Kyoko wasn't sure what to make of the guy in front of her. Kyubey had showed up a few hours ago, saying he saw this guy where a labyrinth had just dissolved. She'd never seen this guy before, but apparently he defeated the witch there. At first she figured it was just some witch that ate other witches, but he's very clearly not that. She had to wonder: what kind of person could kill a witch that wasn't a fellow magical girl? He certainly didn't look like much. Seemed more like the homeless people she's encountered than a Kyubey-verified witch killer.

She shrugged. His motives didn't matter, but it did piss her off that this guy was kill stealing. Regardless, she couldn't let him go on. If he's killing witches, then that means he's taking grief seeds he doesn't even need. And that's a problem for her.

"Let's dance," he said, making the 'come at me' hand.

Kyoko grinned. "Cocky bastard, aren't you?" Time to put the old man in a home. Her weapon shot forward, segmenting itself, bending and twisting like it was alive. She stabbed forward, the man narrowly dodging the tip by a hair. She whipped the weapon around as it missed, going for his legs. He backflipped, dodging completely.

Kyoko's lance snapped back to normal, and she drew in close for a series of quick stabs. Just like before, the man dodged with seemingly no effort.

"Come on, is that really the best you got?" The man said. "I could handle you with my eyes closed!"

"Says the guy who doesn't do anything but dodge!" Kyoko growled. Another stab, which he grabbed before it connected. She delivered a kick to his chest, wresting the weapon from his grip and gaining some distance.

"This is what I mean," he said with a shrug. "No substance, no style. You're boring me to sleep over here!" For emphasis, the man gave a loud, exaggerated yawn, folded his arms and closed his eyes.

"You're seriously gonna-" Kyoko's words were cut off by a snore.

She blinked.

"Wait, did he really…?" She walked up to him, yet even when she was right in front, he continued to snore. "Hey!" She yelled, snapping her fingers in front of his face. She grit her teeth. "You actually fell asleep on me!? Who the hell does this old timer think he is!?" She clenched her fist, her nails digging into her palm, drawing blood if not for her status as a magical girl.

"I don't care if you're a witch, familiar, or just some crazy old dude…" Her weapon glowed a bright red, magical energy pouring into it, thrumming a fierce pulse. "But if you don't take me seriously you're gonna regret it!" she shifted the grip. With a blindingly fast thrust, she stabbed the weapon, aiming right for the man's heart. As it made contact the energy exploded, illuminating the night in scarlet. Kyoko grinned as the light began to fade. She warned him after all. Now that he's taken care of, it should be back to normal when it comes to witch hunts-

Wait.

She didn't kill the guy.

In fact, her spear hadn't even touched him.

Despite all the power she poured into that attack, her spear was stopped by the handle of a white gun, it's wielder giving her devilish grin.

"Now that's more like it! Crazy light show- guess you do know how to party!" he said. Kyoko struggled, pushing her spear forward with all her might- despite her effort the man remained completely unmoved. "And since you asked so nicely-" a flick of his wrist and she was flying backwards. Only by her experienced reflexes was she able to land, albeit shakily, on her feet.

The bullet whizzed past her ear.

"I can do serious."

"So you're tougher than you look. Big deal," Kyoko scoffed as she regained composure. "But it's gonna take a lot more than a gun to-"

She stopped, her words caught in her throat.

Normally, as a magical girl, she wouldn't be afraid of a measly gun. But this man, who casually tossed her aside like a sack of potatoes… it's like his aura flared to life. Nothing about him had significantly changed. A shift in posture, grin ever so slightly more malicious, the steely gaze trained directly on her… yet it was as if this was a completely different person from the hobo from ten seconds ago. It wasn't like anything she ever felt; not even a witch's presence felt this suffocating.

Oh, wait. His presence is literally suffocating- She actually stopped breathing. At least being a magical girl had reduced her need to breathe, she sardonically mused.

Something deep within her was saying this was not someone to mess with- her survival instincts practically screaming at her to run. She didn't know how to word it, but something about him seemed to protest and reject her entire conceptualization of humanity.

She couldn't stop her hands as they shook. She had blindly charged this man and now felt through her entire being how big a mistake that was.

She no longer doubted that he could have killed a witch.

She bit her lip. "Damn it damn it, I'm just in my head…" she muttered. "This is probably just some trick of his…" though her shaking hands failed to be convinced. "It's just some magic trick…" she reaffirmed.

Bullets shot towards her. A fierce spin of her lance in front was able to deflect them.

"What's the matter?" The man taunted. "You aren't scared, are you?"

She couldn't afford to hold back or make any mistakes. She could see it in his eyes: this wasn't going to stop until one of them was dead. She took a deep breath, hardening her resolve.

All he has is the gun, she thought. He's fast enough to dodge me and catch my spear with his bare hands. But if I manage to catch him off guard, then...!

The man twirled his gun. Kyoko stood on high alert. What she did next would make or break this.

The moment she saw him pull the trigger, she leapt up. Empowering herself with magic, she pushed forward off the wall and flung herself toward him. He casually sidestepped, as expected. Kyoko planted her spear in the ground and spun, redirecting her momentum back at him.

Without turning around, he aimed his gun behind him and fired. Her spear handle split into sections and flailed around her, deflecting the majority of the projectiles. Several bullets still grazed her, but she didn't stop.

Just as she was about to barrel into the man, he leaned backwards, a hair's breadth from being tackled by her.

This was it- the only chance she would have.

In that moment, Kyoko's spear morphed into its regular form, and with as much power as she could muster, she thrust it into the man's chest, fully impaling him all the way through. And with that done, she continued to fly until she crashed into the wall.

Kyoko groaned as she got to her feet. "What the hell was with that guy?" She looked to the recently deceased: his limbs slack, his body supported by the spear as it stood upright into the ground and through his chest. Now that all was said and done, she felt like she could finally breathe easily. Whatever effect he had on her seemed to be gone. Looking at him now, she wondered what about him shook her so badly. "Like I thought, it was some trick. Maybe a mind affecting magic or something…" It wasn't unheard of. Witches could influence the mind of people to lure them into a labyrinth. Who's to say other people couldn't? Though it didn't feel like magic- it was something primal, innate in her. But threatening as he seemed, he died like all the rest.

But the speculation could wait for whenever she sees Kyubey again.

Kyoko sighed. "I'm hungry."

As she went to grab her weapon, she paused at the sight of her combatant stirring. As though he was waking up from a deep sleep, the man rose to his feet, giving a grandiose stretch.

"You got spunk, Red," he said, rolling his neck. Kyoko was silent, eying her spear that was still very much inside him. "But spunk can't get you everywhere." He pulled the spear out of him and tossed it to Kyoko, who didn't even make an effort to grab it. "You're one of them magical girls, yeah? If you're going around killing witches, you better go in with more than that. Bravado can be a good thing, but if that's all you got, you're not gonna last." Her vision was engrossed in the wound she created closing right before her eyes. Silently his organs, skin, even his clothes mended back together as though he hadn't been stabbed all the way through just minutes prior.

Kyoko felt herself break into a cold sweat. That supposedly fatal wound hadn't even phased him.

"But that stab of yours did clue me in on a little somethin'-" Before he said anymore, the barrier around them disappeared and Kyoko fled as fast as she could, the weapon she left disappearing into motes of light not a moment later.

"...Suit yourself," he shrugged.

Dismal…

"Pfft," Dante scoffed. "You just can't see the bigger picture. Sometimes, you need a little finesse instead of brute strength." The voice did not respond further, but Dante could feel that it was skeptical of what he just said.

Homura worked tirelessly to organize and formulate a coherent plan. In front of her was a large screen displaying a map of Mitakihara, as well as the location of every witch and the dates on which they appeared. It was still early into this time loop and Mami Tomoe had not made contact with Madoka or Sayaka. Considering how things often go, that event can be predicted to happen within the next two days. And while she had a general idea of how to deal with Mami, depending on how that plays out, Kyoko could be a much larger headache. Not to mention when Sayaka inevitably gets caught up in everything. And most importantly, there was still the major consideration of Dante. She didn't have an idea of how deeply he'd affect events; he was basically a wild card.

Right now, all she knew for sure was she'd be using him to help with defeating Walpurgisnacht, but if he could prove to be a useful enough tool for that job, there is undoubtedly some use for him in the meantime. Perhaps she could use him to defeat witches so Madoka never encountered one? Though she supposed that would end up with her hoarding grief seeds. She already had plenty, and it wasn't as if Dante needed any. But then again, the only people she was really hurting were Mami and Kyoko. She supposed in order to save Madoka, then that was just the way the cookie crumbled, so to speak.

However, just because Dante could defeat Patricia doesn't mean Walpurgisnacht will go down just as easily. Having Kyoko and Mami to help would be greatly beneficial, providing she could get them to cooperate.

And also live- there was that caveat too.

Homura wouldn't lie about how difficult trying to get everything together could be. The slightest variation could have drastic results down the line. It's why the time loop could differ so wildly. She had to wonder what exactly Dante could achieve here. There was no doubt that he would cause things to differ in unpredictable ways, and she needed to ensure he remained beneficial to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Hey there, Little Lady," Dante said when she opened the door. "Got something for you." He handed her a pizza box, which Homura looked at curiously. "Not sure if you ate or not," he said. "It's got everything but olives."

She looked to Dante as he was let inside.

He gave a low whistle. "Nice place."

She certainly hadn't expected this kind gesture from him. Was this some sort of trick? Was it poisoned? Not that poison would work on her. Why would he try to kill her with poison? Could he actually just have been concerned for her well being? It's true that she hadn't eaten today. She opened the box. It looked just as Dante described, save for actually having olives.

"Why?"

"Everybody loves pizza! And as a bonus:" he produced a box from behind him. "Got you some ice cream too."

"No, I mean why bother getting these for me?"

"Thought you'd be hungry."

"That can't possibly be your reason."

"I was getting one anyway and figured you'd want in."

"…" Homura once again looked at Dante. His face didn't seem to betray any ill intentions as far as she could tell.

It had been so long since she's relied on anyone else. Trying to work with Mami, Kyoko, or Sayaka only ended in failure. No matter what she did, they always ended up dead or succumbing to their own despair, not necessarily in that order.

It was still difficult to trust Dante, but Homura reminded herself that he was using her just as much as she was using him: he was still unfamiliar with how witches and magical girls worked, were he telling the truth. He had his own reasons for aiding her, and the gesture was most likely just to keep her motivated. She supposed she could appreciate that, at least.

"I've never had pizza before."

"What!?" Homura was taken aback: this was the first time Dante had shown any level of being surprised. "What kinda kid never had pizza before?"

"...Before I became a magical girl, I was hospitalized for a very long time. I never had the chance to try something as… unhealthy as pizza." And it wasn't something she ever had while with the others. They typically went for sweet pastries at Mami's insistence.

"Well you've got no excuse not to try it now."

"I… suppose that is true." She hesitantly took a bite. A very greasy texture with a complicated assortment of flavors due to the numerous toppings. She swore she could feel her arteries clogging up just from the small bite she took. She concluded she hadn't missed much from this food. Absolutely disgusting.

"I believe I'll have to pass," she said, putting down the remainder of her slice. "It's a bit much for my palate."

"More for me then," Dante said, taking a slice before looking at the olives in disgust. "You can at least handle the ice cream, right?" She opened the box to reveal a strawberry sundae. "Don't tell me you hate sundaes too!"

"No… I like these." Strawberry flavors were pink like Madoka. She liked them by association alone. A single morsel was all it took to send her mind to the past.

Time spent in cafes with Madoka, of tasting sweet treats with her until Homura got sick because it was her first time having them. Times spent idly chatting with Madoka over tea and cake at Mami's house. Her mind aglow with simpler, blissful times.

"Damn, didn't think you'd like it that much!" Dante's chuckling brought her back to the present, her sundae completely devoured.

Homura frowned. This is why she can't indulge like this. It only served as a distraction.

"So I got a question," Dante said, finishing the remainder of the pizza. "How do you cast your magic?"

Homura thought this a reasonable question. A question she should have asked Kyubey. Though considering when she made her wish, she had neither the foresight nor presence of mind to ask questions about the true nature of magical girls.

Of course, that is all part of the Incubator's plan.

"To paraphrase the being that gave magical girls their abilities, magic is a form of energy created by emotions that is unbound by the constraints of thermodynamic laws. As such, magic is able to create miracles… of a sort."

"Miracles, huh?"

"Magical girls are able to manipulate that energy to a degree, and as such we are able to achieve great feats. It is a gross reduction, but that is the simplest explanation."

"You can spare me the lecture. The important thing was that your magic comes from emotions."

"That is correct."

"So your magic is powered by your soul. Like I thought."

Homura narrowed her eyes. "So you are familiar with magical girls."

"Nope. Like I said, haven't heard of them before today. Just something that crossed my mind. And I got it confirmed by the kid in red."

"The kid in- Kyoko?"

"If that's the one with the spear, then yeah."

"What's Kyoko doing here so early? She shouldn't be concerned with Mitakihara until Mami… what were you doing with Kyoko? What did she want?"

"She tried to kill me."

Homura took a deep breath. This isn't good. "May I ask why you provoked another magical girl?"

"She came looking for a fight. Said something about 'Kyubey' giving a description of me."

"Kyubey," Homura clenched her fists. Of course he'd be the cause. She should have suspected he would have his eye on Dante, were he seen around her. She assumed he would consider Dante nothing more than a regular man; clearly she was mistaken. She should have been more vigilant.

"I didn't kill her if that's what you're worried about. She did stab me pretty good, though."

Not what she cared about at all. Kyoko dying might even be beneficial here. "I'm not in the mood for jokes."

"Who's joking? She ran me clean through." Homura eyed Dante, noting how unharmed he looked. He was able to recover from her shooting him point blank, so perhaps his healing is just more advanced than the average magical girl's. Must be convenient.

Homura had to think. Kyubey being aware of Dante was a setback, but not the end of things. No, this could still be salvaged. If Kyubey wanted Dante to be seen as an enemy, then she could have him go all in on that route. Yes, perhaps if he distracted Kyoko and Mami, they would be too preoccupied with him- then neither Madoka nor Sayaka would have direct involvement with magical girls. It would take a bit of work, but this could still be spun to her advantage. As knowledgeable as Kyubey is, he is not aware of future events to the same extent she is. And if Dante is occupying the others, she could get primary influence over Madoka, steering her away from magical girl work when Kyubey inevitably tries to contract her.

"Anyway, that's why I brought this up," Dante continued. "I had a feeling you had some soul related shit going on. So I gotta ask, what demon did you contract to give you that kinda power?"

Homura almost chuckled at that. "Demon may be an apt descriptor. The one magical girls contract with is Kyubey, who Kyoko mentioned."

"Huh. Never heard of a demon by that name."

"Kyubey is not a literal demon, but he is our contractor. He grants a wish, and in exchange we become magical girls. As such, we fight witches for him as compensation."

"So what's the catch?"

"I cannot reveal that. That knowledge is a great burden on magical girls, and I cannot risk you revealing it should you have another confrontation with Kyoko or the other magical girl in this city." A fair point, Dante thought. "So I instead will ask how you came to the conclusion that magic is powered by our souls?"

"'Cause I've seen it before."

"...You have?"

"It's been in stories throughout history. Some poor schmuck sells his soul for power and loses everything he had in the process."

"Such as Goethe's Faust'?"

"...Sure."

"A fitting parallel. Magical girls do trade their souls for a wish in a literal sense." Considering Kyubey's reported history, Homura conjectured that Mephistopheles was based on him.

"Long story short, nothing in life is free," Dante said. "And using your magic eats away at your soul."

"I am aware," Homura said as she ran a hand through her hair. "But my reasons for fighting extend far beyond myself." Dante didn't know anything about her or her struggle. It isn't something he would never have to deal with and something he would never understand.

She didn't fight for herself like he did. Her purpose was solely for Madoka. If it was for her, Homura would sacrifice her life and her soul. There was no price she wasn't prepared to pay for Madoka. Her entire existence is expendable, so long as it saves Madoka from the terrible fate that befalls all magical girls. Dante couldn't hope to understand the depth of her devotion. The only thing keeping Homura sane throughout these time loops is the hope that eventually she can give Madoka the future she deserves. Even if Homura must die, she would be satisfied so long as Madoka could live. "Using magic destroys my soul, and the only way to restore it is to defeat a witch."

Dante scoffed. "That Kyubey guy's got this all figured out, huh?"

"So he likes to think."

"Then I guess he's the main target then."

"As much as I would like to destroy that creature, that is currently impossible."

"Hmm." Dante held his tongue. While he was sure he could kill whatever demon Kyubey was, it was clear to him that Homura's tried and failed. And just like everything else she's going through, it's weighing on her a lot.

He really did have to give it to her for sticking out alone for so long. Even he had people he could trust during the low points in his life. But this girl, having to relive the same month at this age? Definitely a shitty situation, to say the least.

And this Kyubey guy probably hasn't tried offing her since magical girls are apparently part of his master plan. Either that or he's confident Homura can't do anything to him. 'Not a literal demon' she says. He'll be the judge of that. Kyubey's in for a shock when he gets the balls to show his face in front of the Legendary Devil Hunter.

Dante had to hold back a grin. If she considers the circus a threat she can stop, then she's really playing up Kyubey if she says it's impossible to kill him. This might be a little fun after all. But crazy as this could get for him, Homura definitely wasn't down to party. Practically everything about her screamed she just wanted to get this over with. Fortunately for Homura, that's what he was here for.

Dante turned to look at the map display. "Looks like you were busy." Homura looked up at him. "This where those witches are gonna show up?"

"As well as the dates they are set to appear. From what my previous experience has shown, it seems that nothing I do during this period changes when or where they manifest." Dante nodded. "That said, I would like you to monitor these witches."

"That right?"

"As I explained, we magical girls are required to defeat witches to prevent the destruction of our souls. If Kyoko is aware of you, I have no doubt she will come for you again. I believe she will try to defeat witches in advance before attempting to face you once more. Furthermore, since Kyubey is the one who mentioned you to her, I have no doubt he will do the same to the other magical girl in the area: Mami Tomoe."

"'Mami'? That's seriously what she goes by?"

"That is her name, yes," Homura said tersely. "I would like for you to confront them when they show up to fight a witch. Keep them busy so they do not interfere with my mission."

"And what is that exactly?"

"That is irrelevant to you. Just know that it is imperative I remain undisturbed by the others." Dante shrugged. Let her keep some secrets. If she wanted to run this show, he'd let her. He'd learn what she's all about in due time anyway.

"Alright, I can handle that for ya," he said. He didn't want to be stuck playing babysitter, but if that's what the Little Lady wants, he'd go along with it for now. Kids' gotta learn to be independent and all that. Or at least he remembered Kyrie saying something like that. Not like he had anything to really do until the boss showed up. And he was kinda interested in what else these magical girls had to reveal. Maybe he'd even get to meet that Kyubey fella.

The knock at the door woke Mami Tomoe from her slumber. At first she thought it was just her imagination, but the second knock is what caused her to groggily rise out of bed. "Who could this be?" She wondered aloud as she hurriedly made herself presentable. She wasn't expecting any visitors, especially not at this late hour.

Not that anyone aside from Kyubey visited her anyway.

It was at the third knock that she opened the door.

"Good evening," she started. "May I help you-" the words died in her throat when she realized who the visitor was. Standing in pale moonlight, red hair illuminated by its soft glow, and features set into a grim despondence stood a face all too familiar to Mami. "S-Sakura-san?" She asked in bewilderment. Of all the people who would ever visit her, the last person she expected was her former partner and fellow magical girl Kyoko Sakura.

"Hey," Kyoko said flatly.

"Hello…" she responded. The two stood there awkwardly, Mami looking at Kyoko, and Kyoko looking around anxiously. Even though they hadn't spoken in quite some time, Mami could tell that Kyoko was rather shaken about something. "Would you like to come in?" Kyoko simply pushed past Mami into her home. "I suppose I'll put some tea on…"

Well, here's another part of whatever this is. I had it finished a while ago but I just wasn't happy with it. Still not, but I suppose that's how things go. Please flame in comments, but make sure you like and subscribe.