Chapter 17

"He told us you're stealing Grief Seeds!"

Those words rang in the air. Sayaka Miki continued to pant angrily, glaring at the Mages and Homura. Who returned the stare with varying degrees of reaction. Madoka looked legitimately hurt by the accusation. That her best friend was looking at her new friends with such raw anger in her expression. Nanoha was biting her lip, her blue eyes wide with worry and wondering what had brought this on. Fate had narrowed her red gaze. Her mind was already thinking of what to do.

Homura showed the least amount of reaction. She merely sighed imperceptibly, and acknowledged that, really...she knew this was going to happen. Somehow, someway, Sayaka Miki would always become an enemy. At best a hindrance.

I expected this. However...was this Tomoe, or the Incubator?

Sayaka said it was Kyubey. However, Mami was still there and she may have something to do with it. Already, Homura was going over potential options. Potential routes to push. If she must fight again, she knew exactly how to do it.

"Sayaka...what...why are you doing this?" Of course, Madoka was never one to want to fight at all. Especially not her friends. She was too kind. "Nanoha and Fate and Homura are our friends!"

Before the bluenette could reply, Mami placed a calming hand on her shoulder. Her disappointed expression had not once left her face. "Why do you consider them your friends, Kaname?"

Madoka twitched, her pink eyes going wide. "Why wouldn't I? Homura helped me, and Nanoha and Fate gave me a way to help everyone else!"

"Even at the cost of a wish." Mami's voice wasn't filled with judgement like Sayaka. She already knew Madoka's answer to that question. So she just sighed, and looked down at her Soul Gem ring. "I can't ask you to change your mind. All I want to know, is why they are taking Grief Seeds. I can understand one or two for Akemi. But there's absolutely no need to take more than that."

Sayaka nodded, "Yeah! We actually need them!"

Madoka didn't have an answer to that. Homura didn't care to answer.

It was, perhaps, unsurprising that it would be Nanoha who stepped forward in this situation. She was the diplomat of the bunch. As was apparent when her soft blue gaze met Mami's half-lidded gold. "Miss Tomoe, please listen to us. We aren't trying to steal anything!"

"Then why are you taking the Grief Seeds?"

Nanoha winced, "I won't say we aren't taking any. We have a good reason, though! We're trying to help Magical Girls."

"Help us by taking what we need to survive?" Sayaka snorted and rolled her eyes. Madoka and Nanoha looked hurt by the dismissal of someone they considered a friend.

"Miki, stop it. I know you're angry, but you're being too harsh on them." Mami gently reproved her student, getting a grumble of annoyance. Sighing softly, she looked at Nanoha with curiosity in her eyes. "Help us, you said?"

"Yeah!" Nanoha nodded, having already talked this over mentally with Fate.

They didn't want to say too much about it. Not in front of the Incubator. Homura had made it abundantly clear that, anywhere on Earth, that creature could find them and listen in. Unless it was in her time stop. Something she was never going to show Mami or Sayaka. So. Half-truths were the name of the game, since Nanoha hated lying to people.

Especially friends.

"We're trying to find a way to cleanse Soul Gems without a Grief Seed." Nanoha continued, carefully leaving out the plans to reverse the effect. Something that was still very, very early in the theory stage.

Mami's eyes widened and her mouth formed a little 'o' of shock. "Cleanse...without..."

Fate stepped forward, her serious tone and expression fitting much better for this. "Exactly. That is why we need the Grief Seeds, so that Mother and the others can figure out how they work. If we can figure that out..."

"We can figure out a way to do it ourselves!" Nanoha finished with a little hop. Exaggerated, maybe, but hey.

"Do you honestly think they will believe you?" Homura's dubious mental voice echoed in the heads of everyone on 'her' side.

It felt odd to have mental communication that didn't involve the Incubator. She could speak without fear of it hearing her. That alone was worth so very, very much.

"I don't see why not." Fate was the picture of serene calm, both internally and externally. Her red eyes were warily watching the gaping Mami and the suspicious Sayaka, though.

Madoka, for her part, nodded hesitantly. Her hand kept reaching up to her neck, and the little pendant that was Hoffnung. "I-I think it will be fine? Sayaka is angry but she's not a bad person! And I think that Mami is nice too!"

Homura grimaced at that, "Perhaps."

Her faith in Sayaka Miki and Mami Tomoe had shriveled up and died in a metaphorical ditch years ago, from her perspective. She supposed it was possible this ended well. It just wasn't very likely. Though Homura would be the first to admit she was a pessimist to the extreme. So many failures left her without much other recourse. If she were proven wrong...well, she wouldn't complain.

She still wouldn't like Sayaka.

"You worry too much, Homura!" Nanoha's mental voice was free of the worry of her physical voice. She turned over her shoulder, shooting a blinding grin at Homura. Her blue eyes were still serious. "Now, let's get this figured out. I want to check in on Kyoko and Chrono!"

Turning back to the Magical Girls, Nanoha sucked in a deep breath. And reached a finger out to poke the gaping Mami.

Who shook in place, her hair-drills bouncing with the movement. Her head shook from side to side, even as her hand instinctively reached up to slap at Nanoha's finger. Prompting a giggle from the Mage, and a frown from the blonde. "Stop that."

"Stop what?"

Mami sighed, before a bemused smile crossed her face. "I don't know what to believe anymore. Kyubey has never lied to me-"

Homura made a noise that sounded like a cut off snort, so soft that only Madoka heard it.

"-but you haven't either. You've been nothing but helpful, actually! I don't think Kyubey would lie about you taking Grief Seeds, but if you can come up with a way to keep us from needing them anymore..."

The blonde shook her head again, tilting her half-lidded eyes up at the bright blue sky. A melancholic smile crossed her face. Homura, of everyone there, understood the expression better than anyone. Mami's biggest issue. Her single most large regret. That the competition for Grief Seeds always, always drove her away from her friends and students. They would inevitably leave her, when her impossible hunt for familiars left the pickings too slim for them to survive.

Kyoko was her biggest regret, though Homura had learned from one particularly bad timeline, that the lack of Grief Seeds had nothing to do with why the redhead had left her. It may have caused it to worsen, yet, it wasn't the cause.

Regardless.

"For what it is worth, Tomoe, I trust them." Homura didn't really. She didn't trust anyone. No need to say that though. "They are truly attempting to free us of our reliance on Grief Seeds."

Mami probably would have replied. If she weren't so busy staring up at the sky, that Sayaka could step up to the plate again. The bluenette still looked annoyed...and yet, not as angry as before. Her eyes still spoke of immense distrust for Homura of course. Nothing new there.

"I-I still don't like you, Transfer Student." Sayaka grumbled. Her head hung low, blue locks falling before equally blue eyes. A deep sigh rumbled up from her throat, filled with more than a little annoyance. "I trust Madoka. If she believes that's what you're doing...I'll at least try to listen. I want some kind of proof though!"

"Sayaka!" Madoka springs forward at that, wrapping her friend in a tight hug. The bluenette squawks, flailing her arms as she falls backward. Some birds in a nearby tree take flight at the sudden noise, while Nanoha starts giggling.

Even Fate cracks a smile, and laughs in her quiet way.

As for Mami, she finally turns her head down, smiling at the protesting Sayaka and the happy Madoka. With that smile on her face, Mami clears her throat, and bows slightly at the Mages. And Homura.

"I am...truly sorry about all of this. Kyubey has never lied to me, so I didn't...I didn't see a reason to doubt him. I'm still not sure what to believe, but I'm willing to listen." Mami turns her golden eyes on each of the other teenagers in turn, committing something to her memory. "Will you tell us, as soon as you have something?"

Nanoha smiles widely, and reaches her hand out. "Of course! We're all friends, aren't we?"

Mami looks at the hand...and takes it. As she gives it a firm shake, the blonde smiles sadly. "Friends."

"You know, you're not my friend, right Cop Boy?"

In the distant-yet-nearby town of Kazamino, Chrono let out a heartfelt sigh. His blue eyes follow Kyoko Sakura, as the redhead patrols the town for any Witches. Her Soul Gem was out in its normal 'egg' form, a dim red light that flashed every time they got close to a Labyrinth of any variety. With Mitakihara locked down, and the still-fresh memory of the last time they ventured to unknown locales...Kazamino was the best option for Seed hunting. Kyoko being completely willing to help if it meant she didn't have to worry about Witches- and got a free meal, can't forget that -helped.

Not that she had much choice. She was still technically on probation. TSAB laws were fun.

I could do without the nicknames, though.

Sighing again, Chrono looked at S2U, idly twirling in his grip. His gaze flipped back up at Kyoko, as he spoke to her. "I know that. I would like to at least think we are allies."

Kyoko snorted, "'Allies'. Yeah, sure, why not. Beats being a prisoner or starving on the streets." Her red-eyed gaze came back around, staring at Chrono with an intensity that Fate never had. "Soooo. You gonna help, or are ya' just going to look pretty?"

Chrono shook his head, "Our way of sensing Labyrinths is...inaccurate. I can point you in a general direction, but you'll have to do the rest your way."

Not technically true. However, Chrono was an Enforcer first and foremost. He wanted to examine how a Magical Girl tracked a Witch. The more they knew, the better. Even if they could, in the end, break this entire system over their knees. Amy was putting in long nights to do just that, and she swore it was only a matter of time until she had a working Grief Seed replacement.

He had to trust that she knew what she was talking about.

"Typical. Make me do all the work," Kyoko groused, seemingly accepting what Chrono said. Her hand twisted, the Soul Gem returning to its ring form. "Well, ain't a single Witch over here. Let's try hitting up the industrial district or...somethin. Maybe you can tell me about that girl ya captured."

Chrono raised an eyebrow, as Kyoko ran up to a roof. He just flew, and turned to her once at her level. "What do you want to know about Jane?"

"...Jane. God, that couldn't be a more boring name if she tried." The redhead snorted, running to take a flying leap off the building. Her lean legs propelled her in a way no human should be capable of, as her entire body coiled for the jump. "Yeah, I want to know about her. How she fights, what she was like, everything."

Frowning as he flew alongside the leaping Magical Girl, Chrono asked another question. "Why?"

Simple enough.

"Why, he says..." Kyoko was an endless font of sarcasm. Even when dodging around chimneys and avoiding curious eyes from the ground. "I wanta' know if she'll be a threat to me. If ya let her loose like me, she'll come after someone. Don't want to be caught off guard."

Times like these, Chrono was reminded of how harsh life as a Magical Girl was in this dimension. No girl that age should be so hardened to life. Kyoko was an exception, maybe. Or maybe Tomoe was the exception. Who knew? Chrono just felt sick at the implications.

Well. Nothing for it.

"She's a sociopath." With a heavy sigh, the Enforcer raised a hand, bringing Kyoko to a halt. Both for a nearby Labyrinth, and to explain what he knew. It was almost amusing how the redhead used her spear to slam into a chimney instead of her face.

Her glare was rather potent too.

"Her first reaction to our Mages was to slaughter them. One dead, one critically wounded." He continued, looking down on S2U. He had trained those men himself. It still hurt. "She used that as bait to try and lure more in. I think she was hoping to get them killed by Witches, or to use their magic herself. I'm not sure how the other girls in her city lived, or if there were even any left."

A part of Chrono doubted that.

"So. A typical Magical Girl," Kyoko, for her part, just leaned against the aforementioned chimney. She rolled her eyes at Chrono's frustrated scowl. "Look, I've tried to say it before. Ya all are too nice. Magical Girls are not nice. Ole' Mami is an exception. Her and that crazy girl up in Asunaro. Most of us are like, well, me. Or that crazy British girl."

Chrono raised a finger, "You're not that bad, you do realize that?"

"...I'm no softie, damnit." Kyoko turned away, a slight flush marring her cheeks.

Was this what Nanoha called 'tsundere'?

"Anyway!" The redhead turned back to Chrono, attempting to cover whatever it was she was feeling. With little success. "My point being, ya ain't going to find a lot of girls who are like Mami. Might as well accept that. That way you don't have someone take advantage of ya."

It was not a nice planet, this version of Earth, was it? Chrono blew out a sigh, his dark hair fluttering a bit with the motion. Well. At least they had a better idea of how things were going to go. Maybe when Amy finished her work, they'd at least have another option for talking things out. Even the worst Magical Girl would jump at the chance to not have to hunt Witches, surely? Plus there was what Hayate was up to.

He wasn't sure what exactly that was, but maybe some other society had come up with a way to break the system themselves? Worth a shot.

"Also, ya' know there's a Labyrinth right beneath us, right?"

Turning back to Kyoko, Chrono sighed. "I felt something, yes. That's a Witch?"

"Probably. Shall we?" Kyoko gave a little flourish with her spear, grinning cheekily at the Enforcer.

Who just sighed again. Teenagers.

Since my Madoka muse is roaring back to life.

And people keep asking about this.

Hopefully it stays going this time. I ended it where I did because battles slow me down something fierce and I wanted to get this up while I could. Before going back to work. Hopefully it works, short or not.

...I just don't really have it in me to write 4k word chapters anymore. It doesn't feel right. Just feels like word padding.