Disclaimer: The works of Urobochi Gen (namely, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, among other things) belong to him. I do no claim any ownership over their characters, concept, or story, their franchise, etc. This is purely fan work.

Chapter 2: Saving(?) Mami

It had been a couple days since the incident where Jeremy had fought against the girl.

During those few days, he had been busy. He had to find an apartment for him to live in, a part-time job to sustain the rent, among other things.

Then again, getting those minor things done was actually pretty easy.

What really annoyed him though was the lack of information about magic.

He spent a lot of time trying find anything, but in the end all his results led him to a middle school, where the girls he had seen back then went.

It didn't take him long to figure out that this reality was one where only one group of people had magic: Magical Girls.

Jeremy had never really liked magical girl shows, but that was mostly due to the concept rather than the actual plot or story itself.

So, to find himself in a reality where magical girls actually existed...

It was laughable, how terrible his luck was at times.

On the other hand, the fact that this world was so similar to his own yet different gave him slight comfort and nostalgia.

Regardless, the lack of information about magic left Jeremy with nothing to do, besides waiting for 'HIM' to show up again.

But hey, sometimes it's good to have a break, right?

In the end, Jeremy simply wasn't able to take a break for long. Even as he tried to relax, his body refused to do so, constantly tense and restless in expectation for 'HIM' to show up at any moment.

Put simply, Jeremy was unable to relax until he knew that 'HE' was finally defeated in this reality. It would be then that he could be safe, at least until he found himself elsewhere yet again.

Sometimes Jeremy wondered if he was cursed to endlessly fight 'HIM' for all eternity.

Thinking about it was pointless. Since he was so restless, Jeremy ended up going out more often, taking walks, using his five senses to the extreme as an exercise.

Every once in a while, here and there he would detect sources of chaotic energy. None of their signatures indicated 'HIM', though, and thus he left them alone.

The Magical Girls here would take care it themselves. There was no need for him to infringe on their work and reveal his existence too early.

In fact, he was perfectly fine if none of the Magical Girls knew about him, although this probably was no longer the case.

The girl he fought against the other day probably still remembered him.

That was how the sand timer worked, after all.

But even so...

With nothing to do and Magical Girls appearing to be the only source of magic around here, he couldn't help but be interested in their magic.

Maybe he could learn something, unlikely as it was.

It was evening by the time he found a magical girl, and a familiar one at that.

She was the same blond one that had gotten killed before he ended up in this new timeline.

Just like before, she was accompanied by two other girls, the same ones he had knocked unconscious that day.

Jeremy supposed that they were probably friends, considering the interactions they had with each other.

But what Jeremy found strange was that of the three, the blond girl was the only one emanating latent magic energy.

What did that mean? Were they not magical girls yet? Were they going to become magical girls?

If not, then was she actually bringing normal girls along with her as she did her work?

That last thought sounded quite unpleasant, but at the same time made the most sense considering what happened when he had first seen them.

Intrigued, Jeremy intended to find out.

"Say, Mami-san... Do you at least have an idea of where the Witch might be?"

Tomoe Mami and her relatively new friends Sayaka and Madoka were out searching for a Witch.

More specifically, the Witch that had escaped her the other day, no thanks to Homura's appearance.

On the plus side, it was also the same event where she had met Madoka and Sayaka. Mami, who hadn't been given the chance to think properly about making her wish when she made the contract, wanted these two new possible allies to at least think it through before they made their decision.

It as a once-in-a-lifetime chance, after all, and she felt that anyone who had to make such an important decision should get the chance to think about it through, and the choice whether or not to decide.

Her way of thinking was probably influenced by the fact that she had gotten neither, but she didn't care.

It was the right thing to do.

"You often find traces of Witches' auras around car crashes or deadly accidents," Mami replied in response to Sayaka's question.

As Mami proceeded to continue explaining how Witches were often found in places with despair, she continued to watch her Soul Gem's reaction to their surroundings.

Perhaps it was coincidence, perhaps not, but right after she had finished her explanation it reacted pretty strongly.

"It's reacting to some very powerful magic."

Jeremy froze when he heard the one called Mami say that.

Then he realized that it probably wasn't him, as he too could sense that same chaotic energy, similar to that of the "labyrinth" he fought in the other timeline.

Then there was also the fact that while he certainly was using a multitude of different magics to conceal his presence, his magic capabilities never were that high.

And the fact that he had following them for some time now and it hadn't reacted that strongly when he first approached.

Granted, he wasn't actually all that close; normally he wouldn't even be able to hear them talk, but with some enhancements and positioning he could hear their voices carried by the wind.

The girls rushed off in the direction of an abandoned building; now was no time to contemplate. Silently, still hidden from view, he followed after them.

"Mami-san, look!"

As Sayaka shouted and pointed to the roof, Mami immediately realized what was going on and took action.

Running forward, she transformed into a Magical Girl and caught the women who had just attempted suicide with her ribbons, slowing her descent until she gently landed on the ground.

It didn't take long for Mami to confirm that the woman had the Witch's Kiss.

"I-is she...?" Madoka started, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"It's okay. She only fainted. Let's go."

She was relieved that they had arrived in time to prevent her death, but there were more pressing matters at the moment.

She had a Witch to stop, before anyone else was harmed.

Heading into the building, Mami cautious looked around before her Soul Gem shined, revealing the entrance to the Witch's labyrinth.

"I won't let you escape this time." Mami said with determination. What she said wasn't just a statement; it was a promise to herself and all the people that this Witch had already marked and harmed.

Altering the bat Sayaka had brought along into something more useful for their protection, she headed towards the entrance.

"Make sure that the two of you always stay near me once we're inside, all right?"

"Right!"
"Right!"

With simultaneous replies from Sayaka and Madoka, the three of them headed in, unaware of Akemi Homura who had been watching them from the building's entrance.

Jeremy paused as he noticed the three girls walk into the labyrinth. Certainly, the sole magical girl that entered seemed ready, but one could never be too sure. After all, she did lose to the other monster, or 'Witch' as they called them, in the other timeline.

The other reason why he paused was because time kept stopping, which was annoying. On the other hand, it meant that the girl who had given him so much trouble in the other time line was currently active.

Well, then again that much was obvious, considering that she too was also following the three girls. This was a fact he had noticed some time ago himself. While she didn't do a bad job of concealing herself, she didn't actually use any magic to do so, and furthermore she easily revealed herself when time was stopped.

But then again, who wouldn't? No one should be able to notice you when time was stopped, allowing you to freely change your position. Normally no one should have been able to notice her.

It's just that, her stopping of time didn't affect him anymore.

Regardless, it seems she hadn't noticed him yet; if she had, she made no indication of it as she too entered the labyrinth.

Jeremy followed after her, still making sure his presence was concealed.

After seeing Mami defeat the Witch inside, Jeremy evaluated the fight.

First, Mami wasn't as inexperienced as he thought she was. In fact, considering her strength, he was surprised that she had even lost to the Witch in the other time line. Was it because she was distracted? Too overconfident? Or was she simply more powerful in this time line?

Regardless, the Mami in front of him was certainly no weakling.

On the other hand, as strong as she was there was still a lot of room for improvement. Her current fighting style seemed to rely on having another team member for close combat, allowing her to stay stationary as she unloaded pain on her enemies.

While it was not a bad choice, it is not the best of positioning in battle, either.

And it was made even less effective as she alone, seeing how Mami had gotten caught by the Witch.

Then again, allowing herself to be caught might have been entirely intentionally, as it gave her the chance to counter and deal the finishing blow.

She had been able to dodge the blows in the beginning while firing back, after all, not to mention the amount of damage she could deal didn't decrease even as she was being flung around when she was caught.

Another thing of note was her endurance, notably when she had been slammed into the wall.

Any normal person would have injured pretty badly, if the cracks left in the wall was anything to go by.

It was also interesting to note that all her powers seemed to be tied all around ribbons. Even the percussion-lock rifled muskets that she used, along with the ammunition and the bullet casings, were made of ribbons, much to his interest. The bullet casings she fired were even reused for a second purpose, reverting into strings to ensnare the Witch and her familiars.

Without a doubt, a person with this sort of strength really shouldn't have lost to that other Witch that Mami will probably face again later on, Jeremy concluded. Not unless there was something he had overlooked, which was easy to do.

He hadn't even seen how she had died in the other time line, only knew that she did.

Regardless, it didn't change the fact that it had happened in the other time line, and Jeremy wanted to find out why.

As the labyrinth around them dissolved into nonexistence, the world around them returned back to normal.

Mam Tomoe took a few steps forward where the Witch had been, picking up a small, black object that the Witch had dropped.

"This is a Grief Seed." she said, showing it to Madoka and Sayaka. "It's a Witch's egg."

As she continued her explanation on what a Grief Seed was, she brought it up to her Soul Gem, using the Grief Seed to purify it.

"With this, the magic I expended during the fight is restored as well." she explained.

She then threw the Grief Seed at the doorway, into the darkness.

Just as she expected, the Grief Seed was caught. She really had been watching them.

"It should be good for one more use," she called out. "I'll let you have it... Akemi Homura-san."

The reactions from Sayaka and Madoka were understandable, but Mami was more inclined to agree with Madoka.

Unlike Sayaka, Mami still hoped to mend her relationship with her fellow Magical Girl, small as that hope was. She had always disliked how so many Magical Girls were always contending with each other over the Grief Seed Witches dropped, how so many Magical Girls, despite beings of hope, had thrown aside justice in favor of greed.

At least, that was the excuse she gave herself.

Simply put, Tomoe Mami was lonely.

So many Magical Girls had refused to team up with her for various reasons, but it all fell back to one reason in the end:

Whatever reason those magical girls had, it always conflicted with Mami's own sense of justice.

Compounded with the loneliness she felt as an orphan, and the lack of time she had left to make friends after hunting Witches, she had always ended up isolated.

She hoped Homura was different then those Magical Girls. If she was, maybe they could get along.

Then that small hope was crushed.

"It was your kill. You should keep the reward for yourself."

Akemi Homura threw the Grief Seed back.

Frankly, Mami was disappointed.

"I see," Mami replied with a frown. "So that's your answer."

Although Sayaka and Madoka didn't know it, what she just did was a test to see if they could cooperate. Rejecting the grief seed, which was a sign of her good will, meant refusal to work together. She still didn't know why Homura had rejected it, though. But if Homura choose not to reveal it, that was her choice. She would not press for answers.

Mami sadly watched as Homura turned around and left.

As Sayaka made a comment on how annoying Homura was, Madoka made a comment on how they all could have been friends.

Just like she herself had wished.

"It only works if both parties feel the same way." Mami said, responding to Madoka's comment. Words not just to comfort Madoka, but also herself.

Sometimes, it really couldn't be helped.

Jeremy felt he had seen enough for the day.

The Witch was defeated, the confrontation between the girls known as Mami and Akemi Homura had reached its conclusion. There was nothing more to do here...

Besides wonder just what the pink-haired girl was holding, if she was holding anything.

It annoyed him a little, the presence of... something there, yet he could not see it.

Not that he needed his eyes to know if something was there, but it was still annoying.

To his knowledge (or lack of it, considering how little he knew about magical girls), it could be one of those animals that always seemed to be associated with magical girls, but then again, since he couldn't see it, he couldn't confirm it. Not visually, anyway.

Earlier he had ignored it, or at least tried to, and had more or less succeeded, until now.

Another thing that bothered him to no end was the Grief Seed, and how they were used in conjunction with Soul Gems.

According to the girl called Mami, Grief Seeds were used to purify Soul Gems which got tainted after battle.

But wasn't it strange?

Soul Gems got darker as magic was used. This was more understandable; if magic was being depleted then of course there would be less energy left. Light is technically a form of energy, after all.

But to purify the Soul Gem with the Grief Seed, it just got depleted more.

Certainly, the sources of energy that was being depleted were quite different, as the Grief Seed took on the more negative energies, and the usage of their magic seemed to require the more positive ones.

One could say then that Soul Gems needed to have at least a balance of both positive and negative energy, but it didn't change the fact that the Soul Gem was constantly being depleted, regardless.

But that thought created another problem of its own; if that was the case, wouldn't that mean that technically, Soul Gems were unlimited sources of power? Or that it could generate its own power somehow? Perhaps the source of magic was from another source and their Soul Gems were actually a representation of the state of their minds or magic reserves?

Jeremy didn't know.

And just why were they called Soul Gems, anyway?

Taken literally, it could mean the crystallization of their souls.

But that couldn't be true... could it?

If that were true, then the implications that came along with that weren't very pleasant.

Then there was also the problem that came with the Grief Seed. Witch dropping Grief Seeds, using those seeds to purify the Soul Gems by having the Grief Seed absorb even more negative energy...

That struck him as rather dangerous.

Grief Seeds.

As everyone knows, seeds were how plants normally propagated. For example, a tomato seed could grow into a plant that produces tomatoes.

Then, wouldn't feeding Grief Seeds more negative energy potentially just cause it to grow into something that produces further grief?

There was something strange going on here, and Jeremy was determined to know what it was.

Many days passed.

Jeremy continued to follow Mami and her friends as they continued hunting for Witches and their familiars every day, hoping that he'll learn something, anything, that could help him come to a conclusion about what was going on.

He didn't really learn much.

Familiars did not drop Grief Seeds, the thing that was invisible to him was without a doubt something the girls could see and talk to, and even Mami's past.

He felt a bit uncomfortable learning that without her telling him himself, but it couldn't be helped.

Another thing that seemed strange, from what he could infer from their conversations anyway, was that to become a Magical Girl, you got to make one wish, which would come true.

That fact by itself practically screamed at him that something was way to suspicious about this whole thing.

A wish granting device of some sort was already suspicious enough, but this...

From what he could infer, ANY wish of yours would be granted if you became a Magical Girl, and all you had to do was fight Witches. But as a Magical Girl, you were also given the power to be able to fight Witches without much effort, meaning it wouldn't be that troublesome in the first place.

It sounded way too good to be true. Unless someone hugely benefited from this, there was probably a catch.

But Jeremy still didn't have enough information to come to a conclusion, much to his annoyance.

He did, however, nearly run into the girl called Akemi Homura multiple times, though.

For whatever reason Homura seemed to be following them too, but he had no business with her, so he avoided her.

Besides, considering their last encounter, could anyone blame him?

He did finally learn the names of the other two girls, however.

The blue haired girl was named Sayaka, and the other one, Madoka. Kaname Madoka, as Homura called her.

So that girl was the one Homura had been so wrought over. For whatever reason, she seemed to care for Madoka a lot.

Whatever reason it was, it wasn't any of his business. The only thing he had to know was, to prevent incurring Homura's wraith, he had to make sure that Madoka did not die while he was around.

If anything happened when he wasn't there, however, then it wouldn't be his fault no matter how you looked at it, and thus battle could be avoided.

Unlike Homura, he wasn't really all that invested in the girl he didn't really know much about at all.

And finally, the last confrontation between Mami and Homura.

First, the name Kyuubey had been said. It was probably the thing he couldn't see.

Second, it appeared Kyuubey had chosen the other two girls to become Magical Girls, and that Homura believed Mami was trying to turn the other two girls into Magical Girls.

Mami didn't deny it, and the conversation degraded to mere insults between the two and a warning from Mami.

A warning which said that the next time they met, it would probably turn into a fight between the two girls.

The day was here.

Jeremy could tell.

The same day where he first appeared in this world, where he fought against Homura and barely brought it to a standstill, the day where 'HE' had shown up and taken advantage of him when he was at his weakest to take him out.

This time, he was far more prepared.

Especially since he shouldn't have to waste as much energy on Homura like last time, if it really came to a fight between the two.

Today, instead of following Mami around, he simply waited at the hospital where the entrance of the labyrinth would appear. He noted that the object there was nothing more than a Grief Seed...

Wait. A Grief Seed?

Was he actually right, then, that Grief Seeds could actually grow into something more?

…

Now was not the time to think about that. Jeremy could figure it out later if he needed to. He was not here to fight the Witch, he kept reminding himself. He was here for only one purpose:

To take care of 'HIM'.

Is that what you really want? A voice inside of him asked.

It's not what he wants to do, it's what he has to do. That's what he's been doing for a long, long time.

And what about what you want to do?

…

Jeremy didn't really know himself.

The image of Mami killed resurfaced in his mind.

Should he prevent it? Let nature run its course?

If 'HE' was involved, of course he would prevent it, but if 'HE' wasn't...

What would he do?

Jeremy wasn't really sure.

Much to his surprise, Sayaka and Madoka had actually stumbled across the Grief Seed by pure coincidence.

Whatever reason they had for visiting the hospital had led them here, and by what appeared to be complete chance they had found the Grief Seed, glowing and ready to become a labyrinth with a Witch inside. That, or a Witch within a labyrinth. Probably the latter.

Basically whatever it was that a Grief Seed would turn into.

In the end, it didn't matter.

He was here, waiting for 'HIM', and that was it.

The girls separated as they agreed; Sayaka was to wait here with the thing (it was probably the one called "Kyuubey", but he couldn't confirm it) while Madoka went to find Mami.

Soon after Madoka left, he visibly saw the Grief Seed glow, and engulf Sayaka.

The creation of the labyrinth was complete, and Sayaka was already inside.

Jeremy was about to head in, when he paused. If that thing... Kyuubey, was with Sayaka, then chances were she probably wouldn't die.

Probably.

Besides, in the last timeline she hadn't died until after Mami did, and Mami wasn't here yet. Assuming things went the same way, she really should be fine.

…

What exactly was he trying to convince himself of?

It was evening when Mami and Madoka showed up. Just like they did in the last timeline.

And just like last time, they entered the labyrinth.

It was this very scene that he had saw in the previous time line, where he had been confused for a moment thinking that they had walked into the wall.

Now that he thought about it, if he had wanted to follow after them he should have gone in right after, rather than wait, like in the last timeline. It was that hesitation that caused him to lose them and get lost.

On the other hand, this time he wasn't here to follow them.

He was waiting for 'HIM' to show up.

Instead of 'HIM', though, Homura showed up instead and entered the labyrinth. But considering Homura's personality, who was obviously keeping an eye on Madoka, it was obvious that she would show up.

…

Last time, when he first saw Homura she had been tied up by Mami's ribbons. Now that he thought about it, considering the nature of Mami's abilities and the bad relationship the two of them had, it was likely that they probably met inside the labyrinth, and then Homura had been subdued by Mami somehow.

…

'HE' wasn't showing up. Jeremy felt no sign of 'HIM'. There was no way 'HE' could already be inside the labyrinth, could 'HE'? That should be impossible.

Jeremy waited a little while longer, but a thought in his head kept nagging at him.

What is it that you want to do?

Jeremy frowned.

Why was he denying himself again? Because if he did, he wouldn't be at his full strength when 'HE' appeared?

Why should that matter?

That's right. Hadn't he already thrown away that style of thinking?

Old habits really are hard to break.

Jeremy stepped into the labyrinth.

Jeremy ran through the twisting maze that was the labyrinth, altering the flow of time and his physical abilities to further increase the speed through which he ran.

He's been in here before.

There's no way he'll get lost a second time.

Following the correct route in his memory, he made it just in time to see Mami leaving Homura behind, caught in her ribbons.

…

Really, Homura?

Didn't you learn from the last loop?

Then again, the method and positioning of how she was tied up that was different, and clearly signs of struggle had occurred, unlike last time. Her Magical Girl outfit and sand timer were equipped too, unlike last time.

Not to mention that during his run through the labyrinth he had noticed time stopping a few times.

Maybe Mami's traps were more elaborate than Homura had thought.

After Mami and Madoka left (more unwillingly on Madoka's part, Jeremy observed) Jeremy revealed himself to Homura, canceling the concealment magics and stepping into view.

"Hey."

Homura's eyes widened slightly in shock and recognition, an action he did not miss.

Homura could not believe it.

She had been prepared for Mami's ribbon traps this time, but she still had ended up getting caught. She really had underestimated Mami yet again.

Are things going to end up the same way as last time again? She thought to herself in despair.

And then a familiar face showed up again.

A face that she had conflicted feelings on how to approach and converse with.

"Hey." the young man said in greeting.

Homura looked at him, calming her emotions. This was a new time loop. There was no way he'd remember what happened last time.

"... Mind freeing me?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, actually, I do mind at the moment, considering what happened last time."

Homura froze.

He actually remembered.

How...?

The girl visibly froze when he nonchalantly mentioned what happened before. And why not? She didn't know about the modifications he had made to her sand timer.

"Look, as sorry as I am for what happened last time, it didn't change the fact that I didn't kill Madoka, okay?"

"Why do you..."

"Why do I still remember?" Jeremy interrupted. "If you haven't noticed, I did alter your sand timer. I mean, it shouldn't have been possible for time to have reversed then, right?"

Homura paused for a moment. Yes, that's right, this man certainly did do something to her sand timer back then. But what exactly did he do? And how did he even know that her ability to stop time was a sand timer?

Then Homura remembered the man calling her ability the 'sands of time'.

"Just... who are you?" asked Homura, confused.

"Just a passerby." the young man replied. "I'll tell you again: I don't really mean any harm to you or Madoka. So let's not fight like we did last time; how does that sound?"

Homura paused. It probably was a good idea, considering how difficult of an opponent he was the last time they fought. She didn't really want to experience that again. But...

"How can I trust you?"

"Hey, hey, I should be the one asking that, you're the one who attacked me first because of a misunderstanding."

"Then why don't you tell me what happened?" Homura asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"...As far as I know, while I was busy fighting the Witch my enemy showed up and killed them. That's the only reasonable theory I can come up with. After that... I came back to the girls only to find them dead just as you showed up, and from there you already know what happened."

...Certainly, that explanation made sense.

"What about at the end, then? What was that all about?"

"That was my enemy catching us completely off guard, when the two of us were weak and exhausted. You already know the rest from there, right?"

"And how did you know about my ability to control time?"

"I figured it out while we were fighting."

What?

While they were fighting?

Was that even possible?

Her thoughts turned into a confused mess as she tried to sort them out

Just who was this guy?

Jeremy sighed. He was wasting too much time here talking with Homura, but at the same time he couldn't just leave her there.

He didn't know if Mami did this intentionally, but leaving someone tied up here in the middle of hostile territory was akin to killing them. What could Homura do if a familiar found her and she was still tied up?

But more importantly, if they wasted too much time here, then he might be too late.

Drawing a sword from his inventory, he quickly lashed out with three quick strikes before sheathing it again.

Homura fell to the ground, unharmed and released from the ribbons that had tied her up. She looked up at him with a confused look on her face before dusting herself off as she stood up.

"Where did that sword come from?" Homura asked.

"Where do you pull those guns out from?" He asked rhetorically.

She didn't reply, meaning that she probably understood his meaning.

"Anyway, it seems we have our own goals here. You can go protect Madoka and keep her safe for all I care; I'm here for my enemy, so let's not get into each others way."

"Of course."

And just like that, they both went onwards, towards the center of the labyrinth where the Witch was.

Internally, Jeremy was glad that they could actually come to an agreement. Better than being enemies at any rate, he believed.

They weren't allies either, though, but that was okay. Jeremy didn't really intend to drag her into his business, now did he want to get involved too much with theirs.

Do you really?

…Of course.

What about what you want?

Oh. Right.

"One more question."

"E-eh? Yeah, what is it?"

"What are the names of you and the other girls? Besides Kaname Madoka."

"A-ah. I'm Akemi Homura; the blond one is Tomoe Mami and the blue haired one is Miki Sayaka. Why?"

"Thanks."

Since there really wasn't much time left, he slowed down the world around him and sped up his own time, rushing on ahead and leaving Homura behind, ignoring her last question.

Homura blinked.

Just like that, the young man suddenly dashed off faster than a speeding bullet, leaving her behind.

Somehow, Homura felt a little... empty? What was it that she wanted? To protect Madoka, of course.

But this young man intrigued her too much. When they spoke, half the time he seemed like a naïve, idealistic young man, and then suddenly he'd be the coldest person in the world.

'You can go protect Madoka and keep her safe for all I care,' he had said.

Homura pondered his words, before realizing what she was doing.

Madoka. She had to go protect Madoka. The young man wasn't going to get in her way, yes, but at the same time he wasn't going to help her.

Homura ran after the man towards the center, stopping time as she pleased to get there even faster.

Jeremy was pleased for once that time around him was constantly being stopped, thanks to Homura. It only meant that he would be moving even farther over the same amount of time.

As for why he ignored her when she asked why...

He wasn't too sure himself, which was why he avoided her question. Maybe he just wanted a good excuse as to why he happened to know their names even though they've never actually met.

In any case, he arrived just in time to see Mami jump in and start the fight against the Witch.

Although the appearance was different then last time, he could intrinsically tell that it was the same Witch.

Again, Mami fought off the Witch with the same skill that she had when he had seen her fight, just like before.

The main difference was, Mami was clearly extremely happy for some reason. It would lead her to becoming overconfident, and that would lead to...

Suddenly, Jeremy realized what was going to happen. He could see it coming.

No wonder Mami died in the previous time loop.

"Tiro—"

Mami prepared her ultimate move, while Jeremy tensed himself.

"—Finale!"

A powerful shot launched at the Witch, the bullet turning into a ribbon as it pierced through the target, wrapping itself around the Witch with the intention of squeezing it to death.

And then it happened.

A new body, and a ridiculous long one at that, popped out of the mouth of the old one, and shot forward towards Mami.

Jeremy launched himself forward without a thought.

Mami stared in blank surprise as her thoughts simply froze. Not only did the Witch survive from her ultimate attack, within seconds it suddenly appeared right in front of her face.

Then it opened its mouth.

Frozen in shock from the sudden unexpected event right after the happiest moment of her life, she could only stand there blankly looking death in the face.

Then, something smashed into the Witch and exploded, knocking it off course as it flinched and reared away from her.

Then following the explosion, a young man in white appeared, charging at the Witch.

Mami blinked. Then she blinked again at the impossible scene before her as she could only sink to her knees, her legs refusing to support her any longer.

She watched as the young man fought against the Witch with his bare hands.

No, fighting was not an appropriate word.

The man was NOT attacking the Witch, merely defending himself.

He leaped here and jumped there, expertly avoiding the Witch's attempts to eat him as he quickly moved out of the way. At times he would purposely barely avoid the Witch, then push it forward, somehow using it's own momentum against itself.

It was an impossible fight. There was no way this man could win if this continued, thought Mami.

Then the man sent the Witch crashing towards the floor, stunning it for only a moment.

But that moment was apparently enough for the young man.

Jeremy was not stupid.

Wasting all his energy to defeat this Witch was not an option, considering what happened last time.

But his goal wasn't to defeat the Witch, nor was it to save Tomoe Mami. His goals never was anything like that. They weren't even what he wanted to do.

Today,

all he wanted,

was to prevent the girl called Tomoe Mami from getting killed.

Not just now, but also in the future. Saving her would not do that. Saving people only made them reliant on being saved.

No, his goal was to knock some sense back into Tomoe Mami, a girl who never should have lost to a Witch like this.

"Tomoe Mami! Get a hold of yourself! Is this not your opponent? Stand up and fight!" Jeremy bellowed as he distracted the Witch.

That's right. From the beginning, he wasn't here to fight this Witch. He was only here to distract the enemy and give Tomoe Mami the chance to redeem herself.

The Witch recovered itself from smashing its own face into the ground, not even harmed at all.

That was fine.

This was Mami's opponent, after all.

"...Stand up and fight!"

The words rung again and again in Mami's head.

Ah, that's right, Mami thought. She was a magical girl, the bane of all Witches.

And right in front of her was a Witch.

How did she make that kind of mistake?

Pushing herself back up, she once again prepared herself to fight.

Jeremy leaped out of the way as soon as he saw Mami stand up with a determined look in her eyes.

Good.

He was no longer needed here, and thus disappeared from view, concealing his presence with magic.

The Witch visibly confused, looked around for him in vain.

But it was enough for Mami.

Without wasting the huge opening Mami caught the Witch for the second time with her ribbons.

As the Witch looked at Mami in surprise, she uttered the last words it would ever hear.

"TIRO FINALE!"

The Witch was finally defeated. Mami once again realized how close to death she was this time, and sank to her knees once more in a sudden bout of weakness.

Was she really this weak?

Suddenly, the young man from before materialized next to her.

"Tomoe Mami." the young man said, lecturing her as he looked straight ahead at the remains of the Witch as the labyrinth dissolved into nothingness around them. "A true warrior should not become distracted by their emotions. You should be experienced enough to know that. Not only did you risk getting yourself killed, but did you not think of what would happen to your companions had you died? By bringing them with you, you burdened yourself with a heavy responsibility. If I had not been there, chances are you most likely would have died, to be followed along with your companions."

Mamis widened her eyes in realization of his implications, tears forming in her eyes. Everything had been such a shock to her that she hadn't realized the significance her mistake, until this man had pointed it out to her.

If she died, Madoka and Sayaka would have been defenseless before a Witch.

Mami felt so bad that her guilt ate her up inside, making her want to throw up.

"It is good that you understand that. Still..." The young man paused, as if looking for the right words to say. "...although while it was true that you probably would have failed, it is also true that the situation is already over. You've been given another chance, so learn from the mistake that you made today. You are without a doubt a powerful and experienced fighter, so make it up in the future and redeem yourself, okay? I know you can do it."

The words at the end were surprisingly kind compared to his earlier words. Mami looked at him in surprise before she really started crying in relief.

She really didn't deserve that kind of kindness.

"I-I'm sorry..." she spluttered through her tears.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing, you know," he said, gesturing towards Sayaka and Madoka. "Well, I have important things to take care of, so I'll be going. Chances are, we probably won't meet again."

"W-wait! At least tell me your... name..." Mami trailed off as the young man disappeared from sight.

As Sayaka and Madoka recovered from the event they approached her, concerned.

Mami could only cry harder at the kindness they showed her, throwing herself into Madoka's arm as she apologized again and again.

Homura was surprised.

Saving Mami in such a way, she hadn't even considered such a thing before.

In fact, could it really be considered saving?

Furthermore, wasn't what he did a bit contradictory to his words? From what she could tell, the young man hadn't cared at all what happened to the girls, only seeking his enemy, yet right after telling her this he goes and... prevents Mami from dying?

Homura could not understand this enigma.

Still, this time Madoka was alive.

She still had a chance to save Madoka.

If she saw that man again...

Well, she didn't know what she would do, actually.

But that wasn't important.

Like he said to Mami, chances are he probably won't show up again, so like always, it was all up to her to save Madoka.

Jeremy had simply concealed his presence when he had disappeared.

He had certainly heard her desire to learn his name, but...

What good would it do?

He was someone who shouldn't be here in the first place. The world would correct that soon enough and forcibly remove him.

But that wasn't his concern; while it was true that Tomoe Mami survived, there was something else very divergent from the other time line, one that bothered him a lot.

Namely, 'HE' hadn't shown up at all, and that worried him the most.

If 'HE' hadn't shown up here this time...

Where was 'HE' now?

It had taken Mami a couple hours to calm down, riddled with guilt as she was. After explaining herself to Madoka and Sayaka, she ended up crying again as they easily forgave her.

Once those hours were over, though, she was back to her normal, confident self. She was their upperclassman, after all. She really shouldn't be showing this kind of side to her to them, as their role model.

They were now in her apartment, enjoying some tea that Madoka had made, much to Mami's appreciation.

To be honest, she was still trembling a bit, and thus didn't know if she could properly make tea. But she hid her unease well enough to act like she's always been acting.

"You know, if I became a Magical Girl, there's no way any Witch out there would be able to stand up to us!" Sayaka said, posing enthusiastically as she did so.

Sayaka was the one who had taken to the event the most favorably. She had gone on and on about how cool it was to have been to be like the young man that had saved her, to be a hero of justice just like him, showing up to help people in their times of need.

"Miki-san, you really need to find something worth making a wish on before coming to such a decision. Then you can make the contract with Kyuubey... wherever he is." For some reason, Kyuubey had left them earlier, so he wasn't with them now.

More importantly, though, the hidden meaning behind her words and smile was not lost on Sayaka, who sit back down, dejected.

"Bleeh." Sayaka moaned, sticking her tongue out. Nevertheless, it was advice that she agreed to. "Fine, I'll wait until I'm ready. But when I am, we'll be the strongest team of Magical Girls out there, fighting for justice! Right, Madoka?"

"W-well, I'm not so sure about that, Sayaka-chan... Hey!"

As Sayaka suddenly grabbed Madoka with a lecherous grin on her face, the conversation quickly degenerated into Sayaka messing with Madoka as she tried to get Madoka to see her way.

Mami sighed, smiling at the scene all the while as she sipped her tea, all the while thinking about a certain man in white and what he had said to her.

It didn't take much thought. She would take those words dear to her heart and follow them to the grave.

As she continued to enjoy her tea, Mami idly wondered if she would meet the man again, despite his claims otherwise.

She wondered what else the young man could teach her, could give her.

And she wondered just what kind of things she wanted from him.

A/N: Thanks for making it this far.

This time, as you've already noticed, no one died. (except the Witches of course, but I highly doubt any of you care about them. If you do... Well, I don't really care all that much either, so whatever.) How many of you are rejoicing that Mami survived? How many of you aren't? Regardless, it would be nice if you readers left comments, preferably constructive criticism. Again, if the tenses bothered you in this chapter, sorry about that.

Also, "It was also interesting to note that all her powers seemed to be tied all around ribbons."
Pun was totally intended :P

Some thing you might want to know:

As I was writing Jeremy's analysis on the relationship between Soul Gems and the Grief Seeds, I actually got farther with his analysis then I had expected. Too far for my liking, maybe... who knows. Regardless, Jeremy got remarkably close to the truth despite the lack of information, huh. But it's mostly pure speculation as it is, as Jeremy himself acknowledged.

A lot of parts ended up writing themselves, actually. Once I got over a few stumbling blocks, it was actually pretty easy.

Second, Jeremy's conflicts with himself. You probably already noticed, but Jeremy has a lot of trouble breaking his old habits of thinking of himself in self-derision and being a bit of a loner, due to his past, in which he's gotten quite used to doing what he believe he HAS to do rather then what he WANTS to do. A subtle but major difference.

Once he comes to a decision, though, he'll certainly take action.

Also, Mami survived this time, yay. But she wasn't saved, which is actually pretty important. You'll find out why later.
Of course, Mami surviving changes quite a bit of things from how the anime progresses from this point on. One thing in particular was that Mami's death was a detriment to Sayaka and Madoka wanting to become a Magical Girl.

How things will go from here, you'll have to find out...

As for Mami's reactions at the end, I don't know if it'll seem realistic to you readers, but I tried my best. Probably most of you will read it passively and be like, whatever. OTL

Anyway, if you guys REALLY haven't noticed yet, this was Mami's chapter. Next up, Sayaka! (with some Kyoko too, and maybe a bit of Mami at the beginning to wrap things up a bit if I think this chapter didn't wrap things up well enough.) What will Jeremy do this time around, with a such a hopeless girl?

Find out when I feel like writing the next chapter.

...

Then again, who's even reading this anyway? Hopefully I won't bully her around like Urubochi Gen loves to do apparently, but it's so hard not to at times. .

Anyway, if you bothered to read through this entire A/N, kudos to you.

Note: Someone, tell fanfiction to stop messing with the formatting. It just won't stop... ZETSUBOUSHITA! FANFICTION'S FAILURE TO KEEP FORMATS HAS LEFT ME IN DESPAIR!

*turns into a Witch, despite being neither a magical girl or well... a girl.