As usual, thanks to Desdendelle and Karrin Blue for helping out and betaing.
I know, I am late again with the new chapter. I kinda wanted to post it October 3rd, Madoka's birthday, but I didn't manage to do it. I missed October 26th too, the day of the premiere of the Madoka Magica Rebellion movie too.
Speaking of it, a series of events caused me to go look for spoilers about the movie, despite the fact that I had decided to avoid them as much as possible in order to better enjoy the movie.
My end reaction was this:
FUCK YOU, GEN UROBUCHI AND AKIYUKI SHINBO.
[WARNING: SPOILERS]
The plot of the majority of the movie is confusing but interesting, with Kyubey basically force-Witching Homura to lure Madokami in a trap and steal her powers. Homura is apparently in a fake world of her own, but Madoka manages to stage an awesome rescue. Now we would expect a good end, like Madoka taking Homura with her in godhood, right? That's what Urobuchi wanted to do, too!
Wrong. Akiyuki Shinbo wanted an ending that allowed for a sequel, and gave Urobuchi this suggestion: "Make Madoka and Homura enemies."
This led to Madoka rescuing Homura too late. The poor girl had already snapped, and somehow the experience caused her to become another goddess-like being. Homura rewrites the universe, slaughters all the Incubators, and forces Madoka into being the shy transfer student. Despite being still Madokami, thanks to the fact that Homura is not only more powerful than her, but can also manipulate the entire universe at her will Including changing Madoka's memories and suppressing her powers. All to forcefully "save" Madoka by preventing her from developing a spine in the first place. And since Madoka's obviously not very happy about it, Homura apparently starts to consider her her own enemy, too.
Yes, in the end the resident goddess in an insane 14 years old girl, who's keeping the other goddess, along the rest of the universe, in a leash. Way to destroy a great series, and Homura's character too - the girl who selflessly put herself through one of the worst time loop in fiction history just to save her own friend, without caring about her own life, CAN'T BECOME SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
Not to mention that Homura is pretty much slated to become the villain in any sequel work. Judging by the progression here, I don't have any hope in her recovering her sanity and doing an Heel Face Turn.
If the third movie was a fanfiction... I'd spork it with a PPC mission.
[END OF SPOILERS]
Of course, I now feel compelled to write a Fix Fic, but I also realize something - the plot of IrregularS as it is can be considered one, and also prevents the third movie from taking place in my universe. From now on, IrregularS is to be considered not only a "What If" fic, but a Fix Fic too.
Hear me, Gen Urobuchi and Akiyuki Shinbo. I reject your canon. I'll write my own. I'll give Homura, Madoka and everyone else a true happy ending. Because there is only one possible answer to what you did: yurusenai. Followed by a Starlight Breaker to the face.
I might forgive you if the new series, movie or whatever has an acceptable ending. And by "acceptable", I mean that I want the world to be a decent place and Homura and Madokato be both alive, sane, being able to see each other as often as they want and at least friends. Living together and a deep-in-love couple would be my preferred outcome, but as long as you fix the movie's ending is fine to me.
... I feel much better now that I let out all of it.
Chapter Six - Enemy Mine
Kyoko grinned as the Barrier around her faded. The last fight went better than expected: a Familiar had just transformed into a Witch, and as a result it was still too weak to be of any danger to the experienced Puella Magi.
Kyoko slipped a Pocky in her mouth as she walked towards the Grief Seed. Another one for her reserve, and her Gem was still very bright. That evening was going to be fruitful.
Kyoko stopped just before touching the Grief Seed. The red-haired girl felt like she was being observed, summoning a spear as she turned around.
However, she relaxed slightly as she recognized the blonde girl in front of her. "We're a bit far from your territory, aren't we?"
"Don't worry, Kyoko," Mami reassured her, "I'm not hunting now. Eastern Uminari is your territory, after all."
Kyoko gave her a puzzled look. "Damn straight it is. But I don't think you're here just to chit-chat, aren't you?"
Mami sighed. "That's true. There's trouble in my part of the city."
Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "And what does it have to do with me? If someone is trying to take away your territory, it's your problem."
The red-haired Puella Magi turned away, spear on her shoulders. Mami decided to not give in to the provocation. "I'm not sure that they want to take my territory, but they are a menace to both me and you."
Kyoko glanced at Mami, and managed to raise her eyebrow a little bit more.
"Wait a minute here. A team attacked you, but they didn't do it for territory? And why would they be after me too? Mami, you aren't making much sense right now," Kyoko smirked, "and that's pretty unusual for you."
"Mami Tomoe is currently dealing with three irregulars."
Kyubey had appeared on top of a waste bin, wiggling his tail nonchalantly.
"Three irregulars? Weren't those supposed to be, y'know, irregular?" Kyoko asked. Both she and Mami had heard stories about girls with unusual contracts, but the red-haired girl always dismissed them as urban legends.
"Two of them actually cannot be classified as Puella Magi. In fact, I can't explain what they are. About the third one, we can say that I simultaneously did and didn't make a contract with her."
"Jeez, is everyone out to screw with me today?" Kyoko complained as she started to walk away. "Anyway, I already said it. Your territory, your problem."
"And what if I say that they are helping out Witches?" Mami asked.
Kyoko raised an eyebrow again. "Then, my opinion is that all those cakes finally rotted your brain, and you're imagining things. C'mon, we need the Grief Seeds to keep using our powers!"
"They violently oppose me, and such a behavior obviously helps Witches to prosper."
"I'm not asking you to help me right away," Mami said with a serious tone, "but at least come once at my house to discuss the situation in detail with the two girls Kyubey is scouting."
Kyoko smirked. "Mami-sempai is back, I see."
"So? Will you come?"
"No." Kyoko answered drily while walking away.
"Speaking of cakes, I made my special one." Mami said with a smile.
Kyoko stopped. "The one with black cherries?"
Mami's smile widened. "And chocolate chips."
Kyoko was tempted.
Homura stared in curiosity at Nanoha, who was doing her math homework with ease. In fact, with so much ease that most of her her mind was actually busy with a training simulation created by Raising Heart. It was a really interesting ability, as it allowed to experiment with spells without actually expending magic.
The Puella Magi looked at the sheets in front of her. As she had already finished all her homework (having received the same problems five times before), Homura was trying to learn some Mid-Childan style magic, or at least the theory behind it. Having an alternate way to attack her enemies would help her, especially since her last defeat at the hands of Walpurgisnacht happened mostly because she had run out of weapons.
"Do you need any help, Homura-chan?" Nanoha asked, looking away from her simulation.
"No, thank you. This Barret Shoot spell is rather easy to understand," Homura said. She looked up thoughtfully, and then looked at her cousin. "Can you show it to me sometime, though? Seeing it in action would help me a lot."
Nanoha looked at her Device. "Uhm... Raising Heart, do you think you can link with Homura-chan's Soul Gem to make her enter the training simulation? Lindy said that it's a sort of Device."
[It should be possible, Master. Analyzing the Device-like equipment.]
For about a minute, the Device just floated in front of Homura's left hand, apparently scanning her Soul Gem. Afterwards, Raising Heart flew back to Nanoha. [Simulation ready, Master. Do you want to send the new data gathered to the Asura?]
"Yes, thank you. Begin simulation." Nanoha answered. She was quite curious about what Raising Heart discovered, but she could ask about it later.
Homura could only gasp in amazement as she found herself floating in a bright, boundless sky. She was also in her Puella Magi garb, although the gem on her left hand was opaque and dull.
[Sensing and movement links rerouting successful.]
Homura turned towards the direction from which Raising Heart's voice arrived. Nanoha was there in full Barrier Jacket, holding on her Device's Axel Form. The Puella Magi realized that she had entered the simulation, and so the strange-looking Soul Gem on her hand was just a 3D model.
The mage was apparently quite puzzled by what her Device said instead. "Uh, what links are you talking about, Raising Heart?"
[There are several links connecting the Device-like equipment to Homura Akemi's body. I was able to intercept and reroute the necessary ones to the simulated body.]
Nanoha blinked. "Raising Heart, when did you learn how to hack?"
In the meantime, the scientists on the Asura were already working on the data sent by Raising Heart. While the analysis would probably go on for several hours, the data as it was was enough to draw a shocking conclusion.
"When Miss Akemi talked about the soul-extracting process, I was skeptical at first," the chief scientist said to Admiral Lindy, "however, this data shows that's very close to the truth. Somehow, the Incubators managed to extract not only the Linker Core, but the very consciousness of those girls, too. It might be the very reason why their Linker Cores keep working when out of the bodies. "
The admiral leaned back on her chair, and sighed. "So, a Puella Magi is nothing but a lich?"
"Puella Magi are much more advanced than the liches we know, but basically yes. In this field, the Incubators are apparently far more advanced than us. However, if we manage to reverse-engineer the process..."
"We might be able to turn back those girls into normal humans." Lindy completed for him.
It wasn't much, reverse-engineering takes a lot of time and the admiral knew it. But even that little glimmer of hope could help change the fate of a world.
Homura observed the magic circle slowly forming under Nanoha's feet. The mage was doing the calculations manually in order to let her cousin better understand the process.
"Now that the calculations are done, the circle is ready and I can start gathering mana for the spell itself," she explained. Nanoha outstretched her left arm towards a training target, and a small mana proiectile appeared near her palm. "Barret Shoot!"
The projectile hit the target in the center, making it disappear.
"Try it yourself!" Nanoha said encouragingly. Homura took a deep breath (or, rather, her "virtual" body did) and concentrated on the calculations, making a purple circle appear at her feet.
The Puella Magi put her hands in a gun shape and gathered mana just in front of the finger "barrel".
"Good! Now just aim at a target and shoot it!" Nanoha said
Homura nodded, and aimed carefully using her experience with firearms. "Barret Shoot."
The purple projectile hit a target squarely in the centre. Nanoha smiled and flew closer to her, the only reason why she wasn't jumping up and down from happiness being the fact that she was already flying. "Great job, Homura-chan! You got it with your first shot!"
Homura looked down. "Actually, Nanoha... I'm afraid magic ballistics are different from those of firearms."
"What do you mean, Homura-chan?" Nanoha asked, tilting her head slightly.
The Puella Magi's finger pointed at a target about fifty feet from the one she actually hit. "I was aiming at that one."
"It's alright! I will train you thoroughly!" Nanoha said with enthusiasm. A little too much enthusiasm, perhaps.
Homura gulped. She had a bad feeling about it.
Sayaka stared at the redhead sitting next to Mami. The girl seemed to have a bottomless stomach, as she was already going for her third slice of cake.
The blue-haired girl couldn't blame her though. Mami's cake of the day was absolutely delicious.
"Madoka, Sayaka, this is Kyoko," Mami said as her friend was too busy eating to introduce herself, "we used to fight together, but we had... different views about tactics."
"Goldilocks here just wouldn't stop wasting magic by going after lone Familiars," Kyoko said with a shrug, earning a glare from the blonde girl.
Sayaka got up from the cushion she was sitting on. "Hey! Aren't we supposed to kill them to protect people?"
Kyoko opened her mouth to answer her, but Mami coughed to politely catch the attention of both.
"We're not here for discussing about whether we should kill Familiars or not. We have a bigger problem on hand now."
"Precisely," Kyubey said as he appeared from nowhere again, "the current situation is less than optimal. With the three irregulars around, the entire operation is at risk."
Madoka raised an eyebrow slightly. Operation was a term more suited for medical or military settings, but both Mami and Kyoko didn't show any hint of reaction. Then again, Kyubey had a strange speech pattern on his own, so probably it wasn't anything noteworthy.
"Yeah, yeah," Kyoko rebutted," we have to get rid of them, got it. Still, what's so special about them, aside the whole being irregulars thing?"
Madoka stiffened. Get rid of them...?
"Takamachi is a long ranger, she uses mainly energy attacks but also has good shields and binds," Mami said, cupping her chin in her hands, "but the most interesting ability she has is the ability to fly."
Sayaka tilted her head. "Wait, aren't all Magical Girls capable of flying?"
With a grin, Kyoko leaned towards Sayaka. "Sounds like someone watched too much anime today."
"While nearly every Magical Girl can do impressive jumps, proper flight is a very rare," Mami explained, "and on top of that, Takamachi's combat skills are impressive."
Kyoko smiled and leaned back. "Looks like this one is no slouch. Good thing I love challenges. And what about the other two?"
"About Testarossa, I only know that she uses what looks like an energy scythe and is really fast."
Mami sighed as she remembered how little effort Fate had taken to cut in half one of her muskets and bring the scythe at her neck. "I have no knowledge whatsoever about Akemi, though."
"Uhm... What if we try to talk it over first?" Madoka asked, "I've been a classmate of Nanoha-chan for about a year now, and she always seemed to be a nice person..."
The pink-haired girl was starting to be worried. The discussion was taking the direction of a plan to attack Nanoha, Fate and Homura.
"Yeah, but she and Fate spent more time around the world than in school!" Sayaka rebutted, "who knows what they were up to during all that time! I bet they're agents from an evil kingdom sent in to kill all magical girls in order to make the world fall into darkness!"
Madoka and Mami stared at her eyes wide open while Kyoko started laughing hard. "I was right about you watching too much anime!"
"No more TvTropes for you, Sayaka-chan," Madoka said with a deadpan tone.
"Yes," Mami agreed, "that site will ruin your life."
Fate stared at Nanoha and Homura. The Puella Magi was staring at her cousin in shock, who in turn was staring at Raising Heart.
"Just... just what happened here?" Fate asked. When she entered the room, she didn't expect that much staring.
"... T-training." Homura managed to say without averting her stare from Nanoha. Fate sighed.
"Nanoha, you did it again, didn't you?... Wait, is there something wrong with Raising Heart?"
"She hacked Homura-chan's Soul Gem and provided a complete analysis of it to the Asura in under a minute." Nanoha said without averting her stare from the Device.
The blonde mage stared at it too, wondering if Raising Heart had started to become as reality-defying as her owner. After all, Nanoha was the one who found a way to recycle spent mana at nine years old.
Or had it been the other way round? The exact origins of Raising Hearts were unknown, so what if she was a Lost Logia?
Fate shivered at the implications of such a possibility. She also decided that she wasn't going to have any staring contest anywhere soon.
Madoka descended the stairs leading to the living room of the Kaname residence. It was already past midnight, but the pink-haired girl just couldn't fall asleep.
Madoka sighed in relief as she noticed that her mother, sitting at the table with a glass of liquor in front of her, didn't look drunk yet.
"Is something worrying you?" Junko asked. Madoka gave her a puzzled stare.
"It's unusual to see you not smiling, or awake past eleven. So, what's the matter?"
Madoka sat in front of her mother and sighed. "I'm worried about Sayaka-chan. She and a couple other girls are... quarrelling with some of our classmates."
"Oh?" Junko said, "and the reason?"
"Well..." Madoka started, trying to find a way to convey the situation without saying anything about Kyubei or Magical Girls, "Sayaka-chan and the others think that the other group is against them, but I don't think Nanoha and her friends have ill intentions..."
"So Nanoha too is involved in this? How strange..."
Junko sipped from her glass as she recalled the couple of times Nanoha had come over to help Madoka and Sayaka studying for the term's finals. She was a cheerful but polite girl, and in no way someone who would indulge in petty rivalries.
"The truth is, I think that it is something they can resolve by talking it over, but-"
"But Sayaka didn't listen to you when you proposed that, right?" Junko interrupted her, "I know both you and Sayaka good enough. I'm sure she's going all 'They're the evillest girls ever!'"
Junko looked at the ceiling and waved her hands in a perfect imitation of the blue-haired girl, causing her daugher to laugh.
"Yes, that's what happened," Madoka confirmed, "and I don't know what to do, since I don't know who is right."
Junko smiled softly. "It's not that easy, Madoka. The world isn't all black and white. Sometimes, both sides have their own reasons, along with their own mistakes."
"Uh?" Madoka said a she looked at her mother in puzzlement.
"I'll make an example," Junko explained, "there are two different companies that make... Well, the exact product isn't relevant. They both care about people think about their products and want to provide them the best possible one, but they also want to drive the other company off the market. Do you think that they are good or evil?"
"I... don't know. A bit of both?" Madoka answered.
"That's a good answer," Junko said as she took another sip, "and this is also Sayaka's problem. Since she was little, she always sorted stuff into good and bad, without realizing that there is no such thing as perfectly good or perfectly bad."
"And how can I make her realize that?" Madoka asked. The pink-haired girl wanted to be able to do something, before the hostility between the two groups turned into an actual fight. Which, considering the amount of magic weaponry involved, would quickly become a dangerous one.
"I'm afraid you can't, Madoka. But there is something you can do. Not siding with her."
Madoka tilted her head. "What?"
"Of course you don't have to go tell her that to the face, nor you should side with Nanoha just to spite her. She would just put you in the evil group," Junko explained, "But every time she talks to you about it, change the topic. If she keeps insisting, go somewhere else with an excuse."
"Uh? I thought avoiding a friend was a bad thing to do..." Madoka said in confusion.
"Sometimes you have to be cold with your friends in order to help them. Don't worry, once this is over she'll understand."
Junko filled her glass again while Madoka tried to wrap her head around the concept. "Uhm, I'm not sure I understand it. It's complicated."
Junko laughed. "Life is complicated. That's why adults have alcohol."
Madoka watched as her mother kept drinking. "I want to have a drink with you when I'm old enough."
"Of course. I'm taking that as a promise, so you'd better have no excuses when you turn twenty! I'm going to drag you at the bar even if you... if you become a goddess out of this plane of reality!"
Madoka sighed, and helped her mother get up from the chair. "Let's go to sleep, Mama. You're drunk again."
"I'm not drunk!... Read the fine prints in the contract, and... and... don't read the name of strange cards aloud... talking winged lions... Don't videotape me!"
Madoka shook her head. Maybe having a drink with her wasn't going to be a great idea...
The following day, on the way to school, Sayaka greeted Madoka with a big smile. The blue-haired girl took advantage of Hitomi's absence to show the engraved ring on her finger to her best friend.
"Sayaka-chan, is that...?" Madoka asked.
"Yes! I made my contract with Kyubey yesterday, so we're three against three now!"
Madoka looked down. "Isn't it too soon? Mami said we have to choose carefully..."
"At all!" Sayaka answered, "now I can help Mami, and my wish... well, it helped someone else, so I think it was well spent!"
Madoka realized right away that the "someone" Sayaka mentioned was Kamijou. The blue-haired girl's wish was very likely to heal his crippled left hand.
"I... see."
"No evil will escape the Hero of Justice!" Sayaka said as she struck a pose.
"Uh, isn't Hitomi-chan late today?"
Sayaka blinked a couple of times. Madoka's question caught her off-hand, as she expected the pink-haired girl to say something about her superhero impression.
"Today she needed to go to school earlier, something about the Japanese dance club. She told us about it last Saturday, don't you remember?"
"Oh, right. Sorry," Madoka said as she started walking towards school. Sayaka stared at her in puzzlement for a little bit before following her.
During the rest of the day, though, Sayaka's puzzlement kept increasing. Every time the Hero of Justice tried talking about something magical girl-related, Madoka kept bringing out something completely unrelated, like Kalafina's new album or that new anime movie directed by Akiyuki Shinbo.
However, what truly confused Sayaka was what happened after the end of the lessons when they met Mami just out of school. The older girl invited them over for tea, but Madoka kept fidgeting and trying to avoid eye contact..
"I'm sorry, but I can't come. I promised I... I... I would iron the cat!" Madoka said as she bowed hurriedly and ran away.
"Wait..." Sayaka said, "Madoka, you..."
Mami silently agreed. It really was a fishy excuse.
"You never told me you had got a cat!" Sayaka completed. Mami resisted the urge to facepalm.
Chapter Six Omake: Successful Businesswoman VS Incubator: Don't Touch Junko's Daughter
Homura sighed as she failed so get up. It hadn't worked. Walpurgisnacht was still spinning around in the sky, and Nanoha and Fate were nowhere to be seen, injured. If they were lucky.
Then, Madoka came, and told her about how she was sorry, but had found a solution and wasn't going to let her hard work go to waste. Again.
Madoka took a deep breath. "I wish-"
Then, Junko bonked her in the head.
"M-mama?" Madoka said in surprise. Her mother not only had followed her, but judging by her flushed face and unsteady stance she was also completely drunk.
Junko marched towards Kyubey, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against the remains of a pillar.
"You... you can see me?"
"Listen, you little alien furball from hell. My daughter made me a promise, and I want her to be able to fulfill it."
Both Madoka and Homura could do nothing but stare.
"You do realize that Madoka Kaname's contract is going to provide us with the energy necessary to keep the universe going?"
Junko punched his face in as an answer. "Yes, I realize this. And I realize that this is going to end only in three possible ways."
Junko punched again. "One, my daughter becomes a Witch powerful enough to blow up this planet," another punch, "two, my daughter becomes a concept and I forget about her," punch, "and third, Madoka dies in battle as a Puella Magi, which considering their average lifespan is going to happen long before she is old enough have that drink with me!" Punch again.
"How... how does she know all of this?" Homura asked. Madoka limited herself to a shrug.
"Oh, you can thank the author of this fic," Junko explained, "He made me watch the series this story is a fic of... and nobody is going to let my daughter break a promise. Ever. Especially if it involves having a drink with me!"
Madoka sighed. "Mama, how much did you drink today?"
"MADOKA, GET DOWN!" Homura screamed as she noticed Walpurgisnacht firing one of her energy streaks at her. Madoka dodged it, and it proceeded towards Junko... who stopped it with her left hand without even looking.
"Huehuehuehuehuehue!"
"What's so funny, kid?" Junko asked while glaring at the Witch.
"Hue?"
"We're having a civil conversation here, so take your ball back and go play somewhere else," Junko said as she hurled the beam back at Walpurgisnacht, causing the colossal Witch to be thrown across the city from the impact. Afterwards, the Witch's body started to fade away, making clear that Junko's blow was enough to kill her off.
"A simple human shouldn't be able to do that! This power-"
Kyubey never had the time to end the sentence, as Junko had started punching him again. When, after several hours, she declared that she was done with him, the rest of the Incubators had already panicked and had fled from the galaxy.
Junko didn't remember anything of what happened afterwards.