A/N: Chapter three, and we present some more mind-scrambling and Kyubey for your amusement.

chiseling
Chapter 3 - Breaks in Time

Kyubey licked his paws again before leaping on to the rooftops. Sure, he'd missed out on the fries and that gloriously salty oily taste, but watching the girl dash off had its own sort of charm. Particularly when it was a part of a cascade of other events - events that would grant them another Familiar. Maybe Homura would get there in time to discourage it. Maybe not. Either way, Kyubey would be faster.

Faster than the creature assaulting the potential as well. He could see now: a large but clumsy orange dragon stumbling about near the Kaname home. He could hear screams as well - not the potential's but of other humans, a crescendo that drifted up the rooftops and his lithe, speedy, form.

He moved across a few more roofs and then, finally, he could see Madoka, hunched over and breathless and in near tears. And he could still see Homura, running fast. Plenty of time to make a contract and reap a sample of its rewards.

So he did,

He ducked between legs and under a small fireball. Madoka had her bag raised over her head, like it could save her.

'You don't want to die, do you?' He asked the question as he settled beside her. Pink eyes, adrenaline filled, cherry blossom petals everywhere. 'You can't possibly. You have so much left to do. I can help you, if you let me."

"H-Help?" Her voice shuddered with the rest of her and the ground shook with the force of each dinosaur's clumsy step.

'Yes. It's what you wish for, isn't that correct?'

Madoka stared at the odd little creature, at ease amidst the chaos. There were people hiding in their houses. Others dashing through the streets like she had been, in search for shelter. There were children. Mothers with prams. Little dogs barking like mad and that dinosaur with sharp teeth and spitting fireballs that could destroy it all.

Luckily, the first shot had missed.

But why had it come this way? Chasing her?

'Or do you want to save these people?' Kyubey asked. 'That's okay too. I can help either way.'

Save herself. Save the others. The little creature said it could do both of them - whatever it was. "O -" She broke off as another fireball came, rolling out of the way and coughing at the stinging scent left behind. "Okay, I'll -"

Kyubey smiled and held out a paw, then froze like that, as though it was a doll whose clockwork had wound down and it needed to be started again.

No, that wasn't right. Everything had stopped, except her. Or maybe she'd stopped as well. There was someone touching her shoulder now. Gripping it tightly, like she'd almost vanished.

"A-Akemi-san?" she yelped. "How - what -?"

"These people can be saved without you," said Homura with a frown. Madoka stared at her. "Don't get involved."

She sounded angry. Madoka didn't understand. Involved in what? How could she help being chased by an orange dinosaur?

Homura let go of Madoka's shoulder, and time froze again for the other girl. Her hands now freed, she took out her AK-47 assault rifle and aimed at the dinosaur's fleshy belly. She'd be a fool to waste ammunition on the head: the armour was too thick and though she had stronger weapons in her arsenal, there was no sense using them if something easier to restock on did the trick.

She fired twice, then a third time, then picked Madoka up and carried her away. Madoka squeaked in confusion. This was easier. She just had to hang onto her for a few seconds more.

Time started again. One of the bullets missed, clipping the arm. Greymon still roared, like it was somehow in pain. Madoka almost flailed out of her arms. Homura ignored her. She kept running, set her down on her front porch.

Time stopped. She turned, emptied the magazine. Time started.

Boom.

She was glad it didn't make a mess.

And that Madoka was safe.

Madoka could barely follow what had happened. It was like watching a DVD with scratch-marks all over its surface, so that it skipped through all the important scenes. Kyubey had been about to help her, and then Homura was there, and then Homura was carrying her, and now Homura was gone again and so was the orange dinosaur.

And she was shaking. People were still screaming but they broke off suddenly, realising they were out of danger. Or were they? Who knew, maybe it was like those monsters that split into a hundred new ones when destroyed. She shivered at the thought. One dinosaur was bad enough, thank you very much.

And where better to be when scared than at home?

She fumbled for her key, opened the door and slammed it shut loud enough to cause her mother, who'd heard the door handle, to jump. She opened the door to see her. Junko's smile was a bit too fast, probably from surprise.

"Welcome home!" She grimaced. "It was a mess out there today wasn't it?

Madoka made a face. "Mama, I don't think you know the half of it."

"Big dinosaur!" Tatsuya shouted. "It fall down and go boom!"

Junko sighed a little, letting out a laugh. "I do hope he's just watching the TV over there."

Madoka doubted that very highly. Slipping off her shoes, she found herself looking around the house, as if expecting someone to be there. But there was no sign of the strange rabbit, or of Homura. It was almost like a dream. But a dream didn't have that many bullets...right?

And her mother had mentioned the chaos. Surely they couldn't all be having the same dream.

She could always talk to Homura at school. And get answers. Or an explanation. Hopefully.

And maybe that small rabbit creature would enjoy playing with Tatsuya.

Kyubey frowned at the scene before it. It was easy enough to piece the puzzle together. The Familiar it'd crossed paths with before was a time-stopper, and she'd stopped time to stop him making the contract - and defeated the dinosaur in the same breath.

Misako would not be pleased to hear - or to hear about the chaos caused. More chaos always meant more work for her. And Kyubey had promised another Familiar -

Not that Misako could do anything if she wasn't pleased. That was the problem she had. Human and powerless. It was funny how the adults became powerless so easily and the children - Kyubey was staring at the power of a child first-hand: the bits of black dust rising into the sky that'd once been an orange dinosaur far taller than the adult human.

Well then. This would be intriguing to report at the very least. Also that human had been amiable, pliant. She would make a good Familiar. He just needed to get her out of sight. Or have Misako establish communications. Whatever would work best. Whatever would get the job done best.

But first, he had to report back.

By evening, Madoka had been somewhat convinced that today wasn't a dream. Her street had been on the news with a mess everywhere and various eyewitnesses making their own accounts. Madoka was glad she had managed to get out of that one: she might have ended up telling the truth. Who knew what would have happened then?

Sayaka chattered in her ear over the phone, about the mall and Kyousuke and all the normal things, along with something about Hitoe. Madoka couldn't recall one word in five even when asked. After a giant dinosaur nearly killed you, some things just weren't able to hold your attention.

She ended up hanging up the phone and turning off the lights. Maybe when she woke up the next morning, it would all have just been a bad day and she could look at Homura-chan normally again. Maybe.