A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&R and enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: We don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica or any of its characters! But, we DO own our OC's Amai and Juudai!

Chapter 4: Witch Hunt & Reunion

"Take a look at this," Mami announced when the four of them – and Kyubey – arrived to their destination. Madoka, Homura, and Sayaka leaned forward to take a look.

"Is that a rock? Like a gemstone?" Sayaka asked.

"Close. We referred to this as a Soul Gem." Mami gestured to the stone hanging on the chain she held. "It's the source of our power, given to us when we convert into magical girls. It has a second function as well; that is, we can use it to track down witches."

"Wow, amazing!"

'Indeed, Madoka.' Kyubey chimed in. 'It can keep track of the energy signature of a witch. For example, like a few days ago: the familiar that attacked you is a minion of witch. The soul gem can use that energy to locate the witch, since it is the source of the familiar's origins.'

"So... How does it do it?" Sayaka spoke up again.

'The soul gem will start reacting when we are close to the witch.'

"Oh, is that it?" Homura responded. "I thought you would have to cast like a spell or something, to draw out the witch or to follow it."

"Yeah, for once I have to agree with her." Sayaka gazed at the raven haired girl from the side. "I thought witch tracking would be a bit more interesting than that."

"Hmm, as far as I'm concerned, this is the most basic way to find a witch." Mami casted a questioning look towards Kyubey for confirmation. "Technically, I could cast a spell and find a witch, however, there's a reason I would advise against that which I'll explain later. For now, though..."

The moment her words drifted off, the soul gem began to glow gold. The three magical girl trainees leaned in to look in awe.

'There! A reaction.'

"And from the feel of it, it could be the witch who released that familiar onto you the other day. We'll be able to track this witch down, and liberate the city of one less evil." Mami finished with a smile.

"So what's the plan?" Sayaka asked.

"The plan as of right now is to infiltrate the witch's labyrinth. A witch isn't easy prey. They hide themselves in a space of their own which is dubbed a labyrinth. From deep within the maze, the witch lures its prey, dooming them to being lost in the depths."

"How horrifying..." Madoka whispered.

"Is that what happened last time for us?" Homura interjected. "The witch...err, the familiar lured us into a maze-like space?"

"Yes. Witches and their underlings to an extent can develop a maze of sorts to confuse and trap their targets."

"So then a familiar also helps to feed the witch?" The raven asked.

'Yes, and in some cases, no.' Kyubey interjected. 'A witch can have many underlings; it's all dependent on their level of power. Familiars are generally stronger variants of those servants, able to think on its own to some degree without needing the witch to input its influence. However, there are times when a familiar also gains enough strength to become independent.'

"Do you think the familiar from the other day was independent?" Sayaka asked.

"Unlikely. It may sound like I'm bragging," Mami smiled and winked nonetheless, "but the level of strength I felt from it, along with how easily I dispatched it, makes me think otherwise. Still, it is a possibility for familiars to leave the witch and go out on its own. If left alone long enough, a familiar can even turn into a witch."

Sayaka's face adopted a look of horror. "Yikes. Good thing you took care of the one from before, huh?"

'The extensions of a witch can be just as dangerous as the witch itself. Still, we can't forget the true threat.'

"Don't worry, Kyubey." Mami petted the little creature on its head. "I'll make sure that witch doesn't send anything else out there to endanger the citizens of our city."

Madoka and Sayaka began to cheer. "Yeah, you go, Mami!" Sayaka cried out.

"We'll help you in any way we can, Tomoe-san! Right, Homura?" Madoka looked at the girl in question excitedly.

"Oh! Oh, uh, yes!" Homura looked unsure of herself, but how can she say no when Madoka was smiling to her like that?

"All right, then, ladies. First off, I feel I must say that this isn't fun and games." Mami waited for the girls to quiet down a bit before she continued. "Hunting a witch is extremely dangerous. You'll be facing death in the face out there, and the possibility of getting hurt or losing your life are great. I'm bringing you with me so you can see first-hand what the life of a magical girl is.

"And it's with that I must ask for a request: please be careful." Mami pleaded to them, hands clasped together and held in front of her. "I don't know what I'd do if any of you got hurt under my watch, so please don't do anything rash and leave the witch slaying to me, all right?" The blonde finished with a smile.

After receiving an affirmative from each one of the girls, Mami gestured for the three to follow her.

"Hey, Nagisa, I do not like the looks of this."

Amai expected things to be unusual the moment Nagisa warned her about witches and the likes, but the surreal of the labyrinth were really creeping her out. She found herself standing right behind the little magical girl, looking this way and that for any sign of danger.

"This isn't supposed to be fun," Nagisa replied, puffing her cheeks a bit. She held her soul gem out. "I wasn't aware how close we were to the witch – unless the witch approached us without me realizing. That's rather troubling."

"Why is that?"

"It means the witch is sentient. A witch capable of thought reflects its strength. It's the general rule of thumb if it shows intelligence beyond simple hunger and instinct, its strength is also above average."

"Ah..."

"We need to be careful. It's possible this witch knew it was being hunted, and was lying in wait for us. After all, how can it resist an opportunity to devour not just a couple of magical girls, but other girls who show magical promise?"

"This thing...wants to eat me?!" The brunette didn't know what was worse: the fact she walked right into the lion's den or that, as usual, she didn't take a warning to heart. Then she realized something else: "Other girls?"

"I can sense a few other presences just out of the labyrinth's reach. I know without a shadow of a doubt Tomoe-chan is here, but she's not the only magical girl in the vicinity. There's one other." Nagisa blinked. "I also sense a few civilians. Their magical signature seems to be close to Tomoe-chan, though. She may be in the process of helping them."

"You can...sense them?"

The whitette nodded. "To an extent. I see the general direction they are in, but the labyrinth doesn't help much with knowing the distance between them and us. I'd rather not involve Tomoe-chan if she has to take care of civilians." She lifted a hand upward, and a trumpet materialized in the air. "I'll have to deal with it myself."

"Wait, wait, wait, whoa! Didn't you say you've never hunted a witch before?!"

"True. Now is a good a time as any." With one hand clasped around the trumpet, Nagisa lifted her other hand towards the direction they came. A lighted path pierced into the surrealness. "Follow my power and you'll be able to get out, Amai-san."

"I'm not leaving." Amai declared with a fierce shake of her head.

Nagisa's arm fell back to her side as she looked at the other girl with an incredulous look. "Why not?"

"Okay, this is normally the part where I say I can't let a little girl go off on her own to take care of a dangerous monster, but I'll be honest. I'm legitimately curious to see what these witches are. I probably can't help much since I know squat about this, but hey, if you need to get to a high place I can be useful for that at least."

A giggle, and Nagisa offered a smile. "I don't know. You seem like an unstable boost."

"Believe me, there's always something. Like the elusive cookie jar on top of the fridge, or your all-ladies magazine you keep out of your parents' sight."

"Huh?"

"Forget that last one. Anyway, I have something I can defend myself with." Amai went fishing into her backpack, pulling out a cylinder container. "It's not a taser but pepper spray is still pretty effective."

With a hum, Nagisa held out her hand. "Let me see that for a moment." The canister in hand, Nagisa focused a bit of her magic into the object, changing its appearance significantly; from a plain white and red container, patterns of oranges and leaves appeared on a soft pink background. "...And done!"

Amai took her pepper spray back. "Whoa, the design is weird."

"But it'll work. I can't guarantee I'll protect you the whole time we're here, so if you see anything that makes to harm you, use that."

A babble of laughter came from their right. Nagisa and Amai turned to see a small horde of witch minions heading their way. Nagisa made to raise her trumpet and dispose of them, but Amai jumped in front of her and quickly put the improved pepper spray to work. She held down the trigger and a spray of magical capsaicin spewed forth. The minions panic as most caught fire, scurrying around in an effort to put the flames out. Many of them ran away from the two girls as they watched the spectacle in awe.

"Well...that was effective!" Amai exclaimed, giving the can an impressed look. "I'm keeping you for pests!"

"Now that we've tested it out, let's get a move on."

Nagisa took the lead, heading down the confusion of colors and jumbled marks. The labyrinth truly messed with Amai's senses. One moment she thought she saw a door, but in reality was a minion – a rather large one at that – in disguise. Were it not for Nagisa taking notice of its eye turning red when the older girl approached it, Amai probably would have ended up a meal.

"Whoa! I was not expecting that!" The brunette watches as the familiar's body disintegrated into ashes. "And that trumpet of yours is surprisingly strong." Amai hadn't been expecting a burst of bubbles to come from the instrument. If she hadn't seen the effects of her improved pepper spray, she would have thought the little girl's trumpet to be ordinary.

"Please be careful, Amai-san. I warned you of the dangers here." Nagisa reprimanded before she continued walking.

Amai pouted before picking up the pace. "Hey, I'm trying my best here, but it's really disorientating. How can you find your way around here?"

"You have to keep an eye on the signs."

"The signs?"

"The signs of the witch. Each witch has a specific representation of themselves in their labyrinth. You just need to know what to keep an eye for while navigating through it." The whitette reached out her hand and touched a rose sticking out of the wall. Amai couldn't be sure of it at first, but the rose appeared to twitch from the touch, as if the flower was attempting to avoid contact with Nagisa.

Amai jumped back when the rose began to convulse. The red petals extended from the receptacle, the softness turning to sharpness as they neared the two girls. Amai screamed. Nagisa got in front of the brunette, her trumpet raised and at the ready.

The flower continued to grow in size, the petals expanding out to form a mouth-like vice. It reached forward, Nagisa pushing Amai back to avoid getting bitten. Amai fell on her back, but away from the creature, giving the younger girl space to begin drawing power from within. Taking a breather and bringing the mouthpiece of her trumpet to her mouth, she exhaled with force. Large bubbles spewed from the horn, spreading to surround the monster rose from all sides.

As the monster began to squirm, its body made contact with the nearest bubble, prompting it to burst along with the rest of its brethren. The monster roared in pain, its body slowing disintegrating.

Nagisa twirled the trumpet in her hand before throwing her arm in the air. "Yeah! I took care of a minion!" She basked in the glow of her victory for a moment longer before she remembered there was one other person with her. The whitette turned to search for Amai. "Are you all right?"

The girl in question groaned from the ground. "Just taking my time to get my act together. I may have cracked my skull, got a concussion. Who knows? I feel woozy. This isn't serious, right?"

Nagisa kneeled next to her, helping her sit up. "If you're mumbling like that, that might be a sign you're doing fine."

"Joyous." Amai stood up with Nagisa's assistance.

The brunette continued walking forward, but stopped when Nagisa tugged her back. The little girl pointed where the monster previously stood.

Amai barely contained her gasp. "What the hell?!" Her wide eyes took in the burnt husk of a person.

"The witch's victims. I guess she uses the corpses as fertilizer for her garden. How awful..."

Amai remained quiet, looking at the corpse. "...That's intense."

"We better get moving, Amai-san."

The two continued walking for a while in a silence that was once again ended by Amai. "How come we don't hear about these people going missing? If these witches are always kidnapping people, wouldn't the missing people's families announce that?"

Amai wasn't expecting the sad look on Nagisa's face. "It doesn't work that way, unfortunately."

"Huh." The single word slips past Mami's lips as she studied her surroundings. She made sure to secure the woman who had fallen from the rooftop of the building first before gesturing for the other girls to follow her.

"Is something wrong?" Sayaka asked, maneuvering the bat Mami had enchanted with her power.

"Oh, no, there's nothing wrong as far as I can tell. At least, I hope not. There's something unusual happening but..." Mami trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence but sharing a look with Kyubey who nodded its head. "Follow me, ladies!"

The four of them ran forward full speed. Mami held out a hand as she felt for a weak point in the witch's barrier. The moment she caught it, she pushed her power in, and an entrance opened wide for them.

The blonde made sure to gather some of her power into the palm of her hand, weapon ready to materialize the moment she sensed danger. Sayaka and Homura immediately branded their weapons out, looking this way and that way for any signs of danger.

"Ugh, this place is as weird as last time, maybe even weirder." Sayaka admitted.

"This is the witch that familiar belonged to. The labyrinth would have similar designs."

"Do you know where to go, Tomoe-san?" Madoka asked.

Mami hummed. "In theory, the witch will be deeper down the labyrinth, so we'll have to endure its defense before encountering it. Thankfully, there are ways to try to feel out a route to the witch's room."

The signs weren't hard. From what Mami could quickly tell when her eyes caught the details, the witch had a fondness for roses. The flower decorated the labyrinth walls from floor to ceiling. Mami's mouth twisted as she felt the rot and evil energy coming off the plants. It was easy for her to guess how the witch maintained them.

"That woman was lucky we came when we did."

Amai tried to take the new information in. Nagisa continued to scout ahead, a trail of bubbles following them as they pushed forward.

The two of them had already encountered six more minions attempting to take the two girls as their new compost. Amai quickly went to work proving she could help the little magical girl, brandishing her pepper spray between the eyes of her attackers. Every time she attacked, she thought about all those unfortunate people who lost their families to witches.

"Even though, they'll never know..." The brunette caught herself whispering a few moments later. She swallowed a sob as she continued forward.

When Nagisa informed her that the victims of witches were forgotten, it struck a chord inside of Amai. She could have known some of those victims before, but now she'll never know with their existence gone from her memories.

The brunette shuddered when she thought if her mother or father or Juudai ever become victims to all this. 'I won't let that happen.' Another minion tried to attack her, but she had the pepper spray at the ready and she sprayed the creature into oblivion.

"You're handling yourself pretty well," The whitette commented, hovering by her side.

"This is nothing. I've taken tests and faced dinner rushes worse than this." Amai held the spray in front of her, turning this way and that as the two girls neared a fork in the road. "Where to?"

Her answer was given when a door appeared on the wall. Or rather, it waited for them to approach before it swung open. Magical girl and school girl peered inside to see a hall besieged by roses.

Amai swallowed her fear and took a step forward. "Shall we?"

"Wait, Amai-san-"

From the wall, a thorny vine reached out towards the girl. The brunette shouted, jumping back to avoid the whiplash of the plant. Failing to catch its prey, the vine retreated. Amai stood there gasping, catching her breath before she whipped around to face Nagisa.

"What the hell was that?!"

"The witch's labyrinth is like an extension of the witch. She already knows you are here because of our earlier encounter, and she has means to reach out and kill you."

Amai shivered and looked around her nervously.

"Don't worry." Nagisa smiled and reached to place a hand on Amai's shoulder. "I'll be able to sense if the witch makes a movement. You can count on me!"

"It's not that I don't trust you..." Amai sighed and slumped forward. "It's just a lot to take in."

"Understandable, but don't think too hard on it. After all, you were the one who decided to come down here, even after I warned you."

"True." The brunette took a deep breathe, and straighten her posture. "Okay, so what now?"

With a reassuring smile, the whitette snapped her fingers. A soft glow surrounded them, a light orange hue shining down. "I made a shield. Stick close to me; to conserve my magic, I'm keeping it close to us."

Traversing the hall proved to be simple enough as the two girls clung to one another. Each one held their weapons up even though the shield proved strong enough to fend against the vines whenever they made a grab for them. The hall ended soon, and Nagisa released the shield.

"This way! I'm starting to feel something from this direction." Nagisa tugged at Amai's wrist, pulling her to the left of the new hall they entered. From behind them, the brunette heard the growls of approaching minions.

"Should we ignore them?" Amai made the mistake to look behind her; she counted at least fifty in the group that followed them.

"Let's see what awaits us ahead first."

They then broke into full speed. The minions proved to be incapable of keeping up with them as they tore on ahead. Before long, the group remained far behind them, and they both entered a new and open room.

The brunette titled her head back in awe, wondering how far up the ceiling went. After today, she's seen enough flowers to last her for the rest of her life. It seemed this witch made it its personal goal to coat as much of the surface with flowers. As they passed a particularly heavy batch of flowers, Amai held her canister at the ready in case any of it came alive.

Nagisa chose not to remain in the room for long considering the possibility of an enemy hiding among the garden. They passed through the door across the room, another hallway waiting for them on the other side. This one did possess minions they could not avoid, but it proved to be easy to dispatch when the two of them combined their weapons' strength together. Making short work of them, they continued on ahead.

Hall after hall, the enemies fell one after another.

The whitette continued to check for further signs of the correct path. "This way." She pointed down another turn.

As they ran down the path, Amai noticed the little girl began to run a little slower than before. "Hey, are you all right?"

Nagisa nodded her head. "Yes, I'm just a little out of breath."

"Um, I'm just going to guess, because of how convenient it is, but I can assume that using magic exhausts you, huh?"

"Yes, it kind of goes without saying." Nagisa closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. Amai started to slow down a bit for the girl's sake. "I'm not used to using this much magic at once."

"You did say this was your first witch hunt."

The young girl hummed in agreement. "I wasn't expecting it to be this exhausting."

"Do you want to take a break?"

"Does this look like the kind of place we can afford to let our guard down?" Despite her words, Nagisa graced the older girl with a smile.

"Well, let's slow down a bit, then." Amai could understand the need to exterminate the witch as soon as possible, but she didn't know what she was going to do if Nagisa was down for the count.

Sayaka gave a battle cry as she smacked her magical bat against a minion who tried to touch Madoka. Homura likewise held out her stun gun into the face of another, the button trigger releasing a magical electrical charge in front of her.

"That's the ticket, ladies!" Mami encouraged, glancing behind her with a large and proud grin. She twirled her rifle in her hand before pointing the muzzle to one unfortunate minion and pulling the trigger, blowing it away with a magic bullet.

"You're all doing amazing!" Madoka called out her own encouragement.

Homura started to blush, and Sayaka turned to her with a grin.

"Thanks, Madoka!"

"Thank you, Kaname-chan!"

Mami called for their attention, all four of them gathering together in the center of the current room they were in. "Everyone accounted for? Madoka-chan, you aren't injured, are you?"

The pinklette shook her head. "No, I'm doing just fine, thanks to all of you."

"Between the four of us, we can handle this: Madoka keeping an eye out for any enemies, and the rest of us laying out the manpower." Sayaka insisted with a grin.

"Well, I think the one who ultimately has a say in this is Kyubey. What do you think?" The blonde gestured to the little creature.

'We feel like you all show true potential. If your magic wasn't already a sign, what we've seen is enough to indicate you're witch hunters.' Kyubey praised.

The girls each blushed at the assessment.

"Um, what should we do next, Tomoe-san?" Homura asked, recovering first.

"We proceed forward. This way. I feel something coming from that direction." Mami approached one part of the wall, holding her hand out towards it. The surface gave way, revealing itself to be a door leading to another part of the labyrinth. The blonde promptly turned and gestured for her companions. "This way, ladies."

They all filled into the new hall, each one of them taking in the new surroundings. Madoka in particular tried to keep an eye out for anything that looked hostile, taking her role as sentry (and supporter) seriously.

"It shouldn't take us too long to find the witch at this rate." Mami spoke up. "Kyubey, are we going the right way?!"

'Yes, definitely. We sense the witch's presence getting stronger and stronger.' Kyubey made a noise that sounded like an intake of breath. 'Mami...'

"What, is something wrong?!" Sayaka asked for everyone.

"It's...not so much that something's wrong, it's..." The blonde took a moment to make sure. The feeling has been there since a little while ago but she hoped she had been wrong.

'It seems like we are not alone.' Kyubey helpfully provided. 'Another magical girl is here, along with another magical girl hopeful.'

The three not-yet magical girls shared a look as Mami reached out for Kyubey to jump into her hand. "Is it someone we know?"

'Yes and no. You don't know her name, but you've seen her before. The other presence with her I've seen a handful of times, however...' Its voice trailed off at that.

"What's the matter?"

'Sorry. We were just thinking about something. Regardless, we're surprised she's here, but the more in this fight against the witches, the merrier, correct?'

Mami smiled and nodded her head. "If she's here to fight against the witch, she's an ally. Ladies, this way!"

They continued to run until at last they approached a gigantic door. In comparison to the others they've gone through before, this one clearly delivered the importance. Mami had her guns at the ready, pushing the door open and leaving Kyubey with Madoka. "Stay right here. I'm going to put a barrier up."

"What? We can't come with you?" Sayaka protested.

"I'm sorry, but this is a witch. The minions were one thing, but a witch is in a league of its own. I cannot in good conscience let you accompany me to this fight." Mami reached in, imagining the shield to place onto the threshold of the entrance before jumping down to the large room below.

Nagisa stopped in her tracks.

"What's up?"

The little girl turned to look at her companion. "Tomoe-chan is confronting the witch."

Amai's eyes widen. "What are we waiting for?! We need to move it!"

The two of them were taking another break, mostly for Amai since she took it upon herself to battle any of the minions in order to allow Nagisa to conserve her magic. Now, things were urgent. Nagisa was confident about Mami handling the witch, but Amai didn't know that.

No, Amai wanted to be by her friend's side when she went up against this monster. Her heart pounded as she thought about a reality where her friend would lose her life and any memories of her would fade away...

"Come on, kid! You are NOT moving fast enough!" The brunette sprinted down the hall, the whitette right behind her.

"I'd advise you to stay behind, Amai-chan! A witch is not like its minions or familiars! It is on a whole different level than them! You can get seriously hurt-!"

"Maria can get seriously hurt too, damn it! I'm not staying behind!" Amai forced herself to go faster. The hallway thankfully went in a straight line and the urgency in Nagisa's voice, she was heading the right way.

The brunette noticed the entrance to the next room too late – Amai subsequently ran into the room. Her scream echoed through the space as she fell into the room. Mami looked up in surprise, the scream successfully distracting her from the witch. Madoka and Sayaka gasped.

Homura cried out in urgency, "Amai-chan!"

Nagisa reached out with her magic, an orange bubble appearing to cushion Amai's fall. The girl bounced up once before landing hard on the floor. The whitette jumped down below. "Tomoe-chan!"

"Nagisa!" Mami didn't have much time to do anything else but call her name before the witch picked that moment to attack. Madoka's yell managed to alert her in time to dodge the witch's reach. The blonde gathered her breath and turned to see the one person she wasn't expecting to see. "Amai..." Mami whispered, widen eyes watching the girl in question rise to her feet.

From across the room, Amai dusted herself off and reached for her weapon. She gasped when she didn't find her magic spray. "Oh, damn, where did it go?!"

The witch took advantage of the girl's lack of action to attack, locking onto Amai. The girl continued to stand in the middle of the room, unaware of the approaching danger.

Nagisa and Mami both called out to the girl, weapons at the ready. The blonde took aim and fired at the extended magical arm, blasting it clean off. Getting closer, the whitette blew into her trumpet to release a slew of bubbles in the hopes of slowing the witch down; enough time for Mami to swoop in and carry the brunette away from danger.

Amai wasn't expecting someone to pick her up like that out of the blue, but when she looked up her breath caught in her throat. "You..." Her friend looked magnificent in her magical girl outfit.

A magical ribbon shot out from Mami's hand, extending towards the spot Madoka and others remained, her magic drawing her up towards them.

"Mami-san!" Madoka cried out.

"Mami...?" Amai tried the name out, finding the name fitting.

Mami turned to face her when she heard her name. Their eyes met for a long moment, each of them commuting so much. The blonde broke the gaze first, her face reddening slightly. She stuck the landing, placing Amai down to her feet.

The brunette continued to look at Mami for a little longer before a slight movement to the side caught her attention. "Homy!"

Homura drew herself into Amai's arms. "Are you all right, Amai-chan?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Amai patted Homura down, checking for injuries before her gaze returned to Mami.

By this point, the magical girl finished checking over Madoka and Sayaka and was making her way back to the witch.

"Stay behind the barrier. Nagisa-chan and I will handle this." Mami told them as she jumped back down to join her fellow magical girl.

Nagisa continued placing bubbles around the witch in an effort to weaken and slow it down. The witch's minions attempted to attack her from the sides as she continued to keep their master occupied fending against attacks. The whitette produced a large bubble to balance on; keeping it aloft and away from any land bound enemies.

At this point, the witch produced a series of thorny vines, their ends tip with clipping scissors. Each and every one of them attempted to reach for Nagisa.

Rifles materialized around Mami, and she grasped one to lock and shoot down a vine. The thorn dissipated, and Mami reached for a new gun to shoot the next vine. And again and again, she danced in the air as she shot down vine after vine.

Nagisa took a deep breath, exhaling as she gathered her magic to the tips of her fingers. She sent her magic to the bubbles still intact around her, sending the orbs outward. The bubbles made contact with several minions, impacting against them in powerful bursts of magic.

The blonde nodded her head approvingly as the whitette successfully eradicated a good deal of the minions. Her senses failed to catch the lone vine reaching for her ankle. She cried out as the witch caught her.

"Mami-san!"

"Mami!"

"No, Mami!" Amai cried out after Madoka and Sayaka, her heart near stopping in her chest.

The witch swung the tendril, dragging Mami across the wall. It did so for a while before it hung the girl in the air. With bated breath, Amai looked up to Mami, imagining the worst.

A giggle rang through the room, Mami turning her head to look at the others. "It's okay. I can't look bad in front of my students. You might want to move out of the way, Nagisa-chan!"

The little girl nodded and jumped back.

The ribbon on Mami's chest untied itself. It cut through the tendril, releasing Mami. The magical girl twisted in the air, the ribbon circling back to her. Mami spread her arms out, her magic spreading out and summoning tendrils of her own. The strings attached themselves to the wall, impaling the surviving minions, but most importantly attaching around the witch. It struggled as the tangible magic began to constrict her.

"And now for my final attack!" Mami's arms moved in front of her, and her magic became tangible. A gun, larger than Mami, materialized in her arms. The witch struggled, but the magic strings held firm, preventing its escape.

There was nowhere to run.

The blonde grinned. Her left eye fluttered shut as she took aim. "Tiro Finale!" She pulled the trigger. The cock pulled back and the cannon released a mighty bullet that sheared right through the witch.

Mami landed with a flourish, back turned as the witch dissolved into nothing. From the air, materialized by her magic, she caught a teacup. She took a sip from the cup before smiling up at Madoka and the others. The blonde held their gazes for a moment before turning her attention to Nagisa. The two magical girls shared a smile.

"Thank you for showing up to help." Mami thanked the little girl. 'And for protecting Amai.' She added thoughtfully.

The labyrinth began to disappear. As the witch's curse slowly vanished, Nagisa made her way to where the witch formerly stood. A black orb hovered above the floor. Nagisa bend down to pick it up.

"Mami-chan, that was amazing!" Came Madoka's voice. She ran into Mami's arms – the girl having quickly finished her tea before the girls went to join her.

"I'm glad to see everyone is all right." Just to make sure, she gave Madoka a once over as well as Sayaka and Homura. Which only left...

The blonde squared her gaze on Amai. The brunette met her gaze. Mami took a deep breath, at a loss for words to say to her friend. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, Amai threw herself onto Mami, not unlike what Madoka did earlier. Mami both expected and felt surprised at her friend's actions. It had been so long since she spent any time with her that she drew a blank at what to do next. She let go of the breath she was holding, and inhaled again as she attempted to gather her thoughts again.

"Amai..."

Her name had only escaped her lips before she felt something move over her body. Mami didn't have time to look down before both of her breasts were grabbed. She gasped, face turning red as she looked at Amai's grinning face.

"Looks like someone did a lot of growing up!" The brunette's grin grew further as she squeezed the flesh and moved them slightly.

Mami did what any girl would do in that situation. She screamed and slapped Amai.

The other girls took a step back, be it from surprise at Mami's action or Amai's.

"What the hell's wrong with you?!" Sayaka screeched, taking a step towards Mami and the weird girl.

Amai merely leveled an unimpressed look at the blunette. "Who's the Flatbread?"

Her comment was met only with confusion, most of all from Sayaka. "Flatbread...?"

'Ladies, we don't mean to interrupt...' All eyes landed on Kyubey, who all this time had remained within Madoka's grip. 'We think there are a few questions that need to be answered here.'

"Yeah, like what are you doing here, Homy?" Amai looked at her friend. Homura shyly turned her head.

"And who are you?" Madoka directed this question to the shorter magical girl. Nagisa giggled behind her hand, the other hand still holding the Grief Seed.

"And what the hell do YOU mean by 'Flatbread'?" The last question came from Sayaka who pointed a finger accusingly at Amai.

'And why do all these potential magical girls keep showing up?' The unspoken question came from a girl with dark long hair. She continued to watch the unsuspecting group from the shadows.