A/N: Okay so I was reading a review for my last chapter:
Shades 0f Dawn: 'Homura's descent into insanity was gripping to read…'
Me: She's going insane now?
I never actually intended Homura to be going insane, so…
Also should I put 'horror' as one of the genres? Someone recommended it but if it's not really 'horror' then someone will point it out, I don't want that…
Chapter 23- "I'll lose them again."
The sunlight streamed through the open window of the hotel room. It lit up the space in a dim yellow light; the shadows twisted on the floor, around corners and flowed through creases that rested on sheets.
The girl's body was splayed on her bed, her raven hair spread out across the mattress; dry blood covered some strands of it. One of her legs was stuck under the sheets and the other was over it, bending high close to her chin. It was obvious she had been almost thrashing around in her sleep.
Homura's vision was blurry, she opened her eyes slowly to see a fuzzy room around her, her dark and emotionless purple eyes were gazing at a light-struck beige ceiling.
What happened? She thought. Her mind was telling her to sit up, but her aching body refused it, so she moved her arms and legs in a more comfortable position.
Ignoring the pain, Homura turned to lie on her side, feeling the softness of the pillow on her faintly throbbing head. She stared across the room to see her comrades sleeping in their beds.
Her eyes found themselves making their way to Mami, whose fringe was covering her closed eyes, and her blonde curls fell over her shoulder.
"Tell me."
Homura shot up immediately, as pain travelled through her arm like a bullet. She clutched her shoulder, a gasp escaping her dry throat.
With one eye closed, she held back the agony as it died down eventually. Homura became ultimately more stable, and glanced at the silver ring on her finger, a gem embedded inside.
It was bright purple.
What?
She wondered why she wasn't dead after that fight, and her hand fell over her right shoulder, no trace of a cut remained on her delicate skin.
Did Tomoe-san purify my Soul Gem? No way, I thought she'd leave me to die. As she realised it, she grit her teeth together. She was bluffing.
The faint ache was there, but the pain was gone completely. So she got off her bed and got dressed ready for the day ahead.
She was sure it was going to be a hard and interesting one.
Tension was basically coated in the air that morning.
Kyoko couldn't think of a way to make it any more awkward than it already was.
Ever since well… the incident with her and Homura that happened the day before, she'd been especially careful around her, to make sure it never happened again.
But the tension between Homura and Mami was completely uncalled for.
While sitting at the table that morning eating breakfast, it had been so incredibly silent, the quietness was getting to Kyoko very quickly, and it was bothering her like mad.
"Alright." Kyoko growled. She slammed her spoon into the table, creating a dint in the wood. The sudden noise caused Mami and Homura to turn their heads to the red haired girl quickly.
Kyoko watched Mami with careful eyes. "Tell me what happened between you and Homura last night."
Mami's face turned red slightly. "You make it sound inappropriate."
"Don't be so immature."
The two paused.
Mami muttered. "We're hypocrites aren't we?"
Homura glanced at the blonde. "What?"
"I had said the exact same thing to her when I investigated the fight between you and her a few weeks ago."
"Wait a second!" Kyoko's voice rose, she jumped out of her seat. "You guys had a fight?"
Mami nodded simply.
"When?"
"Last night. At 1am."
"What?!"
Mami closed her eyes calmly, ignoring the annoyance in her kohai's voice. "It was for business matters only."
Kyoko slammed her fist on the table frustratingly. "What business?!"
Homura froze, and into her mind filled the memories of the night before, and the very thing she had agreed to.
"We need to know everything about her past and Madoka, in order to continue."
Homura's expression turned pained and she clenched her hand against the table.
I'll have to tell them… won't I?
Daytime.
A break.
Well, a few hours break at least, and then the wraiths would come back when it got dark, and she would have to fight again.
Over and over again.
The girl looked up to watch the sun, letting silver strands of hair fall past her hazel eyes. She stuffed her hands into her jean pockets and walked through the streets.
She looked away from the sun and glanced at the people, she smiled while watching other people bump into each other, and saying sorry so cheerfully it's like they had known each other for years.
But the smile disappeared immediately, knowing that it was all fake.
When was the last time she smiled with real happiness? She couldn't remember anymore.
The silver haired girl wore a blue long sleeve t-shirt, jeans and navy blue sneakers, which were quite warm on her through the warmness of the afternoon sun.
She arrived at a house a few minutes later. It was a one story house with stained glass windows and a brown front door. A veranda was white and old looking, and the bricks were grey. She thought the house was quite ugly. But then again, it was hers.
She walked up the steps and eventually reached the door, her feet stepping on the mat as she wiped her feet. She took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching her hands while doing so. After that she took the doorknob with her surprisingly sweaty hands and opened the door.
Walking down the hallway, the silver haired girl eyed the ugly paintings on the dark red walls as she walked on the brown floorboards. The small but fancy lights illuminated the hallway in a faint yellow glow.
Taking in another deep breath, the girl plastered a fake smile onto her naturally pale lips and registered the feeling of 'happiness' within her mind. She would continue to act it out like an ordinary person knowing that it would never come, she was only lucky she was a good actor as her mother hadn't found out yet.
She turned the corner and walked into the kitchen, the whole room was white, the tiles, cupboards and benches. Except the table, or the 'dining room' was an old fashioned polished brown. Brushing the silver hair from her face, the girl walked towards the benches smiling. "I'm home!"
A young looking woman turned from working at the stove. Her youth was still fresh, with large hazel eyes and long brown hair tied up in a ponytail over her shoulder. Musoka Aoi tilted her head towards her daughter and smiled. "Welcome back Hoshi."
Hoshi walked over to stand beside her mother and looked at the saucepan bubbling. "What are you making?"
Aoi put a finger to her lips and winked. "It's a secret."
Hoshi pouted. "You won't tell me?"
"Nope."
Looking annoyed, the hazel eyed girl playfully punched her mother's arm softly. "No fair Mother."
Hoshi was relieved that her mother was at least comfortable around her. She hadn't seen her a lot lately, and Hoshi was starting to get worried that Aoi would start disliking her, because of how much she went away, on battles with wraiths and all that. But it was all okay now. Aoi didn't seem to be faking her normal personality; she wasn't acting strange, so her mother didn't think any differently of her.
Hoshi paused when she noticed her mother's eventual expression, she was frowning and her hazel eyes looked sad and troubled.
"Moth-"
"Are you going to be here for dinner?"
Hoshi was caught off guard by the question. She lowered her head in shame.
She was wrong.
"I… think I'll be."
"You think you'll be?" Aoi questioned softly. She glanced at her daughter with slightly colder eyes. "Hoshi, you've been gone every night for the past two weeks."
"But I thought you wouldn't worry about it…"
"Of course I'll worry." Aoi said, stirring dinner. "I can't handle you being out there that late at night."
Hoshi looked at her mother sadly. She just doesn't understand. "But I can handle myself, I'm older now and-"
"You're still too young!" Aoi snapped, hazel eyes turning irritated that very moment, surprising Hoshi. Realising she had just snapped at her daughter, Aoi turned away from Hoshi and sighed. "I'm sorry Hoshi, but I can't let you go outside past your curfew anymore."
Hoshi paused. "You've been letting me leave?"
Her mother nodded. "I thought that you'd gone out and met friends or something. But no mother should let their child do that, I'm too soft on you." She looked at Hoshi, bright hazel eyes stern and demanding, completely unlike her ordinary self.
"Never go out after your curfew again please."
Hoshi nodded; intimidated under her mother's threatening aura she was giving. "O-of course."
Aoi smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry Hoshi, I just get really worried."
Hoshi smiled another fake smile. "It's okay, I understand."
"Now go wash up. It's getting dark and dinners almost ready."
Hoshi's smile disappeared. It's getting dark? Looking over her mother's shoulder. She did indeed see that the light was fading quickly outside; the sky was a dark pink. Eyes narrowing slightly, she stared at the dusk.
I'll sneak out after dinner.
"You see…"
Homura paused. Her mind escaped for words.
The three sat in the lounge, Kyoko and Mami sitting across from Homura on the dark brown leather couch, while Homura sat on a small white chair.
Mami smiled reassuringly. "I'm sorry about this. Take your time Akemi-san."
Homura shook her head. "The faster I explain the faster it can be over."
Kyoko held her hands behind her head and watched the raven haired girl with a curious eye. She really couldn't believe Homura was going to tell them her past. And why she was so hesitant about it she could understand. About hearing what happened with the Mami and Homura the night before, Kyoko knew Homura didn't want to be near death again.
The redhead crossed her arms. "Mami's right."
Homura lifted up her head to stare at Kyoko, her usually emotionless eyes were widened slightly at the latter's statement. "Kyoko…"
Kyoko turned her head away from Homura. "Keep talking would ya?"
"Right."
Mami's eyes softened and her smile disappeared. "Take… your time." She whispered so no one could hear.
Homura took a deep breath and clenched her hands against her legs. "Where do I start?" She muttered. She regained her composure slightly, and looked at the two with a sturdy expression.
"… I was a time traveller."
Kyoko froze.
Mami gasped.
"T-Time traveller?" The redhead spat out in disbelief. "Like- in science fiction shit?"
"No." Homura said. "I… never told you wish, did I?"
Mami swallowed, and with a look of confusion, disbelief and nervousness, she shook her head. The raven haired girl sighed.
"I should start from the start." She paused.
"When I was younger, I was diagnosed with a heart condition, and was not able to go to school until a few months ago. I was a nervous wreck and didn't know anything. I felt stupid. But on that day I met a girl, a kind girl, the health officer… On that same day, that same girl and Tomoe-san saved me from an enemy and-"
"Wait. I saved you?" Mami interrupted, making a gesture to herself. "I don't remember any of that, or you being a nervous wreck at that. You never told us about a heart condition."
Kyoko was silent. She wanted to let Homura continue and she was bothered by the blonde's interruption. But she was right. Imagining the cold, reserved and stoic girl being a nervous, stuttering and poor girl with a heart condition was an impossible feat. "Mami, let her explain."
Mami calmed and placed her hands in her lap. She nodded for Homura to continue.
"Well, Tomoe-san and that girl saved me. And they explained everything about magical girls to me. I was so happy to have made some friends, especially that girl. But just as I got to know her…" Homura trailed off and lowered her head, holding off a choke in her tone.
"… She died."
Kyoko's expression softened, and it even held a slight trace of concern. But she knew that all would be explained if she stayed silent.
Mami looked at Homura with sympathy and sadness. "Oh Akemi-san, I'm sorry."
Homura didn't raise her head, and swallowed to get the rising anxiety in her throat to disappear. "I was so upset. I remember crying over her corpse, taking glances at her darkened Soul Gem and her empty expression.
"I wanted her to have lived. And I heard a voice; a voice saying 'would you trade your soul for that wish?' And I decided my wish there and then."
Mami held her hands together in anticipation. "What was it?"
Homura took a deep breath, but didn't give the other two eye contact as she spoke. "I wished that I could go back… and meet her again. I wished… that she wouldn't have to protect me, I would protect her."
Mami's eyes widened, while Kyoko held a brief look of shock before scowling.
"You idiot! You made a wish for someone else? That never works out!"
"No." Homura stated softly, so quietly the girls could hardly hear. "You're right. It never did."
Kyoko leant back in her seat, arms crossed again. Her eyes rested on Homura's slim and arched figure.
Mami sat closer to Homura and comfortingly placed her hand on the latter's. Homura's eyes shot up to meet hers, which were shown in the corners to have small tears. Mami smiled supportively.
"Go on, it's alright."
Homura's eyes softened and she lowered her head slightly so her face was clouded over, but she didn't move from Mami's grip.
"I woke up in the hospital again after. I found out it was the day of my transferring again. And I was so happy. I met that girl again, and showed you and that girl my new powers…"
"Which were?" Mami asked.
Homura hesitated. "I had a shield. A circle shaped shield that was encased over my arm. It had a sand timer inside. I could stop time and go back in time when I pleased, but I only ended up back in the hospital of the day of my transfer. You two were impressed, but said that I wasn't using it right. So I made grenades and attacked with them."
"You didn't have the bow and arrow then." Kyoko stated, but the way she said it made it sound like a question. Homura shook her head in confirmation.
"But soon enough… she died again."
Mami squeezed Homura's hand when she noticed the raven haired girl's voice start to break.
"And I went back again. Next time the girl broke. She and I made a promise, that I would prevent Kyubey from making her a magical girl."
Homura finally let out a sob, multiple quiet sobs emitted from her throat. She tried to cover them up, throat aching.
"I went back once again… and became like this. Distant from everyone that I knew, and everything. I was hell bent on saving her. But she died again." She held a hand to her face.
"I turned back. Over and over again. I've forgotten how many times it was now. Fifty? One-hundred? I can't remember anymore… But I kept on saving her. But I always saw both of you, Miki-san and her die over and over again. Over and over and over and over… And I always failed to save my only friend…"
Homura paused and took in a shuddering breath, and wiped her tears away.
"In the final timeline, things got bad again. The girl found out the truth about everything, and decided to change it. She made a wish… and she disappeared from existence…." She trailed off.
"She's now on a higher plane. As a goddess. The concept of hope." Homura paused.
"The Law of Cycles."
Kyoko gasped, as did Mami.
"Kaname Madoka?" Mami questioned in disbelief. "You were trying to save her… every time?"
Homura nodded. "She finally realised everything I'd done for her. And gave me these ribbons. I am the only one who can remember her to this day, as the universe was rewritten with her laws. New enemies were created, and the magical girls were given hope, salvation…"
Homura lowered her head fully and brought it to her knees, arching her back in the process.
Mami stared in disbelief. "But… that makes no sense. Weren't the wraiths always our enemies? What wish did she make?"
Homura took a moment to regain her composure. She straightened up and looked at them both.
"Madoka's wish… was to erase every single witch before they were born."
Kyoko froze. "Y-You mean, you did know what witches were? You lied to me the entire time?!"
"Akemi-san?"
Homura's gaze drifted back to Mami, who looked at her with worried eyes. "You said Kaname Madoka found out the truth about everything. Does that mean the witches as well? By erasing all witches did she just release of our old enemies but then gave us new ones? That makes no sense."
Homura bit her lip. "I- I can't tell you about that."
Mami frowned. "Why not?"
"If I told you the truth, you would break."
"… What?"
"It always felt cruel to expose you to the truth. You would break, and one time you killed Kyoko and me almost when you found it out. You said it was better to die than to end up…"
"… Like what?" Mami asked softly.
Homura swallowed. She knew that there was no way out.
"... Turning into a witch."
Mami froze. Her eyes turned glassy immediately and her hand felt cold over Homura's. The raven haired girl dreaded this moment. She didn't want to lose Mami now, her companion would have been a great help in the future.
Kyoko grit her teeth together and clenched her fist in frustration. Her crimson eyes held a hurt and upset feeling to them, her whole expression becoming dark with the realisation. "No… no way…"
Mami didn't answer. Her amber eyes held a firm gaze of disbelief as she didn't move an inch.
"You're lying."
"I'm not. As you said, lying would lead to unwanted conflict and distrust; I am also not the one to joke about something so serious." Homura said intensely, echoing the blonde's own words.
"But… that can't be true." Mami's tone was flooded with bitterness and incredulity. The very sound of the blonde's voice made Kyoko uncomfortable.
Mami turned her head to Kyoko, but didn't change her expression. "Kyoko, aren't you affected by any of this?"
The redhead felt discomfort over her senpai's unmovable expression. "Of course I am Mami, that's a stupid questi-"
"What if it happened to Miki-san though?!"
Kyoko froze. "S-Sayaka? What do you mean?"
"What if…" Mami trailed off, her eyes holding traces of despair. "…Miki-san had turned into a witch… in the previous world?"
The redhead's blood and sweat turned cold. "No way…"
"You all did." Homura interrupted, facing away from them. "I watched you all turn into witches; I was unable to do anything about it. Through every timeline Miki Sayaka was doomed to die. To be killed by one of us, be killed by a witch, get her Soul Gem taken away from her and her body rotted, but the main one was her falling into despair and turning into a witch." The raven haired girl said bitterly.
"You were all dispensable back then. I didn't care for any of you truly as my feelings had faded away. I eliminated anyone who hurt Madoka, who made her suffer." The word 'eliminated' rolled off her tongue like a bullet being shot from a gun, it was unexpected and sudden, yet it hurt.
"Including Sayaka?" Kyoko asked coldly, and Homura nodded. The redhead responded with a scowl.
Mami put her head in her hands. She was whispering the world 'no' over and over again, her amber eyes incredibly wide and her forehead dripped with cold sweat. She couldn't tell if her heart was beating fast or slow because of the shock.
"You mean… we are going to save this Goddess so we can get back the previous world? You want us all to turn into witches again? Just so this 'Madoka' can be by your side again?"
"What? No!" Homura exclaimed in shock. "There's no way I'd do that. The old world was hell, but this new world isn't the best either. Although all I want to do is save Madoka from getting overruled by the Reaper!"
Mami didn't answer. Homura couldn't see her eyes, but the blonde's mouth was in a thin line, until she finally spoke.
"So am I going to turn into a wraith Akemi-san?"
"No." Homura said sturdily. "When Magical Girl's die these days there soul is taken by the Law of Cycles before turning into a witch, that's the change that's been made. Madoka would never let us turn into monsters again, that very reason is the reason why she sacrificed herself in the first…" The raven haired girl trailed off.
"But… if the Reaper rules, what will he do that's so bad?"
Homura and Kyoko both shot up the heads to look at Mami with wide eyes. A thick silence embedded the room.
Mami didn't move an inch from her position. "In this world, we still fall into despair and have to fight enemies. What would the Reaper do? Save us from it? Don't you just think we should let him win? Even if he rules we won't turn into witches again, or have to fight. We may even be able to live as normal humans again and change our mistakes. Kyoko would have solved her family problems, Akemi-san would have just gotten over Madoka's death, and I would have refused to go on that car ride, and my family would have been saved. So why are we fighting in the first pla-"
"The Reaper is working with Kyubey!" Homura raised her voice in frustration.
"No he's not. He refused working with Kyubey's plans after the incident with Miki-san. You know that too."
Homura frowned. She did.
Kyoko walked over to the blonde and crouched down beside her. "Mami, the Reaper wouldn't do anything as nice as that. Remember he was going to bring down Madoka so the old world would come back and we'd turn into witches. We'll never be normal again."
Mami listened to her companion. "But if we do fail and the Reaper ends up ruling, with us turning into witches again, it will be a waste."
Mami finally lifted up her head and Kyoko gasped. The blonde's eyes were no longer bright amber, they were a much darker shade and had thick layers of despair and hopelessness embedded inside them.
"Wouldn't it be better if we just died before that happened?"
Kyoko couldn't answer; she was horrified at Mami's words and her face. She couldn't take her eyes off the misery filled face as a tear slipped down the blonde's cheek.
Homura grit her teeth together. She walked over to Mami, face clouded over.
Mami glanced up to meet Homura's eyes as the raven haired girl raised her hand.
The blonde felt a sudden stinging in her cheek and the force of it made her head snap sideways.
"You choose to die just so you'll avoid a fate that you can change with the determination you've made with these years a magical girl?! You're just going to give up knowing that you can change your fate and just die because you can't accept it, and just abandon all those people that you've been living to save?!" Homura exclaimed angrily.
The raven haired girl lowered her hand and glared at Mami with steel hard eyes.
"Don't be absurd."
Mami stared at Homura with wide eyes. Tear tracks ran down her face as the colour came back into her bright amber eyes. She came to her senses in a start, in which her expression became pained and she lowered her head.
"I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me." Mami said quietly.
Kyoko's exhaled in relief when she saw Mami's eyes change back. When she had seen them she felt like they were burning a hole into her heart, her soul. It was like a flame burning a piece of paper, it was quick, and it crumpled easily, with the fire overpowering it. "Thank goodness Mami, you scared me."
"I scared you? How?"
"You just looked really different, that's all."
Mami tried to smile, but she found herself exhausted, and her lips wouldn't curve.
"Are you okay?" Homura asked suddenly, her cold demeanour gone in an instant. Mami glanced up at her again. "With everything I've told you."
Even though it was hard, Mami smiled truthfully and stood up to meet purple eyes. "Yes, I'm fine. I was right, wasn't I?"
"About what?"
"We have the reason to save the Goddess now, our saviour. I know it was hard for you, but for the sake of humanity, you gave up your secrets. It was noble."
Homura's eyes widened slightly. "..Nobility?"
Mami nodded and smiled. "Yes. I'm sure Madoka would be proud of you."
Homura's eyes darted to Kyoko, who had a faint and uneasy smile, although Homura could tell that she agreed with Mami. "She's proud of me?"
"Of course Akemi-san. I'm sure she's watching down right now, happy that people understand you fully."
Homura glanced to the window for a moment. She was curious. And just for a second, she was sure that she could see a bright smile in her mind, and long pink strands of hair floating through the windows, her wonderful glowing eyes and her glorious flapping wind. She thought she could feel the magnificent white gown brush up against her leg, and was surprised when she felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"Akemi-san?"
Homura snapped out of her trance and looked at Mami again, who was looking at her with concern fluttering in her amber eyes.
"Why are you crying?"
"It's too early to give up."
Homura felt a wave of sadness and dread corrupted her body as her best friend's voice echoed in her mind. Some of her last words, her last breaths.
"Sorry- I…" Homura covered her arm with her face, as she knew she was probably making a pained expression. "I need to go."
The raven haired girl ran out of the room, tears sprung into the air and glittered as the light from the sun hit it. Mami and Kyoko were left alone; their minds were radically changed by the new information.
Kyoko glanced out the window. "Hey Mami."
"Yes?"
The dark red light shone on into the room gracefully. "It's nearly dark; we should go out soon and hunt the wraiths."
The door slammed hard, and Homura could feel the walls creak slightly. She felt tears stain her cheek as she pulled the red ribbon from her dark hair.
She looked at it. Madoka had given her both of them, so she tied them together and put them as one in her hair. She didn't put them in pigtails for some reason; she liked the way it was.
Whenever Homura wore them it felt like Madoka was with her again. She swore she could see Madoka's smile again, she could feel her presence, her voice saying in a kind tone that everything would be alright in the end.
Homura knew it was going to be hard telling the girls about everything. Telling every magical girl they met from then on was going to be hard. But she wasn't thinking about that.
In deep emotional pain, Homura leaned her back against the door and slumped down until she could bring her knees to her chest. She clasped the ribbons to her chest as the uncontrollable tears fell from her eyes as sobs racked her thin body.
"Madoka…"
Everything faded to black.
Her eyes blurred. She could see a faint dash of grey and white, but nothing out of the ordinary.
She tried to get her vision to clear, but she felt tears prick at hers eyes and it blurred further. She eventually forced her eyesight to clear up, and she realised where she was.
She was laying side on the pavement, although she could see seaweed green moss in the corners. The bricks looked like they came cut out of a collage, all the pieces were jagged and none were in a straight line.
Her dark hair was spread out across the moss behind her, and she started to panic when she couldn't feel the ribbon on her head. Her purple eyes darted to her hand, which she was surprised to wrapped up in the same ribbon. But when she pulled, she couldn't get free.
Homura glanced around everywhere, trying to get a sense of where she was, until her blood froze when she met familiar golden eyes.
A skinny figure was laying side on a few feet in front of her. Her pink hair was now longer floating, and she no longer had that radiant magical glow. But she didn't need that to be beautiful. Her long white gown was spread across the pavement and the high heels were tipped with small wings.
"M-Madoka!" Homura choked out. "What are you doing here?!"
Madoka smiled weakly. "I can't move Homura-chan."
Homura's heart melted when she heard the goddess say her name again, but she focused on what had just been said. "You can't move? Why?"
"Look."
Homura did indeed look and gasped. Madoka's gloved hands were wrapped to Homura's with the ribbons, which were suddenly incredibly strong.
"How did you get here Madoka?"
"Shush Homura-chan."
"What?"
"How… how are you?"
"Madoka… I am fine but this is not the right situation to be asking me this. We need to get out this."
"Don't worry Homura-chan." Madoka smiled. "Everything will be fine."
Homura's expression softened. "Are- are you sure?"
The Goddess nodded. "I'm sure."
But just as she finished the sentence, the two heard footsteps echo through their ears. A shadow cast over the odd looking pavement.
Homura felt fear course through her body. She recognised that person.
The end of a cloak brushed against Madoka and Homura's arms, and a humourless chuckle escaped the person's lips.
As Homura's blood ran cold, she caught a glance as Madoka's terrified expression before there was the earth shattering sound of breaking glass. The end of a glass decorated staff slammed in between the girl's hands.
The ribbon snapped.
Homura's eyes shot open. Her breathing changed rapidly as she desperately searched for the ribbons. She exhaled in relief when she found they were still in her hands. She tried them back together before tying them back up in her dark hair.
"Madoka…" Homura's mind flashed with the golden eyes, and the smile, and that terrified expression haunted her. What if the Reaper had captured her already? Was she too late?
The stoic girl shook her head, knowing that she was worrying too much.
"I shouldn't let my emotions take over too much." Homura stood and walked over to the window before pulling open the curtains.
It was dusk.
She frowned. Homura knew that it wasn't completely dark, but by the time the girls found the wraiths and came up with a plan it would be dark.
A knock at the door startled her slightly.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal Kyoko, who was casually standing at the doorway. "Hey Homura, you 'kay now?"
Homura nodded, faintly touched that her companions had been worrying. Realising that her cheeks were still wet, she wiped them. "I'm fine now, don't worry."
Kyoko half-grinned. "That's good, cause we're leavin' soon to get the wraiths. There's gonna be a lot tonight, considering we didn't hunt last night, also Tokyo's a pretty damn big city."
Homura nodded again, before frowning. "Kyoko, I need to ask you something."
"What?"
"We had that battle once, over you not trusting me. You said before it that you might be faking everything, just to get the grief seeds. That's not true." Homura deliberately made the last sentence sound more like a question.
Kyoko laughed quietly. "You remember that? Nah, I was just joking."
"It didn't seem like you were joking."
The redhead's smile disappeared. "Okay, I didn't know what came over me, that's all." She paused. "Can we drop it now?"
Homura nodded, and walked past Kyoko into the hall.
"Let's go Kyoko, Tomoe-san will be waiting for us."
The cold wind blew through Hoshi's silver hair, the grey scarf drifting along with the wind. The sky was almost midnight blue and it was nearly dark. Hoshi didn't look back at the house as she sprinted, she felt guilty neglecting her mother, but there was nothing else she could have done.
While she ran, she looked up at the sky. Many faint stars were forming among the darkness. Her little spots of hope. The moon was appearing too, a crescent moon, it was slim and curved, naturally.
As usual, Hoshi had the plan all thought out. There was a different one for each night. This time she would set up the trap at the bridge, and then fight the wraiths, leading them into the trap. There they would be completely and utterly immobilised, so she could kill them and get the grief seeds.
Hoshi wasn't a defender of justice. She wasn't going out every night to save people. Nor was she a selfish magical girl, who let wraiths grow for her own benefit. She believed that both paths would get her nowhere.
All Hoshi wanted to do was not to die. She wanted to live forever and see the end of the world if she had to. All to avoid just that one thing…
A loud bang interrupted her thoughts. Looking up, she realised the sky had darkened and it was night. The wraiths had appeared and the only light she had was the lamp posts.
But she wasn't worried. Even though she had no light to work with, she knew that she would be fine.
Just.
Fine…
Shaking her head, Hoshi held out her hand. A silver ring formed into a midnight blue gem. In a flash of silver light she changed. She now donned a knee length silver dress, which was covered in swirly embroidery down the bottom. Light blue sleeves were parted from the dress that went from her shoulders to her wrists. She wore a navy blue beret' on her head and white ballet flats on her feet. Silk flowed down from her back down to the ground, but it wasn't distracting to her. A quite large star shaped gem was encased on a gold frame on a tight bracelet around her right hand. With a quick gesture of her left arm, a shining gold staff formed. It wasn't short, about the size of a sword, but it was effective. Hoshi held the staff above her head as a bright white light formed from it.
Focussing all her power, large wings sprung from her back. Feathered white bird wings that spread out. Flapping them a few times, Hoshi was lifted off the ground and shot through the air like a bullet.
The wind pierced her pale skin and knocked her fringe back, in which her hazel did not glow. Hoshi did not feel any excitement. In fact she felt sad. Of course she always felt like that, but whenever she used her powers it always remembered her of her wish, and that hurt her.
Hoshi was the only magical girl in Tokyo as she knew. She had companions before, but they had all had their souls taken by the 'Law of Cycles' because they either used up all their magic or fell into despair for some reason. Hoshi never knew because nobody ever told her.
She had no friends. Hoshi had had no friends since she became a magical girl. She had locked herself up in her room for a few weeks. Until she finally had start hunting otherwise she would have died. She never got to meet up with friends anymore because of her magical girl duties, and she grew distant from them. She now had no one except her mother, as her father had died when she was younger.
Wondering why she was thinking about it, Hoshi snapped herself out of her thoughts once she reached the bridge. She flew down but decided to fold her wings back instead of getting them to disappear. The bridge was right near the end of town over a river, and arched over the water. Hoshi knew it was going to be easy so she could go fight that nights wraiths and get home, so she got started.
Swirling her staff around, the hazel eyes girl muttered a spell under her breath and the staff glowed. Suddenly gold lengths of what seemed like thick goo spread across the entrance of the bridge under her. Once it was all finished the colour faded so it was transparent.
Hoshi flew down to look at it. She reached her hand out and tried to feel it, her hand slipped right through, and it felt like air. Satisfied with herself, Hoshi started flying to where she knew the wraiths were.
Although she was satisfied with her work, she wasn't smiling.
There was a rushing sound of a blade cutting air.
In an instant, something slipped back Kyoko's head and slammed into the three behind her.
Kyoko dropped the grief seeds immediately, her widened eyes turning angry. She scowled and pulled the dagger from the tree.
Mami gasped when blood dripped from Kyoko's ear, as a deep cut had formed inside.
"Kyoko! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine." Kyoko growled, but not to her. She spun her spear and slammed it into the pavement below her. "Just a little shaken, that's all."
Kyoko threw the dagger at Homura, who caught the blade between her fingers before tossing it into the air and grabbing the handle.
The skin in Kyoko's ear knitted back together as she winced slightly. She pulled the spear tip out of the ground and spun it continuously, cutting the air with the large and sharp blade.
"These grief seeds are someone else's." Mami stated.
"Obviously." Kyoko said, glaring at the bushes where the dagger had come from. The park they were standing in was large and deserted, a forest was surrounding them.
Homura threw the dagger at the bushes, and wasn't surprised when there was no sound after that. Someone had caught out.
"Please come out." Mami said. "We'll leave your grief seeds alone, it was your kill."
There was a thick silence in the night air. Before there was a sound of rustling bushes and the person stepped out.
It was a girl, with short silver hair a hazel eyes. She wore a silver dress which had silk running from the back. On her wrist was a star shaped midnight blue coloured gem. She held the dagger in her hand, which started to glow and grow bigger. When the light faded it was a gold staff. Her expression was unreadable. It wasn't a glare or a frown, it was just a stare.
"Other magical girls…" The girl said; her voice was light and easy to get her emotions from. "Where did you come from?"
"Mitakihara." Mami answered. "We've come to Tokyo for specific reasons, not for a turf war or anything."
Hazel eyes darted around three girls. A redhead, a blonde, a brunette. She thought. They seem confident, they must be veterans.
Homura stepped up. "This was your kill, correct?"
The silver haired girl nodded. "I'm sorry for hurting your ally, but my soul gem has been thick with corruption lately."
Kyoko shrugged. "It'd be stupid to worry about something like this. You were protecting your grief seeds, I can understand that. It's just a scratch anyway."
"What's your name?" Mami asked.
She hesitated. "Musoka Hoshi."
Mami smiled. "Tomoe Mami. These two are Akemi Homura and Sakura Kyoko, my allies."
Hoshi's expression softened. "Oh. It's nice to meet you three."
"Do you fight alone?" Homura asked.
"Yes. I had companions, but they died a short while ago. I'm the only magical girl in Tokyo."
"The only one? But Tokyo is a large city, you couldn't defeat them all."
"I don't." Hoshi said with brutal honesty. "I can't fight them all every night, and some hurt people, but I can't avoid it."
Mami closed her eyes in an expression of hurt. What she had said reminded her of how she had to abandon everyone in Mitakihara. If she had to sacrifice a few people to save many, she knew that it was upsetting but it was better the way it was.
The silence was interrupted by Hoshi turning to the side. "I'm sorry because we have just introduced, I have a plan set up, and I need to see get it going."
Mami took and step forward and reached her arm out, eyes slightly wider. "Wait Musoka-san! Can we help in any way?"
Kyoko faltered. "Wait a sec! I never said I was helping her!"
"But we need grief seeds, all of us have none left and we need them desperately now." Homura informed her.
Hoshi understood, and her face held a momentarily saddened look. But then her face lit up slightly when she realised something. "I've got a trap set up on the bridge up ahead. It will be hard for me to distract them; you can help me if you want."
Mami smiled. "We'll help you Musoka-san!"
Kyoko sighed. "Fine, if it means getting more grief seeds."
Homura nodded and looked at Hoshi with an emotionless stare. "Thank you for letting us help."
Hoshi felt a shiver run down her spine at the look the stoic girl was giving her. It was like those emotionless purple eyes were burning into her soul. She knew it was far-fetched the way she described it, but she knew that girl must have been through a lot to end up like that.
Clearing her throat, Hoshi faced away from them. "You should stand back… and close your eyes."
The three obeyed, and Hoshi raised her staff. A white light emitted from it, and from her back formed the large bird wings, the white feathers that fell floated around in the wind.
When Kyoko, Homura and Mami opened their eyes they were staring in awe at the sight before.
"Geez, how many powers do you have?" Kyoko spat out.
"This staff can change into multiple weapons, and has multiple powers attached to it as well." Hoshi said casually, not thinking once about how concealing the information of her powers would be good for her.
"Oh." Kyoko said simply, not actually expecting Hoshi to tell her.
Hoshi looked up at the night sky. "I'm going to go after them along the bridge, can any of you fly?"
"I can." Homura said. "But the others cannot. If it's desperate I usually carry them."
Mami laughed nervously. "Don't worry Kyoko and I are perfectly capable of going catching up to you two."
Hoshi nodded. "I'll be off then, follow me." Taking a step, her wings flapped tremendously as she flew up into the air with speed.
Homura closed her eyes and her wings formed behind her, still as radiant as ever. "I'll meet you two at the bridge." And with that she shot off to follow Hoshi.
Hoshi and Homura flew through the air side by side through the night wind. While there was nothing happening, Homura caught a glimpse of Hoshi's face.
She had almost unnatural pale skin that was not hidden in the dark. Her bright hazel eyes were covered with strands of her light silver hair. Homura was guessing that she was about fourteen or fifteen. Hoshi held an unreadable expression as she looking down on the wraiths who were following them, blades and all. Apart from that, Homura could see something in her eyes. Dashes of sadness, despair, no positive emotions were in there. Although there was something in there that still held the expression of a playful child, but not the good kind. Homura could tell that she just wanted to get away from everything. She knew because she had that same look whenever she looked in the mirror.
"We're close Akemi-san."
Homura was snapped out of her thoughts when Hoshi talked. Her eyes moved to the arched bridge. "Your trap is here? I can't see anything."
"It's made of goo like substance; I deliberately made it invisible so the wraiths wouldn't notice it. It covering the entrance of the bridge."
The two reached the bridge in little time, landing on the edge as their wings disappeared.
"All we have to do is wait now." Hoshi said as she folded her arms.
I wonder how the others have gotten here. Homura thought. She paused when the caught a glimpse of yellow. When it came closer it was revealed to be Mami, swinging on branches of trees quickly with her long yellow ribbons. She looked to the other side of the river and saw Kyoko sprinting, her hair flowing behind her.
Hoshi's eyes darted to them momentarily before going back to the wraiths again. "Akemi-san! They're coming!"
Homura followed Hoshi's gaze. The wraiths were heading closer and closer to the bridge with their slow movements making them at least a few meters away from the trap. Homura caught Mami and Kyoko's gaze and gave them a 'stop' hand gesture.
None of them dare talk, as anticipated silence filled the air. All of a sudden there was a snapping sound, and the faint groans of wraiths filtered through the silence. Hoshi and Homura jumped down to meet the others.
Kyoko and Mami jumped down and landed in the water with Hoshi and Homura. Around sixty wraiths were tied up with the same goo like substance Hoshi had described, it was glowing. Mami looked impressed.
"So your attack skills are low so you use traps so your enemies can be immobilised? That's clever." Mami smiled. The compliment made Hoshi's face turn red momentarily.
"Can you please get out your weapons?" Hoshi asked. "If we kill them all together, I'll split the grief seeds with you."
Kyoko sighed as a spear formed in her hand. Mami took off her hat and two muskets fell from them. Homura materialised her bow and arrow.
Hoshi glanced at their weapons before back at the wraiths. She tossed up her golden staff, it glowed and when she caught it it had changed to a katana. "Ready?"
"Ready." The three said in unison.
Homura pulled the string back, watching a purple flame erupt in the air. With no hesitation, she let go.
Kyoko and Hoshi immediately leapt towards the wraiths and slashed them in half, while Mami fired her muskets calmly and with precision.
In a matter of seconds the wraiths had been defeated. All that was left was a pile of grief seeds and smoke that was spreading around the girl's feet.
Hoshi walked over and picked up the grief seeds, she parted them before throwing equal amounts to Homura, Kyoko and Mami. "I hope this will do you good." She said.
Kyoko noticed the vacant expression on the silver haired girl's face. She didn't look bored, just sick of something. Like she was sick of hiding something that she just let out at this random moment.
The three transformed into their casual clothes, their soul gems forming as rings once again. Hoshi took the hint and transformed back as well, her magical girl clothes fading away. She wore a light blue long sleeved t-shirt that was quite snug but fitted, it emphasised her skinny body.
Mami's eyes widened. The snug t-shirt made her stomach seen, but the blonde wasn't sure if there was one. Her blood ran cold once she saw the very noticeable bumps forming out of her shirt. Or rather her skin. Ribs. Mami thought with a shiver.
Homura and Kyoko noticed too, but decided not to show it on their faces.
Hoshi sighed, as if letting off some steam and turned to the three magical girl's before them. She smiled cheerfully. "I'm sorry about being so cold earlier, please forgive me!"
Mami, Kyoko and Homura froze inwardly. It was not because of the girl's drastic attitude change, it because of her smile. They had lived for a long time, and when they looked in the mirror, they saw the exact thing this girl was emitting.
The smile was faked.
Noticing their silence, Hoshi stepped closer. "Is something wrong?"
Mami smiled. "No, nothing at all."
Hoshi giggled. "You all looked dumbstruck for a second there."
Homura frowned, eyebrows furrowing. The laugh sounds just like Madoka's… She glanced back at Hoshi, watching her talk cheerfully with Mami. She would be very similar to Madoka, if her happiness wasn't fakery.
Homura looked at Kyoko. The redhead's face was shadowed over with her bangs, preventing anyone from seeing her expression.
"I forgot to say, thanks a lot for your help. It would have been very hard to lure them here without your help." Hoshi said, her gratitude was real this time.
Homura decided not to say anything about her phony pleasure, just to get away from any early conflict that they didn't need.
But obviously Kyoko didn't have the same idea. She lifted up her head and walked towards Hoshi. "Hey, you."
Hoshi looked at Kyoko. "What is it?"
"You… You're…" Kyoko trailed off, desperately fighting for words.
Mami knew where this was going. She grabbed Hoshi's shoulders and turned her to face the blonde. "I just thought of something Musoka-san!" She clapped her hands together. "Do you want to come over to our place for tea and cake? We're currently living in a hotel because we're travelling."
Hoshi's face lit up. Until she realised something and her expression softened, showing sadness. "I'd love to, but I wouldn't like to worry my mother."
Mami's smiled disappeared. "Your mother?"
"Yes. Ever since I became a magical girl two years ago I've been going out every night. She's gotten really worried and this night told me never to go over my curfew again. So…" She chuckled humourlessly. "… I think I've started to angry her. I'm sorry Tomoe-san, I can't go."
Mami's smiled warmly, it was filled with understanding. Of course she didn't share those issues. But she knew what it would be like, and it felt sad. "That's alright. Maybe another time?"
"Sure!"
Homura stepped forward. She was pleased with meeting a new magical girl, but for her own reasons. "I think she should come over tomorrow Tomoe-san."
Judging by Homura's tone of voice, Mami could tell that she meant business, not pleasure.
Hoshi could tell as well. "What do you want to talk about?"
Homura was almost taken off guard. Almost. "We're travelling for very important reasons, involving magical girls. If we offer something to you, will you accept?"
"Not until I know what it is of course. The guidelines are important too. If I don't ask if anything harsh comes with the price, I might get hit with it."
Homura studied Hoshi's words, and her eyes widened. She had just sounded exactly like the Incubator, with Hoshi helping her realise it by saying her words the way she did.
"That's not what I meant- I meant that-"
"I know, don't worry Akemi-san." Hoshi smiled. "I'll go over tomorrow, and us three can talk."
Homura felt herself wincing. She hated looking at fake smiles, as she had spent most of her life trying to save someone with a real one. She turned her back to Hoshi. "Thank you, we'll see you tomorrow."
As she walked away, Mami sighed. "Sorry about Akemi-san, she's just a little hostile to others. Especially today, she's had a hard afternoon."
Hoshi nodded. "I understand that."
Kyoko turned. "Come on Mami, it's late."
Mami smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I have to go Musoka-san. It was nice meeting you."
With a smile, Hoshi waved goodbye to the magical girls as they walked away on the path next to the river.
With her completely alone, Hoshi let the false smile slip from her lips as she let her sneakers soak in the water. She moved her gaze to the stars, eyes blank.
"I might get friends Father." She said softly to herself. "But… I'll lose them again."
Hoshi formed her Soul Gem in her hand and pulled out her staff. It glowed before it changing into a gun. Face shadowed over with her fringe, Hoshi pointed the gun at her midnight blue Soul Gem, and her finger hovered over the trigger.
After a couple of seconds, Hoshi dropped the gun and it hit the ground. It changed back into a staff before being absorbed into her Soul Gem.
"No, I can't do that." Hoshi said softly. She raised the grief seeds to the gem and it purified, she slight cloudiness in the gem disappeared. But it was still the same dark colour it usually was. Any other magical girl would have seen it and thought her Soul Gem was corrupted, but it wasn't really.
Grief Seeds fully used, Hoshi crushed them in her fist before opening her hand. She pieces of debris disappeared into the streaming water.
Hoshi stared at her Soul Gem with her hazel eyes. A thought crossed her mind in a second. Could she crush her Soul Gem in her fist too? It's better not to try it… I don't want to end up being up there.
Hoshi slugged through the rushing water and up the hill leading to the path. The bottom of her jeans and sneakers were soaked. She glanced at her stomach, and cursed in her mind for not noticing her ribs were easily seen. Those through would have noticed too... She sighed. It was unavoidable…
Hoshi started to walk to her house, the street lamps illuminated her and in her mind her footsteps seemed to be echoing in her ears. The shadows twisted in front of her. Her hazel eyes were now dark and blank, not noticing any of it. Her eyes were only set on her home.
I don't get it… my Soul Gem isn't corrupted… why is this happening?
Hoshi staggered her last steps towards the house. She grabbed the window of her bedroom like it was a life support. She forced it open and walked into her room. Her body was swaying and the blood pumped in her ears.
She was finally unable to keep herself standing and fell onto the bed side. Her head collided with the bedside table, and much to her relief, she was knocked unconscious.
I'm home now…
A/N: I don't really what to say about this chapter, but it took a damn long time to write, one thousand words over the limit as well.
Well Hoshi is introduced. Yeah…..making OC's isn't really my game, and it's hard too. I've got the character all thought out and everything. Also 'Hoshi' means 'star' in Japanese, I just felt like saying that…
Let me rephrase what I said in the previous chapter. I ship crack pairings! KyoHomu, HomuSaya, KyoMado…. So anyone who hates me for saying I don't ship KyoHomu (one person in particular) their opinion of me has changed!
I am not a heartless bitch!
Anyway, with that covered up, I might not be able to update for a while. I'll be on a trip and might not have the computer all the time. And everything…
Also over sixty reviews!
Everyone, thanks for coming out! *slams grojband door*
A/N:
Let me rephrase the comment I made in the previous chapter. I ship KyoHomu both romantically and platonically. I like crack pairings, as well as official ones and totally canon ones! (kyosaya). I ship a lot of pairings in PMMM. Like HomuMado, KyoSaya, KyoMami (platonically), KyoHomu, KyoMado and now HomuSaya thanks to subtext in the rebellion movie and a single panel in the rebellion manga. Long story short, I like Yuri.