Days of Old Past

The cloudy sky covered the bright sun, blanketing the ground with a dull light. Shivering winds sent goosebumps against a long green-haired magical girl in her early teenage years, with her large white staff planted firmly on the wet soil. Droplets of rainwater and sweat fell from her chin. She gazed up at a raven-haired amethyst-eyed girl who donned a black rose bow.

An intense glare sent the green-haired girl shivers down her spine. Catching her breath, she crafted a weak smile, "D-damn...Master Kito...you're strong…"

Kitoi flared her beautiful black hair upwards in a proud fashion, her eyes still as stone cold as ever. "You're just too reckless in wasting magic. Learn to better deal with your weaknesses, Kira."

"Hahah, no wonder they call you the Amethyst Angel," Kira sighed, "I'm absolutely no match for you. Were you self-taught or did you have an awesome teacher?"

The amethyst-eyed magical girl looked over the gloomy rain-teared sky with a sullen expression across her face as the question reached her ears, "My circumstances are a bit more complicated than the average magical girl, so I can't really tell you. But if anything, I'll let you in on a little secret of where I came from, but only if you manage to land a blow on me."

"What?!" Kira yelled out wide-eyed, "That's near-impossible!" She flailed her arms out.

"It's impossible because you say it's impossible," Kito sighed, "Get up and try again."

"Muuu~" Kira pouted, "No fair…" She got up and dusted herself, "Better get ready."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Kira charged headfirst to her master, with Kito letting out a disappointed sigh. Kira swung her large staff over Kito's head, with Kito about to dodge when her student's image faded out of view. And right from behind her, she heard two quiet footsteps and felt the wind being cut.

She sidestepped to the right in an attempt to dodge the staff, but it grazed her left cheek, with a droplet of blood dropping out.

In a counter-attack, she swung her left leg upward, and kicked Kira straight in the face.

"Ow!" Kira cried out, "Ow ow ow ow ow!" Tears of pain leaked out of her eyes as she held onto her bloodied nose.

"Stop crying…" Her teacher facepalmed, "Get up. I owe you a story."

A crooked smile widened Kira's face in a victorious tone, "Hell yeah!"

Kito removed her black headband with a faraway look in her eyes. She smiled. "There was once a beautiful pink-haired girl. Very tiny and very shy. But everything she did, she did it for the betterment of others."

"Pssht, sounds like a total pusho-"

A nasty glare was sent Kira's way, making her immediately shut up. "As I was saying, she was a very kind girl. She and I were a part of a group called the Holy Quintet. There, I met lots of other people. From a reliable and refined upperclassman to a ruffian redhaired street girl to a musical-oriented blue-haired tomboy. We made up the Holy Quintet, and we did our best against a world that is far too easy to despair. Our territory was a city named Mitakihara City."

Kira's eyes opened wide in shock, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "W-wait wait wait wait. You mean the place Walpurgisnaucht was vanquished?! You were there?!"

"I was. After all, I was the one who defeated it."

"W-wow...I'm definitely not going to tease you again, Master Kito…"

A rare wry smile curled on the raven-haired girl's face. "You better not."

[]

In Homura's old apartment were four teenage girls, all sat around a circular table with sweets placed beforehand. The pendulum swung back and forth as the remodeled room had a more vibrant feel to it.

"Have ya heard the rumors about the Amethyst Angel?" Kyouko cut into the cake Mami baked not long ago. The thin knife sliced through the thin bread precisely and perfectly. As the redhead was about to eat the slice she cut off, Sayaka and Madoka turned attentive to Kyouko's story.

"Ya guys haven't? Wow, ignorant I tell ya," Kyouko wore a proud smile that revealed a fang. "Guess I'll have to tell ya all about it!"

"Just get on with it, Kyouko," Sayaka said, rolling her eyes, "Don't tell me it's another mercenary magical girl who only does it for the grief seeds."

"Give her a chance, Miki-san," Mami sat next to her ex-apprentice, along with a plate that carried four teacups. She placed each cup next to her friends.

"What's the Amethyst Angel all about?" Madoka tilted her head, "I never heard about her."

"Thank the pinkie for her curiosity," Kyouko rolled her fork in satisfaction, "Apparently, she's a black-haired beauty with purple eyes and a black-and-white school uniform."

"That sounds eerily like Homura…" Sayaka voiced her dissatisfaction.

"Yeah, but apparently she uses a black-rose bow rather than a shield and she could spawn two huge violet wings to fly."

"She sounds a lot like Akemi-san, but since she doesn't use a shield, it's probably not her. Do you know her name?" Mami inquired.

"Yeah, apparently she's called Kito," Kyouko crossed her legs in a manly fashion unbefitting for a girl, "She goes wiping out witches nonstop one day in some poor girl's territory, then suddenly disappears after the next. She's like a storm."

"That sounds scary, but she's doing good, isn't she?" Madoka clasped her hands together, trying to see this rumor in a positive light. "It's not like she hurt any magical girls."

Kyouko pointed directly at the pinkette with a wide mischievous smile on her face, "I heard three magical girls banded together to beat this 'angel' type character, but they all got their asses whooped hardcore. I would totally love to fight this girl one-on-one someday."

"Bet you'd get your butt kicked though," Sayaka snickered, as Kyouko threw her a glare.

"Well, for now that's just a rumor. If she comes here, we have more than enough people to throw her out of Mitakihara City if she proves to be a problem," Mami said, but there was a hint of worry in her voice.

Madoka shook her head, and voiced her own opinion again "Really? But what if she's nice? I have a feeling she is. We might just need to get to know her."

"That's Madoka for you, always getting to the good in people. It's almost scary!" Sayaka teased her best friend as she clumped on her left shoulder.

"Jeez Sayaka-chan, calling me scary, that's mean of you. But still, if the Amethyst Angel turns out to be Homura-chan..." A weak smile was visible on Madoka's normally positive face, "Then I'd be glad."

"I think old raven-locks is fine. After all, she's hella' strong!" Kyouko's voice was filled with enthusiasm.

"I agree," Mami smiled.

"Yep. She's strong in my book," Sayaka smiled as she raised a thumbs up. "She'll be fine, Madoka. She'll be fine."

[]

END

Author Notes

Merry Christmas! This is my present to you guys. Don't worry, for those following Rejection I'll have the chapter up as soon as possible. Hopefully by tomorrow.

Pilgrimage is more of a one-shot series, not really having any actual plot to it other than Homura's if I continue it, it'll still keep that feeling of a one-shot

This takes place a few months after Homura leaves Mitakihara City after destroying Walpurgisnaucht. Hope you guys enjoyed it!