As N Approaches Infinity Chapter 65: VIERUNDSECHZIG, a Bleach + Puella Magi Madoka Magica/魔法少女まどか★マギカ Crossover fanfic

A/N: Well, I managed to get farther ahead sooner than I thought. Three characters staged a month-long strike to protest that my original plans had become out-of-character for them as they developed and I had to adjust plot to match. Which was a major pain because it messed with the calendar and who was where when. But I worked something out and the characters started working again.

It fascinates me that I've solidified my concept of these characters so strongly that "they" flag me down when I'm forcing them to do a thing "wrong."

§ x § x §

VIERUNDSECHZIG

TIMELINE X + N + 1

Akon trudged into the Twelfth Division labs at dawn on Tuesday, clinging to his large thermos of coffee for dear life and already itching for a smoke. He sat at his desk, pressed a button, and watched his computer boot up as he savored sweet, sweet caffeine. Peace in the lab. Yes.

When his captain materialized from the shadows like a ghoul, Akon didn't even flinch. "Good morning, Captain."

Kurotsuchi looked more irritable than usual— must've pulled another all-nighter. He carelessly tossed a tablet onto Akon's desk. Rude. "After your initial rounds, your project for the day is to study this evidence and research the relevant areas in our databases. Double check the integrity of any sensors involved. Report anything interesting to me." With that, Kurotsuchi went his way muttering something about modifying lapidary saws. Akon stared after him.

Well, that was ominously vague.

Curious but also in possession of a healthy sense of self-preservation, Akon set aside the tablet and went through his daily start-up routine as ordered. Thinking ahead, he set up several diagnostics to run on various sensor arrays before the bulk of the workforce showed up and slowed scans down.

After an hour of checking on various experiments and specimens, Akon finally sat down with the tablet. At first he didn't understand why the hell he had been given articles about such seemingly mundane occurrences in addition to the on-site sensor data Urahara had sent, but he slowly became engrossed by the details and speculation about the patterns formed by them as described in the accompanying notes. Akon went through everything a second time, outlining a research plan. After mid-morning rounds, repairing his eardrums after an unexpected explosion, and lunch, Akon sat down to research in earnest. The more data he compared, the more he frowned.

That couldn't be right.

But the more he looked, the more all the various points of investigation agreed. What they agreed upon made no goddamn sense, but that many independent points of confluence was hard to argue with. No wonder his captain had been grouchier than usual and demanded sensor evaluation. Time for independent confirmation.

Akon went to the Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab and approached Rin Tsubokura. More considerate than his superior, Akon got Rin's attention then stood back and silently waited for him to finish what he was doing. Ten minutes later, Akon gave Rin a blank research outline with no context as a control. Rin eyed him curiously but Akon refused to elaborate.

Four hours later, Rin appeared in Akon's doorway sporting an uncharacteristic frown.

"Yes?"

"This makes no sense."

Akon sat back. "I'm not the only one, then. Any ideas?"

Rin looked down at his tablet doubtfully. "I suppose that sector of the remote sensor array could be compromised. I ordered Kajiura's team to manually inspect it and overhaul it. I don't really think they'll find anything, though— the likelihood a cluster of errors this dense would go unnoticed for almost thirty years is very small."

Akon leaned on one elbow and propped up his head. "What do you propose, then?"

"On-site readings," Rin said, pursing his lips. "The portable reishi analysis machine has more delicate capabilities than the wide-scale sensor array. I'd... like to confirm these readings before you report to Captain Kurotsuchi. Have proof that it's not long-term shoddy maintenance."

Keep his department alive and sane if possible, Akon translated. "That won't be necessary. Kisuke Urahara has been on-site and provided data. It looks like it correlates with our remote readings, but I'll forward it to you for review. There are also potential sites of disturbances with aberrant readings in the information I held back. Dig into those and compare with our existing data. If you need anything new, outline it and I'll forward it to Urahara to gather on-site."

Rin nodded and bit his lip in worry as he looked down at the tablet again. "The discrepancy between what the readings are and should be is... disturbing. But I think it went unnoticed this long because the readings blend in with others in the area. They don't look abnormal if you don't cross-reference population demographics. We've only really poked at population numbers when looking for an explanation for a sudden increase or decrease in spiritual density and Hollow population. This has been steady— not suspicious."

"Assign some people to look around Japan for other population centers whose readings don't seem to correlate with number of occupants."

Rin looked dismayed. "That'll take forever." He sighed and nibbled his thumbnail. "Maybe Hiyosu can write a program to flag potential points of interest for further study," he muttered, gradually more quietly.

"Have him do that while you compare our data to Urahara's," Akon said with a firm nod. "It would be useful if we end up expanding the scope beyond Japan. Lieutenant Kurotsuchi is also involved in the overarching investigation, so if Hiyosu needs more programming talent to draw from, tell him to go to her."

Rin's eyebrows knit in worry. "This is part of something bigger?"

"Possibly. I don't want to give you confirmation bias with details and I don't have all the info either, but it may be an enemy conspiracy of some kind."

Rin grimaced. "I'll sideline as many assignments as possible to prioritize this, then."

Akon smiled thinly. "I appreciate it."

§ x § x §

Homura had a thoroughly domestic breakfast in the Kurosaki household, spent the morning in the clinic with Isshin having discussions about the Precipice World between patients while Ichigo did classwork, ate lunch with them, and left shortly thereafter. The hotheaded blonde who had verbally attacked Homura and Karin was not present when Ichigo took Homura to Urahara Shop to use the reishi henkan-ki. This time they were escorted by a short, dark-haired young woman who exchanged pleasantly sarcastic barbs with Ichigo the entire trip. Homura observed Rukia Kuchiki carefully, thinking of how she had been described as one of the family around here in the previous timeline. Captain Ukitake was waiting for them at the end of the tunnel again; it turned out Kuchiki was his second-in-command. Homura was allowed to walk to the edge of the Senkaimon platform once more to look at Seireitei in daylight. The city was vast, but its circular edge bordered a yet larger sprawl of more spaced-out buildings and rolling countryside. Kuchiki told her about the Rukon districts where most souls resided. Then they turned and traversed the Precipice World again, emerging in the basement training room in the magic shop. Ichigo gave her a warm pep talk and a hug which she hesitantly returned as Kuchiki looked on fondly. Then they were gone and Homura was alone with Mr. Tsukabishi.

"Captain Hitsugaya and Miss Tomoe are at school. Boss is in the courtyard with his project."

Curious, Homura made her way up through the trapdoor and navigated to the courtyard. The gray sky was heavy with the promise of rain, which made her blink in disorientation for a moment; it had been sunny in Karakura and Soul Society. She stopped in her tracks at the sight of Kisuke Urahara standing in front of the open pigeon coop, arms spread and completely covered in birds. There were even three perched on his hat.

Urahara spun around to face her and cheerfully greeted, "Welcome back, Miss Akemi!" as pigeons flapped their wings for balance and resettled on him. He looked like a manic scarecrow with dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep.

"What are you doing," Homura said flatly, not even sure she really wanted to know.

"Well, I purposely chose a property with a koi pond and installed a pigeon coop so they would be visible from the tall buildings around us so the Incubator could see them," he explained. "I've also been throwing birdseed out in the yard and leaving dishes of water and food out for other critters every day. I wanted to establish a reputation as an eccentric friend to all creatures! "

Homura stared through a long silence. Morbid curiosity won out. "Why?"

"Partly to encourage local stray cats and dogs and crows to hang around and make life difficult for the Incubator," Urahara said with a sly smile. "I even have a few raccoons showing up every night from the storm drains! Did you know raccoons are also spiritually sensitive? It's true!" He laughed and swayed his arms to make the birds flutter around again. Without waiting for a reaction from Homura, he cooed, "So there is that, but I mostly did it so I could replace the real pigeons with these surveillance drones!"

"...Pigeons. For surveillance." Homura looked at him sideways and doubted his sanity. "Why?"

Urahara grinned wickedly. "Yoruichi did report that the Incubator told the girls it doesn't bother avoiding columbids because they're too dumb to notice it. If a pigeon starts pecking around within sight of it, the Incubator could decline to avoid it. I want to use that to monitor its movements. I just had to make gigai that looked like pigeons but which contained concealed surveillance equipment like camera eyes while looking completely natural. The hardest part was actually creating Mod Souls with no sentience but which could recognize Incubators and follow remote suggestions in a way that was believably pigeon-like. That and making sure each drone physically matched the lured bird it was replacing. That will be an ongoing thing as new birds show up for snackies." Urahara made a kissy face at a pigeon that pecked at his unshaven cheek. He raised his arms suddenly and cackled, "Fly, my pretties, fly! Ah-hahahahaha!" as the startled birds took flight.

Obnoxious and eccentric, but brilliant, everyone always told Homura.

"Where are the original birds?" Homura asked with dread.

"In a coop in one of my labs, which has a trap door into the inside of this pigeon coop. It's disguised. Don't worry— I'm taking good care of them."

Homura stared for a moment, then dully said, "Those poor birds."

"You wound me, Miss Akemi." The shopkeeper grinned, looked her over, and commented, "You seem to be more relaxed."

"Yes," Homura agreed.

"They're good for you."

"Yes."

"We need to sit down and have a talk."

"Yes."

Urahara looked pleased.

They went inside and sat down to tea provided by Mr. Tsukabishi. There was a long, awkward silence as they stared at each other and listened to the scattered patter of a drizzle starting up outside. Homura decided to take the initiative and be halfway diplomatic.

"I... appreciated the... downtime. I was able to slow down and think. I had no opportunity to do so last week. I had no time to adjust to your arrival before a sudden transition into an unfamiliar life-and-death emergency." Homura pursed her lips and considered her words carefully, uncertain about how to express some of her thoughts. "I think... the reaction... stacked? Accumulated? Or... was intensified by the Sōju situation. That the horror of the events that followed... magnified my reaction by association." She looked up at the shopkeeper darkly. "Do not misunderstand me to mean that your invasion is... water under the bridge. I am still very angry. I am just practical enough to realize your presence has tangible benefits. I am very aware that in your absence, my only options on Wednesday night were death, turning, or Madoka or Sayaka wishing my body healed. You and the others have my gratitude for that." Homura canted her head to one side and looked down her nose at him disdainfully. "Your presence is not the true problem. The lack of coordination is." She leaned forward with an intense expression. "Never surprise me like that again."

Urahara met her eyes solemnly and nodded. "I will strive to be more partner than interloper." He smiled faintly. "I've had it pointed out to me that we have similar mindsets regarding gathering and sharing of information and plans. That we both are used to being in control by virtue of knowing the most about any given situation. It makes sense that we would... clash, especially as we both come from different angles of understanding of events we did not realize were interconnected." He tilted his head and gave her an even look. "I request that you acknowledge that cooperation is a two-way street. You need to meet me in the middle."

Homura pursed her lips and inclined her chin. "I shall endeavor to do so."

The scientist weighed her with his gaze and nodded firmly. "Let us begin anew."

"Yes."

They sipped their tea quietly for a couple minutes in a way that made Homura think of some kind of peace ritual. Then Urahara took a deep breath and looked at her seriously.

"In the spirit of cooperation, I wish to inform you that Tomohisa Kaname visited the shop while Miss Kaname and the others were at school yesterday."

Homura blinked slowly as her mind stumbled on the information. "What? Why?"

"Please bear with me," Urahara said with a placating gesture. Instead of answering directly, he asked her questions. "Have Miss Kaname's parents ever seemed to know that something... odd is going on?"

She looked down at her tea and frowned in thought; he let her. "I am... uncertain."

"Have you ever noticed a difference between how Miss Kaname's parents react to their daughter staying out late or otherwise behaving differently because of her magical girl duties, versus how Miss Miki's parents react?"

"Yes," Homura answered immediately. "Mr. and Mrs. Kaname have always been far more permissive than Mr. and Mrs. Miki. Sayaka is good at hiding it, but she gets in trouble for going out late. Madoka's parents are... concerned, but do not yell at her or ground her. They tell her— and sometimes me or the others— to be careful, take care of herself, to tell them if there is a problem she needs help with." She thought for another moment. "Madoka has said... that her parents give her advice when she speaks to them in general terms about the social dynamics of the local magical girls. But they do not pry."

Urahara looked down at his teacup with an unfocused but thoughtful expression as he ran one finger around the cup's rim. Homura let him think until it seemed he had gotten quite lost in his skull.

"Mr. Urahara?"

He started. "Oh, sorry."

"What happened?"

Urahara took a deep breath and said, "Apparently, Tomohisa Kaname is modestly spiritually aware. And knows his daughter is powerfully so. And Junko Kaname is not spiritually aware, but knows her husband and children are." One corner of his mouth quirked. "Mr. Kaname noticed his daughter's protective charm bracelet and came here to seek more for the rest of the family. Then he noticed our wards and asked if I could construct some around the Kaname house."

Homura stared with wide eyes, lips parted in surprise.

"You never noticed, I take it?" Urahara asked.

"No." Homura's brows knit. "How could I have missed it?"

Urahara hummed as he took a sip of tea, then said, "I've been thinking about that. Part of it could be simply not thinking to look, but have you ever been near Mr. Kaname without Miss Kaname nearby?"

"I do not think so," Homura replied as she lifted her own cup.

"Your senses may have been washed out by her reiatsu," Urahara said with a nod. "Her father is far less powerful than she is— as is her brother. It could be like trying to hear snapping fingers over a drum line. Think of how other people's reiatsu is muffled if you are very near Ichigo when he's bothered and the others are calm. Except the power differential between Miss Kaname and her father is far greater than that between Ichigo and his family." After a pause, he added, "Ah, that could explain Yoruichi not mentioning anything. I'll have to ask her."

"I see." Homura frowned. "Did you learn anything else?"

"Yes, actually, I did." Urahara tapped his fingers on the side of his cup. "The family was originally from Soma. Mr. Kaname was aware of Hollows, but called them cursed spirits. His grandfather had some spiritual awareness and passed down what he knew. Mr. Kaname is only powerful enough to see Hollows translucently instead of solidly. The Kaname family moved here when Madoka was a baby because her father noticed Hollows sniffing around her and he accidentally discovered that there are no Hollows in Mitakihara when they visited for a few weeks. Mrs. Kaname takes such things seriously enough to immediately transfer here for the safety of her child." He dipped his chin and peered at her with sharp eyes from the shadow cast by his hat. "Mr. Kaname has sensed the Hollow-like energy coming off his daughter after she has been in a labyrinth and noticed that her power burns it off by morning."

Homura stared at him, dumbfounded. Then she took her turn to absently look at her tea while her mind raced, turning over memories in light of the new information.

Urahara stayed quiet for a long while, either watching her or idly running his fingers along his teacup. After awhile, he prompted, "Does this information change your understanding of anything from past timelines?"

"I am... still uncertain. I need to think about this."

"I understand," Urahara said with a pleasant nod. "I must also tell you that he asked about the cat-spirit that got in his daughter's room."

Homura raised a brow in inquiry.

"He saw the fur and blood the Incubator left behind after Yoruichi's attack. He said the fur evaporated and the blood came out when he charged the water with his power."

Homura's other brow joined the first.

Urahara rocked his head and hesitantly said, "I explained the Incubator to him in general terms."

She went rigid. "What."

"I told him that we are investigating a spirit-creature that offers girls a wish in exchange for their souls, without telling them they are selling their souls. I made no mention of magical girls as such."

"What?"

"I told him his daughter had been offered such a contract, but that she turned it down due to her knowledge of contracts from her mother... and your warnings."

"What?!"

Urahara looked grim. "My apologies, but I told him you had completed a contract to save your best friend's life."

Rage. Hot rage. Such a significant breach of secrecy, and behind her back—! Her blood rushed in her ears. She opened her mouth to reply but could find no words.

"I did so to increase his likelihood of cooperating with us by stoking moral outrage. He is furious at the Incubator and willing to be used as a tool to thwart it. He requested wards to keep Madoka even safer than just the bracelet could offer."

Homura narrowed her eyes at him, noticing his use of Madoka's given name and safety to draw her focus. She said nothing, but his face told her he noticed that she noticed all the same. Homura felt like there was an invisible chessboard between them on the table; they were still playing against one another instead of opposing the Incubator as a unified force.

"I do apologize for not consulting with you first, but I hope you can understand that Mr. Kaname took me by surprise and I felt the benefits of seizing the opportunity he presented outweighed the drawbacks of proceeding without you."

Homura only noticed that she was gripping the table's edge to restrain anger when one of her nails broke from the pressure of drawing the fingers back as though clawing something. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take deep breaths.

"I—"

"Shut up and let me think!" Homura snapped without opening her eyes.

Urahara fell silent.

She knew she needed to calm down and be more productive than lashing out. What he had done was done. Anger over it would not be helpful. Homura grasped for something calming to focus on and settled on the mixed memories of Madoka and Yuzu braiding her hair. Deep breaths. After several minutes of calming herself and thinking, Homura slowly opened her eyes and frowned severely at Urahara.

"Tell me what he knows."

If Urahara was put off by her barking orders, he didn't show it. He laid out what Madoka's father seemed to already know and what he had been told the day before so neatly it may as well have been an itemized list complete with bullet points. Homura sat impassively through it all, making a point of sipping from her teacup as though unperturbed. Urahara went quiet again when he was done, leaving her to her thoughts for several minutes.

Gritting her teeth, Homura said, "I will... concede... that your choice of action could have practical benefits in the future. I also am grateful that you volunteered this information as soon as I returned. However," she snapped with a scowl, "you must make surprising or not consulting me more of an exception than a habit."

Urahara grinned faintly and dipped his head in assent. "I will do my utmost."

"Do you have any plans regarding Mr. Kaname?"

"Not at the moment, though I have a couple ideas that would possibly involve telling him or even his wife more—"

"What do you mean, tell his wife more?" Homura demanded. "You spoke with her?"

"Not at all!" Urahara said with a cheerfully dismissive wave. "But in marriages as apparently healthy as the Kaname's and considering her prior knowledge of her family's powers, I would be very surprised if Mr. Kaname hasn't shared everything with her by now."

Homura frowned, unconvinced, but gestured for him to continue. "You were saying?"

"Ah, yes. I wish to more thoroughly assess the pros and cons of any use of them and consult you before acting since you know them better. I have some time to actually give that some thought now. Until today, I had been focusing on finishing the surveillance drones. Our dearly departed Misses Sōju pushed me quite behind schedule," he said wryly. "I had originally planned to deploy the drones this past Friday."

Homura poured herself another cup of tea and breezily declared, "If I do end up having to go back again, I plan to kill them on sight."

Urahara's sharp grin bordered on bloodthirsty. "Please, do. Just be mindful of who sees or otherwise knows you do it."

"Of course."

"Or see if you can taunt them into showing you the Soul Gems again first."

"Oh, I have a few ideas," Homura said coolly. She poured more tea into his cup while he let out a conspiratorial laugh, then said, "Dr. Kurosaki told me you have assigned him to investigate Sōju's movements from the time of her disappearance from her home to allow Mr. Tsukabishi to pursue other tasks."

"Yes," Urahara said with a nod of gratitude as he took his tea. "The late Misses Sōju bequeathed us a fortune in objects and information to study. I simply cannot spare time to investigate their path of destruction now that we don't have to worry about their interference, plus I need Tessai's assistance with the surveillance network and other specialized tasks. Isshin is decent at tracking things like that through news sites so he'll have a package neatly arranged for you to plan counter-strategy against them if you have to go back. Probably also a list of potential identities for those forty-three Soul Gems, too. I don't know if he'll finish it by the turnback point but at the very least he should have a good foundation to build on."

Homura nodded and quietly thought more. "Do you really plan to ward the Kaname household?"

"Yes," Urahara replied as he set his teacup down after a sip. "Tessai is doing the bulk of the prep work and charm construction so I can focus on experiments and research."

"That is reasonable," Homura said pleasantly.

"I'd like you to observe when we do the installation so you can see practical application of theory." Urahara tilted his head in inquiry. "Have you had time to read the introduction to ward theory Tessai gave you last week? I know you've been... quite busy."

Homura hummed a negative and shook her head. "I had planned to look at it tonight. What he explained to me on the tour last week sounded like an extension of barrier-type kidō, so I reviewed the introductory booklet on that this morning whenever Dr. Kurosaki was with patients."

Urahara nodded agreeably. "I'm also having him compile some reading material on intermediate kidō theory for your reference. We are very busy right now, but if you can get a solid foundation in theory it will be easier to teach you kidō when one of us does have time."

"I appreciate that." After a prim sip of her tea, Homura casually asked, "Are you seeking to distract me from something?"

Urahara grinned. "Is giving you material to read at your leisure a distraction?"

"That is not an answer."

The grin widened. "You know, if Yoruichi and I were still captains among the shinigami and you were an academy graduate, we would be fighting each other tooth and nail over which of us would recruit your sharp mind to our divisions."

"Still not an answer," Homura said lightly, "but I would lean toward Tenth. If nothing else, I know their captain is sane."

Urahara's surprised laugh was unexpectedly entertaining. He spoke with good-natured ease."To answer your question: Yes. But it has to do with incomplete research I wish to delay sharing until I have conclusive results. Speculation can be counterproductive."

Homura eyed him skeptically. His word games and deflections were too similar to those employed by the Incubator for her comfort, but she had promised Ichigo she would try. "I do not believe you," she said bluntly, "but I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. For now." She looked at the clock and stood. "I am going to meet the others as they get out of school. I do not know what we will do afterward. Call us if you need us." With that, she pushed her hair back and left.

§ x § x §

Kisuke watched the girl leave and considered his tea again.

Benihime was smug. What did I tell you?

"To paraphrase, I believe you said she is intelligent enough to recognize that she could benefit from my presence, information, and instruction if I don't provoke her fight or flight response," he murmured into his teacup. Kisuke took a swig of tea and continued in thought, That she is hyper-aware of the potential for conspiracy and betrayal, but volunteering information regularly will make it less likely she'll notice when I strategically omit some. He smacked his lips and sighed, "Ah, too bad she noticed."

Of course she did, Benihime sniffed. This is the first time she got information from you without prying it out with a crowbar. Be consistent and the suspicion will lessen.

If she's as like me as you think, she'll never fully trust what I say, Kisuke thought.

Of course not, Benihime said with a scoff. That is why I said lessen, not disappear.

Kisuke smiled ruefully. Right as always, milady.

Benihime preened, then commanded him, Now get some sleep, you overachieving idiot.

There is so much to be done, though.

Better to do it with a well-rested mind, Benihime retorted. Ye gods, I haven't had to scold you about this so frequently since you were first promoted to captain.

Kisuke smiled into his teacup and reminisced about the first weeks he had begun to convert Twelfth Division into a scientific powerhouse. Those were good times.

They were, yes. But you collapsed in exhaustion three weeks in, you fool.

This is also true, Kisuke thought wryly.

Let your avian surveillance system collect data and go to bed, Benihime commanded.

Kisuke laughed aloud. "As milady wishes."

Benihime projected the sense of a condescending sneer, sniffed something sarcastic about wishes, and withdrew into her dim chambers strewn with red silk and incense.

A nap did sound good. And it was usually beneficial to look at things with a fresh set of eyes after a break.

§ x § x §

Madoka's heart skipped a beat when she read the text message Hitsugaya had sent her while she and Sayaka were packing their school things and waving Hitomi off as she rushed to a student council meeting.

Akemi is feeling well enough to leave the shop now. My uncle says she is coming to meet us after school.

Sayaka's phone trilled a moment later. Their eyes met and they smiled with relief.

They met up with Hitsugaya and Mami in the courtyard and left together. Upon rounding a curve in the path leading away from school, they found Homura holding a black umbrella and absently scanning the wooded area bisected by the stream. The tension Madoka had held since Saturday night released all at once at the sight of her friend looking so much calmer than she had. Madoka couldn't help herself— she dropped her bag and umbrella and rushed to hug Homura with a tearful, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

After a moment of hesitation, Homura's free arm came up and lightly returned the hug. "Thank you," she murmured. "I am happy to see you again."

Madoka giggled through her tears and hugged her friend harder. Homura was happy to see her! Happy!

"Good to see you out of your funk, Stranger Danger," Sayaka said with a grin.

Homura nodded at her and murmured a thanks of some sort. Hitsugaya and Mami's greetings were more subdued, having been pretending that they saw her holed up at the shop each day. Mami did look relieved, though.

"I would like to go to our café," Homura said pleasantly, "but perhaps we should make our purchases and take them to the shop to relax." She looked into the woods on her left again. "I think I saw an Incubator in a tree."

Everyone's moods soured. Sayaka turned toward the trees, cupped one hand beside her mouth, and shouted, "What have we told you about stalking, you little creep?! We're not buying what you're selling! Scram!"

Madoka and Mami giggled despite their unease and even Homura and Hitsugaya had ghosts of smiles. Sayaka flipped her short hair in an imitation of Homura and looked pleased with herself.

It took them an hour to get to the café, watch Sayaka needle Hitsugaya at the pastry counter, and troop up to the edge of Mitakihara on the train. They spent another hour eating their purchases and doing homework. Sayaka and Madoka jealously watched Homura blaze through all the classwork she had missed as though it was simply review. Mami's laughter was musical and Homura actually smiled several times. Madoka was sad to see it end, but it was getting dark and she and Sayaka had parents to display good behavior to, so they needed to go home. They were just picking up their school bags when Mami's phone rang.

"Ah, it's Nagisa," Mami said worriedly. She picked up with a beep and a, "Hello? Are you all right?" Her face got more troubled from there. "We'll be there soon," she finished. After she hung up she glanced between Hitsugaya and Homura. "Nagisa says there's a labyrinth near her apartment. She hasn't seen anyone go in and is staying outside it like we told her to."

Homura stood, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and coolly said, "Let's go."

"Guess that's our cue to leave!" Sayaka chirped awkwardly. "You kids have fun with your superhero stuff, yeah? I want to hear stories!"

Homura initially looked disgruntled but rolled her eyes and stepped away. Hitsugaya and Mami followed her. They were already taking to the rooftops when Tessai was escorting Madoka and Sayaka out the front door and handing them their umbrellas. They watched their friends disappear and stared at the empty sky for a long minute.

"They'll be fine," Tessai soothed. Both girls turned to him. He smiled. "They're all competent and very alert now. They know the importance of watching each other's backs. They'll be fine."

"What if they aren't?" Madoka asked, unable to keep the worried squeak out of her voice.

"That's what me and the boss are here for," the big man rumbled, something hard and scary gleaming in his usually gentle eyes. "Go home. I'll tell them to message you when it's over."

Madoka and Sayaka agreed. The entire trip home was accomplished in utter silence as both of them fidgeted nervously.

§ x § x §

Nagisa stood under a ragged awning with her umbrella angled outward to block more of the rain as she fidgeted uncertainly and chewed a nail. She watched the wavering air over the fire hydrant outside the abandoned construction site Daddy had warned her not to cut through on the way home from school because stray dogs lived there. It hadn't been super smart to do it even if she did feel much safer with Yo-yo trotting along at her heels, but it was raining, she had wanted to get home fast, and she had galoshes to keep the mud off her shoes so she had done it anyway. Yo-yo had hissed and puffed her fur at a couple scrawny dogs that were sitting in the openings of a pile of huge pipes, but they had only whuffed halfheartedly and stayed in their dry shelter. Nagisa had thought herself home free when she ducked through a hole in the chain link fence and nearly ran smack into a pink labyrinth sigil in her hurry to get out of the worsening rain.

Yo-yo had yowled, dodged in front of her, and turned to face her with her hackles raised. Nagisa hadn't really needed the warning; she jumped aside quickly, tripped on the uneven pavement, and scrabbled backward until she hit a light post. She panted in fear for a minute, then relaxed enough to pick up her discarded umbrella and move farther away. Yo-yo followed her, staying between her and the fire hydrant even though the sigil faded once she was away from it. Now the cat was crowding at Nagisa's legs and meowing while Nagisa waited for Miss Mami to show up and help her, like she had been told to.

Nagisa startled when Miss Mami dropped to the sidewalk from a nearby rooftop. She wasn't surprised to see Mr. Hitsugaya with her, but Nagisa tensed when Miss Homura alighted on the pavement with them. The dark-haired magical girl noticed and tilted her head aside with a frown as her companions sought the entrance to the labyrinth.

"We fought in a Familiar labyrinth with this symbol yesterday," Mr. Hitsugaya said.

Miss Homura glanced at him as Yo-yo trotted over to her and wove through her legs in greeting. "Oh? What was in it?" Then she knelt and scratched Yo-yo's chin and ears as Miss Mami described everything they saw and did.

"That— that sounds easy," Nagisa said hesitantly.

"Just because they did not attack last time does not necessarily mean they will not attack this time," Miss Homura emotionlessly said with a dismissive wave. She paused as she noticed Nagisa's flinch. Miss Mami and Mr. Hitsugaya turned and gave Miss Homura the same kind of flat look Mommy used to give Daddy when he did something she didn't like. Miss Homura stared at Nagisa until it made her nervous and on the verge of tears, then took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I apologize," she said solemnly.

"What?" Nagisa said blankly.

"I apologize for being short with you," Miss Homura said. "I am aware that my impatience with newer magical girls is a problem. I am most accustomed to fighting alone or with equally experienced combatants. I will try to improve my attitude and be more cooperative." She pursed her lips then added, "I also owe you an apology for Saturday night. I was unnecessarily cruel. I will endeavor to control such behavior."

"What?" Nagisa repeated.

Miss Homura frowned and knit her eyebrows. Mr. Hitsugaya's mouth twitched with amusement and he said, "Akemi is sorry she was mean to you and will try to do better from now on. She's not used to working with beginners, so she keeps expecting you to act like you have a lot of practice and gets mad when you don't. She knows it's wrong and is sorry she hurt your feelings."

Nagisa blinked away her tears. "O-oh."

Miss Homura looked at him sideways. "Did you really need to translate that?"

Mr. Hitsugaya returned the sideways glance and droned, "Obviously."

Miss Mami lightly covered her mouth to stifle a laugh then turned to the sigil. "Miss Akemi is right, Nagisa. Always expect the possibility that Familiars may behave differently in a Witch's true labyrinth." She turned to Miss Homura and raised her brows. "Do you have a preference for how we handle this?"

Miss Homura looked surprised for a moment, then thoughtful. "If it looks the same as the Familiar labyrinth, I think you two should handle the Familiars in the same way. If it is just another Familiar labyrinth, I will talk Momoe through the reasons you fight as you do. If the Witch is inside, I will guide Momoe through defeating it."

It was Nagisa's turn to look surprised. "Really?!"

"Of course," Miss Homura said as she triggered the violet light of her transformation. "If you practice with supervision, you will be in a better position to fight if you are caught by yourself another time." After a pause, she quietly added, "I told you last week that I am concerned that you could be overwhelmed in battle because you have little experience. Now that the emergency has passed, I have time to help you make sure that never happens." Miss Homura cocked her head in thought and said, "Give me your backpack and umbrella. I will put them in my shield so they do not get in your way and you do not lose them."

"Okay!" Nagisa scrubbed an arm across her eyes, sniffled, and chirped, "Thank you sooo much!" She handed over her things and triggered her own transformation with a wobbly smile. Miss Mami looked at the two of them with warm affection as her own costume appeared from yellow light and Mr. Hitsugaya swung his ice sword around to stretch his arm. Yo-yo sat on a stoop and watched them.

The labyrinth looked just like Miss Mami said, a pretty little village on a rainy day with swirls of metal on the street. Miss Mami looked around with narrowed eyes. "There's a Witch in here. I can feel it."

"Doesn't feel particularly strong, but you never know if weak enemies are going to be tricky," Mr. Hitsugaya muttered, shifting to have his back parallel to Miss Mami's as he also scanned the opposite area.

"Shield your Soul Gems," Miss Homura ordered as she tugged Nagisa's poncho to get her to stand between Miss Mami and Mr. Hitsugaya, violet light swirling into a small cage around her own diamond.

Miss Mami turned to her in confusion. "Sōju isn't a problem anymore."

Miss Homura met her eyes with a grim frown. "Familiars and Witches can get lucky and hit a Soul Gem in the middle of battle. I have... seen it happen. Several times," she said heavily. "Instant death with no chance of recovery."

Miss Mami went white and swallowed hard, one hand darting up to brush against the yellow jewel on her hat. Nagisa covered the gem on her tummy with her palm.

Mr. Hitsugaya briefly closed his eyes and looked... Nagisa didn't think tired was the right word, but that was the closest she could come to describing his downcast face when he looked at them over his shoulder. "That, and friendly fire. We could accidentally hit each other in the fog of battle, as I hit the Soul Gems in the battle with Sōju. Better to be safe. I should have reminded you in the last one we fought, Tomoe."

"It is best to make it a habit," Miss Homura added.

A loud clunking sounded from the ground beneath them and the doors of every building popped open. Nagisa and Miss Mami made shields for their Soul Gems as they all watched to see if the automatons would act the same. When the others said they were acting the same, Miss Homura took a deep breath and quietly said, "Miss Momoe, your lesson will now commence."

Nagisa snapped to attention, determined to make Miss Homura proud. "Okay!"

"Why are Tomoe and Hitsugaya standing back to back?"

An easy one! "So no one sneaks up on them!"

Miss Homura nodded. "Why are we standing between them?"

"Umm." Nagisa peered around them at the approaching automatons. "Cuz... cuz they know how to fight the other thingies?"

"Yes. And also?"

Nagisa noticed that Miss Homura wasn't looking at her, but all around them. "Looking... oh! If they fight the thingies, we can look for the Witch!"

"Good," Miss Homura said with an approving nod. "This time, I will look for the Witch. I want you to watch Tomoe and Hitsugaya fight. Pay attention to things they do and try to figure out why they do them that way. Where they hit things, why they hit them where they do, why they choose to pause before an attack, everything."

"Okay!"

So Nagisa spent the next ten minutes turning from one combatant to the other, awestruck by the smooth, efficient brutality with which they dismantled whirling clay figures as they approached.

"Oh, Nagisa," Miss Mami called out pleasantly as a bank of big guns blew the heads off half a dozen automatons, "Why are we staying still instead of moving around? Why aren't we chasing them?"

Nagisa made uncertain sounds and turned to look at Mr. Hitsugaya, whose feet were planted solidly as he swept his sword at the necks of another half dozen automatons that were—

"They spin right into your attacks!" Nagisa answered excitedly. "It's easier than chasing!"

Mr. Hitsugaya actually huffed something like a little laugh and Miss Mami sang, "Ding-ding-ding! Nagisa wins a prize~!"

"Yay! What kind of—"

"I think I see it," Miss Homura interrupted.

Everyone's smiles fell. Mr. Hitsugaya grimly asked, "Where and what?" as he cut down more clay figures. Then he added, "Tch, the dolls are endless this time."

"Is that a problem for you?" Miss Homura asked airily. "And I think it is the pink and white dog down Tomoe's side of the street."

The boy scoffed. "Annoying, more like," he drawled. "Go do the interesting part."

"Eh? What dog?" Mami asked worriedly, trying to peer past the automatons she was destroying.

"It is slinking around low to the ground over a block away," Miss Homura said as she squinted through the rain. "You are aiming at heads instead of looking down. Momoe and I will take care of it." Nagisa froze as Miss Homura turned her intense violet eyes on her. "Come with me."

"O-okay," Nagisa squeaked.

Miss Homura tilted her head and looked at her for a long moment, then turned and walked straight for a row of quaint storefronts. Nagisa gasped as a row of automatons approached her, but they were eliminated by golden blasts from Miss Mami's guns. Miss Homura looked at Nagisa over her shoulder. "Come. Tomoe and Hitsugaya will cover us." She didn't so much as flinch as her hair whipped in the backwash of icicles the size of Nagisa's arm rocketing past her like machine gun fire to take out a fresh wave of automatons as they emerged from a newly-opened door, which was soon blocked shut with more ice. Miss Homura frowned with a touch of impatience, so Nagisa hurried after her.

They jumped up onto an awning and hopped along the street from window sill to ledge to lamp post. The Familiars endlessly emerged from doors, but stayed on their tracks. Miss Homura stopped on a little balcony about two blocks from her friends and pointed down into the spinning automatons. "There. That is the Witch. What do you notice about it?"

It really was a dog. It reminded Nagisa of drawings of poodles, a skinny white body with puffs of pink fur on its ankles and tail with a wafting mane of pink fur from the shoulders up. The mane shifted in a way that reminded Nagisa of fire, ignoring the rain that should have made it lay lank. Multicolored ribbons were tied in bows throughout the mane. The Witch was turned away so she couldn't see its face, weaving through the whirling automatons and pawing at them as if begging for their attention. It wagged its tail hopefully and whined as it cast about. Nagisa wanted to run up to it and hug it all better.

Miss Homura would probably not like if her first words were It's so cute!

"It... it looks like a sad puppy?"

After a pause to purse her lips, Miss Homura said, "Looks like is the key. It is not really a... sad puppy." Her distaste was obvious and made Nagisa swallow nervously. Miss Homura noticed and sighed. "Looking cute is a trick to make you think it is less dangerous than it is." Nagisa didn't understand the strange look Miss Homura was giving her. "Even cute... dogs... have teeth."

"Oh."

"How would you attack it?"

Nagisa couldn't keep the distress off her face at the prospect of attacking the poodle looking for a nice person to pet it. "I— I don't know."

Miss Homura stared at her neutrally for a moment then said, "Its trick is working on you."

Tears welled in Nagisa's eyes. She needed to be grown-up. "I— I'd— use my bubbles."

"How so?"

Nagisa looked at the pitiful creature nudging at automatons for pets the way Yo-yo did at home and sniffled hard. "I— ca-can't." The tears spilled down her cheeks and left scalding trails of shame in their wake.

Miss Homura shifted awkwardly, sighed, and brushed her hand against Nagisa's shoulder. "Pretend it is just a toy."

"But I—!" Nagisa clamped her mouth shut before she could say that she didn't like hurting toys either, face burning as she felt how much of a silly little baby she was next to Miss Homura. She took a deep breath and shakily said, "I could— I could trap it in a big bubble and get clll-lohhh-ser and put littler bubbles inside and m-make them explll-lode inside the big bubble." That poor not-a-puppy. She felt horrible.

But Miss Homura looked like she approved. Cold approval, but approval. Possibly even a little impressed? "Do it."

Nagisa's face froze. "But— but—"

"Momoe— no. Nagisa." The older girl's face fell from sternness into something tired, like Mr. Hitsugaya's had been earlier, and she heavily said, "I need to know that you can protect yourself. I need you to not let your feelings get you killed. Please."

Nagisa swallowed a lump in her throat as she looked at Miss Homura's face. Those violet eyes looked haunted and seemed like they were looking through Nagisa instead of at her. Unbidden, Nagisa heard what Miss Mami and Mr. Urahara had said after the older girl had run away:

She has seen too many magical girls die.

"I won't die," Nagisa blurted without thinking. Miss Homura's hand jerked away and her face looked shocked. Nagisa wiped her face on her poncho and straightened to look at her ashen-faced mentor. She hardened her face with determination, clenched her fists, and earnestly repeated, "I won't die!" as firmly as she could. "I'll do what you say, Miss Homura! I'll be a strong magical girl just like you!"

Miss Homura's face contorted oddly, somewhere between disbelief, relief, and despair, which made no sense to Nagisa. Her mentor's mouth opened and closed soundlessly; words seemed to fail her.

Nagisa breathed deeply, straightened her spine, and asked, "You— you'll watch my back like Miss Mami and Mr. Hitsugaya do, won't you?"

Miss Homura's eyelashes fluttered in astonished blinking before she controlled her face and nodded seriously. "Of— of course." She shook herself slightly, cleared her throat, and pulled a rifle out of her shield. "Whenever you are ready," Miss Homura said more evenly.

Nagisa took one more deep breath and jumped down from the balcony with her horn at the ready. The Familiars didn't attack her, so she carefully dodged them by avoiding crossing the brass tracks. When she was closer to the Witch, she nervously looked back. Miss Homura was completely still in her perch, rifle braced on the rail of the balcony as she tracked Nagisa with her face to the scope. The older girl noticed Nagisa looking, pulled back from the gun slightly to look at her and nod reassurance, then returned to intently watching everything around Nagisa through the scope.

Nagisa felt so much better knowing Miss Homura really did have her back. Like how Miss Homura didn't even have to check to see if her friends were protecting her.

When Nagisa was close enough for a clear shot, she inhaled deeply and blew on her horn. The Witch heard the sound and turned as the big bubble trapped it. Nagisa jerked back in surprised fear as she finally saw the poodle's face. The wide, dark-lashed eyes were spiraling with many colors and its mouth was a cavern of terrifying teeth as it attacked the inside of the bubble and slavered all over it. The bubble held, though, so Nagisa relaxed minutely and stepped closer on wobbly legs. By the time she reached the bubble, she was trembling all over.