A New Sunrise Part Two

Planet: Unknown

Continent: Unknown

Territory: Unknown

Year/Time:Unknown

Kyouko was the first to reach the doors.

'Please God, please let them be safe! There was nothing there!'

Kyouko noted in a detached way that the she had almost ripped one of the doors off at the hinges in her haste to get to Sayaka and Madoka.

As she raced down the aisles she glanced backwards when she heard Mami give a great shout of frustration and saw her tear both doors clean off, the flash of yellow light that followed transformed and fused both doors into large but pretty looking shield. Kyouko quickly dodged to the side as Mami used them to smash straight through the shelves and everything else in her way. As Kyouko raced after the blond, a rather bewildered looking Homura fell in next to her.

Mami skidded to a stop and threw the mass of metal and glass to the side when they reached the screaming form of Sayaka.

Madoka, who was laid next to the blue haired girl, only shifted slightly to the side and continued to sleep.

'Talk about sleeping like the dead,' Kyouko thought absentmindedly as she dropped down to Sayaka's side.

She winced when Sayaka smashed one of her arms hard into the floor with a loud smack.

"Help me grab her arms and hold her down," Homura shouted to Kyouko and Mami as she reached Sayaka's left side. "Mami! Use your ribbons to help us tie her down!" Kyouko grab a hold of Sayaka's right arm while Homura did the same with her left and Mami forced the blue haired girl's legs down as she created several of her yellow ribbons.

Kyouko gritted her teeth as she struggled to hold the arm still without hurting the girl but Sayaka's magical girl strength made the task even more difficult for her. She sighed in relief when Mami's magical ribbons wrapped around Sayaka's limbs and torso.

"Come on, Sayaka snap out of it," Kyouko desperately whispered to Sayaka as the struggling lessened and the screaming gave way to heart breaking sobs even as she continued to stare vacantly. Kyouko found her eyes meeting Mami's equally worried ones and wondered what they were supposed to do now. In all the time she had spent as a magical girl she had never dealt with anything remotely like this before. She was shaken from her thoughts when Homura pulled Sayaka's head into her lap.

"Breathe," Homura whispered quietly to the girl, "Sayaka you need to breathe in and out. That's it. Breathe slowly and listen to my voice. Wake up, your safe now. It's okay to wake up now Sayaka, your safe now. Breathe in and out." Kyouko and Mami watched in silence as over the next couple of minutes Sayaka's eyes slowly gained some life back into them and her sobbing quieted down, all the while Homura whispered into Sayaka's ears as she cautiously and hesitantly ran her hands though the girls hair as gently as she could.

"What's wrong with Sayaka? Was she attacked?"

Kyouko jumped when the familiar drowsy voice spoke up from behind her. She turned around quickly and blinked in slight surprise when she realized who else had woken up.

"Madoka," Mami cried out with happiness, "you're awake!"

'I guess it isn't that surprising that she woke up after all that noise...'

Madoka sleepily rubbed at her eyes from where she was sitting on the floor, "Is Sayaka okay Homura? Oh, you've lost your glasses again huh? Must have lost them during..." Madoka mumbled slightly after she stood up from the ground.

Kyouko blinked again at that, 'Glasses..? Homura doesn't wear glasses.' Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Homura had gone visibly pale. 'What?'

Madoka jerked suddenly when she caught sight of where Mami was sitting next to Sayaka.

"Mami..." Madoka breathed out, "Mami..you're alive!" Madoka raced forward to grab a surprised Mami and pulled her into a fierce hug. The poor blond literally looked like she was suffocating in Madoka's grip. "That's...we were fighting that witch weren't we? What? How?"

Kyouko chuckled at the sight, "You might want to let her go Madoka, looks like she needs some air!"

Madoka spun around to face a pale Homura, a bewildered Mami still trapped in her arms, "How? What happened after W- ," Madoka blinked and turned her head to Kyouko, "Oh sorry! What did you say..." Madoka stopped speaking and looked slightly confused before she asked, "Have we met? You look so familiar. I'm sorry if we have and I don't remember but I'm a little out of it right now." Madoka chuckled as she finished.

Kyouko felt her jaw drop in surprise and she noticed Homura looked even more pale.

"What...the heck is going on," A blurry eyed Sayaka gasped from where she laid in Homura's lap, "and why am I in Akemi's lap?" Sayaka directed an irritated glare at up at Homura.

A pale Homura gave Sayaka an annoyed heavy-lidded stare in reply.

The shouting that followed lasted for several minutes before an annoyed Homura shouted that everyone needed to shut up, that Mami and Kyouko should fix the front door, and that Sayaka needed to lay down and drink something.

'This is so strange...and I thought being a magical girl was weird enough.'

Madoka thought from where she sat on a couch next to Sayaka, watching the red-headed magical girl and Mami 'fix' the entrance to the store by barricading it with Mami's 'shield', using the various torn up shelves and other things to wedge it into place. Madoka nearly laughed again at the sight of the huge piece of metal and glass. Of course even during a mad dash and in a panic Mami still made it look pretty somehow without even trying or realizing it. Madoka wasn't really surprised by that ,after all she and Homura had caught Mami practicing her poses in the mirror once.

That had been a very silly week.

"Well, that ought to do the trick," The red-haired girl said out loud, "well until we need to leave anyway," She finished with a grin and Madoka furrowed her brows together as her voice twinged something in the back of her mind.

"Hey," Madoka called out, "is your name Kyouko?" The girl in question turned sharply at that, a strange expression appearing on her face for only a moment before a wide smile replaced it making Madoka rather sad that the young girl had... or needed that kind of emotional control.

"Yeah! That's my name," Kyouko enthusiastically answered her question. She rubbed the back of her head and looked away from Madoka. "You...remember anything else?" She did a good job of hiding it but Madoka could hear the slight fear and worry in the red-heads voice. The same fear and worry that clouded Mami, Sayaka and Homura's faces.

Madoka pushed down her fear and uncertainty. Now wasn't the time to lose her head Madoka knew, she needed to remain clam if not only for her sake but for everyone else too.

"Sorry," Madoka replied, "You do look really familiar and I feel like I shouldn't be surprised that Sayaka and Homura are magical girls but," She struggled for a moment before she continued, "I...feel like I should know why I know you, that it's very important that I do. It's the same with Homura and Sayaka too. Like it's on the tip of my tongue but the memories are just out of reach, almost as if I can brush against them with the tips of my fingers." Madoka heard Sayaka sigh next to her, the sound was a strange mix of sad and relief.

'Stay strong', Madoka thought to herself as Homura handed a reluctant Sayaka a mug of hot chocolate she had taken out of her shield, 'we're all alive and safe'.

"Thanks," Sayaka muttered to Homura after taking a tentative sip.

"Do you need anything else?"

Sayaka turned away and huffed, "No. I'm fine."

With a blank expression Homura just nodded to Sayaka before going into the back.

It hurt Madoka to see Homura with such a blank look on her face, even more when she could see the pain in her eyes at Sayaka's response.

She found it hard to be mad at Sayaka though. Madoka could see the shame and pain that Sayaka was trying to hide in her eyes too.

"What's she doing back there anyway," Sayaka asked under her breath, "Shouldn't she be out here with the rest of us?"

Madoka hummed while titling her head to the side to look at the desert outside the window and the Things she could feel in the distance, "I'd imagine she's looking for things we'd need. Like water or food and other such things," She looked up at the ceiling with a smile and tapped her chin, "Homura's always looking out for people like that. She can be such a sweetie."

Madoka could hear Sayaka openly scoff next to her. Mami and Kyouko both awkwardly shifted by the entrance.

"Homura a sweetie? Yeah right! Madoka you," Sayaka began only to stop abruptly at the look on Madoka's face.

"She may look and act different from what I remember but I can still see the Homura I know in her," Madoka told Sayaka in a stern but kind tone, "Despite being rude to her she still made sure you were okay and comforted you. She even made you something to drink."

"But," Sayaka looked away from her, "Madoka you don't remember what happened she," Sayaka stopped and visibly struggled for a moment, "It's complicated Madoka. It's...complicated."

Madoka laid a hand on Sayaka's shoulder and continued in a softer tone, "I still remember you too Sayaka. You feel guilty about something and you're lashing out, making yourself feel even worse. You did the same when you accidentally hurt me when we were little. You made yourself so miserable." The blueette looked back up at Madoka for a moment before she glanced at the Mami and Kyouko. " I know you Sayaka."

Sayaka tensed briefly before she sighed out loud and admitted to everyone, "I don't hate her Madoka. Not anymore. She...it's just complicated," She repeated herself, "I don't..."

Madoka and the other girls turned at the sound of a door closing shut behind them. Homura calmly walked up to Sayaka and Madoka with a small bag of apples and a small white bottle in the other hand.

"I brought some apples for us to eat and," Homura held up the bottle, "some sedative for Sayaka to help to clam down and sleep." Homura gave the apples to Kyouko who quickly hurried back to Mami's side and held the medicine out to Sayaka.

Madoka gave Sayaka a look and the girl squirmed slightly, "Look, Homura.."

"It's fine," Homura interrupted Sayaka. Homura turned away from her and continued in a quieter voice, "Don't be too hard on her Madoka. I...," Homura hesitated but continued on, "I..wasn't a very good person Madoka. Sayaka has good reasons to be upset up with me."

Madoka frowned, "Homura..."

Madoka had never felt so lost. Just what had happened? It was like everyone and everything had changed overnight, she almost didn't recognize her friends.

Sayaka took the medicine from Homura's hand.

"Thanks," Sayaka said, "and thanks for earlier, I guess."

Sayaka then muttered out loud, "Even if your knees were digging into my back."

Homura flipped her hair and replied with sarcasm, "I'll try to do better next time."

"You better."

From where she was sitting Madoka could see the slight smirk Homura was hiding and how Sayaka's eyes brightened a little at Homura's reply.

Almost. She almost didn't recognize her friends. They were still there, they just needed a little help in getting back out.

Madoka stilled when she felt those things in the distance move a little closer.

"So," Madoka said out loud and pointed to the barricade at the front, "I'm guessing we're not safe here, especially with those things I can sense out there."

Sayaka raised her eyebrows in confusion when Homura, Mami, and Kyouko all quickly raced to the windows. Kyouko pointed out passed one of the towers in the distance.

"There," Kyouko shouted, "I can barely see it but I'm sure it's one of those dog things! It looks like its moving away though."

Sayaka started to look a little scared, "What's going on?"

Mami answered her, "Where ever we are, we're not alone. A weird dog like creature attacked us not that long ago, could barely sense the thing standing right in front of me though." Mami directed a curious look at Madoka who only shrugged in response.

"Is there any place safe to hole up in?" Madoka asked Mami.

Homura nodded her head, "The tower we found earlier might be the best place."

Madoka clapped her hands and gestured to everyone, "I'm sure everyone has questions," Homura shifted as everyone looked at her, "but we really need someplace safe first. Does the truck out front work?"

Kyouko nodded at Madoka, "Yeah, Homura got it running and everything."

Madoka smiled brightly at Homura, whose cheeks turned pink before Sayaka started to snicker behind her. Sayaka only smirked when Homura glared back at her.

"You always did like cars and the like didn't you, Homura? So," Madoka pointed dramatically at Homura and Kyouko, "Would you two mind driving around and picking up anything we'll need that won't last long in this heat? Not just food, but things like medicine, electronics, books and the like? We need to make the most of what time we have while those things keep their distance."

Homura and Kyouko glanced at each other before Homura answered Madoka, "We were already thinking about doing that after we secured the tower with traps. I've already stored a lot of what was here."

Madoka hummed and tapped her chin, "I'd imagine it'd be a lot easier to move all that stuff into this tower without tip toeing around a bunch of traps."

Kyouko's cheeks reddened while Homura sighed out loud and admitted, "We...didn't think about that."

Madoka asked Homura, "And for the truck, is there any limit to your shield Homura?"

Homura frowned in thought, "Magic. I have to spend magic to store anything in my shield. Size also affects how much I have to spend, the bigger it is the more magic I have to use. Small things like rpgs or guns don't cost much at all but a large car or semi-truck will noticeably darken my soul them out doesn't cost anything however," Homura paused before adding, "How many things I put in all at once also affects how much I have to spend."

"Try to use your shield as little as possible just in case, so use the truck as much as you can. Mami and I can check the tower out while you're both busy," Madoka looked at Mami who nodded her head with a smile, "We can make sure it's safe first then we'll come help you with gathering supplies."

Mami frowned and asked, "What about Sayaka? She needs to rest."

"I'm not made of glass," Sayaka grumbled, "I'll keep watch for Kyouko and Homura while they dig around for things."

Kyouko looked at Homura who just shrugged, "Yeah, you can help us out. The trucks got a back seat you can use," Kyouko said to Sayaka who stood up and walked over to them. She handed the mug back to Homura, "Guess we better take that barricade down now."

Madoka pointed at the barricade as they started pulling it apart, "Put the shield into the truck please, Mami and I might get some use out of it after you drop us off at the tower."

Sayaka sighed out loud, "I'm going to be keeping watch, not taking a nap Homura. I don't need a pillow and a blanket."

It was so weird, Sayaka decided, to have Homura babying her like this. After they had dropped Madoka and Mami off at a fairly tall tower that had somehow how fused with a nearby cliff face, Homura had pulled a blue freaking blanket and pillow out of her shield. They had a rather neat looking musical note pattern that she liked, in fact it looked like something she would have brought herself.

'Why does she have that? I mean, I like it but...'

Homura placed the pillow on her left and pushed the blanket over her lap despite Sayaka's protests before she started driving the truck again.

The entire time Kyouko giggled to herself quietly as she looked outside the passenger window.

"Despite having such powerful healing magic you still look like you've been run over by a car," Homura drove the truck around a completely wrecked adult toy store laying on it's side. Sayaka could guess why Homura didn't pull over to check it out. She also wasn't surprised that Kyouko looked slightly disappointed about that either.

Homura continued, "Just make yourself comfortable back there Sayaka. You should have a good enough view to keep an eye on us," Homura pulled the truck over to a small gas station that Sayaka remembered visiting once with her mom, "If you get tired or anything just let us know Sayaka, Kyouko or I will take over while you rest."

Materializing her soul gem in her hand Sayaka rolled her eyes, "So just one of you will be gathering things? Honestly I should be helping too," Kyouko was right, it was rather soothing to watch the darkness slowly fade away. To Sayaka it was as if music itself was flowing over her gem, gently blowing away the corruption to the sound of 'A Maiden's Prayer'.

However that worked.

'Maybe it's like smelling purple or something?' Sayaka thought while turning the blue gem over in her hand.

"Sayaka," Kyouko began, "do you understand what happened when you woke up?" Sayaka mulishly turned to stare out of the windows, not in the mood at all to talk about that.

Kyouko nodded in understanding, "Look, I know you don't like it but the rest of us were pretty freaked out too. Heck, even Homura was panicking and you know how she normally is," Said girl turned a slight scowl at Kyouko who just grinned back, "So please just relax. Go ahead and keep watch but when Madoka or Mami show up try to rest okay?"

At Kyouko and even Homura's pleading looks Sayaka sighed, "Alright fine, but can we get some music. Classical and such please? We can power stuff like that off our soul gems right?"

Homura hummed while putted the truck into park, "Yes, I don't see why not. Boredom is a very real issue for survival. Getting some board games and the like might not be a bad idea either."

Sayaka blinked and tilted her head at that, "What really?"

"I've heard about that. Something about keeping your mind active and stuff," Kyouko closed the door and leaned into the truck though the open window, "Do you think we're the only people here Homura?"

Homura paused, one foot still in the truck.

"We don't need to worry about that right now," Homura said as she closed the door and turned to Sayaka, "Here, use this walkie talkie and radio us if you see anything or hear back from Madoka. Or if you start feeling faint alright?" Though she did her best to hide it Sayaka could see the concern in Homura's violet eyes.

She still wasn't sure how to feel about that, that there was more to Homura than...

Sayaka huffed and rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to feel faint. But yeah, I'll call if I see anything," As Homura and Kyouko started walking toward the front doors Sayaka called out, "Bring back some beef jerky!"

Kyouko gave a thumbs up and closed the door behind her.

Sayaka looked at the weird moon hanging in the sky for a moment and sighed, "God I hope we're not alone out here."

'I don't think I've ever made something like this before, or so large. Almost didn't fit through the front doors to this place.' Mami frowned a for moment. 'Then again I've never...needed to move like that before. Maybe I can make something like this with my ribbons? Could be useful, never know what might be out here...'

Being inside didn't make Mami feel any better, in fact, it made her feel even worse. Seeing familiar surroundings so destroyed really helped to bring home how bad their situation was.

They were still trapped wherever here was and there were monsters waiting to kill them out there, and while her friends were here with her and alive what happened with Sayaka had shaken her. Seeing her friend screaming and thrashing like that had made her feel so powerless.

"So what are we going to use this," Mami hefted the large, if pretty, metal shield/ram she had created earlier, "for? I mean..." Mami trailed off. She put the mass of metal down at the entrance.

"I was thinking about using it to help seal off the part of the tower we're holed up in," Madoka said as she started walking up the stairs, "Waste not, want not and all that."

Mami blinked at that, "Madoka, with my magic we can use the elevator shafts. It would be way faster to get to the top that way."

"I know," Madoka admitted to her, still walking up the stairs.

Madoka was so different, Mami thought, but at the same time so similar to how she was before all this. It was the little things mostly Mami decided. The way she spoke to her, Sayaka, and Homura, the way she even walked.

Mami ran to catch up with the girl and asked Madoka, "Why are you taking the stairs then? I'm sure we can still see if the building is stable if we use them." They exited the stairs and entered the third floor, a large mass of granite stretched across the stairs blocking off most of it.

Mami was sure they could cross it with out issue but Madoka seemed to be walking with purpose now. Madoka walked along the walls nearest to the stairs before stopping at a large creak.

And there was Homura, Mami still wasn't sure what to make of the girl. Seeing her babying Sayaka like that just made her even more confused. Mami wanted to trust Homura, she really did, but it was difficult.

Mami knew she had to though. This place was simply too dangerous to do anything else.

Mami rubbed a hand across her neck.

"I need to know how hard it's going to be to get to the top," Madoka answered her while slowly moving desks and other debris away from the wall.

"The top," Mami wondered out loud. Mami had gotten a good look at the tower with on the drive over. The cliff the tower was fused into looked to be made out of granite with large sections of the tower replaced with the stone, the very top five floors were almost completely cut off from the rest of the tower by a large slab of granite with only a small roll of offices on the left side untouched.

In fact it looked like...

Mami titled her head, "You think the top floors are the safest? I could see it I guess..."

Madoka nodded and placed a hand on the crack, "I might be wrong of course but, granite's pretty strong stuff right? The top floors look like they're sitting right on the top of the cliff, so maybe if say the rest of the building were to collapse down," Madoka shrugged and continued, "The other buildings we could have stayed in are either ripped to shreds or falling over."

A loud crash sounded out as a tower at the far edge of the other, and far away from the other girls

Mami noted with relief, started crumbling down.

Mami forced herself to remain calm. Kyouko and the others were nowhere near there, they were safe.

Mami knew she had to keep control, she wasn't going to fail everyone again. She refused to let them down, not when they needed her so much.

Still, Mami couldn't help but worry. For her friends and even Homura. This place...

"Thankfully there aren't too many of those buildings here but," Madoka pointed outside of the building, "none of the other buildings are strong enough to protect us. That's why Homura chose this building, fusing with all this granite seems to have made it more stable. She thinks so at least."

"Homura..." Mami mused out loud, glancing at Madoka as she did so.

'Homura knew that witch was going to kill me. And now Madoka...who remembers a very different Homura.'

"Homura will explain everything," Madoka said to Mami, who startled slightly and flushed.

"Madoka," Mami began only for Madoka to continue.

"She's a very dependable girl," Madoka looked her in the eyes, "You said so yourself, even if you don't remember." Rather than looking sad Madoka smiled brightly at her, "Just have faith. I know you're worried but we're all alive aren't we? Despite whatever happened in the end we're still all together and alive!"

Looking into Madoka's eyes Mami finally realized why Madoka was so different now. It was confidence. Madoka was more confident than before.

"Yeah," Mami agreed with Madoka and smiled at her, "I guess you're right."

Despite how scary this place was Madoka was right, Mami thought. She knew she had died, been eaten by a witch but here she was, here they all were. She-

"Madoka that's," Mami trailed off unable to believe what she was seeing.

She could hear Sayaka's screaming from the walkie talkies they were both carrying.

Madoka blinked and tilted her head at the sight outside the building slowly moving in front of the moon, "Yeah, that's a giant H in the sky."

"Guess we're not alone out here after all," Mami mumbled.

Edited 8/15/16