I confess. Ever since Hitomi told me she could actually see the Incubators, I have not gotten better. As days pass, it only makes me angrier. That monster will not have Hitomi! It will never hurt anyone I care about again! So, after school, I found a quiet place, not caring if people see me. "Show yourself, you rat! I know you're watching me!"

"Temper, temper, Homura." That voice. If there was ever everything punchable and loathsome in one sound, it's hearing that thing speak. "You'll never convince them you can handle yourself if they find out how quick and intense your anger is."

"You know damn well why I'm angry!" I yelled.

"Enlighten me anyway, then."

I growl, approaching him. "Hitomi. She said she can see you."

"Ah yes. Hitomi Shizuki. I've noticed you've gotten quite close to her. Last I checked, you were miserable, lethargic, and unwilling to fulfill your duties as a Magical Girl. I'm certain you'd be dead if it weren't for Miss Tomoe's generosity."

"Even if I believed you, this isn't about Mami Tomoe! You only show yourself to girls you intend to make Magical Girls. Hitomi said she can SEE you."

"I am well aware of this, Homura."

I pick that rat up by its neck. It should feel good to hurt it, but I know I cannot inflict permanent harm on it. Not anymore. "Why? Why her?"

That detestable creature tilts its head at me. "Your threats do not disqualify a potential Magical Girl. However, I must confess, her potential is still nothing remarkable."

"…Still…?"

"Of course. Before she met you, she had so little potential, it wasn't even worth approaching her. Not even after the death of Sayaka Miki. But something changed all of that."

I tighten my grip. "And what would that be?" I spit out at it.

"You," the Incubator replied. "Ever since she met you and gave you the energy to live and kill Wraiths, it has become more…beneficial for us to make a contract with Hitomi Shizuki."

"Beneficial?" I let out a cold laugh. "You said she was nothing special. Still isn't."

"Indeed, Homura. Ordinarily, she would be beneath our notice, except perhaps as a victim of the Wraiths."

"If she's not 'special' enough for you, why are you interested in making her a Magical Girl? It makes no logical sense! Tell me, or I'll rip you apart."

"Again, temper. You and I both know it wouldn't do anything. Besides, it's really quite simple, though I can understand why you wouldn't see the logic in it. You see, Homura Akemi, a contract with Hitomi Shizuki…would hurt you."

I drop the rat as it says those words. "That…That's impossible. If you wanted my magic…my despair…you could have simply waited until I wasted away!"

If saying it wanted to hurt me was shocking, I was not prepared for what came next. "When it comes to you, do you think I care about your power? You're the most powerful Magical Girl we have ever seen. A pure anomaly. But more importantly, you possess two things that no other Magical Girl does. You possess a direct connection to the phenomenon known as the Law of Cycles, which might explain your immense magical strength even now, even though you've limited yourself."

"Limited myself? What are you talking about?" True, I cannot summon my bow, but I can't be that strong.

"What? You think all that strength you possessed as a so-called demon was because you ripped apart the Law of Cycles? True, the phenomenon augmented your powers as they were then, but your ability to manipulate memories…to attack the mind with illusions and emotions…is something you already possessed!" Wait, is that…malice in that rat's voice?!

"I knew about the memory thing. And I know I can use that power on myself, if I so choose."

"So you can, but you've only scratched the surface, Homura Akemi! You alone among Magical Girls possess the potential to equal or surpass the phenomena you call the Law of Cycles. And you alone have hurt us in a way we had thought impossible." If its face could change, based on its voice, it would probably be glaring at me. Seeing that in its eyes and voice alone makes me step back a little. Congratulations, rat. You found a new way to creep me out.

"And how did I hurt you? Why do you think I possess the capability to do so again?" Actually, the truth is that I have a pretty good idea what it's talking about. But I thought it wouldn't remember.

"Don't patronize us, Homura Akemi. You of all people should know better than that!" Okay, hearing that rat's voice angry and malicious is seriously creeping me out! I'm sure someone could see it in my eyes. "Don't you remember what you did with your newfound strength, as your Labyrinth encased the entire universe? You made our entire species your slaves! Facets of your twisted mind hunted us for sport, and while we continued to collect the curses of this world, as you asked, you went into the Incubator hive mind! You found the one way to truly hurt us! Now, every single Incubator drone is infected! Anger. Rage. Fear. Hatred. Of YOU, Homura Akemi! Of the human that did this to us! To all of us!"

My eyes widen. So it is true. "But…why are you still like this? Shouldn't Ma…the Law of Cycles have…fixed you?"

"Shouldn't she have?!" the rat replied, its voice banging on my head a bit more than usual. "We thought so too! We helped Madoka Kaname stop you with the understanding that she would do just that. But she's gone, the Labyrinth is gone, you're not half-goddess anymore, and this…disease…burns us! Homura Akemi, the Incubators hate Madoka Kamane for this, but even more than that, we hate you for doing this in the first place!"

"Ha…Ha…" I back away a little more. "You…sound like you want me dead, Incubator…" Suddenly, I wish I hadn't left my gun at home. I don't even have a fishing rod or a golf club right now. I only intended to talk to that monster.

"Very perceptive, Homura Akemi. And we're not the only ones. There are girls with remarkable potential all over Japan, confused about what happened when you became a demon! They tried to wish you dead or powerless! I wanted to grant their wish, but I couldn't!"

Okay, this just gets weirder. I tilt my head. "You…couldn't grant a wish? I thought as long as a girl's potential was substantial enough, you could grant any wish."

"That's what we thought too, and for thousands of years, that's how things were! Now, what could possibly be powerful enough to keep us from doing this?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? This is a shock to me too!"

"It is truly fascinating how you can make observations and perform feats thought to be impossible, yet go out of your way to ignore the blatantly obvious. We remember what you did. We remember everything about Madoka Kaname. How she swooped down to save you. A hero straight out of your folklore, coming to save the damsel in distress!"

"What does that have to do with all of this?" I yell, though my voice comes out higher than usual. Like it sounds if I'm not thinking about it.

"Oh, think, Homura Akemi! A Magical Girl who is for all intents and purposes the god of this world, with the power to bend reality to her whim! And you, a Magical Girl who could become her equal! We remember that bow of yours! Don't pretend that you two aren't connected! But we know sometimes, you need things spelled out for you." Its voice becomes condescending and slow, as if I'm some child. "We cannot kill you because your precious Goddess won't let us do so!"

My eyes widen. I would say something to that creature, but what can be said to that? That can't be right! Why would Madoka interfere in this, especially for my sake?! Finally, I manage some words. "Why…would she care…if I was killed?"

"You still understand nothing, Homura Akemi! Never once thinking that your feelings of love and devotion for this goddess…this girl…would be reciprocated! A bow similar to her own! Potential eclipsing every other Magical Girl in the world! Allowing you to keep your memories of worlds where she was a mere mortal, so willing and eager to help you! How eager she was to rescue YOU, Homura Akemi, when we imprisoned and experimented on you! Of course she wouldn't want you to die because of some wish or our machinations!" That creature gets close to me. Too close. It looks up at me with those soulless eyes. It's lying. I know it's lying. Madoka doesn't feel that way about me! She can't! She'd have told me! She'd have…let me some with her. Or killed me! She wouldn't have let me become a monster for her! Why?! Why did you spare me, Madoka?! Why was I left in a world, alone and confused, twice?!

But I suppose none of that matters. Because this rat thinks it can hurt me through the people I love! I kick it away from me, watching it tumble. I run towards it and kick it again, this time into the air. I catch it, and I see fear in its eyes. I throw it to the ground. I don't have my weapons, but I'll tear apart as many of these bastards as I can with my bare hands! I stomp on it until it stops moving. The good thing about these things is that they don't have guts or blood, even if thinking about it is disturbing.

"Still as rude as ever, are we?" I look where it was broadcasting from. God, it sounds even more smug than usual. "When has this ever worked?"

"Shut up!" I scream, running at it. I probably look like a madwoman, but I don't care. I want this thing to hurt. I pick it up, and I snap its neck. Another comes my way.

"Does it make you feel better to do this, Homura Akemi? What if a Magical Girl saw you? Would you kill them too? What about Hitomi Shizuki? Would you kill her if she hurt you? Well?!"

"Homura…please stop!" That voice. No, no. I thought you were going home! I told you I'd meet you there! I feel a hand on my shoulder, and an arm. I blink, rage giving way to horror. What Hitomi must have seen. I collapse in her embrace and cry. "I scared you…"

"Shh…it's okay, Homura. It's fine." I look at her, and she has that warm, supportive smile. This girl, who has been such a dear friend to me, who'd probably drag me clothes shopping or do my nails. Hitomi, my dear friend. I sniffle. "What are you doing here?"

"I got worried about you, and I saw you fighting Kyubey." She shakes her head. Then, her face changes. I don't think I've seen that look since she swore to be the best friend she can be.

"Ah, Hitomi Shizuki. Have you thought over my offer?"

"I have, Kyubey. And I've decided." She looks at me and gives me that sad smile. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry, Homura. I know you didn't want me to do this."

No. No. No, you idiot. "What are you saying, Hitomi?! No! I…I can't let this happen again!"

"I'm sorry. But…I heard what you two said to each other, and I've decided…what I want to wish for." She looks at Kyubey. My tears flow as my voice gets higher.

"No! Please!" I beg her. "Don't do this! I'll figure something out!"

"Incubator, you have to grant any wish I choose! Is that true?"

"Indeed it is." Of course that bastard doesn't mention that little loophole. Hitomi would never kill me. "So what wish will make your Soul Gem shine, Hitomi Shizuki?"

"What wish, you ask?" I see Hitomi smile. I don't think I've ever seen her smile like that. I don't like it. Is that how I smiled at Sayaka?! "What wish is worth a lifetime of fighting and loneliness? What wish is worth betraying the one person who knew what I needed?" Another apologetic look, then back to that smirk. "Oh, I have a wish for you, Kyubey! Homura told me everything about you! She told me how much you hurt her and everyone she cares about! She told me what you did to Sayaka, time and time again! What's my wish, you manipulative, evil rat?!" Her smirk widens as she speaks her wish, and the world seems to slow to a crawl.

"I wish every last Incubator would disappear forever! Every single one of you!"