A Wish Within Darkness

by Nar0n

The worst thing to happen to her friend was to become a Witch, she thought. Then Madoka's latest wish went wrong on more levels than even Kyubey could have foreseen and now Homura has to sort things out with an addition to her family, a Witch that should not exist yet by any means and the consequences of both of the above.

12. There Goes Nothing

With an unreadable expression, Homura put down her cellphone and looked at her companion. "Something might happen at the hospital. We should go and check."

"Um... okay..."

As it seemed, the blonde was reluctant to go with an explanation so vague although she did follow her, so there was no problem with that. As they walked, she had a small exchange with her 'sister' before the bond was closed again.

The time traveler thought about what might happen and shivered. This was not good at all. The chance that what Lilly felt was not Miki Sayaka contracting was very little. Taking into account that the Incubator had established contact with Madoka as well, it seemed to have crafted a new plan. Maybe it wanted to have her talk to it more just to make sure her friend was safe.

"Say, Akemi-san... how would you know that something might happen when there is neither a Magical Girl nor Kyubey anywhere near the hospital?"

As a means to prove her point, Mami scratched the neck of the creature that sat on her shoulder once again. Homura just shook her head slightly. "Yuri has a sixth sense or something of the sort. Whenever she gets a bad feeling, something happens, though she can't actually do anything with it because it shows up rarely."

"I see..."

It was not hard to tell that the other girl was not completely buying it but at this point, Homura just hoped that there would be no more questioning. She was down to very few of all the half-truths they prepared and after that she had to improvise. Which she was not really good at.

'Akemi Yuri turns out to be far more unusual than I expected at first. She has no potential at all but contains so many interesting abilities. Could it be, Akemi Homura...'

The time traveler just glanced at the Incubator from the side and suppressed the urge to hold her breath. Apparently, it had come to a conclusion. Both of them kept walking, but Mami seemed to be waiting for what it wanted to say as well.

'Could it be that this sister of yours was born from a wish?'

She did not react to the question on the outside but bells were ringing in her mind. Unfortunately for her, Lilly closed their bond already so she could not ask for her opinion. In this case she had to come up with something and had to mind the creature's words. It had definitely not forgotten to investigate her magic, so she had to be careful. She could deny that assumption but then there would be more questions. If she admitted that much, Mami would not think of Lilly's abilities as strange anymore. But was that worth bringing Kyubey a step closer to the truth?

After considering for a while, Homura sighed and nodded. "She was indeed, though not by my wish. Please don't bring it up around her, she doesn't like to talk about it."

For a moment, the other veteran gave her a suspicious look, but nodded as her smile returned. "Of course not. This at least explains her strange behaviour before. I suppose you prefer not to talk about how and why she was born in the first place?"

Now it was for the time traveler to nod. "You're right, I prefer not to. It's not a nice story to begin with."

"I... see."

That was enough to make her companion understand. Whoever made this wish died along the way and going by its very nature, the girl in question must have been close to Homura. Which was true, even more so than the blonde might suspect.

They continued in silence, watched by Kyubey and both sunken into their own thoughts. For her however, it was mostly planning on how to save Miki Sayaka from certain doom.

.

. . .

.

While they waited for her 'sister' and Mami to arrive, both Madoka and Lilly kept quiet. Until a cheerful-looking blunette emerged from the staircases and waved at them, that was.

"Sayaka-chan!"

As she closed in on them, the other human girl quickly rose to her feet while the Witch remained seated. She had her eyes glued to the black ring on the tomboy's middle finger and her worst assumption was proven.

The idiot formed a contract. Far sooner than she normally would.

Sighing, she got to her feet as well and motioned for the other two to follow her. Although Miki seemed eager to tell them what happened, she complied. Madoka just looked curious about what that meant.

They slowly moved to leave the hospital and once they were out in the open, Lilly maneuvered the other two a bit to the side before smacking the blunette on the head, thereby quickly covering her fist in her napkin before she did and having it vanish into her pocket once she was done.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?!"

Holding the place in question, Sayaka glared at her angrily only to receive an angry stare in return and the Witch snapped at her: "What was that about not contracting?"

"Uh..."

The other girl stopped for a moment while Madoka's eyes widened at the statement. "Well... I guess I had a change of heart."

"B-But, Sayaka-chan! Are you really okay with fighting? It will be dangerous!"

At least Madoka was shocked. Lilly just pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed before looking at the newly born Magical Girl again. As she started to speak, she noticed that the Witch she felt earlier was closeby, still asleep.

"There's no helping it now. You threw your life away for that wish, so you better live up to it."

"Of course, of course! Just leave it to me!"

With a cheerful expression, the idiot completely missed the actual meaning of the statement. The Witch sighed once more, a familiar sensation made itself noticeable; two other Magical Girls were around. So Homura and Mami would need about two to three more minutes until they arrived, provided they walked casually.

However, she should use the time she had right now to try and get at least some sense into Miki so she looked her over once more. The scent was a lot different, mostly because there was not much of it anymore, most of it comprimated within her Soul Gem. Her personal smell was now streaky with magic like that of every other Magical Girl. Combined with the remaining traces of her former scent, it was still possible to identify her and even quite acceptable to be around her now. At least she did not stink.

"And since you decided to join the ranks of the Magical Girls, you will have to train your abilities and go patrolling. Fortunately for you, we have two veterans that can help you with that. Most girls are not that lucky."

Now she had the attention of both of the other girls, with Sayaka being enthusiastic and Madoka mostly curious. Apparently, the pinkette had gotten over the initial shock.

'I wonder', a high-pitched voice in their heads had them look up to the tree they were standing under. Kyubey sat atop one of the lower branches, scrutinizing them. A surprised "Kyubey?" from Madoka was everything they said before it continued.

'Why is it that you are so well informed about the ways and duties of the Magical Girls when you are none yourself, Akemi Yuri? Was this really just what your sister told you or is it because you were created by a wish yourself?'

At the finality in this statement, Lilly's eyes widened in shock. Had it found out? Would it blow her cover? Would she die now?

It took the Witch a gargantuan effort to suppress her fear and sigh again instead of freezing time and running away. She could feel the looks of her wide-eyed companions but at the same time, her mind undid the meaning of what the Incubator just stated. No, it did not know everything. If it did, it would have called her a Witch at once. So she had to act her part now, although that was rather easy in comparison.

"And what of it, Kyubey? I did not choose to be born just like any human has no saying over it, so that's that. Why should I be different from those of regular birth?"

Except for the fact that she was not human to begin with, but she never actually said that she was.

The Incubator just swished its tail and refrained from answering, but the other girls kept looking at her with those eyes.

"Yuri-chan... what does that mean?"

Madoka looked confused even when she definitely understood the meaning of Kyubey's words. However, it seemed that she needed -or wanted- her confirmation first. Lilly sighed again. "Actually, I didn't want you to know, but I myself am the product of a wish, though not Homura's own."

Then her gaze wandered towards the feline creature above her. "Now how do you know of that, Kyubey?"

In response, the creature jumped down and landed on Sayaka's shoulder, who looked slightly uncomfortable with it taking a seat there. 'I already suspected something of the like, seeing that you can maneuver in the world of magic without getting hurt. Akemi Homura told me this when I asked her about it before, so I see my assumption as correct.'

Homura told him. So Mami had been closeby.

However, this meant that the Incubator still did not know what she actually was. The relief almost made her laugh but she stopped herself and eyed it warily. Since the immediate danger from Kyubey had subsided, the Witch became more aware of the stares she was getting from her companions.

"Wait a second... so you say... you're..."

Sayaka seemed at a loss for words, although she might be trying not to use a term that would insult her, seeing that she did that before already, how cute. Lilly decided to let it slip this once and simply shrugged. "As I said, I was created with this human body and with my memories already in place, seeing that Homura was the template. I inherited her knowledge about the life of a Magical Girl as well, that's why I can tell you so much."

"B-But...", Madoka reluctantly raised her own voice now. "Doesn't that... feel strange? I mean... um..."

Another sigh of hers had the pinkette keep quiet and watch the Witch with widened eyes. Lilly on her part just looked to the sky. "You see, I don't know anything else but the life I live. It's the same with you: you have always lived as the beings you are, so why should it feel strange to you? We might agree on the fact that I'm the unusual one here, but I don't mind at all. I was born for a reason Homura, I and the girl that made this wish know. I'm fine the way I am."

She barely stopped herself from revealing too much. Had it been Madoka alone, she might have considered to tell her what the reason for her existence was but considering that Miki and Kyubey were listening, she did not do it. Those two definitely did not need to know.

Besides, she knew that gaze the blunette was giving her. Her suspicions had awoken again, but she refrained from saying anything.

Also, she was saved from any further questioning, seeing that her 'sister' and Mami rounded the last corner and came into view. It was hard to tell whether Homura was actually looking at her, but both of them stopped a moment later with their heads turning towards the main building of the hospital.

Madoka and Sayaka had seen them as well and especially the latter seemed confused. "Um... what are they doing?"

Lilly just started to walk in their direction. "I guess my feeling was right and there is a Witch around."

The others started to follow her and kept quiet until the small group reached the two Magical Girls and at this point, the Witch was able to see where the other one was; her Grief Seed was stuck into the outer wall right next to the entrance.

"Looks like there is some work to do", she greeted the other two that turned to look at her. Lilly motioned for Sayaka who was standing behind her. "Take that one with you, she will need the experience now."

That was more than enough to make Homura understand, though it took Mami a moment longer until she realised that Kyubey was sitting on the blunette's shoulder. Then she smiled at the younger girl encouragingly. "So you decided to become a Magical Girl, Miki-san?"

"Um... yes, I did."

The time traveler just flicked her hair and exchanged a glance with Yuri before stepping aside but before the Witch could say anymore, someone lightly pulled at her sleeve. Looking back, she saw Madoka's pleading expression and sighed again even before the pinkette could say anything, thus making her tilt her head with a mixture of confusion and surprise. "And I guess we'll be coming, too."

"Try not to drag us down too much, then", her 'sister' noted before moving towards the Grief Seed. Halfway there, she stopped and looked back at Mami, who nodded slightly and started to follow.

Lilly sighed, noted that she did that far too often as of late and turned to Madoka, who was looking at her thankfully. "Hold onto my sleeve and don't think about wandering off."

"Um... okay."

A tad reluctantly, the pinkette grabbed the left sleeve of her shirt and started to follow the human-shaped Witch when she walked after the two veterans, though Sayaka was between her and them. The blunette did not look that happy anymore.

Good. Take that uneasiness and make it eternal, then you might survive.

Understandingly, her sympathy for the tomboy had dropped a lot in these past few hours. Too bad that she could not really enjoy her fearful expression.

With a slight purple glimmer, Homura opened a passageway into the barrier and had everyone else walk through it before joining them on the inside. It was dark and everything looked as if it was overgrown by a sweet smelling mass.

Once the scent of humans vanished altogether, Lilly took a deep breath and relaxed. This was a lot better, especially when she could smell Madoka's lovely aroma right next to her. Now she actually found it in her to smile encouragingly at the pinkette just as Mami did the same to Sayaka. Homura walked past the two non-Magical Girls and stopped a few steps behind the blunette's back but refrained from saying anything yet. Kyubey jumped down to the ground and walked over to where Madoka stood, only to stop and sit down after receiving a warning glare from Lilly. 'The Witch has not actually hatched yet. From the look of it, she is still sleeping, so try not to use a lot of magic, that might stimulate the Grief Seed.'

Of course it would. If you were peacefully asleep and a band of raiders smashed into your house, you would not just stay in bed either. This was not really different although the Witch would have ended the same way if Lilly had gotten her hands on her.

"Hm..."

With a thoughtful look, Mami regarded their group of five, then sighed and waved for Homura to come over to her side. They exchanged a few whispered arguments before turning towards the rest with the time traveler speaking up: "Seeing that there is a rookie to train now, we will not hold back even at the risk of waking the Witch. Miki Sayaka, you take the first line. Tomoe-san takes the second. Yuri and Kaname Madoka, you are the third line and I will take the rearguard."

As she was finished, her 'sister' walked past them again but stopped a meter behind Lilly. Sayaka looked surprised, but then nodded and moved only to be stopped by Mami again. "This might not be the right time to do so, but please show us your transformation, Miki-san."

At this moment, Lilly noticed a mistake Homura just made; she already knew that this blockhead used blades, but she should not know that. The realisation had her spine freeze for a moment and quickly shrugged it off. Kyubey would definitely take note of it, but the decision to put the blunette at the front could easily be justified with the newcomer having to train anyway.

"Ah, right! Sorry, I forgot!"

With a quick motion, the girl had her ring transform into a shining blue gem and held it out in front of herself. It started to glow and engulfed her in a clear navyblue that flew away from her figure like water once it was over. The familiar smell of active magic made the Witch almost wistful when she thought about her own Grief Seed. How much she wished to be able to let loose... but it was not that easy.

Her and Madoka watched the new Magical Girl in her female knight-attire, took note of the exposed belly with the Soul Gem placed at her belly button -Lilly almost facepalmed at the location; a simple stab could end her- and the cutlasses she held in both hands.

Once the transformation was over, Sayaka looked at her outfit from a few angles. "What do you think?"

Now, before anyone else could react, Lilly already shot out her opinion: "Too indecent."

"Huh?"

The blunette looked at herself again, then blushed at the implication the Witch had made. Madoka still looked unsure but Mami just chuckled and shook her head. "It suits you just fine, Miki-san. Just make sure that the cape does not get in your way."

At the remark, Sayaka looked behind herself and got a hold of the white cloth attached to her neck, looking it over before letting go with a cheerful smile. "Now isn't that something? I look like..."

"Please don't say it", Yuri chimed in while pinching the bridge of her nose, thus earning stares from everyone else. "That's number two of the favourite sentences of the girls who don't live long. Right after 'I definitely won't regret my decision'."

Actually, the only person this statistic was based on was Miki Sayaka, but she did not need to know that. However, Mami decided to get everyone started, seeing that a flash of yellow illuminated the darkness for a moment. "Soo... shall we get going?"

A purple flash from behind them told her that Homura transformed as well. She could even hear her 'sister' flick her hair. "Very well."

As she got confirmation, the blonde turned towards Lilly and Madoka with an encouraging smile. "Please stay close to us."

The Witch just nodded as did the pinkette that was still holding on to her sleeve.

They got moving and the first group of minions was not far away. They might have been attracted by the scent of Magic that evaporated when the Magical Girls transformed and the group encountered them in a longer corridor where the creatures hid behind a giant cookie. Lilly smelled them beforehand but everyone else was surprised when they jumped out of their hiding place, although they did so a while before the humans reached that point. Failed ambush...

There were only three of them, all in an oval-shap with their skin black with white dots and a large eye in the center of their body.

"Now this looks promising. Go ahead, Miki-san."

The blunette hid her face but Lilly could faintly smell her nervousness. Nonetheless, she drew her blade and got in an... at least not terrible stance to charge. And yes, the Witch could actually tell the difference, seeing that she researched swordfighting no less than two days ago. Of course she was not completely certain, but she got the gist of the basics.

"Here I go!"

There goes nothing..., Lilly commented mentally, though no one but her could hear it. She sighed as the rookie jumped the minions with a speed that put Mami to shame and slashed at them wildly. How wasteful. A single strike each would have been enough.

However, Sayaka got the job done; when she stopped, the creatures fell to the ground with most of their bodies cut open and vanished before actually hitting the floor. Too bad, Lilly would have loved to eat them especially with this sweet aroma they had. They might be closest to human candy.

Also, she distinguished the name of the Witch by now. It took a while, seeing that she was around Magical Girls and Madoka so she was kept in a cloud of other scents. But now she knew; this Witch went by the name of Charlotte, the Witch of Sweets.

This is the creature that kills Tomoe Mami so often... I guess that it won't happen this time.

"Mhm... you sure have the enthusiasm, Miki-san... but you shouldn't put so much energy in fighting a minion. I guess a single hit from your swords would have been enough."

"Huh? Really? Am I this strong?!"

She actually looked as if she believed that herself. However, this time Homura was faster than Lilly, so she did not got to give another snarky comment: "No, they are this weak. Keep your strength for the Witch."

"Oh... okay..."

Now she looked down, but that dissipated quickly as well. "Nah, whatever. You know, that's kinda..."

"Sentence number three", Lilly chimed in again, only to get an annoyed stare. "Just how many of those do you have?"

To that, she just smirked. "Quotes or remarks?"

At this point even Madoka was looking at her disbelievingly while Mami just chuckled and shook her head. "I actually did not suspect you to have a sarcastic streak, Akemi-san. I think it suits you, though."

She barely cared for how much she antagonised this blockhead with her regular behaviour, she was done with playing nice for today. The Witch just shrugged while pointing at another minion poking its head out of a hole in the ground. "There's the next one."

As they watched the newly contracted Magical Girl struggle against the weak beings, occasionally helped by Mami, Madoka slightly pulled at her sleeve to gain her attention. She looked curious but also confused, so Lilly averted her gaze from the battle. Actually, she would have wanted to just tell her everything... But that was impossible, seeing that not even the gentle pinkette could bring herself to not hate her once she learned that she was an enemy of humankind. Which she would think because she had contact with a certain blonde now.

"Yuri-chan? I just wondered... you're acting so different all of a sudden..."

Which was only natural. Too much had happened against her predictions and hopes; Lilly did not want to hide her true personality, at least not the parts she could display without getting found out.

So she returned the smaller girl's gaze tiredly and shrugged again. "There are always sides of other people you don't know, Madoka-san. As for me, I held back the sarcasm for a while lest a certain person might feel insulted by it."

It was fairly obvious that she meant Sayaka. But at least for today, she would not actually care if she insulted the blunette that was currently practicing to throw her swords at the enemy. Pyotr were running from wherever she hit, some of them evaporating upon being pierced by the magical metal.

"I... I see. Sayaka-chan would think that you're mean..."

With her having this lost expression, Lilly had to suppress the urge to hug the uneasiness out of her. That would only upset the other girl even further.

So instead she looked to Homura, who stood not far away and was watching their surroundings for any signs of minions sneaking up on them. Just what exactly were they doing here, she wondered. At the rate this was going, Madoka would be influenced by the other veteran Magical Girl too much, resulting in her becoming one of them as well. They could not let that happen...

Of course, she could get rid of the problem this instant. A single flame would set the whole barrier ablaze and kill both Miki Sayaka and Tomoe Mami. They would not be able to kill the Witch before the fire burned them to death, which was the only way to get out of the inferno.

But then again, Madoka would not like that. And this was the one thing Lilly really cared about besides her own and Homura's wellbeing. So she discarded the idea, even when she thought it a good one.

I should keep that in mind just in case...

In case she was found out, she could just lure the Magical Girls into another barrier and have them burn. So she had a contingency plan, which was more than she had before. That in turn led back to her main problem, namely her lack of combat capabilities.

But on the other hand, why would she need anything for direct combat? Homulilly was an observer, supporter and runner, not a fighter. She could stall for larger amounts of time and come up with a plan, so it was fine.

It was fine.

With a start, she realised that it was completely unnecessary to force herself to get stronger. She already had the strength she needed, just not like she wanted. And she had been spacing out, seeing that she almost jumped when Homura placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We're done here. Let's get going."

"Uh... right."

The 'twins' looked at each other for a moment, then the Magical Girl marched off and the Witch followed with Madoka holding on to her. Sayaka and Mami were talking about how to improve the blunette's fighting style, but that was not interesting. This barrier though... it consisted of candy.

With a curious look, Lilly took a part of another giant cookie when they came close to it. When she put it in her mouth, Madoka noticed and looked at her with startled expression. "Yuri-chan?!"
The pinkette's terrified tone gained the others' attention as well and the Magical Girls were looking her way. She just continued to munch on her impromptu meal and returned the stare. Homura shook her head while the remaining two looked as startled as girl right next to her. When she took her second bite out of the crumb she was holding, they came running her way. "Akemi-san, stop! You don't know what this could do to you!"

However, both of them became slower as they went until they stopped completely right in front of her, staring as the Witch continued to eat without paying them any mind. Although it might also be her disinterested stare that had them stop.

Between two bites, Lilly noted something: "Calm down, that's just a cookie. And a good one at that."

As the last part of the crumb was chewed, Sayaka snapped at her: "Why the heck do you need to eat cookies from a place like this? Don't you have any at home?!"

No, they had not. Mostly because the Witch invested her part of the budget in food that had more nutrients and thus more energy. But even then, she shrugged at the blunette. "There were more important things I had to take care of and Homura wouldn't bake me any, so I have to make do."

"Then bake some yourself, duh?"

Now she was clearly being mocked and had to keep her temper in check lest she might hit the other girl. Sayaka still looked alienated and confused by Lilly's sudden change in behaviour. However, the eldritch being did not really care for that. She just cocked an eyebrow and replied with a slight trace of venom in her voice: "Taken into account that I can't bake, no thank you."

Of course she could learn it, but she very well remembered her last attempt at doing something in the kitchen. As it seemed, she was not made for that.

"Besides, you are still banned from the kitchen", Homura added nonchalantly while the Witch just sighed at the reminder. "I know. Besides, shouldn't you all keep your eyes open? Or do you want those minions to sneak up on us?"

As Mami and Sayaka whirled around, there was indeed a group of Pyotr slowly closing in on them. Also, Lilly noticed that the barrier became more colourful and Charlotte's scent started to grow stronger. The other Witch woke from her slumber but was not yet fully awake.

Those minions did not have much luck, though; before Sayaka could even initiate her charge, several shots rang out and golden bullets pierced the lowly creatures, having them evaporate almost in an instant.

"Wow, Mami-san! You're really good at this!", Madoka cheered while the Witch next to her just rolled her eyes and exchanged a glance with her 'sister'. This was not good.

"I appreciate to hear that, Kaname-san. That's just a lot of practice, though."

The blonde was modest, even Lilly understood that much. There was no actual need for her not to be proud of her strength, though she might not think of it as that herself.

"Whatever, we should get moving."

With those words, she motioned for the direction the last group of enemies had come from. As much as she would love to eat everything in this barrier, she had to get Madoka out of this and quick.

Mami nodded and waved at Sayaka to take the lead again.

.

.

.

About six dozen minions, thirty rifles and fifteen cutlasses later, they reached the lair of the Witch and nothing big happened; they just walked out of a tunnel into a room roughly fourty meters high and even longer than that. It was full of sweets of any kind and two dolls sat at a table in the center on high chairs. One of them looked their way once they entered but kept to watching for now.

"Alright, then. Let us..."

Mami did not finish the sentence, seeing that Homura had put a hand on her shoulder, her eyes narrowed and her gaze directed at the Witch.

"Do not take it lightly. Something is off about this one."

"Wait a sec... aren't Witches big, gross somethings? That's just a doll!"

Sayaka was regarded with a blank stare, then the time traveler sighed. "Tomoe-san, please shoot it from here, do not get any closer and prepare to dodge."

As she gave her instructions, Lilly already started to lead the one actual human of the group away from the Witch of Sweets, although she noticed that her eyes were following them.

You are most definitely this Nagisa-girl... could it be that you remember Madoka's kind words?

It was more likely that the eldritch creature was just sensing the pinkette's strong scent. After all, it attracted even Lilly who despised the smell of humans, so the effect on a normal Witch...

However, Charlotte had no chance to eye them anymore as she was headshotted thrice in rapid succession and fell down from the chair. Looking over to them, she could see Mami standing in front of the other Magical Girls, throwing the third spent rifle away only for it to vanish once she paid no more attention to it.

This was also a waste, Lilly thought. Right now, she was alone with barely smelling beings and Madoka, so she could concentrate even when the hunger of her fellow Witch clouded the lair. Said being rose from the ground until it floated several meters in the sky. The spots at the cloth on her face where Mami's bullets had hit her were blackened, but it did not even look angry. Or... it was not really visible whether her expression changed. Though the gargantuan caterpillar emerging from her mouth was indicating that Charlotte had become furious indeed.

With a surprised squeak, Madoka held onto her arm while Mami and Sayaka jumped out of the way, the Witch crushing into the ground where they stood before. Homura had simply timestopped her way out of the danger zone, reappearing on one of the tables that were scattered all around the barrier. Both the blonde and the blunette stared at the creature that was not so cute anymore: a giant serpent with black, dotted skin whose face was completely white with a pointed nose and eyes with several rings of colours. Once its head reemeerged from the ground, one could see the long rows of razor-sharp teeth adorning the wide mouth. It did not even spare them a glance anymore, so Lilly could enjoy the feeling of Madoka pressing against her arm. But even then, a small portion of herself stayed attentive, just in case.

Charlotte was looking at Sayaka now, her being the first one she found again after all of the Magical Girls changed their position. The blunette just stood there for a full five seconds as the worm came closer and everyone could see that her knees were shaking.

"Get a hold of yourself, Miki Sayaka."

With those words, Homura appeared behind the blunette that jumped in surprise and looked at her. "I didn't kill it yet because you should have the chance to train. If you just want to stay around, there is no need to waste more time in here."

"What... you...! Just... give me a second."

"You don't have that much time", the time traveler replied to the angry demand as she grabbed the rookie's hand and pulled her sideways, thus preventing her from getting eaten as the Witch charged her.

"Cut it out, you two", Mami chided, swinging by on an impromptu rope consisting of ribbons that were attached somewhere in the ceiling. Just when did she create that?

"Calm down and take your time, Miki-san. We can distract her a bit longer."

But unfortunately, the Witch had already recovered and came up behind the blonde, who was still looking at her companions. Sayaka pointed. "Watch out, Mami-san!"

As she was still screaming, a shot rang out and hit the ribbon the veteran was holding on to, sending her flying to the ground and having Charlotte bite into thin air.

As she fell, Mami created another set of ribbons below herself and used them as a jump-pad to get onto one of the tables just as the other two jumped there as well. Homura held a pistol in her hand but said nothing. Her expression did not change, either.

"Wow... they're all so strong..."

Lilly looked to her side where Madoka was eyeing the Magical Girls in awe. Although being looked at seemed to have her realise what exactly she was doing and she quickly let go of her arm. "Oh, I'm really sorry, Yuri-chan! I didn't..."

"It's fine", she just interrupted the pinkette, sighing inwardly. Just why did she have to stop? It was such a nice feeling.

"And don't idolize them too much. Tomoe-san got almost killed there."

Just like so many other times. Only today, Homura had not been bound in place by her before so she could help.

"Um... okay... but... don't you think they look cool, too?"

She kept quiet as Sayaka started to charge the side of the caterpillar, though the cuts in her skin did not even seem to be noticed by the Witch that was still trying to eat Mami. Homura was mostly standing around and watched, intercepting the creature a few times as to smoothen the other girls' escapes. After a while however, her 'sister' seemed to have had enough. At one moment where the three Magical Girls were close to each other, she told the other two something Lilly could not understand and got a few nods.

When they separated, Mami jumped onto one of the tables and kept standing there as the Witch closed in on her, her stare getting more hungry by the second.

"Huh? What's happening there?"

Madoka was still watching with interest while the Witch next to her raised an eyebrow at this strategy. "Either I'm stupid or they use Tomoe-san as bait..."

As it turned out, she was not stupid; Mami stayed where she was until the Witch chomped down on her, thus earning a startled screech from the pinkette. However, she reappeared a moment after on a table closeby. But... Homura was carrying her. Bridal style.

The time traveler quickly let her partner down while saying something, receiving another nod in return. Lilly could actually smell the lingering fear of the other veteran, but she did as she was told so the game of chomping and not actually biting anything but the table continued a few more times, much to Madoka's confusion.

"What... just what are they..."

Lilly just put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "You know, that Witch looks really tough on the outside, so Homura wants to fight it from the inside... however, she has to open her mouth for that. At least that's my guess."

Again, blond and black reappeared, but it was different this time; instead of attacking them again, Charlotte stood still for a few seconds befire... erupting slightly, as if she was belching. Black smoke started to rise from her mouth before another explosion ripped her body apart, only for a second serpent to emerge from where the first one had been. It exploded as well, giving way for a third, than came a fourth and the fifth was the last one. When it died in a hail of fire as well, the barrier started to fade and Lilly sighed inwardly.

One more Grief Seed she would not get.