"Homura, I hope one day, you can forgive me. I know what Kyubey did to Madoka. To Sayaka. And most of all…to you." I smile sadly. Homura looks horrified. It makes me feel even worse. But it had to be done. I have to protect her.
"It doesn't matter if the Incubators are gone, Hitomi!" Homura yelled, much louder than I expected. "It doesn't matter! You just threw your life away! I'm not worth it! You heard it! It said I'm tough to kill!"
"He said…people couldn't wish for you to die. He never said you couldn't be killed!" I screamed. "Do you have any idea how much it'd hurt if I lost you too?!"
"I know…" I see her sob. I hear her cry. "I know that pain all too well. That's why I didn't want you to become a Magical Girl! I…I…I can't lose anyone else…"
"Homura…" I mumble. But in my excitement, I failed to notice something. Kyubey…isn't moving? I glare at that creature. "Aren't you going to grant my wish, you…you…rat?!"
His response was slow. Almost annoyed. "I'm afraid I cannot."
"You trick her into selling her soul, and she finally finds something worth that price to her, and you just refuse to grant her that wish?!" Homura screamed at that…that loathsome thing.
"Once again, Homura Akemi, you show how little you know," the voice is bitter. Given their history, I shouldn't be too surprised Homura in particular makes him act this way. "If we could grant that wish, we would! Do you think we enjoy living like this?! Even oblivion would be better than this! But we got the same feeling we get when we try to get someone to kill you!" It looks to me with those heartless, soulless eyes. "Something…just blocked your wish, Hitomi Shizuki."
I hear someone laughing. I look, and Homura looks like she just heard a joke. "So you wanna die, but Madoka won't let you? That's what's going on?!"
"That seems to be the theory that makes the most sense." Kyubey sounds annoyed. "And I get the feeling she doesn't want to wish for anything else!"
"Hmm…no. No, I don't think I will," I admit softly. "Anything else I could wish for wouldn't be worth it, would it, Homura?"
Thankfully, she seems to calm down. "No. Nothing is worth your soul, Hitomi." She smiles a little.
"Her soul is nothing remarkable," Kyubey replied. "The only reason we wanted to make a contract with her was to drive you to despair! But the Law of Cycles seems unwilling to provide us even that victory. Emotion is so illogical."
Homura glares at the creature. "Do you enjoy it, rat?" Slowly, she approaches him. "Everything that is an Incubator is still different, isn't it? You wanted to know the sheer power of human emotion. If anything, you should be grateful to me!" She laughs.
Kyubey…shakes. Is that rage? Wow, I didn't think that thing could get any creepier. "Grateful? To you? We should kill you! Or better yet…take your Soul Gem away and subject you to what you did to us!"
"Anything you could do to me, I've already been through." She picks up the little creature, and I notice her choking it.
"This…again, Homura?" Kyubey tilted its head.
I sigh, putting a hand on Homura's shoulder. She looks at me with so much rage, but her face softens right away. "Give him to me."
I can tell she doesn't like it, but she hands Kyubey over to me. It looks to me, fear and…relief in its eyes. I hear it whimpering. It thinks I'm going to save it. I smile at it. Then, I throw it on the ground. I kick it again and again. "This is for Homura, you…you…monster! How dare you?! How dare you hurt her?!"
"Hitomi…" I look at Homura, and she's still crying. "Please…"
"This thing should pay for everything it did to us, Homura!"
"I couldn't agree more. But that…doesn't seem to be our place." Homura frowns, looking down at Kyubey. "It didn't get what it wanted. Let it limp away. Let it contemplate its loss."
I take a deep breath. I back away from that white creature. And indeed, it scurries away. No wonder Homura calls it a rat. I yelp when I feel a pair of arms around me and…more sobbing. Slowly, I hug Homura back. "It's okay."
"Don't…ever scare me like that again, Hitomi!" She sobs, then glared angrily at me. Well, she tries too. More so, she just looks relieved and tired. Actually, she looks really cute when she's trying to be angry. I shake my head, blushing. No. Don't think about how beautiful she is right now! Oh no! Now that I thought it, I can't stop thinking about her eyes or her hair. Just thinking about how bright and warm her smile is. How her laugh…her actual laugh, not the scary laugh when she's mocking that Incubator…is just so infectious and happy! You've been nothing but kind to me. Homura Akemi, I think the only way I could fall for you more is if you still wore those glasses! Actually, sometimes, I notice you squinting. Didn't you say you fixed your eyesight? "Hitomi?"
I yelp. "W-What?"
She smiles a little. "Glad you're back. You spaced out for a bit. Anything important?"
"N-Nothing!" I look down, blushing. I can't tell her I was thinking about her! Besides, I know she's happy loving Madoka. I'm just happy being her friend.
She nods. "Okay. We need to go. I need to…start packing."
I stop in my tracks and glance at her. "Packing? You're moving?!"
"Moving? No. No. I have a bit of…sentimental value for my apartment, oddly enough." She sighs. "I remember it's where my parents and I used to live before…well…" She holds her chest, then puts her hand down. "You know. No. I'm just thinking about what you said. You're right. That rat can't kill me. But…a Magical Girl can." She hesitates. "A Magical Girl can also hurt Mami and Kyouko, knowing it would lure me out. I cannot let that happen."
"So you're gonna…hide for a while?" I ask her.
"Only for a little bit. They could use you to get to me as well. But you can keep in contact with me. Don't worry. I'll tell you if I need something."
"Can you at least tell me where you're planning on going?" I ask, worried.
"I need to get far away from Mitakihara and Kazemino for a while, Hitomi." Homura sighs. "Kamihama would be far enough away, but there are too many Magical Girls there. But there is one city that does not seem to have…many Magical Girls."
"And where would that be?"
"Takarazaki."