The night was beautiful with the full moon on view. The lights in the city of Mitakihara were always the same. Homura looked at each building with people in it like they were an organized group. They were a big organized group designed to keep their operations running and in check. Businesses that are big have this system. The system made for the population for the city is quite different though. There were politics, trends, and of course, laws. Sometimes, even as she obeys the law, a part of her wishes not everything is doused in its lies, since there's a way to make a hole in the whole system.

Homura sighed while standing on the penthouse level of a tall building in her Magical Girl attire. She's 18 years old, and she's still one? It DID make her ask questions why, and the presence of witches and wraiths were the reason. She's alone, and maintained to be alone too. That changed when Alan Medeiros arrived in her life…

…and on the roof as she sensed it. "You're late." She said this before turning around, seeing the young man walk to him.

Alan had a mask on, with a theme of white on his right and black on his left. The attire he has was a whole-body kind of clothing, that's compared to spandex. It had a black base color, and his chest level had lines of white from there until the torso. His right shoulder bore the drawing of an eagle, and the left arm covered one of a dragon. Although the design is simple, and his smarts put into place, even he won't be found easily by authorities. He'll be a vigilante who can't be caught.

And she even knew it when she found he was there without using a door. "Nice work getting here without using an elevator. So how DID you get here?"

"You think I got here just by jumping? I think I changed that by going a little higher than usual. And since I needed to, well…" Alan then concentrated before a small pair of wings came out from his clothing, or preferably, his back. They were the same kind of black with some white marks made on it. And the wing patterns look like it come from a bird. "Well?"

"You glide with the wings, right?"

"That's right. How do you know?"

"The only thing I saw you do is jump, use a small harpoon device to attach to a building, and get your wings out to glide you far and reach lengths in the city."

"Hey… You're smart enough. You should be given a medal." And for Alan's statement, a slow glare was given to him. "Hey, did I say something wrong?"

"By learning to not shut up, you have."

"Whatever." He looked away, not seeing she was standing on the edge of the building. He only turned around seeing her fall backwards toward the edge and fall. "SON OF THE BITCH!" He ran to the edge before jumping and diving forward and downwards. He focused his angle downwards to be straight. As he was falling faster, he saw her falling downwards, but her head was facing him… like she was expecting that moment to happen. 'What in the hell…?'

"I thought you couldn't make it?"

"SHIT! You're crazy!" Alan then found his speed faster before he finally reached her and widened his wings before he stabilized and got himself and Homura to glide forward. "You piece of…"

"Stop the cursing, Medeiros-kun. You know I'm still the wiser one here."

"That wisdom left the damn building and kept falling to the ground, you crazy high-schooler."

"What's wrong?" She smirked at him. "Are you upset you saved me? Or is it an instinct from a weakness you have with females?" And she winced at what she said. 'Wait… did I say that right?' They then continued on as he kept her on his arms.

Eventually, the landed on a low-elevated building, good for a medium-sized garage, and was actually one below them. That time, it was late and people aren't around, which makes it safer. As they jumped down from the low-elevated building, they proceeded just at a spot between two of them before they entered a barrier. They were both getting into the territory of a witch.

Alan looked around, seeing the environment was different as some figures around were like two-dimensional to him. "I only started fighting wraiths, but witches too?"

"This is something you must understand: Witches create their own labyrinths like the one we're inside in. We enter through their barrier, which separates this labyrinth to the outside world."

"I see."

"You rarely fight witches, right?"

"Yeah… I guess."

"Then you'll probably be safer without me. Because in fighting a witch, anything can happen. Magical Girls fell to their doom while underestimating witches themselves. It brings about a bad atmosphere, while their bodies can never be recovered again. But if a Magical Girl succumbs to the grief their Soul Gems have…"

"Yeah. I got that. They turn into the witches themselves. If their transition goes fast, it means they're allowing it to happen."

"It won't matter. Even with your knowledge about Magical Girls turning into witches slowly, they'll still turn. The only way to save them is to make sure their grief seed is saved. But there's a process that can reverse from them being witches again. The only way for that to happen is for a Magical Girl candidate, to wish the original form of the grief seed, into a magical girl."

"It's a cycle, but that's a valid way?"

"Yes, but no one tried that. No one ever tried that kind of stunt. After all… who in the world is a magical girl, at a position of demanding such wish?"

"Good point."

"By the way… aren't you going to bring your weapon out?" And as she asked, a flying minion was approaching from behind. Alan was behind her.

But even he knew that as he summoned what seemed to be a silver-colored sledgehammer with a black fiery flames vinyl. With one arm, he held it and swung it just behind him while it hits the minion, while the hammer's face made an explosion, amplifying the damage on the minion and leaving nothing but ash. Shouldering the sledgehammer, he snorted. "Hmph. Of all things to remind me."

"Impressive." She simply gave that remark before seeing the main room belonging to the witch they're going to slay. And it just got to her view the minions coming their way. "This witch is simply going to let them fall for us. Let's give her a lesson she'll never forget."

"Right behind ya."

"Go!" She sprinted just before she summons a pistol and fires ahead, while Alan was behind her. Flying minions were coming up behind them as he jumped and whacked them with the sledgehammer, having the same fate from the explosions made from his weapon. While doing so, Homura was switching between her pistol and submachine guns to make sure she hits every minion on sight.

Alan then threw his sledgehammer to a ground minion group, throwing them all off as explosions forced them off the ground. He then summons small crossbows with round magazines for ammunition and fires around the two of them, repelling minions coming at them while in each hit, released small explosions like from his sledgehammer. "COME ON! GET CLOSER!"

"Don't underestimate them, Medeiros! Remember what I said about the deaths of other Magical Girls!"

"Yeah, yeah. They did the same and died!" Alan then suddenly aimed front while Homura ducked before he fired multiple arrows and made solid hits at a small group guarding the doorway to the center of the labyrinth. "That way is clear!"

"Let's get through! Form up!" Homura then sprinted first while the way at the center is clear, with Alan tightly behind her to watch for hostiles.

When the two of them arrived at the labyrinth's center, they only saw curtains rise before two rabbit-like creatures jumped down to the center of the round room. They have a height of about six feet each. Thus, she analyzed them, standing on their hide legs posing to be like a human.

And there wasn't any time one of the rabbits sprinted towards the two. "Look out!" Alan shouted before Homura rolled out of the way as he aimed his crossbows at the oncoming opponent and fires of arrows at it. The arrows missed as the rabbit witch was approaching him that he threw his crossbows off and summoned two sledgehammers and blocked a bladed attack from the same foe. It seems the rabbit had blades for arms and he did his best of defending himself and giving out attacks at a good chance he has.

Homura sensed platforms raise on her position before she jumped on them and fired pistol rounds at her other rabbit witch twin. 'The other one's consistent. It looks like this one's no different,' she thought. The rabbit creature kept following her and evading rounds. The only way to win is to get so close enough that she'd be able to make damage, while evading slashes from its bladed arms. While jumping higher and higher on the platforms, the rabbit made a mistake of jumping too high and pouncing on Homura as she threw her pistols and summoned a shotgun, just before she pulled the trigger, with the creature his later and splitting into black liquid later on. 'That settles that.'

Alan spun his sledgehammers, making a wheel with both his arms before expertly swinging and attacking the rabbit multiple times. As the rabbit kept evading, she didn't know at one instance, a swing could hit her. And it happened as one instance got her hit and it made an explosion, throwing her off. Before she could move, Alan jumped and raised his hammers before slamming it down on the disabled rabbit witch, making two explosions at the same time and defeating the twin witch. "And that… takes care of that," he said while Homura landed next to him. "Did what you could?"

"Yes. It seems they're easy."

"Maybe. We can't let our guard down yet."

"Of course. This labyrinth is still here. It must mean we missed something." Homura then looked around, then looked up.

Alan did the same and his eyes widened at the sight of a giant clone of the rabbit creature coming down on them on her feet. "Shit… BACK!" And he jumped back together with her before the giant rabbit landed in front of them, making the ground shake for a while, and at his shock, he saw the rabbits they faced, are back in just one giant foe. "Turning them from twins to a giant just got things better and better."

And the rabbit uttered a piercing scream before putting its arm into a fist forward and towards the two. The two figures rolled away separately before the fist hits violently on the ground.

Alan then recovered before swinging and throwing one sledgehammer, then the other just before they both made it to the witch's chest and neck with explosions for each hit. He was in dismay when he saw the rabbit wasn't fazed, but was a bit weakened at least. "Looks like this bitch is included!"

Homura took an opportunity as the rabbit was raising its arm that she ran across it. "Medeiros, keep hitting her! I'll go for her head and keep her distracted! Hit the body and make good hits!"

Alan then ran around before summoning two crossbows and fired at the giant beast. He focused recently on the hind legs to see if she could lose balance at this. She did get hurt, but the legs didn't seem to make her lose focus. "Damn it… the legs won't go but she's getting battered anyway! Akemi… hit her with everything you've got!"

"I was planning on that," Homura said before putting out a machinegun and fired a volley of rounds at the neck and the right side of the rabbit witch's head. The witch uttered a piercing scream and tried to shake Homura off, but she keeps jumping around. She easily got some leverage by holding on to the witch's arm and hitting the rabbit's head. 'She's a tough one to take down, but nonetheless she's going to wear out at any time now.' She threw her weapon and summoned a shotgun then jumped to her head, stood there before aiming downwards, pulled the trigger, later seeing scattered shells pierce through the rabbit witch's head.

"That's it! Keep hitting her!" Alan shouted this before he summoned another two sledgehammers and swung them together and threw them. The hammers hit the neck and explosions were made, making the witch scream and lose balance before she was already falling backwards. He saw Homura ran on the body of the rabbit and jumped off, just before he ran, summoned a grappling hook pistol, fired the hook off as it finally got a grip before he made himself retract to the hook's location, and catching Homura in the air. "Shall we?"

"Let's see her dead." Homura said it before jumping off and seeing the rabbit witch on the ground. Alan did the same and lets go of the grapple before summoning his crossbows and fired on the rabbit's head, while Homura fired from a Rocket-Propelled Grenade launcher a simple rocket together with his rounds. Explosions ringed and shook the rabbit's head until she screamed and her body dissipated into a black liquid. Finally, the witch was defeated.

Homura landed on her feet while seeing Alan, with a hold on a grappled line lands beside her. Walking towards the center of the witch's remains, she saw the grief seed and got on one knee to examine it, before picking it up. "This is what the witch left us. At least that's one witch down."

"Grief seed, huh?"

"It collects traces of anger, despair, and of course with the name itself, grief," Homura explains before the labyrinth flickered out, just before it faded continuously on them.

Eventually, they were at a building's roof, not in the line of sight from anyone as Homura was in thought. This, Alan noticed and decided to ask her about it. "Homura, you were like that for a while."

She looked at him with a glare. "Of course I was. For the whole day, I was feeling that I was being watched."

Alan sighs and lifts his mask off while his face was revealed to her. "What do you think would I do? I'm already close to you, so what's the deal?"

"Look… your 'name' as a vigilante is rather getting me worried. So I'm sorry if this didn't seem so peculiar to you like usual."

"So it's my fault?"

"Having a reputation like that, is your fault."

"Well, give me a damn break then!" He approached her but he stopped as a submachine gun was aimed at him.

"Right now, you don't know, do you?" Homura looked at him calmly, changing her expression.

"What do you mean?" Alan asked what she meant, but she lowered her SMG down and threw it away.

Homura smirked at him. "You'll know."

Later, a car was driven to a small apartment complex. The doors of the dark room were opened and a switch was flicked to turn on one light bulb, revealing a blonde afro fair-skinned European man in his twenties having a Hawaiian patterned shirt on. A camera was on his neck, and he took it off there as he closed the door behind him.

He sighed while making coffee in the kitchen, thinking of the events that took place that seemed off. He was tracking a target, but disappeared just like that. Just as he finished stirring his coffee that he decided to leave the kitchen. To his surprise however, he found a smiling teenage girl in front of him in the living room. "Hello." It was the greeting heard from her before his collar was grabbed by another figure.

Alan had his mask on and the man pinned against the wall holding his collar. Homura was just beside him with arms crossed, and a glare at the blonde man. "Alright, you better spit it out."

"Huh?! What are you talking about?!" The man asked, and got slammed on the wall by the same teenage-like figure asking the questions first. "Okay, okay! What in the hell is wrong with you?! I'll talk, okay…?"

"Wait a minute…" Alan examined the man and widened his eyes at who he was looking at right now. He lifted his mask and lowered the man to the ground. "Oh shit… Matt…?"

Matt then got a good look of the teenage boy's face and recognized him. "Wait a minute… Alan? Alan Medeiros?!"

At this sight… Homura missed something. She missed a lot of things. Looking at the camera at the living room table, the confusion adds up to one thing she thought: Someone was watching her, and used Matt to do it. Homura then looked back at the man named Matt. "So what is it exactly?"

"What are you saying now?"

"THE CAMERA! What the hell was it for?!" Homura summons a pistol before aiming it at Matt, just as Alan comes between the weapon and the man. "Medeiros, step away."

"Akemi… Wait! You're not shooting him!"

"Then he should tell me what the hell he's doing taking pictures of me while leaving school!"

"Huh?" Alan turned to see one scared Matt with his hands up. "Is that true? What the fuck is going on, Matt?!"

"It was nothing! I swear! I only got told to take pictures of a girl like her! I was just paid, man!"

"Damn it, tell us the truth!"

"I don't know… Shady guy! That's what I know from him. He even had a paper bag on his head to his face, but paid me cash to take her pictures!"

"Do you even know who she is?!"

"No! That guy told me she goes to that school, okay?! I swear! I don't know anything about him and neither this girl! I was just trying to get cash! I'm as fucking broke and this apartment is on rent!" Matt explained just before he took a deep breath. Breathing out, he continued. "Look… I'm sorry! I didn't know you were around, okay?!"

Alan examined Matt on this and sighed afterwards, seeing the older man wasn't lying. "Well you got us there. Question is… why her?"

"How should I know?"

"Anyway…" Alan then looked at Homura. "We gotta help him out here."

That, Homura was surprised of. "Alan, you might know him but he could be petrified and run away."

"It isn't a big deal, really. This guy's a photographer, but got washed up after taking porno pictures back in the day. I guess that's why he went over here. And judging from his getup, he doesn't have spare clothes. Look… We gotta consider him into this and start investigating."

"Well… He trusts you. If you trust him quite well then you could take him in."

"Exactly in my mind." Alan then looked at Matt. "That is… You can do that if it's fine with you."

"Sure thing, Alan. Thank you." Matt smiled, glad at what his friend proposed.

Later, Homura and Alan were walking while the city lights were dimly lighting the streets they were on.

Homura had her eyes focused forward and was aware Alan was around before she spoke up. "I'm warning you, Medeiros. You can't trust everyone you meet, even if they're your friend. How do you even know you could trust him?"

"We saw each other back in Portugal while we were applying for a course test. He was a driving maniac and I was too. We became team members just before we walked separate ways. I only learned he became a photographer later on, and got fired a little later. After that, I don't know."

"Well, you can't be too careful, Alan."

"Huh?"

"I'm serious. Don't be too soft."

"Tch. Were you?"

"Don't start," Homura replied before the rest of their walk was silent.

While it was happening, a figure from the rooftop of a nearby house was watching from afar. Her black to dark purpled dress was in contrast to her fair skin, and her black hair swayed in the wind. Her folded wings of mostly black with a stream of white was behind her. A red ribbon was tied on her head with the knots on the left side…

As the eyes looked at the two figures from afar, she smiled. "So you're finally getting onto life with another, huh? Naughty, naughty me." She licked her lip and chuckled in her mind. 'All going to plan. Soon, you'll be strong enough. You're going to be perfect for my Madoka.' She chuckled and looked at the moon. She disappeared, and a black feather fell from the sky…