.

A/N: If I ever write a chapter this long ever again

for anything

shoot me.

Just swoop down from the sky with a Tiro Finale and end me.

It will be the kinder path.

This chapter brought to you by Magicland! Magicland, for a warm day guaranteed grief-free*!

*Actual grief content may vary.

OoOoO

A Curse Between Us

Chapter 8

OoOoO

Madoka's eyes fluttered open and found the familiar ceiling of her room; she sat up, blearily rubbing at her face. For once, the stream of morning sunlight coming in through her window felt warm and comfortable instead of making her tired eyes ache. For once, she actually felt alert and ready. She felt like she actually slept.

No nightmares. No tossing and turning all night long. No need to hold still under the sheets and let her pounding heart calm down after being jerked awake.

It was Sunday, so it would probably be okay to sleep in a little, but… there were things to do, and for once she felt eager to get up and do them. She hadn't gotten any of her homework for the weekend done yet because she'd been so worried about everyone. And after last night, her friends would probably want to rest before their next fight, so maybe they'd want to do something fun together? Then maybe she could tell everyone properly about her and Homura?

Homura…

Madoka rolled back under the covers and grabbed the stuffed animal she'd fallen asleep hugging, a big stuffed seal with ribbons just like her red ones, squeezing it as hard as she could while a stream of giggles bubbled up from her chest. Homura! Homura loved her, and she loved Homura back. Homura was going to stop trying to run everyone off and let Madoka bring her back to their friends. Kyouko would be happy enough, and Sayaka wouldn't like it at first but would come around when she saw Homura really was done trying to be mean. And it seemed like Nagisa and Kyouko's friend Mami were working with everyone last night too, so maybe everyone could be friends and help each other? She hoped so. It would be so much better for all of them.

Homura…

Madoka stayed wrapped up hugging the seal for a few more minutes, feeling the blush radiating off her face and remembering how stunned and happy Homura looked last night after they made their deal, like she couldn't believe she'd found something so good. Well, Madoka was going to make sure they all found good things from now on.

She threw the covers back and stepped out of bed, snapping off her alarm clock just as it began to buzz.

Fifteen minutes and a whirlwind of morning cheer later, the whole family was in the dining room together. "It's nice to see you in such a wonderful mood again," Junko said. Madoka had gotten her Mama up by holding Tatsuya to help him dance around on her head until she budged, and had been irrepressible while the two of them took care of their teeth and hair together—a far cry from the girl who for the past few weeks had barely stumbled downstairs in time for school and just slept in on the weekends.

"It's nice to be in a wonderful mood!" Madoka smiled and sipped at her hot chocolate, special made from Papa. He was still working on her pancakes, but she certainly didn't mind waiting. She'd missed sitting around at breakfast chatting with her parents while Tatsuya tried knocking his food off his high chair and none of them needed to rush off anywhere.

"And it's especially surprising since you were out with your friends so late last night," Junko said between savoring bites of her omelet. She smirked playfully at her daughter and wiggled her eyebrows. "Did something good finally happen to my sweet little daughter?"

"Ehihi, well, there's a girl…" Madoka lifted her hot chocolate again, more to hide behind it than to take a sip. "And I had my first kiss last night! That counts!"

There was a splort as Tomohisa fumbled flipping a pancake and a clatter as Junko's omelet missed her mouth and the fork slipped out her hand. Disappointingly, Tatsuya did not do a spit take with his sippy cup round out the reactions, but that was probably because he'd already seen Madoka and Homura flirting around each other and saw this coming a mile away.

"Then again, you're also at the age where kids start keeping the juicier bits secret from their parents," Junko mused. "It might keep my gray hair count low."

"What? Mama, don't tease me!

OoOoO

Sayaka's eyes crept open and found an unfamiliar yellow ceiling painted with blue flowers. Unfamiliar bed too, no surprise. Not hers, not Madoka's, and she fervently hoped not Homura's. Wait, she recognized this room after all; Mami's guest room? She closed her eyes again, replaying the night before and tracing how she got here.

Ah. Right. She lost again. Not to Homura this time, not directly. Then again, Homura lost too.

She shifted, dislodging a dried-out cloth from her forehead, and felt a weight at her side. Kyouko was on top of the bed; an empty chair sat next to it. She'd probably sat there til she was ready to pass out, then dragged herself onto the bed at the last second. Sayaka reached over and poked Kyouko's nose, who scrunched her face up and reflexively swatted the offending hand away hard. Sayaka laughed quietly. "Sorry I dragged you into my bullshit. You shouldn't have to put up with me."

She reached over for Kyouko's nose again, but this time clamped her whole hand over it. The sleeping girl lasted a few seconds unable to breath before jerking awake and shoving Sayaka away. "What gives?" she demanded. "I was having an awesome dream, there was this huge pizza, and…" She trailed off. "Sayaka!" Kyouko sprung up and landed kneeling right over her. "How're you feeling? The hell happened in there? What gives, you moron, don't go off being a dumbass picking fights like that on your own!"

Sayaka pushed away the red ponytail falling down on her face. "Be nice to me, I'm recovering."

"Oh, I'll be the nicest, dotingest motherfucker you ever had nurse you back to health, dumbass. How the hell do you get a fever anyway, you're a puella magi! What happened in that hellhole?"

Someone knocked lightly at the door, then nudged it open. Mami came in with two bowls of hot soup on a tray, then came to a halt. "Oh! Um. I'll just… come back later!" The dishes rattled as she ditched the tray on the closest dresser and fled.

Kyouko managed to only blush a tiny bit as she moved aside, taking a place next to Sayaka and giving the other girl room to sit up properly. "Well?"

"It wasn't a physical fever, it was... in here," Sayaka touched her head, "and here," she touched the gemmed ring on her finger. "I found the shadow at the center. It's angry."

"Yeah, sorry, but no prize for figuring that one out, Blue."

"It was angry at me, because I dragged Homura out of there instead of killing her."

Kyouko's mouth snapped shut.

"It was pulling my head apart and looking inside. It was…" A shattered city, two girls lying in the tinted water. Red glasses and teary eyes staring at her, pleading. "…shoving in memories that aren't mine."

And others that… were hers, she was sure of it, but she couldn't remember from where. Ramming her sword point into a clockwork shield that had to be Homura's. A knight and a princess dancing around each other in an underwater symphony. Just thinking about that one sent up a white-hot pain right behind her eyes; she pushed her hands over her face and rubbed.

"You were pretty out of it all night. I had no idea what was wrong with you." Kyouko sounded miserable and lost.

Sayaka didn't reply to that. Her dreams last night were dark and cobwebbed, but still just clear enough for her to know she didn't want to remember them any better. The shadow had been there, and its pain and anger clenched around Sayaka's heart all night long and drowning her in memories and feelings that didn't belong in her head. She squeezed her eyes shut. Was the shadow really there with her all night? Or was she just dreaming about it after it practically crushed her?

But one image stood out clearest from all the others, from both the confrontation and the fever dreams: her sword, swaying inches above Homura's gem with blood-pounding anticipation.

"It wants her to pay. Homura, I mean. I had a shot back there, and the shadow wanted me to take it."

Kyouko sat still for a long moment, worrying her lower lip. "Sayaka? Why do you sound like you wish you did?" Sayaka didn't reply and kept her eyes on the bed instead of looking over, but she could see Kyouko's hands shaking out the corner of her eye. "For Christ's sake, Sayaka, will you just fucking talk to me? The hell did Homura do to you?"

Except she couldn't. She couldn't go around throwing half-remembered accusations of impossible things when she didn't have a way of backing up anything she said. Every bit of proof of the previous world ceased to exist when Akemi remade it in her image, and the only people who could back her up were all under Akemi's thumb. Nagisa, the dolls, Kyubey; trying to rely on the last two would just screw everything over worse anyway.

"Breakfast's getting cold," Sayaka said, nodding over at the tray Mami left. She didn't look up to see Kyouko's reaction, but Usotsuki hanging about in the corner shook her head.

She pushed the covers off her side of the bed and gingerly got up, testing her body's recovery. As expected, it took her weight just fine. The problem was never physical, after all. For puella magi, those sorts of problems could practically be ignor—

—Sayaka spun back about and found herself thrown to her knees by the bedside and her head shoved into the comfy bedsheets as Kyouko forced her arm into a lock and threw her down.

"Wha—"

"I busted a guy's arms in two places once," Kyouko interrupted. "Well, you know, maybe that's not the only time I roughed someone up, but there's one particular idiot I'm thinking of right now. Held him like this and punched him on the back of his elbow," Kyouko tapped Sayaka on the same spot. "Then bashed him again about six inches higher." She lightly chopped at Sayaka's arm closer to the shoulder. "Made a nice big crunch. Aaaand maybe I thought about ripping his goddamn legs off, but I didn't, 'cause he needed those to get outta my sight. See, this jackass found an old burnt-out church in a bad part of town, locals wouldn't go near it, and thought hey, what a perfect spot for setting up drug deals! Cops don't care about this place at all, just need to run off the scrawny homeless girl camping out there first, no problem. Dumbass never knew what hit him."

"Is there a point to this?" Sayaka mumbled into the bed with as much good nature as she could muster.

"I'll tell you the point. Point is, yeah, I never killed anyone and I'm glad I didn't, but I can think of plenty situations where I would've back then. So if you're expecting me to go all oh noooo, Sayaka wanted to hurt cute little Homura, Sayaka's supposed to be better'n that, how can I trust her ever again?... don't. Just don't. You might be crazy, but I can still out-drama you."

Sayaka chuckled, and felt better. Only a tiny bit, but genuinely better. "Sorry. I'm getting shortsighted again, aren't I? I can only plead a terminal case of stupid."

"Yeah, well long as you know." Kyouko let go, letting Sayaka up again. "Now what say we do something about that breakfast Mami made?

OoOoO

"And you believe… Akemi is the origin of the shadow?" Mami asked. Sayaka nodded.

The four of them—Mami, Sayaka, Kyouko, and Nagisa—sat around the table in Mami's living room, going over Sayaka's report on her misadventures in the Great Curse the night before. As always there were tea and snacks at hand, but even Kyouko was paying too much attention to the discussion to bother with snacks. Nagisa was the only one touching them, and keeping her silence as she watched the others intently.

Sayaka had gone over her and Akemi's approach through the wraiths in the miasma, Akemi's collapse at the labyrinth entrance, passing Akemi off to Kyouko, and what she saw inside the shadow's labyrinth. She did not mention Kyubey, the Clara dolls, or the opportunity she almost took to cut down Akemi, nor did she mention the memories she saw when the shadow touched her—her memories, or the shadow's. Kyouko caught the omissions and shot her an upset look at realizing Sayaka didn't fully trust Mami, but that was okay. Kyouko already knew she wasn't trusting anyone with the full story of anything right now.

Case in point: in the corners of the room, where only Sayaka and Nagisa seemed to notice them, Usotsuki and Okubyou sat playing a clapping game together.

"I'll admit that I don't know Akemi well at all," Mami said. "She made it plain she preferred to keep distance between us, and we mostly stayed out of each other's territory after our first dealings. She doesn't seem like the sort of girl who's living with curses in her heart strong enough to release a shadow. She's too… calm, I suppose. Too cold and controlled to be consumed with that much anguish—though again, I don't know her well."

"Calm and controlled, you know, I can think of another girl who answers to that description, but we know she's spawned a shadow before too," Kyouko said, and shot a very direct look at her old mentor.

For a second, Mami suddenly looked very small and frail. "I guess… I guess I believed it coming from Akemi?"

"Trust me on this one. She might not look it, but Homura's as screwed up as the rest of us."

"You've worked with her more, then?"

"Worked with? Eh, you could say that, if you had a totally dysfunctional idea of working together. It was mostly me 'n Sayaka dealing with her. We had a few times where I was standing around waiting to see which of 'em was gonna start biting first, and the three of us took down a bunch of wraiths together once too. Me 'n Pinkie went to the mall with her, that was fun. Oh, and there was this one time she shot my knee out and I broke her nose." Nagisa suddenly choked on her cookie at that, but Kyouko just shrugged. "It was cool, we had a sleepover after."

On the other hand, Mami and Sayaka were both used to Kyouko and didn't bat an eye. Mami rubbed at Nagisa's back to help the coughing and asked, "Pinkie?"

"Oh, you haven't met her yet, right." Kyouko grinned. "Sweet girl, real adorable, don't piss her off or she'll eat your face. She's Sayaka's bestie since they were kids, and Homura's got the biggest crush on her. And, eh, something's up with her. Sayaka probably knows more."

Sayaka, naturally, wasn't saying a thing.

Mami gave a minute huff and turned back to Kyouko. "You've taken Akemi's measure better than I have, then. But one this powerful? I'm aware that she's strong, but… Sayaka, I don't doubt your account, but the idea that the Great Curse is a shadow capable of drawing and sustaining that many wraiths is… Well, how many puella magi that powerful can there possibly be? It's just as likely that this is an ancient shadow that's grown stronger over centuries."

"You really don't believe me, do you?" Sayaka leaned onto the table toward Mami. "Akemi blasted her way through the wraiths guarding the Curse, you know, the ones we barely ran away from with our hides in one piece? Me and Homura didn't charge into the Curse with a swarm chasing behind us, we didn't sneak in, I didn't help her fight, we just waltzed in and she shot down all comers."

"But… but that many? How? What sort of girl would have that kind of power? Why isn't she out using it? No girl could have a wish that powerful without having something she wants to use it for, that just isn't how wishes work."

"Kyouko's seen her pull this kind of thing before too." Sayaka jerked her head toward her partner.

"Right, back in the park when Pinkie was doing her seizure thing," Kyouko said. Mami pursed her lips at the mention of one more thing she didn't understand, but didn't interrupt. "There were like forty wraiths trying to swarm Pinkie, so Homura did her timestop thing—you've seen that?—and blasted them in one shot. She could've nuked a whole goddamn city block with that spell and didn't even look strained. Lit up the sky and called down arrows like it was raining purple hellfire. I can totally believe she went up against all the wraiths in the Curse and snapped 'em over her skinny little knee."

Mami took a sip of her tea to pause for thought before going on. "If I can pry a little, then—why did you not try recruiting Akemi for our raid in the first place?"

Kyouko shrugged. "Me 'n Pinkie both tried getting Homura onboard already. She didn't want nothing to do with any of us."

"And I had… reasons to believe she didn't care about the Great Curse," Sayaka added, then frowned. "I might've been wrong on those, though."

From the corner of the room, Usotsuki paused in her game with Okubyou to shoot Sayaka a pointed look in caution.

"And why last night, then?" Mami asked. "What changed that the two of you suddenly went in there together?"

Usotsuki shook her head. Sayaka smirked at Mami. "Who knows what that lunatic thinks? She decided she wanted in for her own lousy reasons. She offered, I thought she could maybe pull it off, I accepted."

"And then she found the entrance to the shadow and collapsed. And this is why you believe the shadow is hers?" Mami asked.

"There's more."

Kyouko and Mami waited, both of them sensing that they were skirting around the very edge of something key to all of Sayaka's secrets. Nagisa stopped nibbling at the snacks, eyes fearfully jumping between Sayaka and the corner where the Clara dolls' game crashed to a halt.

"Wraiths come from the curses in the human heart, don't they?" Sayaka asked.

"And shadows from the curses harbored in the souls of puella magi," Mami answered.

Sayaka smirked again, the same one she always wore when she refused to admit the existence of the millstone hanging from her neck. "Guilt would do it, right? The shadow wanted Homura to pay. She's got a lot to regret."

Usotsuki scrambled forward, making Nagisa squeak in fright. Kyouko and Mami's eyes didn't so much as flick toward the Clara doll as it grabbed Sayaka's shoulder and hissed in her ear. "You go too far, angel. Stop this now, for your own good!"

"Like what?" Kyouko demanded.

"She knows." Sayaka pointed her smirk at the table. "That's enough."

Kyouko frowned and shot Sayaka a glare that promised forcible gut-spilling later, at spearpoint if necessary, even as Nagisa sighed quietly in relief and Usotsuki let go and went back to her corner.

Realizing Sayaka had already said more than she meant to, Mami changed the subject. "Pinkie's been mentioned several times now. Is she puella magi?"

"Nah, her magic's not strong enough to be worth the contract to Kyubey," Kyouko answered, and got a dumb grin on her face. "Kaname Madoka's her name. Seriously, you do not understand what I mean when I say how adorable she is. She's like the essence of pink."

"She's your friend since childhood, Sayaka. Is there anything you want to add?"

At least three people in the room were sick of that smirk on her face again. Sayaka was, and she didn't even have to see it. "I owe her," was all she said. Mami and Kyouko waited for more, but nothing was coming.

"I see," Mami said, and clearly didn't. "Well, the thing to discuss next is what we do about the Great Curse."

"Well we've got a chance now!" Sayaka leaned forward, suddenly eager to talk again now they were on safer ground. "Akemi obliterated the wraiths outside the labyrinth. We can get inside without running a gauntlet. Next we head in there and take the fight to the shadow's home ground."

Mami and Kyouko shared a look that clearly said 'oh shit, knew this was going to happen, but still oh shit'. It was both strange and familiar to see Kyouko doing that with someone who wasn't her. "There are other options too," Mami said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "If we believe Akemi's connected, then it may be worth trying to speak with her to learn more."

"Akemi? Are you serious?" Sayaka expected some pushback, but not even going inside? "We nearly break out necks trying to fight in there the first time and now the gate's wide open you want to run off and spend more time talking?"

"If we have less dangerous avenues unexplored, then certainly."

"Akemi isn't going to give you scraps," Sayaka hissed. "She's been more than clear about that, and Kyouko and me have both got in brawls with her to prove it. She doesn't give a damn what any of us have to say, but the shadow's wide open, we should go straight for it—"

"And then what?" Kyouko demanded, half-rising from her seat. "Fine, the wraiths are gone for now. There's a whole other fucked up version of Mitakihara in the labyrinth, and you made it sound like we had three or four different kinds of monsters in there trying to slaughter each other across the place. Get past all that, and you still have the shadow itself. Did you even fight it? Did you even see it? 'Cause from what you said, it sounded like it glanced in your general direction and you fell over and went crazier than normal. Is that what you're saying is a better idea than having another chat with the ice queen? Go get your brain pulled out your eye sockets again by some city-sized monster? 'Cause I know Twintails is a pain in the ass, but I never saw you pass out and spend all night thrashing around like a sick toddler just from talking to her."

Mami grabbed her arm. "Kyouko!" After a second Kyouko sat back down, and Mami turned to Sayaka. "We won't let the Great Curse regain any ground. We shift part of our nightly hunting to the empty area of the miasma. Its dark energy will begin to draw wraiths from the city again, but if we cut them down every night instead of letting them feed on the Curse we can keep the city clean and keep the way to the shadow's labyrinth open. We'll be able to go back in as soon as we're ready."

"I'm ready now!" Sayaka all but exploded. "I've been waiting for this for too long, I'm not stopping right when Akemi's shadow is exposed!" Sayaka punched a fist to the table and leaned in. "Didn't you want to defend this city, Mami? Don't you want that monster gone? Are you just going to sit here and—"

Kyouko stood up and grabbed Sayaka by the collar in one motion. "Scuse us," she called back. Sayaka didn't fight it, and saw Mami half-rise, then sink back down with a worried look on her face as Kyouko dragged her from the room. Seconds later they were back in the guest bedroom, and Kyouko slammed the door behind them and spun Sayaka into the wall. Drywall creaked behind her from the weight.

"Do you not care?" Kyouko nearly shouted. "Do you not care that last night you were lying there in a labyrinth, dead to rights until Nagisa flew in and dragged you out? Do you not care how fast you're going to martyr yourself?" Kyouko sucked breath through gritted teeth. "Do you not care how suicidal you're acting? 'Cause you know what, I do, I sure as fucking hell care!"

"None of you can know—"

"Fuck!" Kyouko screamed. "Yeah, damn right I don't know what you're dealing with! You know why? 'Cause you won't fucking tell me!"

Sayaka shook her head. "I can't—"

"Can't, won't, what's the goddamn difference?" For a second Sayaka was sure Kyouko was about to start throwing punches, but Kyouko let go and moved back, breathing deep as she looked away. After a moment, she half-turned back toward Sayaka. "Is the world ending tonight?"

Sayaka blinked. "Huh?"

"Is the goddamn world going up in flames tonight?" Kyouko asked, enunciating each word clearly. "Are we staring down the face of the apocalypse in the next twenty-four hours? Final trumpet sounds, magical girl Jesus descends from the heavens clothed in red robes and wreathed in flame to wrap up the world like a scroll, or even just the city? 'Cause if that's what you're staring down right now and there's no time left, then I will charge in and face down the Four Horsemen with you."

Kyouko moved back toward her and put her hands out, halfway between shrugging and reaching for Sayaka. "But if we're not? If whatever you're dealing with isn't about to kill us all, then maybe don't be in such a damn hurry to off yourself. Please. Just, just let me have a go at Homura first. I'm afraid here, Sayaka. I am genuinely and truly pissing my pants here that you aren't thinking straight right now and you're going to get yourself killed. Me. Me, Sakura Kyouko, isolationist bitch extraordinaire. I forgot what it's like to care this much til you came along so just… please. Don't take you away from me like this."

Sayaka gnawed at her lip a moment. "I think you've yelled at me about this before."

"Probably, yeah."

"I'll wait."

Kyouko raised her hands in front of her. "That's all I'm asking for."

"She won't tell you anything," Sayaka promised. "She won't tell you anything. She won't tell any of us anything."

Kyouko eyed her like Sayaka was trying to wriggle away. "But you're still gonna to wait."

"Yeah. I'm just saying."

Kyouko held her gaze a moment longer til she was sure, then nodded. "You let me handle Homura. I… I'm gonna…" She looked away, kneading her forehead. "I need some air, it's goddamn hot in here."

Kyouko beat a fast retreat out the room. Sayaka drifted out to the hallway in her vanishing wake, and found Nagisa waiting there wringing her hands and flicking her ringed eyes up to Sayaka. She heard everything, of course; there was no way she hadn't. 'Course, the same probably applied to Mami on the other side of the apartment.

"Nagisa? You need something?"

As soon as she was acknowledged, Nagisa darted forward, long white hair bouncing all around her, and clamped her arms around Sayaka's middle and squeezed. "Don't give up," she pleaded. "I'm afraid of what happens if you give up."

After a moment, Sayaka slid her arms around Nagisa's shoulders and hugged back, holding the younger girl tight. Familiar. So familiar. Somewhere, sometime, this girl had been her ally. "Don't worry about me," Sayaka whispered. "I'm not going down anytime soon."

OoOoO

Kyouko shifted her stick of pocky around, as always somehow speaking clearly even with food in her mouth. "Where're we meeting everyone again?"

"Fountain in the plaza in front of the entrance." Sayaka rifled through the packet of information she'd printed off the net before they set out walking here, relying on Kyouko to steer her along the sidewalk.

"Magicland." Kyouko snorted. "Now here's a question, when puella magi go to a theme park called Magicland, is it fitting or is it ironic, of the dumbass 'what even the hell' variety?"

Without looking up from her papers, Sayaka reached over and rapped her knuckles on Kyouko's skull. "It's cute, of the 'Kyouko was bouncing around like a puppy the minute Sayaka got off the phone with Madoka' variety."

"I was not!"

Sayaka glanced over and waggled her eyebrows. "You're skipping," she singsonged.

And Kyouko's gait smoothed itself out immediately. "Screw you."

"It's okay to act like a little kid now and then."

"Hmph."

"We all know you've got the self-control of one."

"Oi, there they are," Kyouko said loudly, nodding toward their friends.

After heading back to the Miki place, Sayaka got a call from Madoka asking if they wanted to meet up at a local theme park and if she could have Kyouko call up Mami to invite her and Nagisa too. Sayaka didn't mind, and despite the crap she was giving Kyouko, she was happy seeing her friend get so excited about something so simple. From the way Kyouko told it, she didn't have much time for anything like this when she was actually a kid.

The entrances and ticket booths were set into a stone castle wall that had ivy carefully tended to grow all along its face and a line of sculpted figures sitting near the top. Princes with swords, princesses with magic scepters, kings and queens, giants and goblins, all looked down over the gathered crowd filing their way in. In the center of the plaza a dragon with a wizard riding its back coiled up into a fountain, with streams of water sprouting out its mouth, its taloned forearms, and the wizard's hat and staff.

Madoka and Nagisa stood talking in front of the fountain, Nagisa happily jumping up and down and waving her arms while Madoka followed her story eagerly. Mami and Homura were both there already too, Homura seeming studiously indifferent and Mami with a fixed look of general undirected pleasantness, both of them standing behind the person they came here with. Kyouko snorted at that; they both looked so wrong-footed, but showed it so differently. Mami, at least, didn't have to wait long; Nagisa ran behind her and shoved her up to Madoka, then latched onto her side. Nagisa then launched into an introduction, probably going on about how bold and warm and beautiful her big sis Mami was.

Kyouko reached for Madoka's mind with a telepathic tap on the shoulder. 'The aliens are back, Pink One. They still want their lost princess's best friend's roommate.'

Her mind grasped at nothingness; it was like reaching for a hand and stumbling over a ledge instead. Madoka didn't so much as look around.

Kyouko stopped in place. Sayaka slowed too, tearing her eyes away from Homura to look a question at Kyouko. "Brainwaves with Pinkie ain't working," Kyouko explained. "Hey! Oi, Pigtails!"

That got her attention; Madoka looked over and waved happily. "Kyouko! Sayaka! I'm so glad you're here, come over! I already got our entrance passes, and Mama let me spring for VIP passes so we can skip some lines."

They came over and joined the group, taking the passes Madoka handed them. An awkward pause descended as Kyouko and Sayaka looked at Homura, and Homura stared back impassively, looking even more out of her element than before.

Kyouko didn't do awkward silence. "So last time I checked, Twintails here was still an edgelord sulking off in dark alleyways," she said. "It's not April Fools, is it?"

"W-well," Madoka began, "Homura and I had a long talk last night…" A faint blush crept over her, while Homura looked afraid the blushing might be contagious and was ready to bolt.

It was funny, Kyouko thought, how much you could read off Homura's different flavors of stiff faces once you got used to them.

"A-about lots of things," Madoka went on, "Like why she acts like she does and what sort of problems we have and how we got here and why and what to do about it and, and promises, and, um…" She cut off her rambling, took a deep breath, and tried again. "Anyway, Homura's going to be nicer and spend more time with us and cooperate better on puella magi things!"

Everyone swiveled their heads from Madoka to Homura. The mighty were brought low indeed, as Homura stood there faintly sweating until Madoka jabbed her elbow into Homura's side, making her jump. "T-that's right!" Homura said, and bowed. "I hope we can all get along!"

Kyouko leaned in to Sayaka. "You know, I want to smug about this," she said quietly, "But I can't. No sane person coulda seen this coming."

Madoka pulled Homura upright and hugged her arm. "Also, Homura and I are dating now!"

Kyouko whooped, then catcalled, then punched a fist in the air. "About damn time!"

Homura's fears had been realized; Madoka's blushing was indeed contagious and had spread to infect her. Worse, she couldn't even bolt with Madoka anchoring her down like this.

"Congratulations," Mami told them. "It's always nice to see a puella magi finding a bit of happiness."

"Um, yeah!" Nagisa echoed, uncertain.

Sayaka just looked like Madoka punched her in the face.

Madoka bit her lip, then let go of Homura to grab Sayaka's hand. "I'm sorry everyone, can Sayaka and I have a minute?" She tugged her best friend away to a bench on the other side of the plaza; she sat with her back to the others, and Sayaka sank down beside her.

"Why?" Sayaka asked. "Why end it like this?"

Madoka hesitated; that wasn't what she expected. "What do you mean? We haven't finished anything."

Sayaka grabbed her arm just below the shoulder, suddenly looking angry. "Are you really content staying here?"

"I—I don't understand?"

"HERE, Madoka. Here with Akemi!"

"I… Sayaka, I finally figured it out, Homura was looping through time. She was trying to keep me alive and safe. I used to be puella magi like everyone else, but I… I was never any use or any good at it. But this way I can help everyone! I can help Homura heal, and I can take away the reason she has to fight everyone."

Sayaka shook her head, looking as confused as Madoka was. "That's not how I heard it," she muttered, then her eyes flicked off to the side to an empty space. She pushed on quickly, sharp and accusing. "Do you really trust her, Madoka? Do you really believe what she tells you?"

"Yes, I do!" She wiggled free from Sayaka's grip and put her hands gently on her friend's shoulders instead, looking into her eyes. "Homura is… so much softer than she forces herself to be. Kinder, and more fragile. She doesn't want to live like this. She really doesn't. I'll put her back together, and then she won't have to be anybody's enemy anymore. She's already promised me that! She's really happy this is happening, I can tell. She doesn't want to be our enemy, she wants to be our friend."

"Do you really mean to take responsibility for her, then?" Sayaka snarled. "Keep her in a kennel and take her to the vet when she's sick and make sure she doesn't bite anyone?"

Madoka flinched. "Sayaka! Don't be mean about it!"

"Do you?" she demanded. "If it turns out she's rabid, do you really mean to leash yourself to her?"

"If that's how you insist on putting it… then, yes! If I can fix her, then I will! If I can stop her from fighting with all my other friends, then I will! If I can make her happy and all I have to do is give her myself, then I will!"

Sayaka went still, staring at Madoka like there was nothing left to do and nothing left to save. She didn't say anything.

"I love her, Sayaka," Madoka said in a small voice, begging her to understand. "I want her to be happy. I want all of you to be happy. This is the only way I can do that."

Sayaka slumped enough that her hair fell over her face, hiding it. She went almost slack; Madoka was afraid if she let go of Sayaka's shoulders, she'd fall over. Right when she was ready to lean down where she could see her friend's face again, Sayaka let out a laugh. "Well okay then!" she said. "If you're sure and it's settled, then that's great!"

"Um, Sayaka?"

She laughed again, longer and louder with an edge of hysteria that Madoka didn't like at all. She jerked up straight, a big grin on her face. "What are you waiting for? Magicland awaits! Let's go have a fun day like the big happy team we all are!"

"Sayaka, are you ok-AY!"

Madoka didn't have time to stew in anxiety about her best friend's sudden switch, because Sayaka sprung up and dragged Madoka with her before taking off at a run toward the others. Madoka winced; it felt like Sayaka was going to pull her arm off at the elbow. "Wait, slow down! You're hurting me!" Then Madoka's arm was free; she wasn't sure if her wriggling did it or Sayaka let go, but she stumbled to a slower pace while Sayaka hurtled on.

Collision was imminent; the only one facing the oncoming assault and thus forewarned was Homura, and her only reaction was to trace the line of Sayaka's dash to its target and scoot slightly to the side. Her resigned face said that yes, it was in fact always like this with these two idiots.

Then Sayaka tackled Kyouko out from between Mami and Nagisa, rolled with her up to their feet again, spun her like a dance partner, and sprinted for the entrance with a shouting, protesting redhead in her wake. "Last one in's a rotten Incubator!" Sayaka called back.

OoOoO

The crowds weren't that terrible for a Sunday afternoon with good weather, so Sayaka had room to run through the broad cobblestone walkways, with Kyouko still dragged behind her. "We need some massive ride first! Start it off with a bang! Ha! Something that'll shoot us across the park and make us think we're about to splatter all over the ground. What could compare with fighting wraiths though, right?"

"Damn it! Slow down, you blue jackass! The hell's gotten into you?"

Nagisa was almost keeping pace with them, maybe two steps behind. "…and then the Snow Queen's Sleigh, and then we stop for ice cream, and then arcade games, and then another roller coaster, and then launch on the Beanstalk…"

Madoka, Homura, and Mami dashed along behind them, weaving in and out of the crowd like bodyguards at a fast jog to try to keep Sayaka close and in sight in case they needed to intervene. "What set her off like this?" Mami asked as they ran.

"I'm sorry, it was something I said about Homura. I didn't mean for this to happen!"

Cheerful pink and a dark purple were the main colors of Magicland. How much of one or the other there was shifted as they moved around the park, one being used for the main coloring and the other for accents, and the balance between the two showed whether the fairy tales in this particular part of the park were more Happily Ever After or Deep Dark Woods. Here the atmosphere of the park was still mostly balanced between the two extremes. The shops, booths, and rest stops were all brightly colored half-timbered constructions mashed together in tight rows that looked right out of a historical district from France or Germany, though with much broader walkways; then the tight stack of booths would suddenly give way to wide plazas in front of larger buildings imitating castles or cathedrals. Here and there the semi-historical feel broke up for the obviously modern architecture of the enormous rides, where a giant beanstalk or the roller-coaster flight path of a chorus of angels sprung up in the middle of the faux-city.

Sayaka skid to a stop, yanked Kyouko around and ran back ten steps, then whistled appreciatively at the open air obstacle course bearing the name Adventure Academy. Half army training course, half masochistic parkour run, the Adventure Academy was a monument of castle climbing walls, swashbuckling swing ropes, stepping stones shaped like clouds, and timed jumping puzzles that had dragon heads knocking off the unwary and unlively. The course was split up into several routes depending on difficulty; the queue for the hardest course was almost nonexistent, the lesser mortals having fled.

"This," Sayaka declared. "This is what we came for. This is our purpose."

Kyouko opened and closed her mouth a few times, then shrugged. "You know what? I was gonna talk you out of doing anything while you're like this, but it's not like anything here can hurt us. What're we gonna do, fall and break our necks?"

"That's the spirit!" Sayaka slapped her shoulder and dashed for the line. "Come on, keep up or I'll crush you!"

Mami, catching up along with Madoka and Homura, nabbed Nagisa by the shoulder. "I don't think you're allowed on this one, stay here and cheer them on with us."

"What? Why?"

Mami pointed to a sign by the entrance warning away the short, the young, the pregnant, and anyone with health problems like asthma, back or neck injuries, epilepsy, or heart problems. Nagisa whined in disappointment, but pressed herself up to the low fence to watch while Sayaka and Kyouko took their starting positions.

"I'll buy us some crepes while they play," Homura said, nodding to a nearby booth.

Madoka looked around in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Being with Kyouko is the best thing for her now," Homura said, shrugging minutely. "They'll be fine."

The two took off on the mark, almost flying up a castle wall with borderline inhuman dexterity. Nagisa started cheering immediately, shouting for them to go faster or just jump over the entire course. Madoka joined in, calling encouragement. She was a worrywart; she knew she was. Maybe she just had to let Sayaka deal with this in her own way.

OoOoO

"Soooo, who finished first and who slipped on the balance bridge because she was rushing?"

"Screw you."

Kyouko grinned. "And that's why you should keep your head doing these things. So what I'd win?"

Sayaka snorted and elbowed her in the ribs. "I'll buy a cotton candy and split it with you."

Their friends met them at the exit, Madoka and Homura passing them crepes and Nagisa jumping around shouting about how cool they were while Mami warmly asked if they had as much fun as it looked.

Kyouko paused as she took the crepe Madoka offered her, studying the other girl. Things got a little nuts with Sayaka losing it, but now she had time to wonder about telepathy not working with Madoka earlier. Madoka's magic presence had been thin and faint before, something almost unnoticeable at range unless you were familiar with it and looking, but now Kyouko couldn't read anything at all off her.

"Um… Kyouko? Is there something on my face?" Madoka looked down at her crepe. "Did I get whipped cream on my cheek?"

"You know what? I can't think of a good excuse to make this look smooth 'n' natural, so just hold still a minute." Kyouko leaned over and grabbed Madoka in a one-armed hug, pushing magic into her the same as if she was trying to work healing, just like she had when Madoka was having a seizure-or-whatever-the-hell back when wraiths were chasing her in the park.

She dove, barely taking a moment to ask Madoka's bones and muscles and veins and nerves and organs if they were okay and get a sense of rightness back. She dove, trying to get past the physical and find the soul that wove throughout and underneath all of it. Last time she tried this she found a crack or wound or break, like something'd been cut off and left a bleeding injury, at the very bottom of her spirit in a sea of molten gold magic Madoka couldn't possibly have.

"T-that tingles, Kyouko!" Madoka said faintly, holding on to her.

Nothing. No gap, no cut, no crack, no window, no molten gold.

What the hell did that even mean? She didn't imagine all of it before, but where'd it go?

Kyouko let go, and Madoka backed up with a faint smile. "What was that all about?"

She shrugged. "I just wanted to hug a cute girl." Madoka giggled, sure there was more to it but amused anyway, and Kyouko glanced over at Homura.'Hey Twintails, I've got questions later.'

Homura's only reply was to incline her head, apparently content to let it sit til later, and Kyouko smacked Sayaka's arm. "Thanks for the crepe. Now let's go, this dork owes me victor's spoils."

Everyone else set up at a table and ate their crepes, then when Kyouko and Sayaka got back with a poof of blueberry cotton candy they pulled out their pamphlets and maps and tried to figure out who wanted to do what and go where. Sayaka and Kyouko sat a few feet away from the rest of the group; Kyouko remembered to shout out a list of what she wanted to do, Sayaka mostly just put her head on Kyouko's shoulder and swiped puffs of cotton as the other girl tried to eat them. That devolved into a fight almost immediately, which ended with Sayaka sitting on Kyouko's back to pin her down and feeding her cotton candy by hand. When everyone was ready to go, Kyouko snagged her hand and squeezed; after a moment, Sayaka twined their fingers, and they walked tight together.

OoOoO

After general sightseeing, they headed into the pink end of the park and found a building called Perfect Portraiture where they could get photos taken in costume. There was a brief debate on the merits of pants and princely outfits, but Mami's idea of princess ball gowns for everyone prevailed, which was why Kyouko emerged from the changing rooms feeling like someone's little pet dog stuck in a red handbag, cute and fluffy and completely unable to move. Seriously, what was the point of all this cloth? Skirts, sure, but make 'em short or cut for free movement. She didn't get how puella magi who ended up with full dresses as their uniform were possibly supposed to get anything done. What if she needed to go roofhopping?

"Oh Kyouko, you're so beautiful!" Madoka rushed forward to grab her hands and get a better look. "I'm jealous of all your hair, it looks so nice like this."

"Mami's idea," Kyouko explained. She'd undone her ponytail on Mami's suggestion, letting her long hair fall freely over her bare shoulders and fixing her black hair bow to the bosom of the red dress. She'd never looked so… primpy before. The dresses she wore to church as a kid were a far cry away from this.

"Well it's lovely!" Madoka said. She was in a pink dress with ruffled layers down the skirt and straps over the shoulder, and had kept her hair the same; for how excited she was, she looked like she ought to be running happily through a windy meadow. Way more suited to this than Kyouko.

"It is quite lovely," Mami added, and smiled. "We haven't even reached the sets yet, but this is already fun." She sat demurely in a row of chairs by the exit in a way that made the waiting room seem like a palace; of course she could make a little costume off the rack at a theme park seem like a regal work of art. Her dress was gold, naturally, and had faint embroidered flowers running down the elbow-length sleeves, over the shoulders, and along the bosom and sides of the skirt. She'd somehow found time to do her hair up in complex braids weaving around her head, with just enough loose to give it a flowing look. Probably magic, the cheater.

Kyouko looked over for Sayaka, who was leaning against the wall. "Um, yeah, it's great," Sayaka said, suddenly looking away. "You look great." To go with her powder blue dress, Sayaka had draped a cloak over her shoulders, just like the one she wore with her puella magi uniform, but a little shorter and navy blue instead of white. In fact, it was otherwise exactly like her cloak, down to the gold trim and crown pattern on the neck. Was Kyouko the only one who didn't think of cheating?

She took some comfort in the way Sayaka was still leaning up against the wall with crossed arms like she didn't know quite what to do in a nice dress either. Tomboys unite and all that. Kyouko found herself wishing she'd pushed a little harder for pants. Sayaka in some of those fancy old-timey suits like the princes wore in Disney shows, with a tight military cut. Sayaka in a modern suit, strolling down the city street throwing her a wink. Sayaka, tossing her suit jacket over her shoulder with one hand while she held one of her swords loose in the other, smiling rakishly and ready to bust up some punks.

"S-so you all look good too!" Kyouko squeaked. "Homura and Nagisa not out yet?"

'Maaami,' Nagisa sent to the group, 'I think I need some help with my dress.'

'I'll be there in just a moment,' Mami replied as she rose.

Kyouko had an idea. 'Kid, you mind if Sayaka helps you instead?'

'That's fine…'

To Mami's questioning look, Kyouko said, "You and Madoka met earlier, but you haven't really talked at all yet, right? Sayaka'll help Nagisa, I'll go see what's holding Homura up, and you two get to know each other."

Mami and Madoka didn't voice any complaints right away, and Sayaka… was calmer than earlier, thank fuck. So Kyouko beat a path back to the changing rooms, Sayaka splitting off to find Nagisa.

Kyouko found the room she saw Homura go in earlier and knocked. "Hey Twintails, you waiting for me?" The sound of unlocking came through, and the door slid open for Kyouko to step in.

Kyouko stopped as soon as she got in. It was usually somewhere in the back of her mind, but Kyouko didn't often pause to consider that these friends of hers were pretty easy on the eyes. She was especially likely to forget in Homura's case, because half the time when she showed up Kyouko was worrying about other things like "Will Blue try to stab Twintails?" and "Will Twintails turn Blue into an arrow pincushion?"

Homura stood before the mirror, inspecting her deep purple dress. She ran a thumb over the silver thread in the wrists of her long sleeves; the same silver ran along the bottom of the skirt and all along the front from waist to neckline, distantly suggesting spider webs. With the dark color and that pattern, the fairy tale dress was probably meant for a witch of the sort that stood around asking mirrors questions about the fairest in the land, but Homura's statuesque poise and imperious, crafted features made even that silly idea seem dignified. Kyouko'd heard the normies chattering at school about what a beauty Homura was, and used to roll her eyes at them for fanboying and fangirling over someone they knew nothing about. She had to admit, though—they were kinda right.

Homura turned her head to the side, frowning distantly at her reflection. "I think I'm supposed to do something with my hair, but I don't remember what. Braids seem wrong for this somehow. Was there another way I wore my hair?"

Kyouko swallowed. "Mami'll think of something if you ask her."

"Mami. Yes, she could, couldn't she? She's good at that." Homura pulled a hand through her hair, sending it rustling, and turned away from the mirror. "You want to talk."

"Yeah. Sayaka told me what happened when you two went in the Curse last night. You collapsed, she had a shot at you she kinda wanted to take."

"Yet she didn't," Homura reminded her. "That surprised me, even if it's not her style."

Too flippant, Kyouko thought with a frown. Sayaka was on an edge there last night, and Homura's making almost-jokes about it. "She also told me there's some girl's shadow inside the Curse, and it was pissed she didn't take that shot."

That got Homura's attention; she looked almost eager. "Miki went into the labyrinth, didn't she? What did she see?"

"A screwed-up version of Mitakihara. City burning, a bunch of different kinds of grief monsters trying to kill each other. And, you know, the shadow turned her skull inside out while she was there."

"Hm."

"Sayaka thinks it's your shadow," she pressed.

Homura paused to think, running her hands along each other slowly as she did. "A shadow. Mine? I think I would notice becoming such a thing, but then, I thought the same about witches."

"Witches? The hell is—" Kyouko broke off with a huff. "Look, do you legit try to sound opaque and sketchy as hell? 'Cause that's what I'm getting here."

"And the shadow wanted me dead," Homura went on, ignoring the reasonable question. "And I can't even defend myself by claiming I've never wanted to die." She caught the look of pained recognition Kyouko gave her, and smiled with bleak amusement at the way she blanched. "It's natural enough a thought for those who suffer too long, isn't it? You can't tell me you never thought it when you were alone on the streets with only your bitter memories to feed you and keep you company. Yet, here we both are. I think we've done well."

"So we've got a shadow that might be yours, and it sounds like you're not fighting the idea so hard." Kyouko leaned closer, trying to sound inviting. "Come on Homura, we don't spawn shadows unless shit's serious, we both know that. You wanna talk about why you might have yours running around? Or maybe just make a plan for killing it?" Homura went back to inspecting her outfit in the mirror with that stony face again, making Kyouko moan in frustration. "Homura, come on here. We both know there's more going on, you and Madoka, you and Sayaka, whatever. I know it, Madoka knows, hell, Mami knows it and she's even more out of the loop than I am. We can fix problems, but only if we know what's going on and where to punch."

"Discussing the shadow's origin is unnecessary. It's in the past, and won't be an issue again. As for plans for fighting it," Homura shrugged. "I had one. But there were complications."

"We're supposed to be cooperating now," Kyouko reminded her. "You said it, not me. It's stupid to ask everyone to totally trust each other right away, I get that, but can you give me a little something to work with?"

"If it is mine, the circumstances don't matter any longer," Homura repeated. "And we can figure out a way to attack the Curse later. Isn't this our day off? If there's not anything else…."

Kyouko leaned back against the door, holding it closed. "Pinkie."

Homura's lips curled upward, eyes sinking half-closed. "Indeed. Madoka."

"So what'd you do to her? She pops off to your place last night, and next thing any of us know her magic's gone, telepathy doesn't work on her, and the big gaping cut in her soul's vanished without a trace. And don't even try denying this one, I remember how you fixed Pinkie when she was having her weird seizures, you're the only one who had any clue what was up with that."

"It's taken care of. She won't attract wraiths, she won't have seizures, and she won't have any other problems now."

"God fu…" Kyouko barely restrained the urge to ruin her hair by running her hands hard across her skull. "Look, I realize there's shit going on I don't know jack about, and I'm trying to keep an open mind here, but yesterday she had magic. Wasn't much, but she had it. Today, she doesn't. With you just stonewalling everything, there's a point where this starts to look a liiiitle bit sinister no matter what angle I hold it at."

Homura leaned closer, unlocking the door with one hand and taking Kyouko's arm with the other. "I told you twice already. It's in the past, and doesn't matter anymore. But you can believe this, if nothing else: Madoka made her choice freely and without compulsion. Now it's done, and there's no use worrying about it." Homura inclined her head toward the exit Kyouko guarded. "The others are waiting. Shall we go?"

Kyouko frowned, but pushed off the door.

OoOoO

Madoka smiled ruefully at the hall Kyouko and Sayaka vanished down. "I think Kyouko ditched us."

"I apologize for her," Mami said, sounding resigned. "Tact has never been her strong point."

"Ehihi, isn't that part of her charm though?"

"I suppose it is."

"So, um… it's a nice park, isn't it? Are you having a good time today, Mami?"

"Certainly, it's been awhile since I've done anything like this. It's nice to see them doing something with this property. The land here used to be an abandoned district from developments before Mitakihara was established, until they cleared it out and built Magicland about a year and a half ago. There are so fewer wraiths now."

"Wraiths? Here?"

"They tend to brood in desolate, abandoned places when they're not out hunting." Mami glanced over, then mentally kicked herself when she realized from Madoka's floundering look that the other girl probably wasn't used to puella magi shop talk coming up at random times. "Ah, sorry, that's hardly a topic for a day off like this, is it? Well, Magicland is a much brighter and happier place now by any measure. Tell me Madoka, how do you know everyone? I heard it mentioned that you grew up with Sayaka, but I hadn't realized before today you knew Nagisa."

"Sayaka and I knew each other forever ago, like you heard. Kyouko I met from Sayaka after they started working together. Homura… um, Homura and I are in the same class at school, and she… um, you could say I caught her eye? And then awhile ago Homura introduced Nagisa to me. What about you?"

"Kyouko and I used to work together, and Sayaka… well, our first proper meeting was through Kyouko. Akemi was always the puella magi watching the next territory over. Nagisa seemed like an inexperienced puella magi when I ran across her recently, so I took it on myself to mentor her a little."

"It seems like all the puella magi know each other because of work," Madoka noted. "I can't decide if that's good or not."

"You seem to know them all yourself. It's certainly better than not knowing anyone friendly. You'll want to trust me on this one." Mami smiled to show she hadn't meant or taken offense.

"You were alone? Um, starting when you and Kyouko stopped working together? It must've been a relief when you met Nagisa then."

"Indeed."

"Nagisa…." Madoka bit at her lip a moment. "She's incredible, isn't she? She's so brave to do something has hard as fighting wraiths at her age. And she's always so happy and earnest, too! I don't think I could keep my spirits up as well as she does if I was in her place."

"Has she done her candy trick for you?" Mami asked.

Madoka lit up. "Where she pulls it out of nowhere? Yes! She's so cute! Takkun loved it too. Oh, Takkun is my little brother Tatsuya, he's three and almost a half. You and Nagisa should come over for dinner with my family sometime and you can meet him."

"I'd like that."

Madoka grew solemn, watching Mami. "I'm glad you're working together now. All of you, I mean. Wraiths are terrifying, and the Great Curse is…" Madoka shivered, remembering the revolting aura of the Curse crawling over her skin even at such a great distance. "A-anyway, none of you should have to fight each other when something like that's around."

"You must want to go back so desperately."

"What do you mean?"

"Back to not knowing about wraiths or puella magi or magic." Mami shifted uncomfortably, troubled by memories. Her own insecurities were something she guarded like a weakening injury in a fight, but everything she'd seen and heard about this girl told her it was safe. "I felt that way for so long after I made my contract, even though I knew my wish saved my life. There were so many days when it was all I could do to get up, breathe calmly, and be about my business. Kyouko and Sayaka mentioned you've come face to face with wraiths, multiple times and once alone. It's lonely, desperate work, but at least I have the magic needed to fight. I can't imagine what it must be like for you to be caught up in this world without even that much."

"But my friends are here. Why would I leave them?"

Mami stared, mouth slightly open, at Madoka's honest confusion; she really meant it. A thought struck Mami."This may well be off the mark, but… Nagisa once told me that she was saved by a girl who wanted puella magi to work together and never give up hope. Until she said that I thought I was the first puella magi she met, but it seems she already knew Sayaka. Last night, the way she and Homura spoke made me think they had a history too. You said Homura introduced Nagisa to you; that was before last night, yes?" Mami waited for Madoka to nod, then continued. "But neither of them quite seems to fit. And just now I realized that I assumed it, but Nagisa never said that girl was puella magi herself. By any chance, were you the girl she meant?"

It didn't seem like the sort of question that required a great deal of thought, but Madoka took her time processing it anyway before she finally answered with an embarrassed smile. "This'll sound even stranger, but I'm not really sure."

Mami cocked her head to the side.

"W-well it might be that way, but I don't remember," Madoka explained. "It's a bit complicated, but you might call it something like a past life? Maybe I can tell you about it sometime when I've sorted everything out in my head." Madoka stopped, frowning. "But wait… that can't be it, because then how would Nagisa remember it?"

It seemed to Mami like Mitakihara was full of nothing but puzzles lately.

"Um, Mami? You're a veteran, right? This probably isn't the best time, but can I ask something about puella magi anyway?"

"Certainly." It didn't seem like Madoka was just changing the subject; she seemed genuinely confused about Mami's question about Nagisa. She didn't see a reason to pursue the topic now.

"It's about curses. Or, maybe it's really about the Great Curse. Everyone told me wraiths are born from curses in human hearts, and those curses are negative emotions, but that seems…" Madoka shrugged. "Too simple? What do you think curses are? Where did that monster over the river come from?"

"It does sound a little trite, doesn't it? Negative emotions, as if all we need is a cup of tea and an hour of calm to make the wraiths vanish away." If that worked, Mami's daily habits during that forsaken solitude would've been more than enough to keep everything at bay. That was manifestly untrue. "People become angry or sad all the time, almost constantly, but it's not as though every poor mark on an exam or bad day at the office is enough to create a wraith. A curse might feed on such things, but surface annoyances like that aren't true curses."

She looked away from Madoka. "A child moves away from all their friends to a new city and, unable to make new friends, comes to believe there isn't a place for them in the world. A salaryman works all day and all night to support his family, then realizes one day his long toil means he barely knows his wife and children anymore. A charitable soul spends so much time looking after people's wounds that she comes to believe ugly wounds are all humanity is made of. Those are the sorts of things that become curses. A curse is when, even unconsciously or only for a few moments, someone's heart fundamentally rejects the world."

"People who feel alone," Madoka realized. "People who don't feel connected to their life."

Mami nodded. "Often, certainly. But the very worst curses aren't from loneliness. The very worst come from those had happiness and love and companionship."

"What? Why?"

"Enmity. One person cursing the world is bad enough, but when two people face each other and feed their curse together in turn…." Mami shook her head. "Only those who are closest to your heart can strike deepest."

"But if you were really friends, you wouldn't hurt each other!"

Mami gave her a look heavy with painful memory. "Do you really believe that?"

Madoka bit her lip and didn't reply. Homura had tried to terrify her. Sayaka's refusal to speak worried Kyouko to no end. Mami and Kyouko looked at each other with relief now, but she'd gathered that they hadn't parted on good terms last time.

"Kyouko and I harbored such a curse for a time," Mami went on. "I don't know if she mentioned it, but some time ago her life was… in disarray. Neither of us dealt with it well. We turned on each other and fought, then went our separate ways. Imagine two great wraiths called shadows, empowered by the magic from a puella magi's soul, clashing over and over. A burning horsewoman and a tea party host. The picture sounds silly, doesn't it? But fighting both shadows at once and coming out on top may be the moment I truly earned the right to call myself a veteran. Kyouko and I spent months hunting down the shadows slipping from our souls. Separately, of course; only our shadows were clever enough to seek each other out."

Madoka wrung her hands, but made herself meet Mami's eyes. "Thank you for telling me something so personal. We haven't known each other very long, but hearing about curses from you helped. Thank you."

Mami smiled. "It's easier to talk about now that Kyouko and I have sorted ourselves out. Don't give it a second thought."

They drifted onto lighter topics after that, but before long Nagisa half-ran, half-pranced back into the room with Sayaka in tow. She dashed over and spun in front of Madoka and Mami's seats, showing off her pale lavender dress with sashes of slightly darker cloth running in layers around the poofy skirt. "Lookit, lookit, I'm done!"

"It's cute!" Madoka said.

"You look wonderful!" Mami agreed. "Now, did you remember to thank Sayaka for helping you?"

"Uh huh! Sayaka's so nice, she can be my other big sister!"

Sayaka rubbed a hand behind her head. "It is a cute dress, but… it kind of makes her look like a cake, too. The sashes are basically frosting."

Madoka sighed. "Sayaka…"

"But that's why I picked it!" Nagisa declared, and pulled a butterscotch drop out of nowhere to toss to Sayaka. "Because I'm the puella magi of sweets!"

"I somehow expected that," Mami said, covering her mouth to quiet a laugh.

OoOoO

"For behold and stuff, I have stormed the palace and captured the fair maiden!" shouted Kyouko the Vile, standing triumphant atop the back of the throne and hefting one of Mami's rifled muskets above her. "She is mine, and none of you can have her!"

"Qualify that," Lady Sayaka called from the floor, where she had been slain in dishonorable combat when Kyouko the Vile shot her in the back. "We're basically rolling in fair maidens here."

"I have captured the pink maiden, for she's got more pink than all you together!"

"Alas, I am captured." Maid Madoka languished on the seat of the throne, flopping sideways so her head drooped over one armrest in bleak hopeless despair as she bemoaned her evil fate and her ruffly dress spilled over the other side. "Who can save me now that my faithful knight is fallen?"

"Hold that pose a moment," Mami said as she fiddled with the controls. "Kyouko, would you swing your rifle a little more toward the camera on your upper right? Yes, that's wonderful. And… okay, keep going."

"I will save the pink maiden," declared the mighty hero as she rushed forward waving around a brace of pistols. "No villain unpunished, no girl left alone, no cheese uneaten! Have no fear, the masked Bebe is here!"

"Oh really?" asked Kyouko the Vile, leveling her musket at the hero from her chair-based sniper's tower. "I see no mask, fool."

"Of course! Not having a mask is my mask! I only hide my face when I'm not being a superhero." Nagisa nodded sagely. "Now come down and fight me!"

"Your funeral, kid." Kyouko the Vile hopped down and swung her musket like a club, sending Nagisa ducking beneath the mighty yet slow blow. "You gettin' these, Mami?"

"Yes, just keep going!"

Nagisa blocked a gentle downward swing by crossing her pistols and catching it on the stocks, then struggled mightily to hold back the gun turned impromptu bashy stick. "Your evil ways will come to naught, Vile One! 'Cause I know something you don't know!"

Kyouko sniggered. "Lemme guess, you're not left handed?"

"Close! The truth is, I'm only the distraction!"

"Tickles for Kyouko!" Madoka shouted as she pounced.

"H-hey, what are you! Gah, hey, Pinkie, let off!" Kyouko dropped the rifle—it disappeared into ribbons halfway to the ground—and tried spinning about. But then Nagisa struck from behind, and the whole melee went to the ground, where Madoka and Nagisa's attack reduced Kyouko to helpless laughter while Sayaka suddenly returned from the dead and joined the fray.

"And they were such nice dresses," Mami mourned, continuing to work the camera anyway.

Perfect Portraiture had photo booths available, but that wasn't the main draw. It also had fully-built sets right out of fairy tales that a group could pose on, complete with a deep stash of props. Cameras mounted around the room, along with camera controls built into the set at inconspicuous locations, covered all the best angles, and a park attendant with a digital camera was available if needed for other shots. The girls had signed up for a palace ballroom and throne room set, then went about staging swashbuckling adventures across the dance floor, broken up by occasional shots of actual dancing.

The brawl wound down, and Madoka tried to catch her breath as she pulled herself up. "You can jump in anytime, you know!"

"I'm fine," Homura said, voice jumping up pitch. She hung back off the set beside Mami, and had done the same with every improv scene. "I'll just watch until you want a posed photo or a dance."

"Booooring," Kyouko called.

"Well I want one now, then! One with just you and me. Come sit next me." Furniture props were scattered around the room, so Madoka found a plush bench and dragged it over to a wall painted like a window. The scene looked out over an enchanted lunar garden, with Earth a ball hanging in the starlit sky.

"Straighten her up a little, would you Homura?" Mami asked.

The tickling match had done a number on Madoka's dress and hair, but she happily stood still while Homura re-tied her ribbons and helped straighten her dress. "Are you having fun, Homura?" she asked.

"Yes, I am. It's just a bit overwhelming, that's all."

"It's been a long time since you played like this wasn't it? It's been a long time since you took those photos of everyone you keep in your apartment." Homura nodded, and Madoka beamed. "Well, today I want to make sure you get some new photos of everyone to add to the others! Ones with you in them, too."

Homura finished the ribbons, hands drifting to a slow stop while Madoka and Homura were still close. She worked her lips for a moment, uncertain what to say. "I… thank you. Thank you."

Madoka smiled, then tugged Homura onto the bench. "Mami, can you take a bunch of shots really fast?"

"If you want me to," Mami answered.

"Yes, please!"

The first photo captured Madoka and Homura perfectly posed, smiling for the camera. They were a study in contrasts. Madoka shone with enthusiasm and energy, Homura was placid and quiet. Madoka's light pink sleeveless dress, essentially a sundress with extra layers of ruffles added down the skirt, underscored her innocent warmth, while Homura's almost more austere dress with its deep purple and silvered lines made her seem like a remnant of an older era finally emerging blinking into the light. Even their hair carried out the image. For Homura, Mami had taken off the headband and woven a pair of black ribbons through her hair, letting the ends dangle. How they stayed was anyone's guess (magic), but the effect was faintly gothic in her already dark ensemble next to Madoka's bouncy pink pigtails.

Yet despite the contrast, they meshed well. One was excited and the other calm, but they were both happy. They had nearly the same smile, and their hands clasped on the bench between them.

The second photo captured the moment Madoka's angelic face snuck a look of mischief at Homura. The third photo, the instant Madoka sprung at Homura to throw arms around her neck and plant a kiss on her cheek. Homura's bulging eyes and desperate attempt to jump out of her skin was the subject of photo number four, but somewhere around photo number seven she calmed down and, lightening her color scheme by going quite pink in the face, wrapped her arms around Madoka and let her girlfriend press their heads together.

Photo number nine, now, was the moment when the flying edge of blue hair entered the frame. Sayaka's face, pulled taut with the strain of focusing on the most important of all possible missions, joined her hair in the next shot. Her ballistic nature became apparent in photo eleven as it showed that yes, she was travelling nearly parallel to the ground. Photo twelve would have benefited from some way to record sound as well as image, because the screams were as essential to capturing the scene as the flurry of blue cloth completely filling the view.

Photo thirteen, nothing but an empty bench.

"Keep the kissy face to a minimum!" Sayaka shouted at the other two pinned beneath her.

"What? Sayaka? That's why you tackled us?" Madoka whined. "It was a peck on the cheek!"

Homura would have glowered at everything in view while she was stuck beneath two bodies, but everything in view was a mass of pink cloth.

"Yeah, well coming from you two it's pissing me off anyway."

"So which of 'em are you jealous of?" Kyouko asked from the shelves of props, hefting a crossbow. "Homura for snagging your childhood crush, or Madoka for scoring this hottie?"

"What? No!" Sayaka, in the middle of climbing off the pile, nearly fell over again. "It's not like that! I'm—"

"Real easy to wind up, dumbass." Kyouko shoved the crossbow back onto its shelf. "Lay off 'em. Why don't you come take a photo with me?"

In a display of her usual grim resolve, Sayaka stuck her tongue out at Kyouko while offering Madoka a hand up—until Madoka was yanked back down from her grasp.

"Homur—" Madoka tried to say, then suddenly lost all interest in talking.

Mami laughed lightly. "It seems like brinkmanship is a poor strategy with Akemi. Take note, Sayaka."

"Ha! Mami, are you getting pictures of this?" Kyouko crowed.

"No! No, I'm certainly not!"

"Okay, point made, you two," Sayaka said, scowling. "You can let up now."

"This is your fault," Kyouko told her. "This is… uh… huh."

"Oh my," Mami muttered, suddenly wondering where Nagisa had got to and hoping she hadn't noticed this.

Taking a gasp of air, Madoka shot up with a smile threatening to sear itself onto her face permanently, before dissolving into uncontrollable giggles. Homura had enough grace to not shoot a smug look at Sayaka from the floor, but that may have been because she'd forgotten what set this off in the first place.

"Hey, look what I found!" Nagisa came around the other side of the prop shelves, holding up two slender ceremonial swords. Their basket hilts, painted vital red, bore the image of roses in full bloom. Thorn designs ran up the length of the blade. The swords were right out of a shoujo fantasy manga, designed to wed strength and softness, love and danger, resolve and sincerity.

Everyone stopped to appreciate the design. "If ever there was symbol for puella magi…" Mami said, eying them appreciatively.

"There's a whole set of them back here!" Nagisa said.

Everyone passed looks around the group. "You all thinking what I'm thinking?" Kyouko asked.

The last photo of the session at Perfect Portraiture was a group shot. They stood in the middle of the dance floor, lined up side to side with each other and facing the camera. Kyouko and Sayaka took the middle, turned slightly toward one another; Madoka was on Sayaka's left, then Homura on Madoka's other side. Mami took Kyouko's other side, then Nagisa on the end.

Swords and ball gowns. It was about as fitting an image as any of them could come up with for their little band. They held the swords up at attention with their right hands, and set their left on the shoulder of the girl next to them, for that was who they were at their very best: never leaving each other alone, always ready to fight and ready to love.

OoOoO

Aida Tarou, Magicland games attendant, went on explaining the gear required for Grimm Gallery to the six girls, who looked like a bunch of middle schoolers along with one of their kid sisters. They paid close attention; even the youngest girl, the one with white hair, followed along with a sweet little smile on her face while he explained the hit detection vest, made to look like chain mail, and the laser tag crossbow that went with it. They got girls in here at the Gallery all the time, of course, but it was a little unusual to have a group made up entirely of girls. But they seemed interested though, so whatever floats their zeppelin, right? It's not like the Gallery was just for the crazy paintballers who came here to practice their teamwork and owned the scoreboard. Besides, he got paid the same either way.

"Um, what straps go where?" the youngest asked, fumbling about with the vest and vainly trying to reach the panel on her back.

The motherly, gold-haired girl who seemed to be the oldest moved over to her before anyone else could. "One of your straps is caught," she said as she tugged the wayward strap out from between the vest and her back. "There you go, let's try again now."

"Thank you, Mami!"

Two of the other girls, faster to get their gear in order and clearly too bouncy for sitting around waiting, were striking poses with their crossbows. "Watch out world, Double-Oh-Miki's on the hunt!"

The shrewd-looking one with the red ponytail took advantage of her friend's heroic sky-reaching pose to jam the crossbow against her back. "Bam! Gotcha again. Stop letting me shoot you in the back!"

Sayaka took a good-natured swipe at her friend. "Gah! Is nothing sacred to you? Just let me pose, will you?"

"Um, please don't run in the gear," Tarou tried as they started chasing each other. He didn't think they heard him though, what with the way their pink-haired friend was laughing along with delight. Whatever. They'd probably run him over if he tried getting in the middle of that.

"Um," went the oldest girl as she tugged at her own vest on. "Oh dear. I… might need a larger one."

Huh. That… was a problem. "We can try it," Tarou said, "The next size up will be, ah, wider, but it'll probably be too long to fit comfortably. Different problem, I guess?"

The quiet, dark girl of the group saved the day from inadequately sized vests by moving forward and fiddling with her friend's vest. When she moved away, the space between the front and back vests had been extended by adding a few small climbing carabiners to where the straps were supposed to click together.

"Ah. Thank you, Akemi. That's much better!" the eldest warmly thanked her.

…wait, why did she just have a set of carabiners on hand? Where did she have a set of carabiners?

Whatever, it worked out. With everyone's gear equipped, he walked them through activating and using it and took their call signs for the scoreboard. Not that he expected a lot there. Again, paintball people and other sports teams came through here all the time, they were going to do better than a bunch of middle schoolers any day of the week. The group went with their hair colors for call signs; the oldest wanted hers in Italian for some reason. Not like that was the weirdest thing Tarou had to spell for the Grimm Gallery, though. Last week he had a group of Tolkien nerds in here; after the third name in Elvish he just handed them a paper and made them write their names down themselves.

After that was squared away, he explained the rules. Grimm Gallery was a team game that used the holographic technologies common throughout Mitakihara to project monsters that would attack them. The players needed to reach the end of the course in one piece, while using cover to evade attacks and gunning down the multitude of werewolves, hags, ghosts, devils, malicious fairies, and worse coming after them. Players couldn't be hit while in cover unless they let themselves get flanked, but couldn't shoot back either. Since monsters could only threaten one area of the course at a time, they would need to cover one another and rely on team communication to know when it was time to duck or come up for a shot. A player whose health was depleted couldn't fire, but could still act as a lookout for the others. They would be scored based on time to completion, kills, and health remaining at the end.

All that was left to start the course and send them in. He went through a side door back to the control booth where he could watch the whole course, complete with sound, and started their entry countdown. The girls hung around the entrance in a loose knot, watching the old-fashioned countdown timer tick lower.

A holographic grim reaper appeared floating by the two trees that marked the entrance. "Prepare thyself to enter the Deep Forest," went his canned lines and flapping jawbone, ever-so-slightly tinny audio coming from the speakers around the room, "And seek thy most deserved death!"

Eyes sinking half-closed, the eldest girl regarded the entrance with a steely air that somehow lurked beneath the warm smile she'd sported this entire time. "Akemi on point, I believe," she told the others. "Then a wedge formation. Madoka and Nagisa on the middle row, then Sayaka and Kyouko in back. I'll take the center. Let's take this at a jog, shall we?"

The counter hit zero. As one, they dashed forward and fell into formation like a crossbow bolt punching through armor.

Over the next several minutes, Aida Tarou's eyes peeled back until they were threatening his forehead's territory. All he could do was sit back and reflect that this was not what he expected.

"The guardian of the path awaits thee, foolish travelers, and his blade thirsts for—"

"Armored ogre trying to block our front! Front ranks, focus fire! Sayaka, Kyouko, stay on the flanks!"

"Goblins sneaking up the left flank, but I can get 'em!"

"Ogre down! Advance!"

"Here in the forest forsaken of the light, the souls of the fallen shall find thee and—"

"Eyes up, ghosts approaching high using forest canopy as cover. Wide arc. Reloading, cover me."

Tarou tapped the display where it showed their health meters, which refused to go down despite their ceaseless advance. He asked the computer to do a check, and yes, their hit detection vests were in fact functioning, thank you very much. They just weren't bothering to use cover. At all.

"Restless souls would keep to the grave, but for their tormenter. Art thou prepared to face the necro—"

"Crone dashing between cover on the right, already took three shots. Boss character HP."

"Okay! Akemi, focus on its center, everyone else, take her sides to catch the crone mid-dash. Don't let it move freely, now!"

"Die motherfucker!" screamed the fanged one between cackling laughter as she got the killshot on the necromancer crone. "Die, and burn in hell!"

"Thy courage has carried thee far, travelers, but now they end is come. No wanderer has passed the ravenous fangs of the immortal cursed knight of Selene!"

A chilling howl went up from the dark forest, answered by first one then another, until the whole room echoed with their cries. It was impossible to tell where the first attack would come from. Hunched shadows of werewolves slunk through the darkness, coming steadily closer on stalking paws, and within their ranks there rode a form encased in twisted armor. Hot, angry breath misted from his faceguard, and golden canine eyes gleamed from the depths of the black steel; he raised a cruel halberd and let loose a blood-curdling howl, then fell backward off his mount as a perfect shot punched right through to his eyes, skipping the armor and its enormous HP entirely.

"I got the doggy knight!" the short one in pigtails happily called out as she reloaded. And she looked so soft and pink before…. She still did! How did she look so adorable while cutting down her foes?

Their leader down and their first three ranks melting under sustained fire, the werewolves fled with their tails between their legs. Tarou didn't even know the monsters could retreat, and certainly not while crying!

The kill team came to the largest room in the course, a clearing scattered with jutting rocks in a wide arc for cover and a large empty space in front of a cave entrance at the other end. The forest canopy gave way to the actual ceiling, painted and lit to look like the night sky. The Grim Reaper appeared once again, drifting menacingly. "Your path has been bought by precious blood," the reaper's voice echoed around the room. Tarou glanced at their health meters. Still full. "But have you enough to quench this beast's thirst?"

The sound of wings came over every speaker, flooding the room, then the stars were blotted out by the bulk of the descending dragon illuminated by gouts of flame from its maw.

"Spread out wide and take cover," the blond one shouted, already moving herself.

Aaaand yes, they managed to shoot the dragon in the face a few times before it even finished landing. They didn't even freeze up for a few seconds when the dragon came down. Everyone froze up first time they see the dragon. It was a rule or something! It doesn't matter if it's holographic, it's a giant monster! Didn't they have any sense of fear?

"Wheee!" shouted the little kid, as she popped up from cover to take a shot after the stream of flame passed.

No. No, they did not.

End result: One dragon end boss, hitting the ground with a thunderous crash from the speakers before dissolving into sparkling light. Six girls, strolling into the cave and out the exit. Six new names atop the high score chart, with a new record completion time.

"THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME!" Tarou exploded at them in gear room after they came out looking like they were on a Sunday stroll.

"Our hundred years of training served us well," the pink one said, pressing her hands together like a monk.

"How? How did you do that? I've never seen anything like it!"

"Well it's not like we'd rather suck at it," the blue one said. She was carrying the murderous one with the fang around like a princess, and wasn't straining at all.

"Surely that sort of performance isn't that unusual," their blond commander demurely reasoned. "Not if a few random middle school students can do it on their first try."

"No one does that! The last group to even come close was a bunch of military guys, and they took three times as long because they actually stopped to use cover like you're supposed to! What kind of team are you? Paintball? Archery? Basketball? Soccer?"

The wiry one with the fang smacked her friend's arm and nodded, the universal signal for "drive me closer!" After the blue-haired girl obliged, Tarou found a mischievous grin filling his vision as the fanged girl leaned up way too close.

"Actually, none of the above. We're a magical girl team.," she said. She raised one hand and, with a burst of light, a jeweled silver and black ring burst from off her finger and reformed into a gem encased in gold; it shone with brilliant red light. "And the best part is? No one will ever believe you."

"Ha ha ha, that's..." Tarou looked around for the cameras. "That's... what? I... I mean..."

"I think you broke him," Mami said with some worry as they started undoing their gear.

"You're not supposed to say that, are you?" Nagisa asked.

"Why? 'slike I said, no one's gonna believe him." Kyouko jumped out of Sayaka's and the two of them rushed to catch up with the others. The girls filed out of the room, leaving the games attendant muttering to himself and staring into corners of the ceiling. "Anyway, let's jet before he snaps out of it. Who's up for pizza?"

OoOoO

After the Grimm Gallery, they starting hitting rides. Everyone had their own list they wanted to go on and every ride had its own line, so they started splitting off into groups and meeting up again after. Kyouko and Sayaka in particular were only interested in the rides built around the idea of gratuitous drops and murderous speed, and so went dashing off together arm in arm to find the most suicidal offerings in the park.

The other four stayed together a bit longer, checking out some of the rides that were only middling lethal, like the Snow Queen's Sleigh and the Grave of the Moon. Mami and Nagisa split off after that to hunt down some ice cream, leaving Madoka and Homura alone.

They settled on riding a Ferris wheel together. The park had other rides that went for speed or height, so rather than get a Ferris wheel that went as high as it could or had a huge frame with massive cars, Magicland's Ferris wheel was a slow little thing with tiny cabins suitable for just two at a time. Every cabin was a fashioned into a pumpkin carriage with bronze casing running on its outside and red cushions inside.

The wheel shifted as they began moving. Madoka looked at Homura, sitting across from her, and smiled. "Hey Homura, what're you looking at?"

Homura had her phone out while they were in line, and still kept swiping through screens as they started moving. She turned the phone so Madoka could see. Glossy hard copies of pictures they wanted from Perfect Portraiture would take a few days to arrive, but they were able to get electronic copies loaded right away, and Homura had the group photo of everyone posing side by side with swords pulled up. "I never thought we'd do this again," Homura said quietly.

"Have fun with everyone like this again?"

"Or even be friends again." Homura turned to look out the window, brow faintly creased. From Homura in her uncertain reticent mode, that was as good as nearly crying from any other person. "Nagisa I only met recently, but everyone else... Madoka. Of everyone you know, your family and friends and classmates and teachers, how many of them have been with you since the beginning?"

"Um, Mama and Papa and Sayaka. Even Hitomi and Kyousuke I didn't meet until a little later."

"Indeed. Everyone else comes and goes, don't they? They fade in and out of your life to be forgotten, but those three you remember as far back as you are capable of remembering, and those three have been caught up in nearly everything you do. I have such people as well. You. Sayaka, Kyouko, Mami."

Madoka reached out and caught one of Homura's hands, rubbing it with her thumb while she smiled encouragingly. "How long?"

"I'm... not certain. I think I was looping longer than I lived before I became puella magi." If she noticed the way Madoka's breath caught at that, she didn't give any sign. She was still staring out the window with haunted eyes, focusing on the difficult task of forcing out these words that didn't want to come after so long of bottling them up. "You've always been there, all four of you, almost as long as I can remember. Caught up in everything I do, everything important to me. The only people who mattered. My friends."

"But things got worse?" Madoka pressed softly.

"The center couldn't hold, and things fell apart." Homura swallowed. "You were still right there in front of me every time, but we weren't friends anymore. Sayaka stopped trying to look out for me. Mami saw me as an opponent. Kyouko thought I was too dangerous to go near. You... you were afraid to go near me."

Homura lifted the phone again, where they and their friends still stood shoulder to shoulder. "I never expected this to happen again."

"But you still seem scared somehow."

"Scared?" Homura tilted her head, flicking her eyes back to Madoka for a moment. "Am I?"

"Overwhelmed, maybe?"

"I feel..." Homura paused. "Younger. I feel younger. When I didn't know what I needed to do and what was happening. If... if I'd won this victory with my own hands, I would know what to do with it. If we were together because I succeeded, I would seize it. But I had just realized and accepted that even in this world, where everyone was alive and happy, I would still be apart, and then... you came back to me. I can't have this, can I? I'm not supposed to." Homura, beginning to tremble, squeezed Madoka's hand like it was about to be torn away from her at any second.

Madoka carefully stood up and switched sides, sliding alongside Homura on the bench. She took Homura's phone away and slid it back into her pocket, then took Homura's other hand in hers too. "I don't know if we'll stay safe forever, but it won't be because you're not allowed to be happy. I'm here, I'm safe. All you have to do is hold on and do your best. Let me take care of everything else, okay?"

Homura could feel her composure falling to pieces. Madoka let go of her hand long enough to grab a handkerchief out of her purse and draw Homura's head closer.

Akemi Homura lost track of the tears she'd cried over her life. She used to weep freely and constantly when she was young enough to wear braids. When she grew hardened by her trials, she still found more than enough to cry over, though rarely in front of the others. She cried from the loneliness when Madoka made her mighty wish that wiped away wishes and gave hope back to puella magi across all time, for Madoka herself was gone. She cried again now, but it was different than most of the others. Homura wasn't used to crying from joy so strong she thought her heart would burst.

OoOoO

Eventually Sunday afternoon turned to evening, evening turned to sunset. Everybody met up for one last ride, a river tunnel on a swan boat just big enough to get six passengers with a cozy fit, and then it was time to head back out to the world outside. They hung about the entrance plaza, idly chatting and laughing as they took their time saying their goodbyes now.

Sayaka turned when she felt Madoka tug at her sleeve, drawing her away from the others a few steps. "What's up?" Sayaka asked.

"Are you okay?" Madoka asked, leaning up toward her.

"Of course, I had a blast today!" Sayaka laughed, spinning on her heels and adding an extra step of space between them.

"I mean about, um, Homura and everything."

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Madoka stared through Sayaka's cocky grin, biting at her lip. "Sayaka? You know you can tell me anything, right? Anything at all, no matter what it is?"

Sayaka clapped a hand on Madoka's shoulder, nudging her back to the others. "Right, of course."

Kyouko elbowed Sayaka as soon as she was in range and nodded. "Mami 'n Twintails are setting up a meeting so we can talk about puella magi shit, sooner rather than later. Probably tomorrow."

Mami and Akemi were off in their own world, with Nagisa hanging about behind them listening in. That was sort of the point of today according to Madoka, wasn't it? Get Akemi in with the group? From here on out, Sayaka would have to deal with having her around on their wraith hunts and while they figured out what to do about the Great Curse.

It would probably be useful. Her power, anyway. One more strong puella magi. Strong as the devil. Forget about that killer arrow storm; even with just Akemi's timestop, they could clear every wraith in the city in a single night.

And yet. Now Madoka was hanging nearby with Nagisa, listening in on Mami and Akemi with the happiest relieved smile on her face. It shouldn't be like this.

"Let's jet," Sayaka muttered, slipping her arm around Kyouko's and walking off.

"Eh? You sure?"

"Yeah. They can tell us the time at school tomorrow, or during patrols tonight."

Madoka was on the ball enough to catch them leaving, and after a slight hesitation waved goodbye and let them go.

There was the bus, or they could go roofjumping, but for now Sayaka ignored both options and just walked. She wasn't much one for rose-sniffing, but she found herself staring at the ember light cast over the city from sunset; the orange glow seemed the perfect fit for her right now. The day was long, the day had done its best. The day was dying nonetheless. She still had her arm wrapped around Kyouko's, and felt her partner shifting restlessly at her side as they walked.

It would be so easy. It would be so easy to stop fighting. She was the only one still struggling. Nagisa couldn't do a thing. Madoka… had made her choice, it seemed. No one else knew enough to realize they should be struggling. She tucked her head against Kyouko's shoulder, feeling her jump a tiny bit. It would be so easy.

"H-hey Sayaka? Not that I'm complaining or nothing, but today you've been, you know, eh, really…"

"Crazy? Unstable?" Sayaka veered her step, almost pushing her friend over.

Kyouko regained her footing and glared at the girl latched on her arm. "Touchy."

"It's not like we ever shy about dragging each other around before."

"Yeah, but more 'n usual today. N-not that I'm complaining!"

She didn't say anything back, just tightened her grip.

Kyouko nudged her way off the sidewalk, bringing Sayaka with her, and stopped just into a side street. She pulled Sayaka off her and held her in front of her by the shoulders. Kyouko was going red in the face and looked like she was screwing up her courage for something important.

Sayaka felt her heart strain within her. It would be easy. It would be so, so easy.

"Hey, so, I've been thinking today," Kyouko started. "I mean, I've been thinking awhile, but really today while we were doing…" She waved back vaguely toward Magicland, "All that fun stuff. Together, I mean."

"Kyouko…."

"Just, just let me finish, okay? You saved me, Sayaka. I was at rock bottom, and you came along when I was finally ready to grab someone's hand. I'd do the same for you. Hell, I already do, don't I? I know you rely on me."

"You keep me sane," Sayaka admitted, throat clenching. "As much as anyone can."

"We work together great, you and me. We got each other's backs. We saved each other's lives, more than once." Kyouko nodded, reassuring herself. "But that's not all. That's great on its own, that's enough to mean something real. But we can still be more, can't we?"

"Stop. Kyouko, stop. I can't. I… I can't be this for you right now. I'm sorry."

Kyouko stopped short, surprise and disappointment plain on her face. "I thought… I was sure that… fine. Whatever, fine. Sorry for reading too much into it, I guess."

Kyouko let go of Sayaka's shoulders and began to step away, but Sayaka caught her hands. What was she doing? It would be better to just let Kyouko think what she did. If Kyouko believed she was just Sayaka's rescue project or that taking her in was just her good deed for the month, wouldn't that make it so much easier for Sayaka to do what she needed to? But that wouldn't be right either, wouldn't be honest or just. "That's not it. That's not it at all," Sayaka told her. "There's no one I'd rather have at my side watching my back. And…" Sayaka laughed, hating the way her heart was pulling her in different directions. "I think it's my nature to fall in love. I'm the kind of person who needs to find someone I can trust with my heart. And you, you're definitely that, Kyouko."

"Then why?"

"I'm keeping secrets, aren't I? I'm doing stupid things, aren't I? And I'm not going to stop. Do you really want to get tangled up with someone you can' trust?"

Kyouko swallowed. "Too late. We're already spaghetti. I told you I'd stare down the apocalypse with you, didn't I? Tell me. Whatever it is, just tell me."

Sayaka shook her head. "I can't, I can't bring you in on this, and I can't stop. Whatever's left for me to do, I can only do it alone." She finally let go of Kyouko's hands and stepped back. "I think… I think I need some air. See you tonight for patrolling?"

"Yeah." Kyouko looked like she'd been kicked and wanted to be angry, but just couldn't work herself up to it. Sayaka checked around to be sure no one was looking down their way, then tensed to jump for the roofs. "Hey," Kyouko said. "I'm happier than I've been in a long time. I blame you for that. This life I've got now is so happy because I've got you. If you can't worry about yourself, then think about that, okay Blue?"

Sayaka jumped.

OoOoO

Homura frowned as she walked across the floor of coalesced miasma, what shifting liveliness it had sapped away by the stillness of her timestop. She hadn't thought to enter the Great Curse again, and she still didn't dare get close to its heart, but now she had reason to come to its outer edges. Usotsuki tugged at her arm, trying to make her walk faster. It shouldn't particularly matter with time stopped like this, but she pushed her pace anyway until she and her doll reached their destination.

Sayaka sat on the ground, frozen with her hands wiping vainly at her eyes. She was still in her street clothes.

A memory struck Homura: Tossing a grief seed across the ground before a kneeling girl. "I won't let Madoka go through the pain of seeing you tear yourself apart, Miki Sayaka. Take the seed." Homura clenched her fists. She had come too far, lost too much, and now she had no more chances. She would not lose anything else this time.

"Go," she told her familiar. "I'll deal with her."

Usotsuki shifted back into Homura's soul, where she'd be out of the way; Homura snapped her shield shut. Sayaka noticed her as soon as time started, recoiling with sudden fury twisting her face through the tears.

"You! Can't you leave me alone?"

Instead of facing Sayaka and looking at that accusing anger, Homura stood examining the distant city of miasma that made up the Curse's deeper lair. "If you insist on leaving your friends, no. Someone must be sure you do nothing foolish."

"Foolish? You think I'm going to do something stupid? You think I'm going to get myself killed?" Sayaka's laugh held an edge of hysteria; disbelief wracked her voice. "How could I? What can I do, Akemi? What's left for me to do?"

"You're distraught. Show me your soul gem."

For a second she was sure Sayaka was about to jump up and hit her, and she wouldn't blame her for it. Sayaka didn't attack, but also wrapped her right hand around her soul gem ring, hiding it from sight. "I'm not going after the Great Curse," she all but spat. "Not on my own, not like this. That's what you want to hear, isn't it? Going in there and getting myself killed is the only thing left. It's the only way to do something, but I can't. I'm an idiot for not going, but I can't do that to Kyouko." A sob broke loose from her throat at Kyouko's name; she fought to get her voice under control. "I can't… I can't keep doing this to her. Is that why you put us together in this world, Akemi? Is this the trap you laid for me? You know who I am, you know my nature! Is this what you wanted from Kyouko?"

"I only cleared the way between you; you two drew together yourself. I did it because I wanted you to have a chance at paradise in my world, not to trap you. Is this world so bad, Miki? Is the thought of happiness so horrifying?"

"How do I know?!" Sayaka surged to her feet and grabbed Homura by the collar, lifting her off the ground and screaming in her face; Homura stayed slack and didn't struggle. "You keep saying your world is better, but how do I know? How do I judge? I can't remember because you tore my head apart! Maybe you had good reasons for doing this! Maybe you saved us all! But how do I know if you won't let me?"

"Sayaka!" Homura shouted. "Show me your gem."

She trembled like a wounded animal caught between fight and flight, but after a second Sayaka set Homura back on the ground and manifested her soul gem. Deep murky darkness roiled up from its heart; Homura grabbed a whole fistful of grief cubes from her shield and pressed them to the gem.

"The first thing I remember is being so mad at you," Sayaka said as her gem cleared, quietly as though all her fury was spent. "Mad enough to wage a war until the end of time. All I can do is cling to that anger, because that's all I can trust. But thinking about it now, and what I've put together… I don't think I hated you. I hate Kyubey, I hate the wraiths. But you were one of us, weren't you, devil? How could Madoka give herself to you so willingly if you weren't? Even now, you act so cold but you're worried about me. Please, Akemi. I can't forgive you if I don't understand. Please, let me remember."

She'd already considered giving Sayaka a glimpse or two of the past world, if only to give some context to ease the strain and confusion Sayaka bore up under. But then… then Madoka upset all her plans and expectations by accepting her. Sayaka would never be able to countenance the sins Homura committed to build this world; she would never let Madoka remain here, half-asleep and bound.

"You would use those memories to fight against me," Homura said. "I won't risk that."

Homura could feel Sayaka trembling again where their arms tangled together, before the other girl staggered away, still clutching her soul gem in one hand.

Homura took a step forward, but faltered. "I'm sorry."

A sapphire light burned in Sayaka's eyes. "You have every reason to believe in your own cause," she said. Her fist clenched her gem; even with its light cleansed, a tiny core of frothing darkness remained in its depths. The air about Sayaka shuddered with heaviness and flickered with darkness. "And even then, you can't believe in it enough to think I might forgive you if I knew. Fine."

In a flash, Homura understood her mistake, understood how shadows were born. Witches could not be born without flooding the gem with darkness and shattering its shell. But in this world where grief drained from gems continuously, it didn't matter how much corruption was in the gem at any one moment as long as the girl harbored a strong enough curse in her heart. The way was already open.

Sayaka took a rattling breath. "Then I can't ever accept your world."

Homura's senses screamed at her from the malice roiling in front of her. "You're raising a curse, Sayaka! It's building too fast! Calm down, or it—"

The shockwave nearly knocked her to the ground. Homura planted her feet in the miasma and flared her magic into her shield, sending up a faint corona of purple light that held firm against the abyssal pressure coming from the gem. Agonized groans tore their way out of Sayaka. Her unsteady, wavering feet didn't even look like they were holding her; she dangled as though her grip on her soul gem was the only thing keeping her up. The roiling darkness in her gem stretched, pulsed, pushed at the edges of the jewel like a living thing. It detached from the center, floating freely, swimming upward through the blue light and past the brass-like arms of the casing.

"Get out," Sayaka half-shouted, half-begged, wracked by pain that couldn't simply be shut off. "Get out of my head!"

Homura didn't know what to do. Old instincts from a past life were screaming at her to cleanse the gem or shoot it out before a witch was born, but this wasn't a witch. Sayaka would survive the shadow emerging, and cleansing wouldn't stop it. Nothing she could do would stop it. She could only stand by and watch.

One last scream tore its way from Sayaka's throat, one last wave of power, one last push. The core of darkness squeezed from her gem, rising in the air above her and gathering itself. Murky blue light sprung from its center and crept out to form the latticework pattern that marked the portal to the labyrinth of a mature shadow. Homura snapped an assault rifle out of her shield and sent a stream of full-auto hot lead at the shadow; the bullets vanished into the portal with barely a ripple. Homura frowned. They would have to fight inside its labyrinth to have any effect.

Sayaka caught herself on her knee, panting hard. "What… what was that?" She looked up, and locked eyes on the shadow above her. Her eyes dilated, her jaw locked into a snarl, and her hands trembled like they were reaching for a sword; Homura could almost watch all thought and reason flee from her face. Flickers of pain and loss flitted across her expression almost faster than Homura could recognize them. Sayaka was almost certainly caught up in a whirlwind of half-dead memories she had no way of processing or understanding.

Rather than stay or attack them, the shadow began flying deeper toward the Great Curse's center. Whether it was drawn to the Curse, or baiting them, or simply had no interest in them, Homura couldn't tell; the shadow's glittering lattice didn't communicate much.

"Sayaka! Wait! Let it go, you're in no shape to fight it!"

If it was bait, it was working; Sayaka was already dashing after the fast-retreating shadow, screaming wordlessly. Usotsuki jumped out from Homura's soul. "What do we do, Good-For-Nothing?"

Sayaka caught up with the shadow and leapt through its portal, vanishing instantly. Homura flicked her eyes toward the distant miasma-city; she could feel the shadow of the Great Curse. It knew she was here. It was waiting for her to slip up again. She couldn't go near it, or there wouldn't be any escape this time. Sayaka was a little too occupied to save her life again, after all.

"Good-For-Nothing? Mistress, please!" Usotsuki begged, pulling at her arm.

"Go! Go after her!"

Usotsuki was gone as soon as Homura finished the first word, all but flying over the misty ground. Homura took a deep breath, watching as her familiar chased the shadow down and leapt through the portal after Sayaka. She had to think. She couldn't risk going closer to the Curse herself, and her Clara dolls save Usotsuki were scattered across the city. She could pull up as many minor familiars as she needed, but the crow Liese would be the only ones fast enough to catch it, and none of them would be strong enough to fight a shadow anyway. She could stop time and gather her dolls, but even then the Curse might be able to destroy her familiars as easily as it would her. She could repair them if they were broken, but that wouldn't save Sayaka in time.

She frowned, hands clenched. She had no right to ask for help from the other girls, none at all. At least, not for herself. But if it was for Sayaka's sake…. She reached out, seeking the feel of cold-edged knives and a burning heart.

'Kyouko, where are you? Sayaka is in danger.'

'What?'

The reply was startled and fumbling. 'Sayaka's house, what's going on?'

Instead of answering, Homura cranked her shield to stop time and leapt from the miasma for the river shore.

OoOoO

By lengths, the chivalrous knight came upon a lake deep within the mountains. Wide it was and misty, so that she could not see the far-distant shore. She waded in, and by degrees the shifting cloak of mist drew too over the near shore, hiding it from view. The lake before her frothed and rose with great power into the air, as a geyser heard of in those far lands where the earth is broken asunder and the fire of the depths seeks release. The geyser fell back, and upon the water there sat as though on solid ground a lady of the lake, one of those fair folk from the depths who by great wonder seemed to be formed half of human flesh and half like a creature of the sea. Her mien was enraged, and her form clad in armor for war.

The mermaid seized upon the knight at once, and bore her away to a great wheel set upon the lake. The mist fled, and the knight could see far distances unfettered, such that all the waters of all the earth came within her view. And she saw that they all flowed one into another, and there was none set apart from the others.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

Twin blades whirled about Sayaka as she cut down the shimmering blue silhouettes of the monsters that tried to swarm her from every side. Their forms were almost human; she didn't care. The players tried to press against her and drag her down, but Sayaka moved like fury incarnate and every deathblow disintegrated the familiar's body in a burst of blue light. They could not touch her.

Danger snarled in her mind as she felt the presence of the master moving; a blue platform of shining musical staffs launched Sayaka into the air before the leviathan's blade tore through the crowd of familiars from above, breaking the stone platform the orchestra performed on. The platform crumbled away into the water below, dragging down dozens of players with it. Even as they fell, the whirling, surging music went on resounding throughout the hall without them.

Sayaka kicked off the domed wall and landed on the enormous blade of the monster. She sprinted up it, throwing swords as she went; most snapped off the metal encasing the monster's arms and went pinging off to disappear below, but a few found purchase and stuck in the enemy's flesh. The monster screamed in rage, and Sayaka answered with her own berserk cries. It thrashed, swinging its arm to dislodge Sayaka; she went flying through the broad concert hall, cape fluttering behind her. She instinctively pushed magic out to bend the course of her flight, bringing her even with the water, and Sayaka kicked out to catch the debris floating along the water beneath her.

Cellos, pianos, timpani, she went deftly skipping over them all as she shed momentum until she came to the wall of the pool, up against the orchestra's platform again, which she caught herself against before perching on a line of massive floating pipes from an organ. More insubstantial shimmering players came leaping at her from the orchestra platform just above, but she manifested a straight-edge broadsword taller than she was and shred them from the air as they fell.

The monstrous leviathan came surging at her across the room, twining sinuously as though swimming through the air as deftly as Sayaka herself could move. Four banners snapped in its wake, posted on swords mounted into its armor and spreading out around it as it flew. Runes skittered across the colorful banners, and in her consuming rage Sayaka found that she could read them: "Pride and despair are the sins of the just."

The monster's mind throbbed against her own, raw and uncontrolled. Flickers of images pushed their way through like needles, sending sparks of burning light through Sayaka's mind: the devil, winged in purple flame, reaching up with skeletal hands to tear the light from heaven. Sayaka's sword quivered as she gripped it with shaking hands. She raised it, preparing to leap and meet the enemy mid-rush.

"YOU'RE NOT ME!" She screamed it, loud enough to echo around the concert hall and drown out the endless waltz for but a moment. Musical staffs shimmered around her and she flew with a battle scream toward the leviathan; their swords clashed, her two-hander against the tower-sized blade of the mermaid, abyssal blue magic coruscating out from both of them where they met. They strove, their magics pressing against each other with no art or finesse.

And then what? And what if her boundless rage was greater than this mirror held up by from her memories? And if she prevailed against it, then what? Would she go on to throw herself at Homura and see the horror in Madoka's eyes as it all fell apart? Or would she waste away in defeat by the devil's ploys?

The sound of instrument strings snapping cut through the music. Oktavia pushed against her, and Sayaka's own assault gave way. She went plummeting down to hit the water.

OoOoO

"There." Homura passed the binoculars over to Mami, who looked where she was pointing. The blue light of Oktavia's labyrinth entrance had passed into the city of mist, though it was still on the outer row of towers. A few small swarms of wraiths had already made their way back inside the miasma from the city, attracted by the Great Curse's dark energy; they bent their procession to twine around Oktavia as if guarding the shadow.

"You're certain Sayaka is in there?" Mami asked.

"Homura said she saw Sayaka jump in," Madoka said. "She wouldn't lie about something this serious!" Ah, Madoka. Homura fetched Kyouko and then, at the redhead's suggestion, Mami and Nagisa as well. Homura wanted to leave Madoka out of this particular engagement—there was nothing she could do without entering the shadow, and that was out of the question—but Kyouko had insisted on bringing her too. "She's Sayaka's best friend," Kyouko had said, nearly snarling. "It's cruel as hell to leave her out of the loop on this."

"She charged right for the shadow as soon as it fled," Homura said. "I saw her leap into the portal."

"Are you coming with us, Miss Akemi?" Nagisa asked. She'd been peering into the mist with worry plain on her face, but now she gave Homura a look that half pleading, half challenge.

"I… dare not go near the heart of the Great Curse again." Homura reached out, and manifested the amethyst-adorned bow that was Madoka's gift to her in the new world. "But I can clear your path."

"Good enough," Kyouko muttered, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Now are we going or are we going?"

Homura answered by drawing the bow back and unleashing a barrage at the wraiths.

OoOoO

"Look," commanded the mermaid, and the knight looked, and saw that the wheel bore nine great platforms spread along its rim, such that as some rose, others fell toward the waters below, and the lowest dipped beneath the boiling water of the lake.

"Look," commanded the mermaid once again, and the knight looked, and saw that the devil sat upon the wheel, opposite the knight. The devil was a creature of vicious beauty, clad in a raiment of crow's feathers and lounging at her ease.

"Look," commanded the mermaid one final time, and the knight looked, and saw that as the wheel turned, the devil rose toward the ascent and the knight sank toward the waters.

Then the mermaid cursed the name of the knight in anger. "Rota Fortunae raises up and casts down all those Worthies who seek its favor. Are you so assured that you sit idle during the brief day when you might labor, and instead sit awaiting the oblivion of night? Be not so. The devil rises as you fall; why do you not strike her down?

Sayaka drifted. 'All the righteous fury in heaven and hell,' she thought, 'And what does it get you?'

This water was strange; it was hard to tell, but Sayaka felt like she was sinking rather than floating upward. Then again, there was probably enough water in her lungs to sink by now. She'd flipped off her gag instinct once it became obvious she wasn't getting to the surface anytime soon. Staying awake and moving while drowning was somehow worse than fighting with a shattered limb or two; heavier, more oppressive. Darkness flickered at the edge of her vision, filled with scratchy lines that could almost have been slashed with a sword. They twined together, like they were forming letters of some sort, like Oktavia's banner—but she could never catch them head on.

Lights approached her in the deep, a dozen little flames swimming up all together. They twirled about like they were examining her from every angle, and finally they drew close enough to see. They were long fish, if fish had a burning candlewick for a head and a body of thick copper wire twisted together like a chain link fence. Thoughts of her swords or escaping by her musical platforms drifted lethargically through her head, but both were too slow. The firefish darted forward as a swarm, wrapping her limbs against her body with their chain links. Their candlewick heads flared as if signaling, and the mermaid's answering call resounded through the water.

That's right. If all she could really do from here was fail...

Sayaka jerked to the side from an impact, then another, and felt two firefish go slack, their chain fence loosening. A glimpse of crimson hair—Kyouko? No. Another hit as another firefish went limp, and Usotsuki darted around Sayaka wielding two black staffs. She'd lost her hat with the beaded netting somewhere in the water, and her loose hair billowed over wild yellow eyes. 'Come ON, fool angel! You need to move, you troublesome fish!'

'Go away.'

'Take the damn grief seed Miki, did Mistress Good-For-Nothing say,'

the doll went on, spouting nonsense. 'We get it now, we do! Come on already, there might be a few people who will cry if you get lost swimming. I have to save you, I'm assigned to watch you!'

Oktavia screamed somewhere in the deep again, closer this time. Usotsuki went on smacking about with her black staffs, fast and precise despite the firefish's attempts to wind away from her. Sayaka shook her head clear and bent forward to get a look at her gem over her navel. Even though Homura had cleansed it moments ago, it was already filling up.

Breath, deep breathes. Wait, no, that wouldn't work; her lungs didn't do more than spasm at the attempt. Whatever. She couldn't go fight the Great Curse on her own because getting herself killed wouldn't be fair to Kyouko. So what the hell was she doing here getting killed here instead? 'You're a goddamn liar, Usotsuki.'

'Am not!'

She gave an experimental tug at the remaining chain fence. Half the firefish floated loosely in the water, unconscious or dead from Usotsuki's blows. She was halfway free, and danger monster soulself rage Sayaka grabbed Usotsuki with her free hand and shot away with a shimmering blue platform before the armored leviathan's blade tore through them. She pushed off a second and third platform, moving like a torpedo to get as much room between her and Oktavia as possible.

'I think I've dreamed from her eyes,' Sayaka told the doll. 'Oktavia's. How do I even know that name?'

'Worry on it later, troublesome fish. Good-For-Nothing will bring the other girls soon.'

Backup. What a funny thing to expect. She didn't really think she deserved it. If she wanted to stall until the others got here—and she didn't think Usotsuki was lying about that—then she needed to hide. Just staying ahead of Oktavia until the others got here was possible too, but riskier—one fuck up dodging and that sword wouldn't cut so much as splatter her. And the light from the concert hall above was too faint to do more than put Sayaka in a dim glow, and did nothing to illuminate anything around her and Usotsuki. How fortunate then, if disconcerting, that she could feel the labyrinth around her.

It was normal to get some sense off the wraiths and their miasma as puella magi fought them, of course—they were built to find these monsters. But now that the berserker fury and the paralyzing despair were both beaten down and only feebly twitching, she had enough clarity of mind to realize she could sense Oktavia's labyrinth around her in far more detail than was normal. She could feel the half-wrecked concert hall above her and the straggling players still on the crumbling remnants of the orchestra platform. She could feel that the submerged cavern with its mountain-weight of dark ocean was many times vaster than the concert hall above. She could feel the schools of firefish darting here and there, and the boiling flood of magic that was Oktavia surging about as it hunted for her.

She could also feel the network of caves weaving through the rock walls of the cavern. She and Usotsuki started downward for the nearest edge, dodging the light from schools of firefish and launching with Sayaka's musical staffs when she thought they were far enough away from anything to get away from it. It quickly got too dark to see anything but the faint gleam of her soul gem, so Sayaka held Usotsuki's hand and guided her, relying entirely on her own magical senses.

The caves, when they came to them, were more than wide enough to allow two human-sized forms to slip inside. They wound deeper through a few passages until Sayaka guessed there was enough rock between them and the entrance to absorb at least a few blows of Oktavia's sword, then came to a stop floating in the dark.

Her worryingly clear awareness of Oktavia's labyrinth also extended as far as letting her feel the edge of its entrance pierced as several puella magi slipped inside. Their presences quickly vanished into the ambient magical noise, but at the moment they crossed the border she distinctly felt Kyouko, Mami, and Nagisa.

'Hey everyone.' Flippant words, but she didn't try to keep the sense weariness out of her message. She didn't think she could manage it.

'Gah, fuck! Don't do that!' Kyouko, shouting over Nagisa and Mami's own exclamations.'Sayaka, where the hell are you?'

'Hiding with one of the dolls, in caves in the water. The shadow is in the water looking for me.'

'She hasn't flooded the concert hall or turned the lights out yet,'

Nagisa noted.

'Nagisa and I have fought this shadow before,' Mami sent, not mentioning the origin of the shadow for now. 'We have a strategy for fighting it, and I think having air in the hall and Kyouko along will speed it up. How are you?'

'I think I drowned to death already, but nothing urgent. We're just floating here.'

'Stay there, then. We'll lay our trap and lure the mermaid into it.'

'Right.'

The others faded, leaving Sayaka to the dark and her second sight of the labyrinth around her. There would be words later, she was sure, mostly shouted. The three of them had kept a laser focus on the immediate goal of beating Oktavia to get Sayaka out of there, but she could feel the anger and hurt crackling around Kyouko with every word that passed between them. She probably thought Sayaka had gone off and deliberately done something stupid, just like Sayaka promised she would. Hell, what even was the difference if she couldn't keep her brain in check long enough to not go berserk at the first sign of her own personal hell torn from her soul and given form before her very eyes? It didn't seem like too much to ask, right?

'Angel?' Usotsuki asked, breaking into her self-recriminations.

'What?'

'Are you okay?'

Of course she wasn't. Of course she wasn't. But she took Usotsuki's meaning, and pulled a few grief cubes out and pressed them to her gem. She was spiraling hard back there. After she felt the pull of grief from her gem slow and stop, she tossed the spent cubes away to sink to the ground.

'Angel,' Usotsuki tried again after a moment, 'What is it like? Dreaming from the mermaid's eyes. I've only ever felt it from this end.'

'I remember the hopelessness. The despair. I remember drifting with no end and no start, listening to the music and clinging to shards of a life I used to have.'

Sayaka shuddered. 'It was the worst way to exist. I don't even remember where I remember it from.'

'Good-For-Nothing made this world so none of you would have to be like that again.'

'Now that's definitely one of your goddamn lies.'

Sayaka turned her head up toward where she felt Oktavia churning in the water. 'She's up there feeling it for me, isn't she? I'm here now, aren't I?'

A pause, full of regrets. 'I'm sorry, angel.'

She didn't know what to say to that, so she didn't. After a moment, she felt Oktavia's sudden pain as an explosion hit her shoulder. The leviathan gave chase to the tiny nuisance blowing bubbles at her, following it up toward the light of the concert hall, and into the net of chains and ribbons that sprung out to catch her as she burst into the air.

Ten seconds and a few enormous explosions later, the labyrinth dissipated around them. Sayaka could feel the magic energy all around her flooding into an enlarged grief cube standing on needlepoint. She also felt herself hit the slippery-but-solid miasma floor of the Great Curse beneath her. She flopped over onto her stomach and turned her head, then started vomiting.

OoOoO

"Or maybe you really thought your big badass self could take it! Is that it? Huh?! Maybe you weren't trying to get yourself killed to piss off everyone, maybe you were just fucking braindead enough to think you had a chance. It's not like you got your ass handed to you twice already charging in the Great Curse—but wait a goddamn second, you did get ground to paste twice already! Lookit that! Guess you're just an idiot!"

Madoka sat on the floor in the hall, hugging her legs to herself. It wasn't supposed to be like this! Sayaka needed their help, not… not this! Kyouko had been in there with Sayaka for almost ten minutes, shouting loud enough the whole neighborhood should have called the police by now. She knew Sayaka and Kyouko were more… aggressive? with each other than really felt natural to her, but that was just how they were. They teased and fought and pushed each and were comfortable with it. That wasn't what was happening in Mami's guest room. Sayaka wasn't even fighting back or trying to justify herself; she just silently taking everything Kyouko screamed at her.

The shouting finally gave way to half a minute of long silence, then Madoka flinched when the door finally swung open and Kyouko came stomping out, brow knit and still in her puella magi outfit. She looked at Madoka, anger still there but clearly chained up under layers of very deliberate self-control. She spoke quietly, and her voice rasped. "Hey, kid. Take care of her, will you? Because I can't, not now. I just… I need to get out of here. I can't deal with this shit now."

"This started because someone wandered off," Madoka said as Kyouko walked by her. She flinched as the other girl stopped in place. "I mean, well… where are you going? Don't just vanish like she did. Please."

"Twintail's place," Kyouko decided after a minute. "Give me her address, will you?" Madoka fumbled for the address in her phone for a second, then showed it to Kyouko, who punched it into her own.

Without another word, Kyouko left Madoka behind and stomped off. She passed Nagisa, who had retreated to the kitchen to hide and didn't try to stop her, but then found Mami waiting at the front door with arms crossed. Damn it, she shoulda gone out a window. "Move it," Kyouko growled.

"None of us should be alone when we're upset," Mami said as though she wasn't talking about anyone in particular. She probably thought it was a nice little shot at being diplomatic.

"I told Pinkie where I'm going, she can find me. Move it."

"Kyouko…" Mami looked at her with more pity and disappointment than she was ready to put up with right now. Who the hell did Mami think she was, her mom? She didn't need a replacement. "I feel like I need to say just one thing first. I can see coping with Sayaka is… difficult. And I'm likely not saying anything you don't know already. We've both seen enough to know she's involved with matters that are very," Mami struggled for words. "Complex, I suppose. She even claimed she was looking into damage to the Law of Cycles, and Kyubey seemed to believe her. I'll be the first to admit I didn't think much of her seeming recklessness at first, and I still don't understand what she's struggling with. But even if she can't tell us, she needs our patience, not our anger."

"Patience? You want me to be patient? You want me to be fucking patient?" Last time Kyouko punched a wall she didn't just go through the drywall, she went through the wooden stud behind it, so experience kept her from doing the same to Mami's nice entrance hallway. But it was a close thing. "What the fuck do you think I've been doing for goddamn months? You know what she told me today? She straight up told me this wasn't going to stop. She said she was going to keep being a dumbass doing stupid shit, and she was going to keep me from getting dragged in, like we're somehow not all stuck in it already. Then the very first thing she does after she leaves is run off and get herself halfway killed again. So you know what? Tonight, I'm going to honor Sayaka's wishes and let her deal with this shit on her own, because if I stick around here I'm going to shove a damn spear down her throat.Move."

Mami looked like some combination of too weary for words, disappointed, understanding, and ready to ribbon her to the ceiling, but she moved anyway. Kyouko wasted no time in making stompy tracks out the door. She went roofhopping for awhile, no destination in mind, just pushing herself to move as fast and hard as she could. If the bored useless citizens of Mitakihara were sticking their heads out the windows and looking up for kicks and giggles or if she was leaving divots on top of people's apartments, it wasn't her problem unless they tracked her down to whine about it. Let Kyubey intercept them, he was still useful for keeping their secrets secret.

Frustratingly, she couldn't even work herself into a proper shaky exhaustion—boosting herself with magic had become too instinctual to get more than a little winded doing something as easy as vaulting over the city for half an hour or so. Eventually she gave it up, swung by a couple stores to pick some stuff up, then headed for Homura's place.

It turned out the girl lived in a private little apartment in a decent part of town. Old-fashioned wrought streetlamps lined the smooth stone-paved walkway in front of a wedge-shaped front where two streets came together at a sharp angle. Kyouko couldn't tell if the building, along the front anyway, was two or three floors or two-and-a-half or whatever, and she could see a mismatched set of higher rooftops and quasi-towers peaking out the top, like someone had taken a perfectly serviceable building and shoved on a dozen independent extensions with no plan or reason. Seemed like everything Twintails touched had to be a bit off. Bar the weird bits, it looked like it fell out of some postcard from sometime last century, some little place you'd find in a movie set in Paris or some shit. Definitely didn't belong here with all the ultramodern penthouses sitting right in the skyline behind it. She made her way inside, wandered the halls until she found Homura's apartment number and the understated engraved stone nameplate that said 'Akemi' and mashed the buzzer.

After a moment, the door opened a few inches, held back by a durable-looking security chain that Kyouko somehow completely failed to be surprised by. The wide-eyed shock that Homura gave her through the narrow opening was a little less expected. "Why are you here? Why aren't you with Miki?" Homura asked. She sounded, in her near-monotone sort of way, like the sky was falling and she was figuring out who to blame.

"I'm taking a night off for the sake of preventing a murder," Kyouko said back. "Can I crash here?" Homura got herself back under control and gave Kyouko a flat stare that still managed to not hide her displeasure at all. Kyouko gave her a cocky grin. "C'mon, just think how cheesed off Sayaka'll be when she hears I ditched her for the bastard she wants to shank. Can you really pass that up?"

The door swung closed. As it did, Kyouko was pretty sure she caught Homura rolling her eyes for a second there. Funny, she thought Homura'd be in on messing with Blue. The door swung back open, all the way this time, and Homura stepped aside.

Kyouko hefted one of the bags she'd brought with her. "I brought some stuff if you're hungry."

"The kitchen is the first opening on the right, you can drop it there. I'll… stop by in a second." Homura herself went deeper down the entry hallway, disappearing around a twist.

The kitchen was a compact little affair with an attached dining room in front of it, but the dining room didn't look like it'd actually been used for eating at any point in the recent past. The table, shoved up against the wall, wasn't that large to start with even before she took into account the piles of books and what looked like gun maintenance kits clogging things up. She could just picture Homura eating over the sink instead of bothering to sit down. Or standing at the counter, there was a spot clear but for a few crumbs. Kyouko snooped through the kitchen cabinets a bit. Apparently, Homura subsisted on bulk stock instant ramen, boxes of nutrient bars, and a small tower of vitamin bottles. She was almost grateful to discover that the cabinet with the crate of bottled water also had a bulk package of single-serve milk tea boxes. She popped the fridge open; mostly empty, but there was at least some leftover takeout yakisoba in there.

Kyouko added her own offerings, simple but better than this. A bag of oranges, the little ones that were easy to peel. A few apples. A loaf of nice thick wheat bread she picked up fresh from a bakery, along with a small tub of butter and a bottle of honey. She hung onto the second bag she brought in, which had two boxes of takeout spaghetti from an Italian place she liked dragging Sayaka to. After a second's thought, she grabbed a few oranges and tucked them in with the spaghetti.

Homura slipped into the kitchen from wherever she went and wordlessly crooked a finger. Kyouko followed back out into the main hall. "The bathroom is down the left hall, first door on the right," Homura said as they passed it. She had that disinterested face she always wore, probably force of habit. "There are unopened toothbrushes and such in the second drawer on the sink."

They went back the way Homura had first disappeared to on her own, until Homura pushed open the door to a room much larger than Kyouko expected this little apartment to have. Just how much of the complex did Homura's place take up? The room was mostly dark, with dim lights and candles floating along the walls and across the ceiling; a scythed pendulum swung through the air. Which was pretty badass, Kyouko thought, not to mention metal as fuck, but she rather hoped it and the floating candles were holograms. Homura was weird enough without adding extensive creepy interior decorating to her hobbies.

She had up holoscreens against the wall too, though they looked very sparse like Homura had shut off a bunch before letting Kyouko in the room. There were a few pictures of them and the rest of the girls, all from the dress up photoshoot at Magicland today. Most of the rest looked like surveillance photos of the Great Curse, and who knows how Homura got those. Kyouko didn't think the miasma would show up on muggle satellite in the first place.

"I don't have a proper guest room, but there are couches here," Homura added, waving vaguely to the multi-ringed arrangement of couches that ate up most of the floor space while Kyouko paced through them looking around the room. "I suppose you can get television on the holoscreens there. I think I have some spare blankets somewhere too. Don't expect me to hang about all night to entertain you."

Kyouko gave her a big grin, the sort that deliberately shows off her fang. "Aww lookit that, Twintail's making sure I settle in proper and being all tsundere about it. Ain't it adorable!"

Homura gave her a mild effort at a withering look. "Kyouko. Why are you here?"

"I told ya, Sayaka's pissed me off too hard, I'm not staying around her tonight."

"You could just as easily have gone back to your church for the night. Isn't that what you're most accustomed to?"

Homura instinctively caught the orange Kyouko tossed at her. "Had to drop by and say thanks," Kyouko said. Homura looked back down at the orange like it was giving her stage fright all of a sudden. She was a mess, wasn't she? Cold by habit, freaked out kid on the inside. "You don't like Sayaka much, but you pulled through for her anyway back there. So, you know, thanks." Kyouko let the sincerity hang in the air for a second, just as long as she could stand, before smacking it on the back of the head with a snigger. "It kinda spoiled your icy bitch routine though. You're gonna have a bad time convincing any of us if you try to start that shit up again."

Homura looked uncertain how to respond to that, and shrugged slightly. "She didn't go in there to pick a fight." Kyouko froze. "She was sitting at the edge of the miasma crying when I found her. She didn't intend to go deeper."

Kyouko stood for a few long seconds, still frozen, as worked out the most reasonable way to respond to that. "FUCK!" Homura, nonplussed, began peeling the orange. She frowned at the skin, wondering what to do with it, since there didn't seem to be a garbage in the room. "Goddamn fuck it shit damn fuck," Kyouko managed as she sank onto the inner ring of couches, face in her hands. "And I went all nuclear on her!"

Homura's shield popped into being for a second, long enough for her to shove the orange peel inside. She ate one segment, obviously paying careful attention to its taste, and handed another segment to Kyouko. "Are you going back tonight?"

Kyouko took the orange and chewed it while she thought. "Nah, I'll apologize tomorrow. I try it now and I'll just ram a spear through my own face and die of embarrassment. Madoka's with her, she'll be fine for now."

"As you like."

Kyouko pulled the boxes of spaghetti out and plopped them on the table at the center of the couch rings, pushing one towards the side closest to Homura, nudging the lid open as she did to reveal the offerings in all their hot, cheap takeout glory. "There's this channel that runs cheesy old black and white horror movies Sunday nights. You wanna stick around?" Homura hesitated, but didn't move away; her gaze fixed somewhere halfway between Kyouko and the spaghetti. Kyouko leaned in and caught her eye. "Hey, you said you wanna get on better with all of us, right? That doesn't just mean kicking wraiths' teeth in together. It's okay, I'm not gonna bite." After a second Homura nodded and, like she was opening up a chest of fabled gold, sat down across from Kyouko and took the spaghetti.

OoOoO

Madoka pushed her way into her house, carrying a duffel bag of Sayaka's clothes and sundries. Her best friend followed in after her. It was school tomorrow, but talking Sayaka and Sayaka's mom into a sleepover at Madoka's house was simple. She just had to point out to Miki Miho that Sayaka hadn't been over to see Mama and Papa at all since the Kaname family got back to Japan. As for Sayaka… even easier. It was more like telling her to come over and then packing a bag for her while her best friend sat there doing nothing to object.

She'd hoped to get Sayaka up to her room right away, but found Mama waiting for them in a chair by the stairs like she'd expected that. Why'd she ever talked her parents into putting extra chairs in the hallways, anyway?

Mama stood up, smiling and coming forward. "Sayaka, it's been awhile. I've talked with your mom a few times, but you haven't been over since we moved back."

"Yeah it has, thanks for having me over, Mrs. Kaname." Sayaka's return smile didn't hold up as well. Her regeneration had already fixed the damage caused by having lungs full of water, and cycling her transformation had dried her off, not even leaving her hair a little damp. All the signs of the battle with Oktavia, wiped away literally by magic, and not a speck of the real damage actually fixed.

"Oh, none of that now, Mrs. Kaname is my mother's name. Call me Junko, or I'll even let you get away with 'Mom' like you used to."

"Right," Sayaka knocked her head with her knuckles. "Forgot I used to do that."

"Ah, that reminds me, we need to have you and Miho over for dinner sometime soon. So how's life treating you, kid?"

"I'm… I'm great. Can't complain."

"Hmm."

Sayaka was going through the motions, but she wasn't selling it very well—and Mama wasn't buying it either, that much was obvious from the considering stare that made Sayaka squirm. "C-could you take the bag up to my room?" Madoka asked Sayaka, jumping in and passing the bag of Sayaka's things over. "All the way up the stairs and the last door on the right. It's the super pink room."

"Right, I'll… see you later," Sayaka agreed, looking a little relieved, and took off.

Mama arched an eyebrow at that. Running interference to get Sayaka away from Mama felt… bizarre. Wrong, and she shrank as Mama's considering stare moved from Sayaka's retreating back to her. She'd expect that Homura or Kyouko would want to get away from adults—from people in general really—if they were upset. But from what she remembered Sayaka loved her parents, trusted them and enjoyed having them around. They certainly used to keep dinnertime conversations going far longer than dinner when she had Sayaka over. And yet, if Mama started to poke around trying to figure out what was wrong with her friend, what could they possibly tell her?

Arms crossed, Mama finally said something, but not a reprimand like Madoka expected. "You have fun with your friends at Magicland today?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded.

"You missed dinner after you got back," Mama said, still very blandly. Madoka liked to think of that carefully neutral tone as her "CEO firing voice." "And Tomo and I didn't hear you leave the house the second time."

"I'm sorry, I left in a hurry."

Mama nodded at the stairs Sayaka just went up. "She's upset."

"I… heard from Kyouko." Which was entirely right, Kyouko and Homura appeared in her room in timestop to tell her what happened. "She and Sayaka had a big fight, and she didn't think Sayaka took it well." That… was more a half-truth, really, they did have a fight after they found Sayaka again, but it was inevitable the moment Sayaka went back in the Great Curse alone. Madoka couldn't help but wince a little anyway.

Mama frowned faintly, staring through her with a parent's all-knowing sight. "You're a good girl, Madoka, and I don't think you're lying to me. But you're not telling the truth, either."

She flinched, looking at the floor. She scrambled for… some excuse, some justification, something honest to give, any of it. "It isn't lying if I'm leaving out the bits you'd never believe," she managed.

"You don't usually get that technical with the truth. I thought I'd earned more credit with you than that, too."

She was right, and Madoka knew it. She'd never been afraid to tell Mama everything before, never believed there was anything that had to be hers and hers alone. She'd heard a few of her friends and classmates thought it was weird for her to be as open with her parents as she was. From what she'd seen of them, she couldn't picture Hitomi even trying to explain to her parents how tired she was of the constant parade of lessons and societies and culture. But why would Madoka want that sort of relationship with her parents? They'd never been there to force her one way or another. They'd always been there to help her.

"There's… there's a grudge Sayaka can't get past," Madoka began, speaking vaguely. "Or maybe… or maybe she wants to do the right thing, but feels like she can't? And I don't know why she thinks the thing she wants to do is right, and she won't tell me. I don't know what my best friend is thinking, Mama."

"Wouldn't that be a terrible thing," Mama said ruefully.

"Mama?"

She shook her head, pushing on. "And Kyouko disagrees with Sayaka about what the right thing to do is? And you disagree with her, too?"

Madoka flinched at that. Mama closed her eyes, two fingers resting lightly against the bridge of her nose. That was what Madoka called the "CEO can't fire you yet but has the paperwork filled out and framed for that blessed day" pose. "Is anybody pregnant?" Mama asked.

"What? No! Of course not!"

"Is anyone touching hard drugs?"

"I wouldn't… I'd never…" Madoka sputtered.

"Would you friends?" Mama asked pointedly.

"No, they aren't!" she almost cried back.

"Do any of your friends need a doctor? Are they being bullied?" By now Mama was running down a list like she'd memorized it. Maybe she had at some point, her and Papa deciding when they'd step in on their daughter's life. "Is their home life abusive? Are there police involved?"

"No! No, no no!"

She was about ready to die of shame. That Mama would think she would… she'd never get dragged into… she was a good girl! Even Mama called her that all the time! She'd raised her to tell the truth and follow rules and not cause trouble without a good reason. She burned red-faced under Mama's eyes as the silence drew out.

But…

But Sayaka had been raised practically the same way, to be a good person and look out for those in need, and she needed help more than any of them. And Kyouko never asked to end up on the streets, and Mami didn't set out to be an orphan living alone, and Homura… she only wanted to help her, and that willingness dragged Homura into this never ending hell in the first place.

Trouble didn't care whether you were staying inside the lines or not. Considering that, Mama was right to worry.

"In that case, if you really don't want adults prying," Mama said, "I'll stay out of it."

Madoka blinked. "You… will? Just like that?"

"If there's no desperate reason for me to step in, then I'm not going to try to force you." She shook her head, unfolded her arms, and waved back toward the kitchen. "Tomo put leftovers in the fridge, there's plenty for you and Sayaka if you're hungry."

"Okay…" She felt dazed, like she'd just been struck between the eyes. Mama was great and she loved her… but arguing with her was kind of scary too.

"Madoka."

"Yes!"

Mama watched her a second, warmer than a moment ago, with her wry little smile. She clapped a hand onto her daughter's shoulder. "It seems like you and Sayaka are having a big disagreement of some sort, but your first instinct is to pull her closer anyway. I'm proud of you for that." She gave her a push toward the stairs. "Go on, she's waiting for you."

Madoka stopped up the first few steps and turned around. "Thank you!" Mama just waved her off and ducked through the entry to the kitchen. After a second, Madoka heard the distinct sound of the liquor cabinet doors opening. Maybe she'd given Mama enough to stress about after all.

She reached her room and stood in front of the door, hesitating. And here was another scary conversation, one she was going to be just as lost in, and one with higher stakes. She touched her pocket, full of grief cubes that Mami gave her earlier. She didn't like carrying such a reminder of their trouble with her. With Sayaka in the state she was, she also wouldn't be caught dead without them. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

She had three visitors, not one. Sayaka sat on the wood floor, back up against her bed. Usotsuki, still missing her hat, laid on the bed behind Sayaka whispering to her; Sayaka looked like she didn't mind. Manuke, sitting at the computer desk and kicking her feet forlornly, let out a near-squawk and jumped up as soon as she spotted the door opening. She rushed over to Madoka and threw a desperate hug around her, which Madoka caught and returned. She'd gotten used to having Manuke drop in and out for card games and stories. After the hug pulled back, she ran a finger over the side of Manuke's face, where Reiketsu had thrown a rock at her; the chip was patched over seamlessly now, well enough that she couldn't even see the damage. Homura fixed it, she guessed.

Manuke leaned up on tippy toes, normally bright eyes spinning with gray. "You'll help her, won't you, pink girl?"

Madoka brushed some of the orange-red hair off Manuke's forehead, tucking back into her hood. "I'm going to try," she promised.

It looked like Mama had already brought up the spare futon, though she hadn't set it out properly. Madoka busied herself with that, trying to stall as long as possible. Task eventually complete, she walked back to the others. Usotsuki broke off, and both she and her charge looked up.

"May I, um, Sayaka, may I see your gem?" she asked.

Without argument or complaint, Sayaka shifted her soul gem from ring to egg and handed it freely to Madoka.

The shimmering blue gem in her hands was still mostly clear, but even as she watched she thought it was filling ever so slowly with the sad black corruption from a knot of darkness at its core. Or she was imagining it? The slow swirling of light and shadow like an abandoned snowglobe made it hard to be sure whether the balance was changing. Either way, Sayaka wasn't in danger now.

This was the second time one of her friends willingly and freely handed Madoka her soul gem, wasn't it? Both of them troubled, fatalistic, and dear to her.

She passed the gem back to Sayaka, who shifted it back to a ring. "Thank you," Madoka said, almost a whisper, trying to put into those two words all the feeling making her heart swell to bursting right now, the thankfulness that Sayaka would trust her and the desperate need for her best friend to be alright and not leave her.

But Sayaka and Homura's circumstances were completely different, too. For one thing—the most important right now—Madoka was certain she knew what Homura needed. Homura needed absolution, she needed permission to be happy again, she needed someone who could welcome her no matter what stains were there on her past. But Sayaka?

What did Sayaka need from her? Sayaka's world was crumbling, badly enough that she was projecting shadows, and Madoka still couldn't even wrap her head around why. All she knew—from the way Sayaka rebutted all her friends over and over again when they tried to pry—was that she didn't want to talk about her secrets.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" she asked, feeling like a cop out. "Or I could grab the cards and we could play games. I'd suggest braiding hair, but Hitomi's not here, so…" She flounced her shortish pigtails; Sayaka's hair, of course, was even shorter.

"Movie's fine," Sayaka said, a little hoarse.

"What do you want to watch?" Madoka went to her desk computer and started fiddling. "Hang on, I'll bring up the family library, or we could rent something…."

"Anything's fine. You choose."

"…Okay." After a moment's hesitation, she picked one of her recent favorites, pushed the monitor to the edge of the desk, and set the handful of grief cubes next to it. A few cushions from the bed for comfort, and she plopped down next to Sayaka, legs close enough to brush. She wanted Sayaka to at least have tangible evidence that her friend was right here, immediately accessible and present. Usotsuki moved away from them and into a corner of the room where she couldn't see the computer screen; Manuke shrugged and claimed the abandoned spot on the bed.

Madoka snuck a little closer during the opening, taking advantage of her friend's height to turn Sayaka's shoulder into a convenient headrest. Sayaka almost certainly wasn't paying attention to the movie though, judging from the tremors that ran through her every few minutes which she tried so hard to still. She wasn't even paying enough attention to riff her way through the movie, like Sayaka always did with almost any movie. By the time they got to the bit of the movie where Casey Newton declares herself an optimist, she couldn't fight it off any longer and started crying with quiet, low snuffles.

Going on instinct, Madoka got up and flipped the movie off before shoving Sayaka away from the bed just far enough to slip in behind her. Sayaka was taller, sure, but Madoka pushed until Sayaka slid forward enough for Madoka to tuck her head over her friend's and hug her from behind. It was an awkward position, with Sayaka halfway between sitting and lying down, but she wasn't going to budge.

"I can't do anything. I can't even fail right," Sayaka moaned into her hands. "I can't even get myself killed, it wouldn't be right, not for you and Kyouko. She's won, and I can't do anything but hurt people I love."

Madoka didn't say anything yet, she just squeezed tighter and laid her cheek against Sayaka's hair, trying to let her friend feel that she was here for her.

"There's nothing you can do either," Sayaka said with a touch of bitterness, hearing Madoka's intent clearly.

"I'll wait. I'll listen. Even if that's all I can do for you."

"You made your choice, you gave yourself to her."

As much as she meant to just listen and be there, Madoka couldn't help but bite back at that. "I still don't understand why you think that's so wrong!" Her hands were trembling, her voice was shaking. "Why is it bad she wants to be friends with us now? Do you want everyone to keep fighting?"

"No! But not like this! Not like…." Sayaka took a shuddery breath. "I can't prove anything. None of you would believe me, you'd think I'm crazy if I said it. You think I'm crazy already."

That seemed like the sort of thing Madoka ought to deny, but she wasn't sure how. Besides, Sayaka's walls settling in place again, trapping her in her own chosen failures. She wasn't going to listen. Madoka shifted her arms to cradle Sayaka's head; it was the only thing she could think of.

Sayaka suddenly jerked upward; Madoka hissed in pain and let go as her friend's enhanced strength wrenched her arms. Distracted, Sayaka breathed, "You already think I'm crazy."

Across the room, Usotsuki sat up sharply. "Angel," she said, a warning.

"What?" Sayaka demanded, her fire suddenly returned full-force. "More threats? Will you make up your damn mind whether you're here to help or keep me in line?"

The enchanted girl sighed, eyes dull. When Usotsuki spoke again, it was plainly, without any of the embellishment or sing-songy teasing Madoka had heard from her before, without games or lies. "I'll have to tell Good-For-Nothing if you do this. I won't have a choice."

"Then tell her! What'll she do to me?" Sayaka shot back. "What else can she do to me? She's not as vicious as she pretended at first, is she? And it doesn't matter if I forget again, not once Madoka knows. What can she do to me?"

Usotsuki turned away and hugged herself.

"Sayaka?" Madoka tried. "What's going on? Tell me what?"

Sayaka pulled herself out of Madoka's hug and turned around, sitting so they faced each other. "Madoka, I…" Sayaka didn't move back very far though, and looked like she wanted to dive back into the hug; there was a flood of locked-off secrets banging at the dam she'd built around them, and Madoka could tell she was terrified. "I don't… I don't belong here."

"Here? You mean you should be back at your house with Kyouko?"

Sayaka laughed, shook her head. "No, no, here. This world. I was somewhere else, part of something else. This earth, my life here, it's all a lie! I was, I don't know, in heaven maybe. Not here, not living this life. Until she pulled me away from it."

It took Madoka a second to realize she meant that Homura had done that; she opened her mouth to object without thinking, but Sayaka pressed a hand to her mouth. "No, please, let me finish, I should've told you at the start, I should have trusted you more, I should never have played her game in the first place. I couldn't say anything for so long, I need to get it out."

She pulled her hand off; seeing Madoka silent again, Sayaka went on. "I… the very first thing I remember and know is my memory was… standing just off the creek on the way to school. And, and she was there. We were arguing, I was furious with her. Akemi ruined something, everything, and I was ready to fight her for what she did. But the she… reached into my mind and soul and squeezed them until they tore in half. She took everything I remembered about the world before and threw it away, put a new life where the holes went. But it doesn't feel the same. Everything about my life before feels gray and wrong and alien, even though it's in my head. Akemi isn't just puella magi. She's something else, something more. Stronger, older, she has powers she hides from all of us."

"But… but I remember you," Madoka struggled out. "We grew up together. I remember you, you're my best friend!"

Sayaka reached out and put one hand on Madoka's face. She smiled, tender and frightened. "That's because… that's because you were there too." Madoka stiffened. "You were there with us, you saved us from despair, you were the greatest of us. I owed you my soul and I fought at your side. You don't belong here either. Akemi tore you down and did to you what she did to me. You're not supposed to be here."

No. No, that's… Madoka took a breath; it didn't help. Homura wouldn't… Her hands shook; the room spun around her. Half-remembered nightmares and a hundred little moments of deja vu came creeping over her. "But Homura saved me! I… I kept dying and she stopped it…." Something told her that didn't make any sense the way she said it; she tried again. "She's a time traveler. Time magic, like you said! She stops time. But, but she rewinds it too, and she… she kept trying to save me because I kept wishing to be puella magi and kept dying. I was too weak. But I was here! She couldn't do that if I wasn't here!"

"No, no, that's not right, that doesn't fit with what I've put back together. I…." Sayaka stopped, struggling with herself. "Maybe she did, maybe that's in there somewhere, somehow. I don't know, she wasn't always our enemy. She loves you. I don't hate her. I can't. She was one of us. But you were the strongest of us, not some broken soul who needed saving, not what I remember. She tore you down from heaven, it's the only reason I could be so furious back then. I named her the devil and swore to fight her, you have to believe she earned that!"

By now, Sayaka's words came as though Madoka heard them through a long tube, squeezed out and choked. She wavered, head bobbing up as though hanging off her body by a string.

"You don't believe me, do you? My horrible secrets that I've kept all this time, you and Kyouko begged me to stop bearing them myself." Sayaka laughed shakily. "And now you're afraid to believe me."

Madoka couldn't bring herself to say anything, one way or the other. She reached out, hands mechanical and sluggish, and grabbed Sayaka's own, squeezing desperately.

"It's okay." Sayaka squeezed back just as tight. "I get it. I lost track how many times I cried myself to sleep wishing it weren't true. My whole life here is a lie shoved in my head. I don't want to believe that either." Sayaka sniffled again, her sudden fire spent. "That's it. I really am done now. I told you. This is all I can do. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I won't go picking fights. I won't charge off alone anymore. If… you still want me to get along with Akemi, I will."

Nothing else to say, Sayaka slid against the bed next to her. Madoka found herself falling sideways for an eternity until she passed through the scant inches and landed again on Sayaka's shoulder. Sayaka was trembling, or was that her? Sayaka was definitely crying, quiet and sniffling. But then, so was Madoka, a stream of silent tears rolling down her face as she clung to one of the two girls she'd believed she could trust no matter what.

OoOoO