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.

17. This Is What We Are

Their meal had been quiet. While Mami really wanted to cheer up her junior, she just had too much trouble keeping herself together in the first place. She wanted to cry, but there was no way she would do that in front of Miki. If she did, the younger girl might loose even the last of her confidence.

Now the blunette was sitting next to her on the guest-Futon, clad in one of Mami's nightgowns. Her eyes were dull and she seemed to be thinking; the sight had the blonde sigh inwardly. She really failed this evening.

Homura might think that she did not notice, but Mami realised that she told Miki to stay here because she hoped that the other veteran could cheer her up. To some point, it was nice to have someone trust her so much but this time, the other girl's trust was apparently misplaced.

I'm sorry, Akemi-san...

"Why didn't I listen to Yuri?"

She looked up as Miki spoke so suddenly with her eyes cast onto her Soul Gem. "She told me since the very beginning..."

The younger one was right about that. She had been told time and time again -by someone that seemed to have a better grasp on this topic than Mami, apparently. She could not just let Miki sulk like this however, so she slowly slid down from her bed and onto the Futon befor putting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "There is no need to feel so bad about it, Miki-san. It was a shock for me as well, but..."

She stopped when the blunette whirled around and buried her face in her chest while sniffling loudly. The action surprised the blonde, but she did not shy away. She was the senior, so she had to be responsible even when she felt rather bad herself. This sudden action showed mostly one thing: Miki was in an even worse condition than she initially thought. Therefore, Mami gently put her arms around the shaking girl and stroked her back. She could feel the wetness of tears come through the light pajamas she wore. The girl was crying.

"I... I shouldn't have become a Magical Girl... with my body like that, I'm just a zombie..."

She sniffled again, only to cry out even more before stuttering another sentence: "With me like that... how... h-how should I even face... Kyosuke? How should I tell him how I feel? Now Hitomi will..."

She could not bring herself to say it, but Mami understood. Her expression became more serious and she hugged the crying girl a bit tighter, never ceasing to stroke Miki's back and now included her head as well.

So it is not only this but also a broken heart...

That explained why it hit the blunette so hard, especially since this might even be the boy that received her junior's wish of healing... and there it was again; whenever one wished for others, their wish would backfire spectacularly... just like it was with Kyoko before.

Sayaka could not see it, but Mami's expression darkened. She had sent Kyubey away for tonight, seeing that she herself could not really stand his presence right now. This being lied to her on several occassions she found out about, so there might be more lies. But how could she find out the truth?

I could ask Akemi-san... but she would never tell me...

With a start, the blonde came to realise something else: Akemi Homura knew about her beforehand. She knew so much more than every other Magical Girl she ever encountered, so maybe she was aware of all of that as well despite of what she said earlier?

But if she knew, why didn't... she...

Of course. Apparently, Homura was a better judge of character than Mami credited her for. She realised what that kind of revelation would have done to her... If she even believed it, that was. Had Mami not seen that Kyubey held back information, she would have never even thought about him lying to her.

Maybe she should ask her partner if there were more things she was never told, but on the other hand... did she even want to know those?

The blonde interrupted her train of thought to tend to Miki some more. The younger girl stopped crying somewhere on the way and was just lying there, receiving Mami's stroking. When her hands stopped, reddened, blue eyes were directed her way only to find the third-year gently smiling back. "Do you feel better now?"

A slight nod as the blunette retreated from her personal space and rubbed the stains of her tears away. This did not help her soaked top however, so the blonde got to her feet with a lenient smile. "Just give me a moment, I will be right back."

As she turned around, she heard the other girl mumble a "Sorry" but just shook her head as she walked towards her dresser to get another top. "There is no need to apologize."

And there was none indeed. She was happy to be there for someone.

. . .

How surreal...

Just as she told them to do not long ago, her companions had punched a hole into the wall. Instead of just advancing by themselves however, Lilly went with them and strangely enough, the minions were merely observing them as they climbed upwards. Fortunately for the invading group, they came out around the neck of the statue so it was not far.

"Mind explaining what we're doing right now?"

Kyoko seemed exasperated at this point. The redhead was definitely not fine with having so many enemies around her. It was easier to take care of them when they could stand properly though, so she had to be patient and make use of the... 'truce'. Besides, the Witch was interested in how this would turn out.

"Elsa Maria... welcomed me as a guest. So as long as she's not hostile, her minions won't be either. Actually, I'm curious. No other Witch ever tried to talk to me before."

Homura on her other side was just as cautious as the redhead, seeing that she regarded the shadowy snakes with suspicion and a salvo of her rifle was but a single wrong movement away. "Why do we have to come with you again?"

"Because she would attack you otherwise. I told her that you're my servants, so just play the part for now."

To be honest, she did not like this particular lie. Had she called other people her servants, there would be no problem with that because she was superior. In this case however, Homura was her very self and Kyoko at least a decent being that deserved Lilly's respect.

"How did you even talk to her?", her 'sister' wanted to know now. "We haven't heard anything."

"Ah, right..."

With a sigh, the human-shaped Witch took the last fold and pulled herself onto the head of the statue, the Magical Girls right next to her. "It's not really talking. We send out images or intentions with our scent so that other Witches nearby can sense them. Highly inefficient, but everyone is different and our senses are the only thing that is at least somewhat similar."

They walked up onto a larger area that was well-populated with minions while she spoke, although all of them stood still and had their heads raised towards the sky. On the other side of the head, a bigger creature sat in front of what looked like a large torch that emitted the light they saw before.

Elsa Maria, the Shadow Witch. She even had distinct female features, her hands were folded and she kneeled in front of the empty space, praying for something no other being might understand.

The mental equivalent to a "Come closer" was sent her way but the other Witch did not turn around. Lilly motioned for the others to follow her but kept quiet and so did the other girls. Kyoko seemed to catch onto the religious theme of this Witch and understood that she might get angry if someone disturbed her prayer. Or she was just cautious.

As they closed about half the distance, she had the Magical Girls stop and exchanged a glance with each of them, then nodded with a smirk. She would go alone for now. When she got moving however, Elsa Maria sent her something with a quizzical tip; an image of her "minions" standing amidst the head. Obviously, she wanted to know why Lilly let her children there. It took Mortal World's Witch a few seconds of consideration before she could send her reply; first came an image of the other eldritch creature's minions as they sat at some distance from her, then another one depicting Kyoko and Homura at this distance, indicating that she figured that this was how the other Witch wanted it to be.

Then she waited for a few more seconds before sending a third image with the very same quizzical tip: the Magical Girls right next to her and the praying creature.

While this conversation played out, she had stopped walking and knew that the girls behind her were watching their surroundings, ready to unleash a deadly storm of spear and bullets at any moment. They did not need to, though; Lilly waved at them to follow her, so they got moving again. Slowly, cautiously.

With a dark smile growing on her face, the human-shaped Witch walked up to Elsa Maria and got to her knees as if to join the prayer. The Shadow Witch seemed content with that and left her to her own devices for now.

Her manners are good, I have to give her that...

However... maybe she should have asked her to disarm her "minions", seeing that Kyoko and Homura came to flank her. The redhead still emanated distrust towards this whole situation. Her 'sister' on the other hand seemed to be more curious than suspicious.

Now Lilly broke the silence with a sigh that had the other Witch turn her head. She seemed to study her features for a moment, then sent a single quizzical tip as to ask if she was alright.

Good grief, I almost don't want to kill you... almost.

In response, Mortal World's Witch rubbed her temples for a moment, thereby moving one of her fingers along her neck so that her companions saw it. They exchanged a glance while Lilly waved Elsa Maria goodbye. In this very moment, the Witch was beheaded by a spearhead and got a whole clip of bullets shot into her body. The minions did not even have time to react and neither did the quickly dieing creature.

However, she still had time to send one last quizzical tip, nothing more. Lilly ignored it. Wanted to ignore it.

The barrier around them faded and regular light returned. With a soft clinking noise, the Grief Seed fell to the ground and Homura took it before looking back at the other Akemi who was still sitting on the ground. Her dress would become dirty now but the human-shaped Witch did not really care for it. She was unsure whether she should wonder or freak out.

Why am I pitying Elsa Maria?

They had been in there for about an hour and she just followed the Shadow Witch's invitation to get around the minions. Did she really come to like her?

"Lilly?"

She heard her 'sister' but did not pay her any mind yet. Before she did that, the Witch had to sort this out. No, she was absolutely sure that she did not like her kin. She might come to like the Witch born from Madoka, but at the same time would not allow this one to exist.

But what else could it be?

"Oi, what's with you?"

She felt herself lifted up and when her eyes focussed on what happened again, she saw that Kyoko held her by her shoulders with her Soul Gem glowing in a soothing red. Was that concern in her voice?

Whatever it was, the Witch smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine."

Which she was indeed after having realised what exactly connected her to Elsa Maria; The Shadow Witch had been betrayed by her own prayers just as any other being in this hidden world was or would be. That was enough reason to pity her. After all, at least the Witch seemed to be decent, so maybe the girl she once was had been as well. And then there were creatures like the mermaid Witch that would arrive soon... creatures that Lilly would only burn.

Her feet connected to the ground properly, then she nodded at the redhead to let go of her. Kyoko did so but continued to look at the Witch while Homura walked past both of them with her usual stoic expression. "We should get going. It's rather late already."

.

. . .

.

Once they reached the Akemi-residence, Lilly dropped her shoes with a sigh and went for the bathroom to wash up. Homura just shook her head and motioned for Kyoko to follow her. The other veteran had put down her shoes as well and took in her surroundings. "Looks nice."

She just nodded as the two walked into the living room where two sets of dishes were already placed and a third place had a few crumbs lying on it. There was a basket with several slices of bread and a few different things to put onto it. The time traveler sighed and sat down in front of one of the platters. "Apparently, my little sister prepared something to eat for us."

That had the redhead smirk as she slumped down on the other seat.

It took Lilly a few minutes before she reemerged from the bathroom and when she did, she was clad in one of Homura's spare pyjamas. At least the Witch did not decide to sleep naked as she usually did... not that she expected her to when there was a guest around.

But once the Witch joined them, she seemed to notice by how much the amount of bread had shrunken in this short span of time. Since Homura herself never ate much, it was obvious who was responsible especially when said person was still eating.

Kyoko stopped once all the bread was gone and leaned back with a content sigh, although her pleased expression did not stay for long. It vanished once she noticed the looks she got from Lilly in particular. "So, back to questioning, I guess?"

Interestingly, her 'sister' shook her head. "No, there is no need to ask any more questions."

Another purple gaze wandered in Homura's direction. "We have to change our plans."

She nodded at that. "Though there is one thing we have to wonder about. Is Miki Sayaka going to die or not?"

Lilly snorted. "You know it yourself; either does she get herself killed or transforms... I prefer the first one, that lowers the risks. Alternatively, we could either kill Shizuki or that boy."

"Which makes us target number one and completely destroys everything we built up in the last weeks."

It was one of their preferred methods of finding the problems in ideas; one of them stated it in general, the other pointed out what it would do. Since they were the same, they knew that already. However, it felt better to have someone else say it.

"Isn't that a bit cold? How'd you even know that she's going to kick the bucket? And what d'you mean by transforming?"

With this, their attention returned to the redhead that sat opposite to them. Homura sighed and shook her head. "We are aware of her character, thus we know that she will prefer death over changing her views even the slightest bit."

Now the Witch next to her sighed as well. "Besides, you wouldn't have told them if I told you the last part of that story."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

A red gaze wandered from one Akemi to the other as they kept quiet and exchanged a glance. Lilly just shrugged and Homura raised her Soul Gem on eye-level.

"This is what we are, our very being. Usage of magic and the mere passing of time... really?"

She stopped when she saw a pair of slender fingers being placed on the trinket and felt the darkness being drained out of her mind. But why did her 'sister' need to do that now?

"Yes. I'm still hungry."

Apparently, the display of Lilly cleansing a Soul Gem found even Kyoko's interest, seeing that she was observing it attentively. "Why didn't you ever tell me you could do that?"

Even Homura knew the answer to that, so she took the task of replying from the chewing Witch. "Because there was no need to. Even if she told you, you wouldn't have let her cleanse your Soul Gem. Besides, we still don't know if that would even work with someone else than me."

Once her own soul was left alone, she continued where she left off: "As I wanted to say before, these Gems continually darken. What Kyubey does not tell us before however... is that once they are pitch-black, they will transform."

Now her 'sister' looked up and smirked. "The crystal shatters when its essence is reformed in black metal and most of your sentience is lost. Filled with darkness and nothing else, what was once you disposes of the mere shell you call your body and joins my kin."

That was a... creative way to word it but it covered her point, so she would not correct Lilly. However, Kyoko's mouth hung open now and the redhead seemed at a loss for words. She understood what this meant; once the Soul Gem was completely dark, it would turn into a Grief Seed.

"Wait a sec... why'd Kyubey do that?"

"Some great talk about saving the universe is all you will get if you ask it. All I know is that I'm alive because of what it does and that I hate it for that."

Now that statement had Homura look at the Witch in surprise as well. She knew that Lilly was not really happy, but this was a bit...

Kyoko on her part looked down on her Soul Gem with a mixture of surprise and horror. The trinket was lying on her hand right now, slightly tainted but nowhere near the dangerous amount. After a few seconds where the taint increased slightly, the redhead sighed and shook her head. "Y'know, I actually don't care much for that... I'm going to be a Witch someday? Yeah, so what? I'll have a hell lot of time until that day comes.

Her smirk returned slowly but Homura knew that the other girl was just playing tough. She was as confused as all of them were when they found out. However, the time traveler was well aware of the fact that Sakura Kyoko was the one mostly inclined to recover from discovering the truth. On the other hand though, she had to make sure of something so she slightly shifted her posture as to gain the others' attention before adressing the redhead: "Whatever you do, don't tell Tomoe Mami or Miki Sayaka about what we just told you."

Lilly added something else a moment later: "The same goes for Kyubey. When that thing knows how much we know, we have a serious problem."

As she mentioned the Incubator, their guest growled and took a measuring look at her Soul Gem. "Sure thing, I'm not going to tell anyone. You mind if I skewer that rat next time we see it?"

To that, the other veteran shook her head. "It's not worth the trouble. Once its body is destroyed, it will just create a new one. Besides, you would make the other Magical Girls your sworn enemy."

"Crap... would've been too easy, would it?"

Both Akemis nodded as Homura rose to her feet and took the dishes towards the sink.

. . .

As her 'sister' busied herself with cleaning, Lilly and Kyoko remained at the table and looked at each other. The Witch was still annoyed because of how much her idea of telling the redhead backfired. Just why did things like these keep happening?

Whatever the reason was, this would not stop her and Homura, it would just slow down their success. She was still confident.

"So you're her Witch then?"

Lilly looked up as she was spoken to and returned their guest's look with a slight nod. "Indeed I am. But that was not really hard to guess."

Kyoko on her part smirked and leaned back. "How comes that you're here?"

So it was time for questions again... great. However, she had no intention of answering this one in particular. Therefore, Lilly shook her head. "I won't tell you that. It's personal."

"Whatever..."

Of course she was not happy with that response, but the Witch would not reveal this part of their story. Kyoko was far too unpredictable for that and besides, she had not asked anything about the redhead's past, either. Even though that was mostly because she knew almost everything there was to know about it already. However, she remembered something else the other girl asked earlier.

"I recall that you asked for my name."

She got a nod in reply and started to smirk as she flicked her hair. Since she undid her ponytail a few minutes back, it worked out. "Very well then. I am Homulilly, Mortal World's Witch."

The reaction was less than she expected. Kyoko was not looking at her in awe. No, instead she cocked an eyebrow and looked at her with stiffled laughter. "W-What's that kind of name? That sounds stupid!"

"Oh, but Sakura Kyoko sounds any better?", she snapped back at once. Lilly was proud of her name, so anyone making fun of it would be punished. The redhead seemed to realise that she stepped on a landmine as well, even Homura had stopped washing momentarily and was looking over to them. Before Kyoko could try to defuse the situation though, the Witch pinched the bridge of her nose and glared at her sharply. "Don't insult other beings' names when you haven't even decided on yours yourself. I am Homulilly because that name formed within me, defines my very being. Your name is just what others thought would sound good."

That silenced the other girl while her 'sister' returned to the table, wiping her hands with a towel. Homura's purple gaze wandered over the two of them and Lilly was well aware that she suppressed a sigh. "Since your discussion is over now, we should head to bed. There will be a lot to do tomorrow."

Apparently, Kyoko did not know whether she should feel insulted or not. Her expression changed between thoughtful and angry. Lilly just let her be and rose to her feet while nodding at Homura. "Shall we get the guest-Futon out then?"

A nod in return and the raven-haired girls went to retrieve the object in question from a locker. As they walked, the Witch let out a sigh but did not say anything. She felt Homura's quizzical stare and shook her head.

"I guess we have to find a solution... and quick."

.

. . .

.

With a sigh, Mami watched the sleeping blunette that was sprawled over the Futon right next to her bed. At least they both calmed down somewhat.

But then again, this might also be due to exhaustion. With those news Kyoko delivered, it had been a devastating day especially for the younger girl.

For Shizuki-san to choose a time like this... that is really bad luck.

Of course the green-haired second-year could not know what exactly she did. But maybe if Mami spoke to her...

No... I doubt that she would give her more time without an explanation...

And when there was something she definitely did not want to explain, it was that partly because of herself, a good friend of this girl had become something that was no longer human, destined to fight against true monsters until her very end...

The thought was invoking tears, but Mami was too exhausted to cry any more. She had done so plenty ever since she was sure that Miki was asleep, now it was enough. With a sigh, the blonde sat up and looked out of her window. Maybe I should talk to Akemi-san...

Homura was very understanding, she noticed. Very cold but still understanding. Additionally, she did not judge anyone for their behaviour.

But it was two in the morning and the other girl had definitely gone to bed already.

With a sigh, the blonde layed back down and stared at the ceiling, breathing evenly. After a few minutes of waiting for sleep, she sat up again and got to her feet, sneaking around her guest as she made her way for the storage room after snatching her cellphone from the nightstand. Even when it was incredibly rude, she needed to talk to someone. She just needed to.

Deliberately, Mami chose the part of her flat that was the farthest away from her bedroom. She did not want to wake up Miki by any means. Besides that, she recalled having a few cushions in there... and she wanted to be in a smaller room for a change.

Silently, the Magical Girl looked down at the device in her hands, arguing with herself whether this was really a good idea. What if Homura started to hold a grudge for being called in the middle of night?

The hand holding the phone sunk, but rose again after a moment. Mami trusted this girl. She would not just stop being her partner for something like that.

Therefore, she hit speed-dial one and waited for someone to answer the call, hoping against all odds that at least one of the twins was still awake. Then however, she realised something else with a start; Kyoko was staying at their place as well, so what if she answered the phone?

Before the blonde could decide on what to do though, she heard a sleepy voice answering her call: "Akemi speaking."

Thank goodness...

It might sound mean of her not to want to talk to the redhead, but this would have been too sudden especially when she could not bear the snarky behaviour that girl had, at least not now. But now she was presented with another problem; she could not tell which twin was talking to her right now?

"I... I am sorry to call that early, Akemi-san."

"...Tomoe-senpai? Just... give me a moment to wake up."

So it was Yuri. Going by her voice, she did not seem angry about being woken up so suddenly.

A few seconds of silence passed before she heard light rustling over the phone.

"...Alright, what is it?"

The casual question had her rub her knees sheepishly. She actually wanted to talk to the older twin... though Yuri was not normal, either, so should she...

"That is... I... I actually hoped to get to talk to your sister... um..."

It was not normal that she was at a loss for words, but she honestly did not know what to say. How should she put that without insulting someone?

"...I see. You need someone to talk to because of that thing with your soul?"

She saw right through her just like her sister seemed to do all the time. Those twins were both sharp.

Sighing, Mami confirmed the assumption with a resigned "Yes". "I know it must sound pathetic to you, but I doubt that I can bear this all by myself... and Miki-san might feel even worse than I do, so..."

She stopped at this point when the line transferred a sigh of the younger girl. "I get what you mean. But... what exactly do you hope to get from Homura? Understanding? Explanations? A hug? All of the above?"

The third option had Mami blush, but she fought it down and thought about what to respond. Yes, what did she want?

It took her a few minutes to actually understand that. Yuri patiently waited for her reply, though.

"I... I hope that..."

Again, the blonde blushed as she was about to reveal this, seeing just how much she had been living in her shell of confidence all this time. "I hope that someone will listen to me... and..."

"I see. You don't need to say any more."

She stopped in surprise as the younger twin sighed again. "Did I mention that I hold a strong dislike for talking a lot over the phone? Could we meet up somewhere?"