"Now arriving at Takarazaki City."

Groaning, I get up from my slumping position. I get off the train, trying to draw as little attention to myself as I can. Crowds have always made me anxious, so it was a relief when I finally had some space. "Takarazaki. Guess this is the place…"

I know damn well what Magical Girls think of me. The hideous, disgusting, sadistic monster God should have executed in cold blood. Yet, she didn't, and thanks to these silly rumors, they know that. I had to go somewhere where I could get my mind off of those things. Sure, it was only recently that I'd started to care a little about my own life, thanks to Hitomi's friendship and compassion. But the more important thing is that I don't want anyone put in danger because of me. Not Hitomi. Not Mami. Not even Kyouko. They deserve better than to be associated with some creep that almost destroyed the world. Who would have done so if the very person who she'd worked so hard to protect hadn't stopped me.

Hitomi insists that's not who I am. But as I dwell on things, one question floats to the forefront on my mind. "If that's not who I am, then…who am I?"

For as long as I can remember, my sole purpose was to protect Madoka. Even when I was a demon…the antithesis to a beautiful, compassionate Goddess…I only became so because I truly felt that leaving her to bear the suffering of all universes all by herself, with no equal—with no one who simply treats her as an old friend, rather than some object of worship and adulation—would have been an even worse betrayal. At least, that's what I'd told myself.

I am selfish. I am cruel. I hurt not just Madoka, but everyone I ever cared about. I betrayed her because I just couldn't imagine how giving yourself so completely for others' sake can make you happy and fulfilled. After all, it left ME more and more miserable. Just because I deserve it doesn't mean I like it.

I understand now that Madoka wanted to give me a life where I'm not just defined by her. My mind wanders back to that damned question. "Who am I?"

Beyond my love and devotion to Madoka, and my suppressed yearning for HER love, which are all as intense as ever, I find myself unable to come up with a true answer. I know I hate myself. I've always hated myself. But Hitomi says there has to be more to me than…than just that.

It's even harder to answer that question when I don't even remember who I was before I met Madoka. Oh, I remember what I TELL people. I remember telling people I've been in and out of hospitals my entire life due to a heart defect. I remember talking about how I went to a private Catholic school in Tokyo. I shudder as I hear the phantoms of jeers and mocking laughter. I also remember a sad admittance that I have no real family to speak of. I was orphaned when I was young, and as far as I know, I don't have any extended family. Even now, thinking about that makes me all too aware of just how alone in the world I am.

No one liked me until I met Madoka and came to truly, deeply love her. And besides Hitomi, no one likes me now. Everyone who was able to muster pity either ascended to Godhood or are now so cold to me, any trace of the friendship we'd shared lifetimes ago gone forever.

But Madoka had spared me again. She put me in this world to live my life. To figure out who I am. To atone for my sins. But all that is so difficult when I don't even know who I am, just that I'm so alone, and I hate it.

I'm so tempted to just call Hitomi. I need to hear a friendly voice. Heaven knows she's probably worried sick about me. As if she's my family.

Just as I'm about to, I sense something. I take out my Soul Gem, and indeed, it detects a small group of Wraiths. All of them seem to be the smaller Wraiths. Lucky me.

However, looking closer, I see a Magical Girl in a black hood desperately defending herself. But I can tell she's wearing herself out. They're going to kill her! Sighing, I transform. "More fighting," I mumble. But I couldn't just let that girl die!

I shake my head sadly as once again, no matter how much I think about Madoka or my feelings, I still don't have my bow. Not that I'm worthy of it or the idea of Madoka loving something like me, but I'll figure out something. I suppress a pained yelp as my back burns, "wings" of pure mana sprouting from me. If I can't use my bow, I'm just gonna have to get up close!

With a leap, I ready myself. I land next to the girl, who gives me a weird look. The Wraiths all fire at us. I decide to try something. My wings surround the two of us, deflecting their lasers back at them.

"Wha…What are you doing?!" I hear the girl ask me.

I glance at her for a second, then continue to focus on protecting her with my magic. When the Wraiths pause for a moment, I use one of my wings to hit one. To my shock, it seemed to hurt it. No time to celebrate. My heart races as I jump from Wraith to Wraith. I hate this feeling. Always have. And I hate that I don't even know how to use my powers right anymore. But saving this girl is more important! Even as I can feel my Soul Gem cloud…

"L-Look out!"

I heard her before I saw her. That girl, seeming to have gotten a second wind, dives right back in, using what look to be batons to hit the Wraiths. She looks at me, and I notice her eyes seem so much like mine. Similar color. Similar weariness. I shake my head. "You…"

"We can talk later! Why…Don't all Magical Girls have weapons?"

I reply back. "I have one. I just haven't been able to summon it…" I cringe as I hear the screams. All too clear. I know they're in my head, but I swear it's like they're really all around me. Just out of the corner of my eye, I see something pink, but with red stains, but it's gone when I look.

"Hey!" I hear the girl yell, which snaps me back to reality. She holds out one of her batons to me. I look at her oddly. She continues. "Just take it! I can't handle them all by myself. And I…I don't want you to waste too much magic just for my sake!"

"I…" I mumble. Then, I sigh. "I'm not used to having to get up close."

"Well, it's better than nothing, isn't it?" the girl replies.

Shaking my head again, I reluctantly take the baton. I get the feeling no matter what I say, she wouldn't listen. I leap into the air, then come back down, hitting a Wraith hard with the baton. To my relief, it succumbs. The black-hooded girl rushes another, and I see it fade similarly after she hits it.

One Wraith left. I look at the girl. She nods. We both leap towards the last Wraith. I land behind it. I swing at it as hard as I can. A second later, she does the same. The Wraith dissolves, and all that's left of them are Grief Cubes.

"You…Your Soul Gem!"

I look down at the back of my left hand. Sure enough, my Soul Gem is noticeably clouded. "I'll live. You're way more worn out than me."

"You can barely stand!" the girl shouts. "And you were using way more magic than me!"

"I'll…be fine…" I growl. "I'm always fine. Take those Grief Cubes for yourself! You need them more than…than me!" Sure enough, I stumble a little, suddenly noticing how fatigued I feel.

The girl shows me her own Soul Gem, a similar shade to my own, but a round shape, and on her thigh instead of her hand. "I don't think so! I know there wasn't a lot of Wraiths, but there's still plenty of Grief Cubes for you!"

"Not a lot of Wraiths…" I whisper, a bit harsher than I intended. "If I can't handle the weaker ones like this…"

"Can't handle…? What are you talking about?" the girl asks. I look at her in confusion. "The way you were jumping around and using your magic. I could tell you have some experience fighting!"

I shake my head. "Experience only counts for so much when you're getting used to a different set of powers you didn't used to have, most of which you can't access now. But why are we talking about me?" I shove some Cubes into the girl's hands. "You seem like you know your way around those batons."

"I would have died if you didn't show up," the girl replies immediately, trying to put the Cubes back in my hands. "I've been lucky this whole time. I'm not that strong."

I find myself rolling my eyes. God, why does this girl give me such a sense of deja vu?! "That's my line."

"No."

"No?!" I glare at her, a little offended.

"No. You're not weak," the girl says. "Even if you say your powers aren't what you're used to, I saw you sprout magical wings and use them to jump and hit those things with! Even protect us from their blasts! And trust me," The girl holds out her Soul Gem. "I can sense that what you showed me's only a tiny fraction of what you're capable of!"

I look at her oddly. There's something in her tone that seems off. "You don't seem scared."

"You just saved my life. Why would I be scared?"

"Because when you go home, you won't remember this."

The girl looks at me shocked, and I could swear I see the faintest hint of…betrayal? Because of a girl she just met. "Why wouldn't I want to remember you?"

"It's dangerous to even know of me."

"Should you really be using your magic like that after that fight?"

"I told you. I'm…fine…!" I force out. Sadly, my body had other plans, stumbling onto the ground. I growl. "Stupid. Worthless. Clumsy…"

"Hey!" I look up at Kuroe. Oh. She thinks I was referring to her. God, how can people not be moved by such tears?!

"No. You're fine. You're way stronger and kinder than I could ever hope to be. That's why you have to forget me."

"No. You're a super powerful Magical Girl who just saved my life."

"I could have done that for my own purposes."

I look down and gasp. The girl's using those Cubes on me! "What are you doing?!" I ask harshly, forcing myself to stand.

"I choose to believe you're kinder than that."

"Then you're a fool…" I mutter.

"Maybe. But why would you warn me about hurting me before hurting me?"

I shrug. "It's in my nature to harm others." Oh. That came out way more sad than I was trying for.

"But if you were okay with it, you wouldn't be pushing me away," the girl replies. "You've been a Magical Girl for a long time. Does it ever feel like it's consumed you? That you don't even know who you were before this?"

"Don't act like you know me," I mumble. "You've just met me."

"True," the girl says. "I'm just saying how I feel."

I look at the girl oddly. "Do you always tell your life story to Magical Girls?"

"Honestly, you're the first."

I sigh. I know I should just leave, but for some reason, it doesn't feel like it'd be right. Something in her eyes, I guess. "Sorry. I just…" I shake my head. "I've always hated feeling so weak and vulnerable. I'm supposed to be the strong one."

The girl laughs. I look at her, feeling confused. "Did I say something funny?"

"It's not something funny. It's just so weird to hear someone else put words to that."

I tilt my head. What does she mean by that? The girl continues. "I mean, I'm not very strong, but I'm supposed to be strong, you know?"

"You're an odd girl."

"So are you. Who…are you?"

I sigh. "Homura. Homura Akemi…"

The girl looks at me. Shockingly, there's not much fear in her eyes. Strange. Usually, when I tell people my name, they act like I'm some ticking time bomb. "You wouldn't happen to be one of the Magical Girls from Mitakihara, would you?"

Slowly, I nod. Better rip the band-aid off now. "I'm the girl the rumors are about. You have heard the rumors, right? About how weird and scary I am?"

Once again, the girl laughs. "That's not all people say about you, you know. Some of us think you just sound really lonely."

"What?"

Smiling, the girl offers her hand. "You may wanna get out of that?"

"What? Oh." Sighing, I transform back into my normal outfit. I look at her hand oddly. "Hm? Oh, do you want the rest of the Grief Cubes?"

"I…"

"Please take them," I insist, pushing them into her hand. "See? There's plenty for both of us." True, they won't clear up a Soul Gem that much, but there's a clear advantage to these things coming in bunches.

"Well…um…If you're not gonna wipe my memory, I guess I should be going. Take care, Miss Akemi. Good luck with the rumors…"

As she walks away, something awakens in me. I'm probably gonna regret this. "Wait," I call out.

The girl stops, looking at me. Poor girl's probably confused. "Hm? What is it?"

"Um…" I find myself mentally cursing myself. How do Sayaka and Mami make talking to others look so easy?! "I'm…not going back to Mitakihara for…for a while. Do…Would you mind…um…Do you have room where you live?" Quickly, I add, "If it's not too much trouble, of course!"

There's that odd look again. I watch her tilt her head at me. For the longest time, she's silent. Then, slowly, she asks, "You don't have anywhere else to stay?"

I shake my head. "I'll figure out something if there isn't room."

"Well…I do have kind of a big family…" the girl admits softly. "But it shouldn't be too much trouble!"

My mouth opens and closes as I process what just happened. I just asked a total stranger if I could stay at her place, and she said yes. I can practically hear Sayaka yelling at me not to turn her to the dark side or whatever, not that that's my plan. "Oh…um…thank you?"

"I have to warn you, though…" the girl continues. "My family's not exactly the…um…sort that gets me."

"I can be quiet if I need to be, and if I become too much of a problem, I'll just find somewhere else."

"No!" the girl replies far too quickly. "I…I didn't mean it like that. It's just that it's been so long since I've spent time with someone my age…"

At those words, I think back to how much Hitomi has done for me. How loyal and kind she was, even to someone like me. I think to Madoka, that girl that's way too cute and kind for her own good, who couldn't turn away the chance to help someone if her life depended on it. Once again, I can see how tired she looks. The same exhaustion I feel. But I dare not hope. Even if she wanted someone like that, how could I be that person? Still, when I look at her, I can already see too much of myself in her. I should be disgusted, but really, all I feel is the urge to make sure she never has to experience what I have. "What's your name?"

"Kuroe. My name is Kuroe."

"Just Kuroe?" I ask.

Kuroe shrugs. "I have a full name. I just prefer going by Kuroe. It makes things easier."

"Fair enough, Kuroe. Then it's fair that you call me Homura."

"W-What?" she jumps a little, shocked.

"Like you said, it'd make things easier."

I hear her laugh a little at that. As we walk together in silence, I find myself oddly comforted by the presence of this girl. I didn't expect to find a welcoming presence here. I'd like to get to know her better.

Kuroe. How interesting you are…