Another timeline gone…
She felt ridiculous. The scene she just witnessed was ridiculous. She promised herself that nothing would surprise her anymore after all the things she had seen, the death, the suffering, the unspeakable monstrosities which she pitted her fragile mortal life against almost daily while on a seemingly impossible mission but this… This was just stupid. Stupid as well as disturbing. Yes, that was the word she was looking for… Disturbing. It wasn't every day she would see the person she vowed to protect countless of times beat a grown man senseless with a metal implement meant to cave someone's face in.
It was still raining and the tiny tug at the back of her mind told her that she should probably move. The Witch Barrier could still be around and judging from the number of those who had been kissed, it was close. The air of negativity which filled the alleyway was starting to dissipate yet she could still feel her chest tighten from being exposed to it. It wasn't something she should worry about given her constitution as a Magical Girl but she couldn't help but worry for the girl right in front of her.
The girl who had her hands soaked in blood after a lengthy brawl with a bunch of innocent thugs unlucky enough to get kissed by a Witch and cross her path.
Madoka Kaname examined her hand and frowned as she took out a handkerchief from her skirt pocket and wiped most of the grime off. With an annoyed tone, she sighed in defeat as she murmured, "It would've been easier if I used a crowbar. Punching things really gets old."
She watched Madoka complain a bit more about her now bloodstained handkerchief before the girl in question turned to her and addressed her, "Sorry for the bother, Homura-chan but thank you for helping me. I guess I got too careless but rest assured it won't happen again."
"That was dangerous," she had said, ignoring Madoka's statement as her dumbstruck expression broke into a look mixed between worry and anger, "What in the world were think you're doing! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
Flinching at the sudden outburst, the pink haired girl raised her hands in surrender as she backed off, "W-W-Wait H-Homura-chan! It's not what you think! S-Self-defense..?"
"It doesn't matter if it was self-defense, you should've run away!" snapped Homura, dismissing her golf club into her inventory before stomping her way towards Madoka, "This doesn't make any sense! What were you doing in this kind of place? Don't you know it's dangerous? Or did you purposely walk into this area knowing the rumors floating around?!"
Blinking as she studied the Magical Girl's expression, Madoka didn't know what to do. Confusion dominated her look and body language as she tried to find the right words to placate the angry girl before her. She didn't really get why Homura was angry yet she still tried her best to calm her down, "Well… you see… It's sort of complicated. But Homura-chan, please calm down. If I did anything wrong, then I want you to know that I'm sorry. I-I… I didn't m-mean to upset you…"
Right… What the hell was she doing? Right, character. She had to jump back into her character otherwise she'll get attached again. Getting attached meant that the whole plan would be compromised. Now that sour thought was enough to kick her mind back into gear and focus on what was important. First, there was a Witch lurking around and the second was that she had to get Madoka to safety. Questions could wait until she either dealt with the Witch or safely her former friend to a safe location.
Sighing heavily, a grim expression appeared on her face as she held out her hand, "You're right, maybe I did go overboard. I'm sorry for that. However I need you to come with me. It's not safe here. I'll explain further once we leave the area."
Giving the black haired girl a small smile, Madoka shrugged her shoulders as she replied, "I understand. But I'll need to get my bag first. I left it some ways back while I was running. I… I don't know if you could help me get it."
"Asking won't be necessary. I'll get it for you. Just sit tight," Homura didn't wait for the pinkette to reply and grasped the rim of her shield and turned it. The distinct sound of metal scraping against metal filled her ears as the twin blood red orbs on her shield revealed themselves and shined an eerie dark violet glow. Madoka visibly flinched from the sound just before she gained a metallic color along with the rest of the environment.
The entire world held its breath as the flow of time ceased to be.
The rain drops had stopped falling and sky was silent. The only sound that could be heard in this world was Homura's steady breathing and the endless ticking of her shield. Digging her fingers into her hair, she raked them through it with a flourish as she stepped forward, her heels echoing against the looming walls. She took one look at Madoka just as she passed her and noted the shorter girl's appearance. There was going to be a lot of talking once she was done here.
Passing by the bodies of their victims, she noticed that the Witch Kisses had already disappeared before she even initiated her Time Stop. So long as the Witch's Familiars didn't wander out of the Barrier, these people would be able to walk off their injuries on their own. Once she turned into the corner where Madoka ran from, she found herself coming to a halt. Apparently the twelve people which she fought with Madoka weren't the first ones to encounter the pink haired girl.
Thugs lay unconscious on the alley floor, some slumped against the wall with numerous facial traumas and the others were facing the ground, their limbs twisted into odd angles. A few thugs were even dumped into various trash bins and dumpsters when not sleeping on the cold wet floor. None of them were armed and Homura found a few female members among their ranks. She figured these people were a group of delinquents that were unfortunate enough to meet a Witch.
She considered the condition they were in as a blessing in disguise. After all, getting attacked by a pretty pink haired girl was far better than going through the painful transformation from human to Familiar.
She recognized the damp schoolbag carelessly lying on top of a fallen thug's lap. Madoka must've thrown it into his face before cracking his ribcage with a well-placed punch. She still couldn't believe what was going on… Madoka and punching people? There's probably a suitable explanation for this… what was that word? Ah, right.
"Bullshit," she hissed as she took the bag from the ground, letting it regain its color once it came in contact with her skin.
Kyouko Sakura would've aptly described her current predicament as such. Homura wondered what other 'subtle' changes had occurred in this timeline. She shouldn't be careless here. It was obvious that big things are about to occur and she felt that no amount of preparation was going to help her.
She made her way back to where Madoka was still frozen in time was at before disengaging her Time Stop.
"I have your bag, it's time to go," she said as she passed the pink haired girl. Hearing the weak reply of thanks, she then came to a halt and looked back, "Do you… Have any spare clothes?"
The shorter girl nodded and said, "I keep a spare in that bag. I think I can change in a comfort room somewhere here. The blood's going to attract some attention."
Homura became silent at that as she began to think. There should be a rest room about a couple minutes away from where they were. With the rain like this, no one should be walking around that much so there were going to be few people who were going to see a bloodied pink haired girl and her oddly dressed friend walking around. At best, people would think that they were cosplaying or something. At worst, they'll be dragged in for questioning since they weren't exactly the most inconspicuous individuals.
A beauty with long black hair and bloody pink haired girl were hard to forget once they were seen.
That, or she could let Madoka change here but she'd rather shoot herself on the foot than suggest that. Why did that thought even cross her mind?
"Follow me, I know where you can change," she had to hurry, otherwise they'll be caught in a Witch's Barrier before she knew it.
"O-O-Okay!" Madoka made sure to follow her as they exited the alleyway.
Thunder rolled up ahead as the clacks the Magical Girl's heels made on the pavement resounded with it in duet. As bitter as she felt about the current weather, that was hard to do with Madoka around. She noted that the girl behind was looking around nervously, fidgeting as she walked and making sure to wipe the blood from her clothes as best she could. Homura slowed down and walked at the other girls pace before offering her hand, a red, dirty ribbon within its grasp.
"You almost forgot this," said the Magical Girl over the loud rainfall. A car passed by on the road at their side yet they didn't pay it any mind.
Madoka seemed to be surprised by this before smiling gratefully, "Thank you. This is the third ribbon I have. Mama would get suspicious if I kept losing them."
"You better take good care of them then." Kept? Does that mean that this wasn't the first time she did this?
"I-I'll remember that! Thank you again!" piped up the pink haired girl before the duo fell into another awkward silence. They should be near the restroom now so talking a little bit more wouldn't hurt, "um… You… You might think of me as some sort of weirdo now, huh?"
Homura raised an eyebrow yet didn't so much as looked at her, "I do not. What makes you think that?"
"I'm glad that you don't! But…" Madoka seemed to be troubled by the direction this conversation was taking yet she forged on, "I was afraid that you might think I wasn't normal. People would usually get scared if they saw what I did earlier. But you're different, you even helped me back there!"
"But what you did was still dangerous," pointed out the Magical Girl in a low tone, "That doesn't mean that I approve, but please refrain from doing such things in the future. A lot of people would be worried."
"Oh…" it was here that Madoka's tone changed just a tiny bit, "I… I don't think that's good."
"You mean you've been doing this without even thinking of the consequences?" asked Homura.
"Um, something like that..? Eheh," came the reply.
At this the black haired girl came to a halt and spun to meet her companion, her hair whipping behind her as se frown appeared upon her face. Madoka looked at her with alarm yet the next few words which left her mouth weren't as harsh as expected, "Are you an idiot?"
"M-M-Maybe?" squeaked the pink haired girl before she realized that they had arrived at their destination. Looking up at the women's comfort room sign, she then glanced at the miffed expression Homura giving her before shuffling her feet, "I-it's really hard to explain, H-Homura-chan! C-C-Complicated even! I'm n-not sure if I'm ready yet…"
Narrowing her purple eyes, the Magical Girl then said, "get in and change, I'll keep guard out the stall."
She looked around and found no one following them.
"Let's go," she said as the two of them entered the restroom. Fortunately, it was empty, making them the only people present at the moment. That was good. Great, even. Homura wasn't particularly in the mood to deal with people who asked too much questions. If she were anyone else, then she'd admit that her trigger finger was itching to have a go at someone that wasn't Madoka.
As her companion entered a vacant cubicle and shut the door, Homura walked to a sink and sighed.
Good thing that she still had some self-restraint otherwise she would've shot someone. Not that she'll be shooting anyone anytime soon. Maybe that Witch when it comes but not now. Not when Madoka was still with her. She looked up and saw her own reflection staring back at her. A harried looking girl with long black hair looked back at her, dripping wet with her white costume clinging to her skin. Her silver shield glinted in the dim light above her while her Soul Gem emitted a strange faint glow.
She looked pathetic.
Nothing like that cool and mysterious transfer student which looped into this timeline a few days ago. It was amazing how the smallest inconsistencies could get to her even when she conditioned her own mind to accept these kind of things and move on.
She looked at her reflection for a few more moments before contemplating to rest her eyes. Just as she was about to do so just to regain her focus and composure, the lips of her reflection twitched from the grim look she currently had.
"…." Eyes narrowing, she leaned close to inspect her own face before it happened.
BOO!
Something purple flashed in the mirror and she found herself with her back against the door of a cubicle.
"Homura-chan?" called Madoka's voice from one of the stalls, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Don't worry," she breathed back as she swallowed hard on the lump in her throat. Yep, maybe she should get some well-deserved rest after this. She briefly inspected her Soul Gem and found a slight murk floating within it. Nothing… Everything was okay. She shook her head and sighed. Everything was okay. She'll be fine. It was just her imagination running wild again. Standing up a little bit straighter, she pressed her back against a stall and calmed her nerves.
"So do you mind explaining now?" she queried as she took interest on the tiled floor, her deadpan tone echoing within the restroom. She noted that the rain wasn't going to be letting up soon so she figured they should stay put until it subside. That, or she would have to drag Madoka through her Time Stop and dropping her off at the Kaname household.
There was a rustling of clothing from Madoka's stall before a reply came out, "I-I-I told y-you Homura-chan, it's complicated but I'll try my best. Y-You see… It isn't really a-a topic I could talk about freely."
"Did someone tell you to keep it a secret?" already, Homura's mind was active with all sorts of theories which led to Madoka's current state.
"Of course not. It's more of a personal matter. Kinda like o-one of those topics… you talk about with someone y-you're going to m-m-marry," the pinkette faltered here and it obvious that she was embarrassed. One could almost imagine the beet red face she currently had behind the bathroom stalls.
Now at this, Homura raised both of her eyebrows in surprise. This Madoka was turning out to be getting weirder by the passing second. While being an absolute demon in combat, she turned out to be the same Madoka Kaname in the past timelines. There were irregularities in her existence yet at the very core, she was still the girl Homura knew and vowed to protect.
The Magical Girl felt relieved knowing this fact yet her questioning didn't stop there.
"I see. Then what can you tell me? I assume that you already know that I'm going to ask you questions and that you have some of your own," she glanced at her shield before continuing, "However if you're to keep silent, then I'll have to respect that but in return, you won't be asking me either."
"I'm fine discussing it, really. I-I don't really see a problem… besides, I'm curious too," said Madoka.
"So why were you in a place like that?" twirling a wet lock of her hair, the Magical Girl stared at the restroom's entrance absentmindedly.
"I was investigating. You're right, it's a dangerous thing to do but it wasn't the first time I've done it. Still, that doesn't mean that there aren't any more dangers. I guess I pretty much walked into that one."
"So you went there on your own volition," Homura bit her tongue there. She didn't want to chastise Madoka again and make her cow. Baby steps, she had to keep her head cool, "Why? And how many times have exactly done this?"
"…. Six times. Four which ended up in me getting into fights. Sometimes I end up following a dead trail with no merit at the end. This is my sixth actually, so the fight earlier was clearly my fourth. It's not really that scary."
"Anyone else would've used their common sense instead of taking on a couple dozen people unarmed," muttered the Magical Girl and she could hear the other girl wincing. She ignored this and brought up the first question again, "So why exactly?"
"I… I wanted to help," replied Madoka, her voice trembling with every word, "Things…. Things are happening in town. Like disappearances, spontaneous outbursts in public, group suicides and a whole lot more. I didn't like how these things were happening around me and people get hurt every day without others knowing. So I tried doing something about it."
"And you learned to fight because of this?"
"No, fighting's something I have a knack for. I never admitted it and kept it a secret. It's just something I use for self-defense. No one gets hurt if they don't try to hurt me. Mama always said that a strong girl could always fight for herself when the time called for it."
"I see. So you've been looking into these… strange events?"
"None of them felt normal so I sort of researched them as a hobby. Once in a while, I'd go out to hotspots around town and see what's going on. They usually happen when it rains. It's… something really sad, you see. They've been happening for months, you know? And it only looks like things are only going to get worse. Like some sort of heavy feeling is hanging in the air… It worries me. And every single time I encounter these people, like the ones we fought? They had marks."
Homura felt an acid like feeling swirl in her stomach. Witch's Kiss….
"On their necks… Various places in the body. I never really got a closer look on these marks since they fade away. Almost like magic. I don't know, but these marks seem to be connected to what's happening around Mitakihara so I wanted to find out. I wanted to see why this was happening…"
"And if you knew what was going on, what would you do?" questioned the black haired girl, fearing and already knowing the answer.
And yet still, the reply came. She imagined the pink haired girl smiling warmly behind one the stalls, "I'll help them. I mean, that's common sense, right?"
So she's the same as the rest after all, thought Homura as she crossed her arms and sighed, "I see…"
"What about you, Homura-chan? It feels like I'm in some kind of anime, you know?" a giggle here, "I mean, a mysterious transfer student, all cool and athletic… Real pretty too… And then it suddenly turns out that she's a superhero! Saving me when I'm in a pinch too!"
Homura would've chuckled at that but she didn't. Instead, she set her jaw straight and thought long and hard. The silence threatened to engulf the restroom once more with only the sounds of clothes rustling bouncing off the walls. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, she finally spoke, "I know about what's going on."
BANG
Jumping in surprise, the Magical Girl eyed the other girls cubicle warily.
"Ow, ow, ow…"whimpered Madoka from behind the stall before replying, "I'm okay! You… You just surprised me, that's all. but, what did you mean b-by that? A-As far as I know, there aren't that much information about… what's happening. So how..?"
"I'm telling you the truth because I'm a walking proof. You Have seen what I can do, yes? Of what I'm capable of?" Homura felt as though she'll regret this sooner or later, "That's because I'm in the thick of it, at the very center of the conflict. I can tell you, however I want you to promise me something."
"W-What is it?" echoed the other girl's trembling tone.
"Promise me that you won't throw your life away for something stupid," murmured the Magical Girl as she lowered her gaze, a heavy weight weighing in her heart, "That's important, otherwise I can't trust you with this information. Normally, I would be all for keeping you in the dark but for formality's sake, I'm willing to give you the Disney version of the situation. Do I have your word?"
Silence… And then the distinct sound of Madoka agreeing, albeit reluctantly, "I promise. So Please, tell me what you know."
Nodding, Homura then crossed her arms and explained, "The people whom attacked you were the victims of a Witch. A Witch is a being born from despair, curses and grief. It lives off the negativity of human beings and ravages this world with its hate. They're invisible to the normal human being but to me, to us Magical Girls, they're always there. My kind, or at least others of my profession, are tasked to dealing with them. Those people earlier have been kissed by a Witch, which was why they bore those Marks on their necks and limbs. Once they have those Marks then they'll be under the Witch's influence."
"Meaning… That the Witch was using the suicides as a… scare tactic? To spread despair?" asked Madoka.
"Something like that. With the population at unrest then the number of Witches will increase… And when the number of Witches increase, then a disaster's bound to happen," Homura made a face her as she recalled that damnable horror laughing its twisted laugh as it descended from the sky, "With the amount of Witches in Mitakihara, it's only a matter of time before something big arrives."
"Magical Girls… Witches…" the restroom stall's door opened and out came Madoka, dressed in a fresh set of blouse and skirt with all the grime on her body wiped away. She had a complex look on her face which was reflected in the mirror before her, "It's… Surprising, really."
"I'm a Magical Girl. Look," the black haired girl gestured to her shield and drew out a shotgun. An Ithaca M17, almost as long as her arm and twice as heavy for a normal Middle School girl yet for a Magical Girl such as herself, it was light as a feather. Flipping it so that the barrel would face her, she offered the gun's grip towards the shorter girl, "It's real but it's not loaded. Brace yourself, it's heavy."
Nervously grasping the cold black metal tool of murder, it was surprising to see a girl of Madoka's stature holding such a menacing weapon. But then again, Homura was a girl of the same age and yet she had enough arsenal in her person to take on an entire country. The pink haired girl examined the weapon in her hands, showing no signs of strain from its unique weight before handing it back to the Magical Girl whom promptly dismissed it in her shield.
"That's… That's amazing. With that kind of power, you could probably save a lot of people, Homura-chan!" piped up Madoka, her eyes sparkling with a strange glint as she smiled excitedly.
Shaking her head, the black haired girl spoke the opposite of the shorter girl's expectations, "I'm sorry, but it's more complicated than that. Being a Magical Girl isn't as simple or as luxurious as you think. Please remember that. People die a whole lot more than they're saved…"
The smiled fading from her lips, Madoka's shoulders slumped as she murmured in disappointment, "Oh… So… Does that mean Homura-chan's seen people die."
That wasn't a question.
I've seen you die more times than I would've liked, thought Homura yet she bit her tongue. Of course she wasn't going to say that, she wasn't retarded or anything. Baby-steps… No need to overload the poor girl with more information than necessary. Convincing her to stop to these investigations was going to be hard but at least Homura was making progress.
Hopefully.
"Yes," she answered, "I couldn't save them even with all I had."
Warmth immediately spread on her hands once she found them being grasped by the pink haired girl right in front of her. Madoka's round pink eyes stared at her own purple ones as the human girl spoke, her tone laced with overflowing gratitude and sincerity, "But you saved me, didn't you? I hope that counts for something. Maybe things will be different this time."
"Maybe," muttered Homura, a small smile of her own appearing as she nodded, "Thank you."
And then the Witch Barrier swallowed them both whole.
She wasn't particularly lucky today. Just this morning, she lost the file which composed much of her research and investigation notes once her computer shorted out leaving a crying mess for the better half of the first thirty minutes of her awakening. She then had half of her mind just slumping into her bed and going to sleep but then her brother just had to be so adorable so early and the morning in an attempt to wake her up. That and not to mention that the boiler broke just when she was about to shower too.
Meeting up with Sayaka and Hitomi went well. No incidents or slip ups until they were nearing the school and Sayaka was busy telling Hitomi a joke. She listened to the conversation while sipping an orange juice she took with her after leaving home but once the punch line came in, the juice flew out of her nose just as she was about to burst out laughing. She got a very painful headache from that.
After that, school thankfully passed without much incident and she was hoping to have a good hunt with what information she managed to salvage from her lost files. Her computer was going to need fixing but her mother assured her that it'll be repaired by a few days, at the cost of all the documents she gathered in the hard drive. Just when she was about to find the strange gathering sites for the suicide groups, it began to rain and then she suddenly found herself surrounded by a two dozen thugs. It would've been fine if they were normal thugs looking for a fight, she would've easily dealt with them.
But the world seemed to hate her and decided to hang a literal air of gloom which drained her spirit and morale. Her movements were sluggish and weak while her head felt like it was about crack open like a watermelon. Fighting in her condition put her at a considerable disadvantage and kept her from holding back. This resulted into heavy blunt trauma being applied to a few unlucky thugs' face.
Escaping with a few cuts and hits, she then to cut her losses and bail out but this was the part where it got weird. A girl with striking resemblance to an angel bumped into her just as she was about to run into a corner. This girl didn't hesitate helping her in neutralizing the remaining thugs and making sure they all stayed down.
She felt like she made a new friend that time but just as she was about to celebrate the newfound information she had gathered as well as the discovery of something grand, she felt like she won't even live by the next hour to write it all down in her notes.
Because for all her natural talent for combat, Madoka Kaname was a very, very unlucky girl. And she was going to die in just a few more seconds.
For a split second, all sound had ceased to be. It wasn't something that happened gradually, it was like it just happened. Like her ears had stopped working properly. Fear clamped down on her heart once she realized she couldn't see too, the lack of senses nearly sent her into a panic attack had her hand not been being held by someone. A person's hand… It was warm, it gave her strength, it kept her together just as she was about to break down… again…
She didn't have her mother to support her, Sayaka to cheer her up, her father to assure her and brother to brighten up her day…. She was… alone… yet the touch of the stranger she grabbed on for dear life lit a fire in her heart.
And then the world came into view once more, but not as she knew it. She planted on foot in front of her to stop herself from falling face first into the ground and immediately, a strange wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm her. No, she was not going to throw up Hitomi and Sayaka's lunch. She was not going to do something she considered disgusting beyond all recognition. That lunch was made by her friends, and she'll be damned if she didn't force the bile down her stomach.
Surveying her surroundings, she found herself standing on a multicolored carpet, the bright color of green red and orange stinging her eyes. Above her were large oddly shaped baubles attached to thin strings, twitching every few seconds as they swayed. She was somewhere outside, a deserted landscape in a painfully colored world. Apparently, while the landscape seemed to go on forever, the sky above turned out to be a very low ceiling in which the baubles were attached to.
She counted them as she walked, one, two, three, four, five and whole lot more. A brief flash of pain invaded her mind and made her flinch, causing her to grasp her head. It was just like that time when she faced those thugs. The same draining feeling and sluggishness entering her entire body. She couldn't block it out, she had no means of blocking it out.
Just… Where was she..?
"Homura…chan…" murmuring the Magical Girl's name, she grabbed hold of that fleeting thought in her mind and forced herself to be steady. She focused and controlled her breathing. She's fighting… She's always fighting… Even when she had no opponent determined to hurt her, she had to pretend that she was defending herself. But from what? In a place where only she existed, what would she defend herself from?
Get a grip, Madoka Kaname. It's happening again! She thought as she slapped her cheeks to clear her mind. With a determined look, she reached for the brass knuckle she kept hidden in her skirt pocket and wore it in her right hand. The familiar weight of the metal in her hand eased her mind and lifted some of the weight she had been feeling off her shoulders. She could breathe easily now…
But just as she could breathe easily, she found out that she could see better too. Not entirely a good thing due to the fact that she could now see a swirling mass of formless blobs gather right in front of her eyes. It took the form of a white polo-shirt with a grinning mouth decorating its front while a pair of two dimensional limbs sprouted from underneath the shirt's hem. They were hands carved out of a pencil.
The creature did not have any recognizable arms yet on the area where its head should be were two floating black orbs, almost like dots.
It lumbered around for a few moments before jerking its entire frame her. The neat set of shining human teeth on its front grinned evilly before it suddenly burst towards her direction. There was flash of black light narrowly missing her head, causing a thin cut to appear on her cheek as blood flowed down her chin.
She was going to die.
"No," she ducked low and closed in the Familiar as it was about to raise its pencil feet to strike once more.
She was not going to die without a fight. Reaching backwards, she stomped one foot on the ground and swung her right fist and put her entire body weight into one solid punch which connected with the creature's body. She hit it, yet the recoil of her blow was sent back into her arm, making her limb go numb as she looked up to see the Familiar's dot-like eyes gaze intently at her. With a squeak, she didn't have enough time to retreat when she felt a blunt impact hit her at her side and send her flying.
Rolling and tumbling along the ground, Madoka grunted in pain and whimpered pathetically once she came to a halt. Breathing hard, she tried to push herself up but only found the Familiar dashing its way towards her, its intent to kill could be felt all the way to where she was. Clicking her tongue, she rose up to meet her opponent and let out a high pitched war cry once she closed in. She ducked low avoiding two strikes before rising up and sending a couple direct hits into its frame before kicking to her left to avoid being speared by its limbs.
She ducked once more and punched hard, her brass knuckle digging into the Familiar's body and leaving traumatized imprints which quickly healed as soon as the impact disappeared. That was strange, yet that didn't mean the thing wasn't unkillable. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, her blood turned into molten steel as her natural instinct to run and cry fought against her will to beat this perverse mockery of life into a pulp.
Defend. Defend. This is just self-defense. There's nothing wrong with self-defense! She screamed internally before letting out a strangled yell as she dodged and countered. She was getting cut up, fresh wounds piercing her soft flesh as blood was flicked to the ground. The thing was mocking her, it was mocking her as it hurt her.
Crouching low, she kicked off behind her and charged forward, hitting the Familiar with both of her arms to stun it before giving it a high kick to its torso. Her eyes were fixed upon the healing area on the creature's body and aimed her punches there. With each hit, the Familiar staggered and redoubled its effort to kill the silly girl that was trying to kill it back.
It sent out one pencil lead limb to pierce the girl but missed spectacularly as she jumped back. In the split second, Madoka closed in, sent two punches into the area she had damaged the most, ducked low to avoid a swipe which would've bisected her and kneed the same area again before punching it one last time and sending the Familiar stumbling backwards.
Madoka breathed hard as she bent her body to catch her breath. With each blow applied to a part of its body, the Familiar's healing ability would have a much harder time constructing repairs given the amount of damage. So if she kept it up, then it was possible for her to take it down. After all, this was just self-defense, right?
She tackled the monster down, bearing upon it as she raised her fist and brought it unto the spot she had been pummeling for the last thirty seconds. The Familiar squealed and its grinning lips, turned into a frown as a purple colored stain began to spread on its left chest. It tried to pry the girl off of its body but was stopped once it found its pencil legs blown off. There was another girl at the distance, holding a rifle of some sorts as she approached running, yelling something that was lost over the chorus o
The pink haired demon on its torso was still in the middle of her assault. Punch after punch, a fleshy squelch could be heard on the monster's hide as the brass knuckle rose and fell.
Finally, after a few more moments, the creature had stopped moving and Homura Akemi had finally reached her side. Even as the monster was already dead, she continued punching it just to make sure. Otherwise it would attack her, other-wise it would attack Homura too… It had to die… It had to die… It had to di—
BANG
With the gunshot echoing all around, Madoka Kaname found herself wrenched out of her trance. She was hurt all over, wounds and lacerations decorating her arms and legs… Judging the stinging pain on her cheek, her face seemed to be cut up too. It seemed that her brand new uniform was ruined… again… And it was even a few minutes in after she changed.
Homura was silent yet she grabbed her by the waist and dragged her away from the monster's body. The Magical Girl shook, her voice barely reaching Madoka's ears even when they were so close, her arm wrapping around the shorter girl in a tight embrace.
"..op! Stop! Madoka Kaname! This isn't you! Stop, you're hurting yourself! Madoka!" snapped Homura through gritted teeth as she locked the pink haired girl's arms in place.
She hadn't realized that she was angry, angry enough to struggle from within the black haired girl's grasp. Breathing hard, she eventually lost the brief burst of strength at the prospect of losing her life and fell limp within her friend's arms. She felt tired, her right arm was sore and the wounds she had gathered were beginning to itch. After a few more moments of catching her breath, she raised one trembling hand and grasped the Magical Girl's hand.
"I-I-I'm fine… B-But it h-hurts… so much…" she managed to croak though the girl behind her refused to let her go just yet.
Homura's breathing was ragged, fear evident in her tone as if she was the one who had a close encounter with death itself while she held Madoka, "No. No. Not again."
"You can let go now, Homura-chan. Th-There doesn't seem to be anymore monsters around. What… W-What was that?" trying to keep her mind someplace else, Madoka asked the question she had failed to address once the strange events began to occur. Honestly, what in God's green Earth was that thing?
The Magical Girl refused to respond and merely stood up, offering a hand to her which she gratefully took. Standing unsteadily, she turned her gaze towards Homura and asked once more, "What's wrong, Homura-chan? What is this place?"
"We have to go. We need to escape," growled the black haired girl before taking her friend by the hand, "Follow me, we'll find an exit."
Despite the scratches and cuts she had, Madoka merely nodded as she followed the Magical Girl from behind. They ran through the rainbow floored landscape, occasionally finding things like doors and oversized everyday items as they passed. Just as she was about ask her Magical companion about nature of this objects, she was met with sharp admonishment and a sharp look. Well, she couldn't blame Homura for acting that way, after all even she would be on the edge of her nerves at a place like this.
Not to mention she almost died. Maybe her bad luck had nothing to do with that and it's was just her usual stupidity in the works.
…
Yeah, maybe it's because she was being stupid again.
Still, she pretended she didn't notice but she knew they were there. Peeking behind the odd objects, their blank dot eyes staring intently at the two girls foolish enough to be swallowed by their Mistress' Barrier. They watched and watched and the set of teeth upon the front of their shirts grinned gleefully as the two girls ran.
She was scared but she knew that being scared wouldn't help her in this situation. Instead, she tried to keep her eyes and ears open, her five senses working on overdrive to pick up on any subtle movements coming their way. But it seemed that Homura's senses were even sharper than hers.
"Get back!" barked the Magical Girl as she came to a halt, shoving Madoka to the left as a pencil lead the size of a pole shot out from the white void. It stabbed itself into the ground where the two were running earlier on, nearly skewering them had Homura not seen the thing a mile off.
And then the Familiars appeared to attack.
"T-There's more?!" cried Madoka as she got behind the Magical Girl. Said Magical Girl being busy drawing out a Minimi from her shield and setting it up in her arms.
Glancing back, she then snapped one order to her companion, "Shut your ears, I'm going in loud!"
"Wha—" the rest of the pink haired girl's question was then drowned in a raucous series of gunfire as the machine gun spat bullets at the incoming horde.
Monsters were shredded and their inky black blood sprayed on the ground before their bodies dissolved into nothingness. Homura kept a firm grip and a stiff stance to fight against the ungodly recoil the gun had been giving her. For a weapon meant for use by a full grown man, one might imagine the difficulty of handling such a weapon with the body frame of a Middle School girl. Even with her magically enhanced strength, she could never get a comfortable grip of the gun.
About ten seconds later, the first wave of familiars had been dealt with just in time for Homura to run out of ammo. Tossing the spent firearm to the side, she took hold of Madoka's hand once more and ran.
"There's more of them lurking around," hissed Homura as their footsteps echoed all round, "Please bear with me for a few more seconds."
"I'm used to it. Thank you for protecting me," she said as she cracked a pained smile, making Homura's shoulder stiffen for a moment before relaxing.
"Used to it?" questioned the Magical Girl.
"You'd be surprised on the amount of bad luck I have," giggled Madoka.
"Bad luck, is it?" murmured Homura with a frown before tensing and raising her shield, "Get do—"
Another pole sized lead burst from the white void in the low sky, this time catching both girls off guard more so than the first one. By the time the time traveler had too notice of it, it was already flying mid-away from its launch point. Homura had no choice but to block it with her shield.
She on the other hand was roughly tossed aside once more so she could do nothing but watch as the beautiful silver disk shatter into a hundred pieces while the lead pole struck the Magical Girl's heart. To her, it seemed like the entire world began to slow down as the light in Homura's eyes dimmed before fading as she fell. Blood decorated the painfully bright floor just as the black haired girl crashed into a bloody heap, red liquid gathering under her lifeless body as she lay there.
Homura Akemi was dead.
Sitting on the ground, she could do nothing but stare in horror at what just happened. It wasn't supposed to be this way.
She stood up from where she was and dashed for her fallen friend's corpse, her hand raised as she screamed out the Magical Girl's name, "HOMURA!"
Madoka Kaname was a girl with horrible luck and she just watched her newest friend die in front of her.
Nicolas Notes: Yeah. That happened. Witches are weird. Rate and review please!