There is something I'd like you to see, and consider."
Back to the Present...
Kyubey examined the barrier surrounding the planet for several minutes before offering Madoka his opinion. "I don't think you should go in there."
Madoka actually laughed. "You have no idea how amusing it is to hear you say that. It implies that you're concerned about my well-being, and that you actually don't want something bad to happen to me."
Kyubey considered that for a moment. "I suppose you would see it that way. But another interpretation is that I'm more concerned about what this witch could do with your power, if she were able to trap you within her barrier."
"If she were able to, that would be a realistic concern," Madoka agreed.
"Yet you don't actually seem too worried about this possibility."
"Maybe I have a little faith that I can control a monster of my own making. At any rate, she's not going to come out, and there are things I need to say to her, face-to-face. Though, I do think it would be best if you stayed out here, Kyubey. I wouldn't want you to get eaten."
"I appreciate that, and I'll say again that I suspect the same could happen to you, Madoka. But if you aren't going to take my advice, then I hope this isn't the last time we see each other."
"I doubt it will be." Madoka gently rubbed his head, then descended through the black barrier.
Three seconds later, she was surrounded by hundreds of muskets, all aimed at her.
Madoka frowned. "That really isn't necessary. I'm only here to talk to your mistress."
There was no response, and the muskets remained pointed at her.
Madoka shook her head. "Just remember that I warned you." In an instant, there were a series of loud explosions, as if hundreds of pink arrows had destroyed hundreds of muskets, but without actually being seen doing so.
Shortly after that, Homuhomu felt a sharp pain in her left ear, and found herself being yanked none too gently out of her time freeze. This should not have been possible, she knew, and she probably should have destroyed anyone capable of defying this law of reality based on principle alone. But given how easily Homuhomu had been disarmed, she did not like her chances of success.
"I can appreciate you being overprotective," Madoka said, "since it's in your nature. But I have never been a fan of your rudeness, and since I am in a position to finally correct it, I will not tolerate it being directed at me." She added the tiniest bit of pressure to the pinch she had on Homuhomu's ear, making the sour-faced girl wince even more. "Do we understand each other?"
Homuhomu showed signs of wanting to nod, then thought better of it. Madoka understood, anyway, and slowly released her.
"Now, are you going to escort me, or are you going to stand here and sulk?" Madoka asked.
Homuhomu glowered, very much aware of the painful throbbing in her ear that did not seem likely to fade very soon.
Madoka sighed. "That's what I thought. I'm sure I can find her on my own."
Then she was gone, far faster than Homuhomu knew she herself would vanish into a time freeze. Just another reason to dislike Madoka, Homuhomu decided. Hopefully, Kriem wouldn't be too upset. Homuhomu had tried, but suspected there was nothing she could actually do to Madoka, aside from annoying her.
The Future...
Incubators and Hatchers were simply too different to work together for very long. Incubators, manipulative as they were, actually preferred to limit how much they interfered with their magical girls. Until Madoka, all magical girls had eventually become witches, and Incubators were patient, so there was no need to rush things most of the time.
Hatchers were far more hands-on. They liked to personally observe and control every single aspect of a contract holder's magical development. Consequently, they tended to contract with far fewer girls, but made up for this by producing witches of superior quality. Where an Incubator might have ten magical girls contracted to him at one time, a Hatcher would have only one girl that could eat all ten for breakfast. So even though Hatchers worked slower and produced far fewer magical girls, their results yielded far more energy. Still, if sheer numbers were needed, it was Incubators that would be called upon.
Kyubey had known all of that, of course. But he hadn't known that Hatchers worked in small groups of three to five. This did not seem absolutely necessary, but it was beneficial and convenient. The Hatchers regularly compared notes and suggested small changes, all for the sake of a superior product. There was no sense of rivalry: they all wanted the same thing, and it was normal to take pride in heading a successful project. But by then, it would have gone through so much revision, and benefited from so much input from other Hatchers, that to take sole credit for it would have been both laughable and very rude. True, BQ was Haruhi's handler, but he pointed out every Hatcher who had contributed to her design, all of whom were working on projects that BQ had improved upon in turn. It was no wonder they could produce top-quality witches, with mutiple minds constantly looking for ways to help each other.
Just as important, however, girls contracted with a Hatcher were not simply left to their own devices. They were constantly monitored, usually directly by a Hatcher, but remotely if they had proven dependable on their own. And not all were contracted with the end goal of simply making them powerful witches. Several girls had been taken in for the sole purpose of streamlining the Hatchling process. There were girls who protected Hatcher facilities, girls who provided any surplus energy needed on demand, girls who were constantly searching for potential new recruits, and girls who served no other purpose than to be consumed by Hatchlings and increase their power in the process.
Kyubey could not deny how efficient the whole process was, even if it didn't suit his own methods. The number of magical girls sacrficed was roughly the same number as those that normally would have fallen to witches. And because those sacrificed had been created by Hatchers, they yielded far more power in defeat. But ultimately, Kyubey preferred working largely alone. And while a Hatchling would have made his job much simpler, the idea of spending so much time with and effort on a single girl would have meant less contracts overall. The possibility of missing the next Madoka, or Homura, was simply too great of a loss.
On that subject, he was rather shocked, when BQ described the sheer amount of magical potential at Haruhi's school. However, upon learning of the delicate balance that just barely held it all together, Kyubey decided it was best not to attempt making any contracts there.
The Present
"You're forcing it," Madoka noted, trying not to sound too critical. "You don't need to. It's your barrier, and it's supposed to be big. It knows that."
"How would you know?" Kriem asked.
"Do you think that just because I destroy witches, I don't take any time to observe them? That I obliterate them without giving any consideration as to how their powers work?
"Well, yes," Kriem admitted.
"Then you'd be wrong. About that, and probably a few other things." Madoka shook her head. "I don't destroy witches because I don't care about them, Kriem-chan. I do it because I do care."
"So you intend to destroy me, too?"
"No. You can stop worrying about that. I was right, and you are the person I thought you were. I know I can trust you now. Also, I lied before. The power I gave you was never going to destroy you. If it became necessary, I would have done that. But I'm glad it didn't."
"So, hang on... you lied? You're not supposed to lie."
Madoka smiled. "When I was Kaname Madoka, I didn't lie. But that person doesn't exist, for me or for you. We aren't bound by the same rules that she was."
"You're... not what I expected," Kriem admitted slowly.
"You'd be surprised how often I hear that, now." Madoka paused, giving Kriem a disarming smile. "You're so cute when you're puzzled, Kriem-chan. I could just kiss you."
Kriem scowled at her. "You already did that, remember? And don't you feel weird, hitting on yourself?"
"No. We aren't the same person anymore. I just told you, we've each stopped being Kaname Madoka in a very real way, even though who she was in each of our timelines helped shape who we are now. And in any case, I like me. I'm cute. So are you, just in a different way. I'd still want to kiss you, even if you were me. Which you're not."
"Okay, this is getting uncomfortable. Why are you here, if you're not going to betray or destroy me?"
Madoka pouted at her. "You still don't trust me?"
"I'm not stupid," Kriem snapped. "I'm wary of anything stronger than me. That's just good sense."
There was a long and intensely uncomfortable moment, in which Madoka merely stared at Kriem sadly, and Kriem felt increasingly itchy.
"...sorry," Kriem muttered at last.
"No. I'm going to need a hug." Madoka held out her arms. "And a kiss, if you complain about it at all."
Kriem glared at her. "I refuse. I apologized and meant it. You know that. You can tell that, I know you can! And those are facts, not complaints!"
"Funny how most of the things you say really, really sound like complaints to me, though," Madoka pointed out.
"No! I apologized!"
"I'm not debating that. But I still haven't gotten my hug. And that last one? Totally a complaint. You owe me a kiss now."
"You can't make me!"
"True," Madoka agreed. "On the other hand, I can follow you around until you give in. And I'll stop giving us privacy."
That threat made Kriem reconsider. Based on the way that Homuhomu had overreacted to Madoka, Madoka had chosen to make herself undetectable to the other familiars. Kriem had not argued, simply because she knew there was a good possibility that Madoka was going to get mushy with her, and that wasn't something she wanted her new family seeing. So she had made some excuse and asked to be alone for a while. Onee-chan certainly suspected something, but the others agreed easily enough, and Kaa-san had herded them away over any protests. Kriem had no doubt that her familiars would defend her, if they knew Madoka was causing problems. She was even more sure that, if Madoka lost patience with them, she could brush them away like flies... or do something far more permanent, seeing as how they were technically witches. It wasn't something Kriem was willing to risk. Not over a little affection, no matter how nauseous the thought made her.
"One hug and one kiss," Kriem muttered.
Madoka grinned. "That's all I'm asking for. Demanding. Whatever."
Knowing she would regret it, Kriem reluctantly moved into Madoka's waiting arms and embraced her. It wasn't even that bad, but the knowledge that Madoka had defeated her yet again certainly made it worse.
"You give really nice hugs, Kriem-chan," Madoka murmured in her ear. "I'm sure your family must enjoy them."
"Because they're entitled to them, and don't have to manipulate me into giving them," Kriem growled.
Madoka laughed. "That's another complaint. Now you owe me two kisses."
Kriem jerked back in fury and opened her mouth to protest, then froze, seeing Madoka's eyes watching her expectantly. "Fine, two!" she spat. She grabbed Madoka's face and tried to force a kiss on her, but was easily overpowered and stopped.
"Kriem-chan," Madoka said seriously. "A kiss is not something that should be given in anger. That isn't why I want to kiss you. You may have a hard time accepting this, but I want us both to enjoy it. There isn't much point otherwise."
"You already know that I don't want to kiss you," Kriem responded.
"That's because you haven't been kissed properly yet. You don't know what you're missing." Madoka paused, considering something. "Let's make a deal. You let me kiss you now, and I'll count it as one of the two you owe me. And we can postpone the second one until the next time we meet. How's that?"
"Can I say no?" Kriem asked.
"Of course you can. But it's a pretty good deal."
"What is it that you really want from me, Madoka?"
"What I want from any witch. I want to save you, to take away all of your pain, so that you never feel the need or desire to curse anyone. A kiss is the purest expression of love that I can give you."
Kriem snorted. "Sounds dangerous for me."
"It really isn't, Kriem-chan. I promise."
"But we've already established that you can lie."
"True," Madoka admitted. "I'm not now, though."
"And once this is done, you'll just leave? My family and I can do what I want?"
"Yes," Madoka replied. "I promise that, too. I'm sure you'll know, if you're about to do something that I would have a problem with. And if you do too many things like that, I'll be back, sooner rather than later. It won't be so pleasant for you, though. It'll probably involve a lot more kisses."
Kriem shuddered at the very thought. "You're sounding more and more like a merciless goddess demanding tribute."
"I happen to be full of mercy. Other good things, too. And I can pour them all into a kiss for you. That's what makes my kisses so nice."
"Aren't you afraid I'll try to curse you?"
Madoka giggled. "I'll tell you a secret, Kriem-chan. You'd have a lot more luck manipulating me with a kiss free of malice. In fact, if you could convince me that you genuinely wanted to kiss me because we'd both enjoy it, I'd do just about anything for you. No witch's kiss could ever do that."
"How could I convince you that it's a good idea, when I can't even convince myself?" Kriem asked.
"I'll tell you another secret. When I kissed your hand and shared my power with you, I sampled your memories. Of that specific moment. I know you didn't hate that kiss. You even wondered what it might be like if I kissed your lips instead. So I know you're not as resistant to the idea as you claim to be. Now, we can keep going back and forth with you pretending you don't want a kiss, or we can just get it over with. Either way, you can't fool me, Kriem-chan."
The Future
"This visit has given me a great deal to think over," Kyubey admitted softly as he walked toward the border between the two territories.
"And perhaps, to reconsider?" BQ suggested mildly from behind him.
"Yes," Kyubey agreed softly. "Reconsider."
"I do not mean to imply that your Madoka was in any way inferior to one of my Hatchlings," BQ continued. "Merely that a different approach might have kept her firmly under your control. At least, for a while longer."
"Your theory seems very likely, I do not discount it. But from everything that I have learned about Hatchlings, I have determined that there is a far better candidate."
"Really?" BQ asked in surprise. "I would not have suspected. Will you require my assistance?"
"That will not be necessary. I will obtain the needed resources from Central. We will need to rebuild in that sector, so I am certain they will not deny me. Your advice has helped more than you know, BQ. I do thank you for it. But from here on out, this matter is personal. I am given to understand this concept that humans grasp so tightly when they feel wronged, this... revenge. I believe it suits me well. And I have a plan in mind already. Madoka, however, is not the intended target, despite all appearances to the contrary. I invite you to observe, if you feel so inclined."
"I just may do that," BQ murmured. "I admit I cannot imagine a more fitting Hatchling candidate in your territory, than your Madoka."
"There is one," Kyubey confirmed happily. "A Hatchling candidate who desires nothing more than to remake the world until it fits her own grand design. A design that happens to suit me just fine. My only regret is that Madoka will be unable to fully appreciate the lesson I'm so graciously giving her."
"You expect this candidate to triumph over Madoka? Who could possibly do that?"
"There is only one person who can," Kyubey practically purred. "The only person aware that Madoka has erased her own existence, and also the only one who wishes to dethrone her: Akemi Homura."
"You're staring again, nee-san."
She blinked and shook her head, smiling as he sat down next to her. "I'm sorry, Tatsuya. I just have some things on my mind, as usual. It's nothing for you to worry about."
He said nothing, trying to be casual about watching her out of the corner of his eye. Tatsuya had learned it was pointless to ask her deeply personal questions. She would not answer, and he could hardly ask anyone else.
He was the only one who could see her.
This had not bothered him very much. He had seen her interact with solid matter countless times, and she could touch him, so there was no question that she existed and was real. It was just that no one else could detect her presence in any way, and no one had any memory of her. She had told him that much, just to avoid confusion, or any suspicion that might fall upon him for claiming to have an invisible older sister. She had been a constant in his life for as long as Tatsuya could remember, and it was far too late to question whether she belonged there or not.
"You want to ask me something again?" she asked abruptly, reading the desire in his face. "Go ahead."
Knowing he wouldn't get another chance, Tatsuya spoke. "You changed when you started wearing black."
She smiled, her eyes dancing. "...was that a question?"
"You're still my sister. But are you the same one that used to come visit me?"
She smiled wider. "No. Does that bother you?"
"Is the first one okay?"
"I'm sure she is. And yes, she doesn't come anymore because she knows I'm here. It doesn't mean she loves you any less."
"That isn't something I ever worried about, with either of you."
"Can I ask why?"
"With some people, you can tell what they're all about just by looking at them. Madoka was love."
"And I'm not?"
Tatsuya stared at her for a long moment. "You are. It's just... a different love, somehow."
"Thank you for saying that, Tatsuya." She stood up and stretched. "I need to go away for a while. Come give me a hug."
Tatsuya obediently moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. "You're coming back, right? You promise, nee-san?"
"All I can promise is that some Madoka, somewhere, will always be watching over you," she said, resting her chin on his head. "I'm sure she'll make time to visit you. That isn't something you need to worry about, either."
"What about you?"
"I go where I need to," she replied simply, kissing the top of his head. "Be good, and look after kaa-san for me. You know how she is."
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we should go now," said a voice behind them.
Tatsuya turned and stared. "Ma-chan? Is that really you?"
Onee-chan smiled and gave him a warm hug. "Hello, Tatsuya. Sorry I've been away for so long. Next time, I'll bring Ho-chan with me."
Both girls vanished before Tatsuya could think of a response. Sighing, he shook his head and went back into the house. He had no idea if he'd ever actually see them again. And if he did, if it would still be the same them.
The others bowed their heads in submission as Kriem and Onee-chan joined them at the edge of the barrier. "What's the situation, Homuhomu?" Kriem asked.
"I can no longer sense Madoka's presence," Homuhomu reported. "I am concerned. That's never happened before."
Kriem snorted. "That's because the idiot got herself caught in a trap. Incubators again, probably." She glared at the Incubator in Blue Knight's arms. "Can you confirm, Aibi?"
"It's definitely Incubators, Kriem-sama," Aibi quickly replied. "Although I do not understand why she would-"
"Because she's an idiot, I just said," Kriem interrupted. "Now we have to go save her."
"It's a trap," Aibi protested at once.
"Yeah, but not for us. So we're going."
Aibi shook his head. "But why?"
"Because I owe her a kiss," Kriem replied. "And because it's no fun kissing a former goddess, once you've had the real thing. And for some reason, that version of Homura really annoys me, thinking she can keep a goddess all to herself like a pet. Even if I didn't owe Madoka, I still wouldn't let this slide."
"So we're going to save Madoka?" Blue Knight asked hopefully.
"We pretty much have to," Red Dragon replied. "I don't like the idea of Homura being in charge of any world."
Homuhomu glared at her, but sighed. "I, too, object to this occurrence. If our situations were reversed, Madoka would surely rescue us without hesitation."
Kriem glanced at Onee-chan and Kaa-san, knowing their thoughts in an instant. "We all agree, then: we save the idiot."
Aibi pouted in protest. "Exactly which idiot-?"
"The pink one," Kriem snapped. "The other one, we beat senseless and sort out later."
Akemi Homura was shocked to learn that being in charge of her own universe was not as complicated as she had first thought. Of course, it helped immensely that she considered only her own opinions, and that anyone else could be brought around to it with a little tweaking.
Madoka's occasional reawakenings were a bit troublesome, but nothing that could not be handled with some effort. It was almost as if Madoka preferred the existence where she had been a concept. That made sense, as she had wished for it, but Homura could not, would not accept that Madoka was suited for that sort of non-life. Better that her memories of that time were kept locked away, even if it meant the resulting Madoka was essentially her prisoner. Prisoners were far easier to manage than people with free will, Homura had found.
In the back of her mind, she hoped that was just her inner witch talking. She strongly suspected it wasn't, but rather the voice of her heart, crafted by the inescapable logic that any Incubator would swear she did not possess.
Perhaps the best part about having her own universe was that no one could challenge her, not really. Homura had all of the power. Madoka and Sayaka would occasionally try to resist, but rewriting their minds had become second nature now. And if Homura ever got bored, she could always use Kyubey for target practice.
Though, now that she really thought about it, she had no way of differentiating between Kyubey and any other Incubator. They did not have any identifying marks, and she had never bothered to find out if they all had the same voice. For all she knew, he might have replaced himself with one who had no idea why Homura enjoyed torturing him. Not that any of the Incubators were innocent, but Homura preferred to torture the one who had done the same to her. It was more fun that way.
Homura could have happily spent the rest of her days like that, secure in the knowledge that Madoka would always be safe, and happy, and hers. Yes, it was a selfish wish, but Homura had earned it several times over, and she was never going to let it go.
That was the plan, at least. But Homura had learned the hard way that plans, no matter how precise, were rarely executed so precisely, for the simple reason that reality was not so easily manipulated and confined, even with power like hers.
For no reason that she understood, Madoka did not like mirrors. It had nothing to do with her appearance, though. She was adorable. Everyone thought so, herself included. And yet, the sight of her reflection stirred up an unusual amount of sadness and even anger in her.
Sayaka claimed it was probably gas from eating too much candy.
But Madoka understood, instinctively, that something was very wrong, even if she had no idea what. And it had nothing to do with what she had eaten. Rather, she had the eerie feeling that something had eaten her.
The infiltration was easy enough. Whatever security measures Homura had in place to protect her universe, she had never counted on herself being the enemy, again. Not only were Homuhomu's dolls able to sneak in, they were identical in every way to Homura's dolls. And even if Homura's dolls had recognized that there was a rogue faction trying to overthrow her, they would have thought nothing of it. After all, their creator had once ordered them to execute her. Overthrowing her seemed less severe, compared to that, and still perfectly within her self-destructive nature.
The actual rescue would be far more difficult. Kriem could not risk entering Homura's universe and falling under Homura's influence. Likewise, bringing her own barrier into contact with Homura's universe could endanger everyone within both of them. It was necessary, then, to personally challenge Homura outside of the universe. This was risky: Homura would almost surely win, eventually. She was willing to do anything, even sacrifice her universe and everyone else in it, if it meant keeping Madoka. Kriem, on the other hand, had a limited supply of Incubator lives to restore her familiars if they were killed, and their survival was ultimately more important to her than Madoka's freedom. It wasn't as if Homura was even hurting Madoka, just ignoring Madoka's most heartfelt desire.
Kriem did have a plan, one that she was sure would work. It depended heavily on Madoka's help, weak as she currently was, as well as Homura's ruthlessness. But Kriem felt that both Madoka's desire to protect and Homura's desire to have her way were both things that knew no limits, and so they could be depended upon to break any rules, no matter how absolute the rules supposedly were.
"I don't like you. Let's fight about it."
Homura stared at the impostor just outside of her universe with obvious interest. She was clearly Madoka, or had been at some point. But she stank of witch and... something that was familiar, but difficult to identify. "Don't lie. You're here for Madoka."
"I didn't lie. I don't like you. And if I want to take something from you after I beat you, well, that's to be expected."
"You... you are Kriem," Homura murmured.
Kriem's eyes narrowed. "You sampled her memories?"
"I did far more than that," Homura corrected with no sign of regret. "But you already knew that, I expect. And you already know that you stand no chance of defeating me within my universe. Just as I, even with my power, will not risk entering your barrier. You cannot possibly hope to harm me, so you are no threat to me."
"You know, right? That you became exactly what the Incubators hoped you would? You were their trump card to defeat Madoka. She can't fight them, and she can't save girls from becoming witches. So the Incubators still get all the energy they need, thanks to you."
"That doesn't happen anymore. I have prevented-"
"Yeah, sure you did. As far as you know, anyway. But you don't know all, do you, Homura? You didn't know about me until you looked into Madoka's memories, right? There's plenty going on around here that you don't know. And what you don't know is going to get you and everyone in your universe destroyed. This universe needs Madoka, the real one. It doesn't need a weak version and her clingy best friend on a power trip."
"Madoka deserves-"
"Life isn't about what we deserve. It's about dealing with the hand we get stuck with. Do you think all those girls who became witches deserved it? Do you think my friends deserved to die? Do you think Madoka deserves to be your prisoner? Nobody gets what they deserve, Homura. You just got luckier and sneakier than most. And only then because you had infinite chances to get it right."
"I'm done listening to you," Homura snapped. "You can only talk. You can't do anything else, and you're officially boring me now." Homura turned away, directly into the enormous wave of living dolls that crashed down on top of her.
It was easy to gather the girls. They were, of course, used to seeing the creepy dolls prancing in the background, and to the dolls deliviring messages from Homura as well. So the girls thought nothing of being summoned to Mami's house. Some of them were unhappy with being controlled, but that only lasted until Homura took notice. Anyway, Homura did not have to force them to enjoy Mami's company and tea, or make them be cheered by Nagisa's infectious smile. She did, sometimes, when Sayaka was being particularly stubborn, but usually it was unnecessary.
Mami was the first to notice something strange: Nagisa was playing with one of Homura's dolls. This, as a rule, did not happen. The dolls were there solely to carry out Homura's will. At best they only observed, at worst they actively insulted or attacked anyone who tried to go against the grain. They did not play with anyone, other than themselves. In fact, Nagisa had typically been rather afraid of the dolls, at least when they bothered to focus on her. She had never been able to explain why, and as time passed, she had not needed to.
Even with their memories overwritten, it quickly became obvious to the girls that they were being controlled. As surrounded by friends as Madoka always was, her flare-ups were impossible to miss or explain logically. Homura being the only one who could stop them was another clue. Sayaka's nagging feeling that they could not trust Homura was another. As was the lingering feeling among the girls that they had all died at least once. And each time their memories were reset, these feelings seemed to grow stronger each time they returned. By now it was standard behavior for everyone to avoid Homura entirely... everyone but Madoka, who really didn't have a choice in the matter. Homura would just track her down if she tried it.
This day, things were even stranger. The second each girl entered Mami's house, Nagisa immediately handed them a doll. They were reluctant to take them, of course, but Nagisa insisted, and she so rarely insisted on anything, other than Mami was great and sweets were delicious, so it was impossible to ignore her. Mami also supported the idea, and was carrying a doll of her own.
"So is anyone going to explain this?" Kyoko asked. "Not that I mind meeting up, but if you'd told me this was going to be a creepy doll party..."
"They're not creepy, they're clever!" Nagisa cried. "They're going to save us!"
"How, Nagisa-chan?" Sayaka asked.
"Homura can't tell the difference," Madoka said at once.
"Between what?" Kyoko asked.
"Between the dolls she sent here to watch us, and the dolls that want to help us."
"How do you know that, Madoka?" Sayaka asked.
Madoka frowned. "I don't know, really. But it feels true. Homura doesn't know we're here right now. Someone is distracting her, but they can't do it for long. Whatever we're doing, we need to hurry."
"What are we doing, exactly? You mentioned the dolls, but what can they do?"
The doll Nagisa was holding immediately leaped out of her arms, grew to nearly ten times its original size, turned around to face her, and promptly snapped its enormous jaw shut on the space that Nagisa had been occupying only seconds before.
This happened so quickly that it could only be met with a collective, horrified shock.
That is, until Nagisa's voice floated out of the doll's enormous mouth.
"It's really dark in here..."
"Nagisa-chan!" Mami cried. "You're okay?!"
"I guess so. Maybe this is how the dolls are going to help us! They'll eat us, and Homura won't be able to find us, and we can hide among her dolls forever, and she'll never know!"
"...I think they're just going to sneak us out of the barrier," Madoka disagreed.
"Oh. That could work, too."
Homura sighed and carefully flicked a drop of blood away from her finger. "Well. That was embarrassing. For you, I mean." She swept her cool gaze over the unconcious bodies floating before her among a sea of broken doll parts. They still lived, for the moment, but only because they had earned her curiosity, however briefly.
They had tried their best, she knew. They had known they would lose, she knew. They had fought her despite that knowledge, she knew.
She just wasn't sure why. There was no point. They had failed, miserably. They hadn't even come close to rescuing Madoka. At least, Homura decided that must have been the end goal, despite Kriem's denials. The witch had kept insisting that Madoka's freedom was a bonus, that the true objective was defeating Homura.
But that made no sense. Because even if Kriem had managed to defeat Homura, Madoka was the only thing within Homura's universe that Kriem could not simply reproduce herself. Madoka was the only thing there that could possibly hold any value to Kriem. So she had to be the ultimate prize that Kriem was seeking.
Why not just admit it, then? Homura of all people would not have faulted anyone for valuing Madoka's existence.
No, nothing about this encounter made sense. And Homura thought it was never going to. Kriem did not seem like the type that responded well to torture. At least, not to torture applied directly to her.
With a snap of her fingers, Homura awoke Kriem and Onee-chan. This drew low moans of pain from them both: Kriem had been crushed several times, and Onee-chan was slowly bleeding out from multiple puncture wounds. Between their own magic and Homura's magic, it could easily take days for them to die. Homura could extend that to years, if she wanted to. They didn't know that. That was half of the fun.
"I need to know why," Homura said. "Why you did this. It's really bugging me, to not know why you bugs are buzzing about."
Kriem spat out some blood. Onee-chan continued to drip gently in silence. Neither seemed to be trying to confess.
Homura considered various tortures, but wasn't feeling particularly patient at the moment. So she simply reached out, laid her hand gently on Onee-chan's chest, and felt the heartbeat speeding up.
Then she pulled out Onee-chan's life.
It was nothing so symbolic, merely a pulsing sphere of darkness. But judging from Kriem's panicked expression, it was all that it needed to be.
"She's dying," Homura said unnessecarily, briefly noting the way Onee-chan's skin immediately began to pale. "Even with your vocal chords crushed, I'm sure you can think of a way to tell me-"
Sensing movement, Homura braced for an attack, and was utterly disappointed.
Red Dragon, Blue Knight, and Kaa-san had all moved, but not to attack. Even unconcious, even with the bare minimum of their magic remaining to keep them upright, all three had moved... but only in a failed attempt to push Onee-chan's life back into her body. Even now, their hands were resting on the pulsing orb, unable to move it from Homura's grip, but still trying to return it.
Homura was trying to decide how to feel about that when the musket blast took her in the center of her forehead.
It didn't hurt. It couldn't possibly. That was the difference between the power of the attacker and the target. And as if more proof of this was needed, Homuhomu immediately collapsed, the musket slipping from her trembling fingers.
Homura caught the falling girl with her free hand. "Tell me why," she demanded, shaking Homuhomu. "Why do you try when you know it will amount to nothing?"
With the last of her strength, Homuhomu seized Homura's throat, not that Homura could even feel the slightest bit of pressure from it. "Put it back," she hissed, and then her eyes rolled up into her head as she collapsed against Homura.
"That's all any of you care about now? This one, meaningless life?"
"If you really believe that her life is meaningless," said a voice behind her, "then you're more lost than I feared."
Homura spun around and was shocked to see Madoka carefully cradling Onee-chan's limp body in her arms. "You... how did you get here? You're supposed to be-"
"In my cage?" Madoka asked. "I thought I was your best friend, Homura. Not your pet."
"You don't get to say that to me, Madoka! You threw away being my best friend when you threw away your existence!"
"Not true. Because if it was, then you did the exact same thing when you took that power from me. And you could never choose to stop being my friend. Face it, Homura. You aren't mad because we stopped being friends. You're mad because our friendship wasn't on your terms."
"It's never been on my terms! I either had to push you away and lie to you in order to keep you safe, or watch you turn into a witch, or watch you die! And you think I'd just let you walk away from me?!"
"I did that so I could save everyone, you included, from despair, Homura."
"But you didn't account for the despair that your leaving me would cause! You never do!"
Madoka smiled sadly. "I thought my amazing friend was strong enough. I guess I was wrong."
Homura glared at her. "I am strong, Madoka. Strong enough now to keep you on a leash. If you won't be my friend by choice, then you will be my pet by force."
"And that's your answer? The one that you sacrificed everything to gain? Even our friendship? This is the realization of the wish that was worth trading your soul for, Homura? Because if it is, I wish you had erased my memory of you entirely. If this is what you saving me means, I wish we'd never met. Maybe you'd be happier, if you hadn't spent all that time trying to save me. Maybe both of us would have died before it got to this point."
Homura's lips twitched into a pained parody of a smile. "I see. So that's what I did wrong. I allowed you too much freedom. This power I stole from you came with your memories, Madoka. So maybe I can change your mind in a different way. Maybe if I destroy the rest of your friends in front of you, you'll be thankful for how good you used to have it. Maybe once I'm the only one you have left, you'll learn to better appreciate me. And maybe I'll start with this evil twin that you love so much more than me!"
Homura leaped onto Kriem, doing her best to strangle the witch. And Kriem responded in a way Homura never could have expected: by giving up all of the power that Madoka had given her. She poured it all into Homura, who was so shocked that she never even felt the two hands on her back.
"Like calls to like," Madoka said in her ear, and then Homura was screaming in agony as Kriem's power slammed into her, through her, and into Madoka's waiting hands, dragging with it all of the power Homura had stolen from Madoka.
And as the top of Homura's head split from her jaw and began to slide off, and Kriem's hands blackened and curved into ever-reaching claws, Madoka embraced them both with arms of glowing white, and took away their pain. Again.
When Homura woke up, her body felt... wrong.
"So. This is what it's like to be a witch again," she thought. "But it's... different, this time. Is it because this time, my despair came from betraying Madoka, instead of just losing her?"
A soft, warm hand settled on her head, gently scratching her scalp. "Are you awake now, Homura? I thought you might go on dreaming for a while."
Homura's heart began to pound at the warmth in that tone, the familiarity of that voice. "Madoka?" she breathed. Why wasn't she angry, still? Why had she forgiven Homura yet again?
"Of course it's me, silly."
Homura moaned as Madoka's fingers brushed over body, finding a magic spot behind her ear. Homura's leg twitched unexpectedly, and then her tail began to thump-
"Tail?!" Homura gasped, her eyes snapping open as she twisted around and craned her neck to see better. There was indeed a short, furry tail, attached to a twiching rump covered in glossy, black fur-
"I'm a dog?!" Homura wailed.
"You're a puppy," Madoka corrected happily. "You're my puppy. Isn't it great?"
Homura turned wide, wounded eyes on Madoka, who seemed genuinely happy about the arrangement. "Madoka... why?!"
Madoka stroked Homura's head and floppy ears. "You called me your pet, Homura. You said we weren't friends anymore. That hurt. And I want you to know how much it did." She picked up Homura, settling the whining puppy in her lap. "I'll never be as cruel to you as you were to me. I won't ever mistreat you. But until I think you've learned your lesson and grown up a bit, you're going to be my pet. We'll be together. Just not the way you hoped."
"No! I'm sorry, Madoka!" Homura cried, pawing at Madoka's chest. "Please don't leave me like this!"
Madoka shook her head, hugging the puppy to her chest. "It won't be forever. But it will be long enough for you to learn. And it starts now."
The puppy's eyes glazed over, and she whined softly, tilting her head aborably as she stared up at her mistress.
Madoka smiled and scratched behind the puppy's ears. "What a good girl, Homura, yes you are!"
The puppy barked happily, wagging its tail madly at the praise.
"I don't see why you can't just leave her like that for good," Kriem complained. "She was going to kill Onee-chan."
"I was there," Madoka reminded her. "You don't have to tell me. This is how I'm punishing Homura."
"Why do you get to decide?"
"Because she's my friend and it was my mistake that allowed her to do this. And Onee-chan will be fine once she wakes up. I'm sorry you had to watch that again-"
"She didn't actually die this time," Kriem muttered.
"And that's... better?"
"Yes," Kriem agreed. "Well, it's not worse."
Madoka smiled faintly. "They all love you so much, Kriem-chan. They were willing to throw away their lives, to spare you from the pain of seeing her die in front of you again."
Kriem frowned. "Of course they love me. I made them from the memories of my most precious ones. Who else would they love?"
"I know you know what I meant."
"Yeah, I know. So now what?"
Madoka sighed. "Right now? I just really want to see Tatsuya. After that, I need to fix anything else Homura made a mess of while she was in charge."
"Are you really going to keep her in this cage?" Kriem asked, gesturing to the snowball-sized world in Madoka's hand.
"Strictly speaking, it's what she did to me," Madoka replied, carefully placing the world within the folds of her dress. "And in much the same way, she will live with a version of the Madoka and friends who she kept caged, who have just as much interest in seeing that Homura learns from this."
"And if she doesn't learn?"
"She will. But if she didn't, it's a nice enough place for her to stay. And a nice enough form, I think."
"Okay. But why is Kyubey in there with them?"
"It was his idea. He wants to observe them. Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on him, too. Oh, and I should thank you twice. For saving me, and for letting me keep a bit of Homuhomu's power. Those dolls are really useful."
A comfortable silence stretched out between them.
"So," Kriem said at last. "You're going to leave us alone again?"
Madoka nodded. "That is, unless you want to come with me?"
"No."
"Then I guess so. I'll be watching you, of course. But I promise not to visit unless you really want me to. And if you're ever in trouble, then I'll return the favor. Although, I'll be perfectly honest about it."
Kriem rolled her eyes. "Don't complain. It kept her off-balance enough for us to win. That's all that matters."
"There's an 'us' now?" Madoka asked happily. "You wouldn't have admitted that before."
"Yeah, well... I think I can trust that you're on my side. Just not on my team, because I'm the captain and you never do what I say. But... I can live with that."
"And so can I. So long as you remember that you owe me-"
Kriem suddenly grabbed Madoka's shoulders, yanked her forward, and kissed her firmly on the lips.
Madoka's eyes widened, and then drifted shut as she gave herself fully to the kiss, wrapping her arms around Kriem's waist.
It wasn't an attack, or even a dare. It was a simple, honest expression: of Kriem's gratitude to Madoka, for so many things that she had done, and even more that she could have done but hadn't. That, and just a hint of teasing, as she nibbled lightly on Madoka's bottom lip before releasing her.
Madoka stared, color blossoming in her cheeks. "Kriem-chan, you-"
"We're even now, right?" Kriem demanded, not looking at her.
"Sure," Madoka agreed, smiling softly as she noticed that Kriem's cheeks had just as much color in them. "You don't owe me anything. But I hope you don't think, after an amazing kiss like that, that I'm going to let it be our last."
"If you can manage to restrain youself for a while, I might not have to be talked into it next time," Kriem offered.
"Deal." Madoka leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on Kriem's forehead. "Until next time, Kriem-chan." Then she was gone.
Kriem turned to face her familiars, who were all slowly waking up. The first thing Madoka had done upon regaining her power was restore them. Kriem hadn't doubted she would keep her word, but it was still nice to see.
"Kriem-sama," Homuhomu said. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Kriem responded after a long moment. "Nothing is wrong at all. I'm just realizing. I have everything I need, right here with you guys."
"Everything?" Onee-chan asked with a knowing smile. "Everyone?"
Kriem laid a finger against her lips to quiet her. "Everyone I need right now in this very moment," Kriem rephrased. "I have my family."
"Am I included in that?" Aibi asked hesitantly.
"Sure. Every family can use a dog, apparently," Kriem said.
The End.
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Endnotes: (or Thoughts That Inspired This Story)
Madokabation (or Godoka Watches You You-Know-What): I always found the scene in the opening with the two Madokas to be a little odd. Yes, it's pretty much standard for magical girls to be practically nude during transformations. And the idea of a goddess figure helping to dress a magical girl, again, seen it done before. But Madoka dressing herself, touching herself so intimately, and the assumedly younger/weaker Madoka's reactions... well, in my eyes, it's either softcore porn or masturbation, and nothing that belongs in an opening. In an OVA or buried in the midst of an episode, sure. Not that I'm objecting, I just feel like that sort of enjoyment needs to be earned, not given away in the first few minutes of every episode. In any case, yes, that was the inspiration for the kissing scene here. And notice I held it back for a bit. That's how it should be done.
Incubation: Kyubey states in Kazumi Magica that Incubators exist solely to harvest the energy from turning hope into despair. Which sounds like even if there was a better way, the Incubators wouldn't bother pursuing it, if it didn't involve someone suffering enough.
Population: I have a theory: as a secondary goal, the Incubators desire population control. All witches ultimately do is kill people, normal and magical alike. Kyubey doesn't bat an eye when he notes that Kriemhild Gretchen will destroy the planet. Humans are expendable, and their loss hardly matters if the energy quota has been more than filled. Of particular note is that Kyubey praises the process of magical girls despairing as a sacrifice on behalf of all humans, and can't understand why humans would be bothered by a few deaths. Also, he effectively manipulates the girls so there will be as few as possible left standing when Walpurgisnacht arrives to kill everyone. If his goal wasn't to kill people... well, I'm sorry, it just is. I can't even think of an argument for how he might not want more dead people. Even the magical girls he makes are technically zombies. Cute zombies, but still.
Conservation: So, my theory on the energy crisis: there is (or was) no energy crisis. A genie that can grant a wish that ultimately rewrites reality simply cannot be hurting for energy, it just doesn't make any sense. How can you even be a genie if you don't have enough energy to grant nearly any wish? Kyubey says granting the wish depends on the potential magical girl's own power, but I don't buy that. He's the one making the contract, making the soul physical, and at the very least turning on the magic in a girl, so there must be some energy use on his part. Normal girls don't have the power to instantly rewrite reality, so their magic either originates from him, or responds to something he does. If you can give someone the power to go back in time as much as they want, then you are the one with energy falling out of your butt. I don't deny that witch-birth releases a ton of energy. But anything that has the powers Kyubey does clearly has energy to spare. If there is an energy crisis, then Incubators are the ones causing it. And if there isn't one, then there will be eventually, with all the energy they must be stockpiling. If there was really a need for more energy, they could just ask a girl to wish for it. Not only would that be far kinder, Madoka would have gladly done it, just to be of use to someone, before things got too hairy. I'm of the opinion that Incubators have a different sob story for every area they visit. Asia gets the entropy tale, in America the sky is falling, and in Europe girls are brainwashed into wishing for whatever Incubators might need: energy, spaceships, sharks with lasers strapped to their backs. Even better, if magical girls from different areas meet up and share the different stories: someone's lying, let's fight it out! If you're familiar with stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt and his Sky Cake joke, it would work a lot like that, but presumably with less cursing, and more multicolored explosions.