Chapter Text
All things considered, everything was going fairly well for Akemi Homura in this loop. With the new powers, and new teammates, she might be able to save Madoka this time.
And of not, at least she will gain a new ability which could help her in the future along with knowledge about these Shadow Operatives and Amada Ken.
Now that she was thinking about it, Madoka will need to be constantly watched in the coming two weeks in order to ensure that she didn't contract.
This will leave Homura with no time to engage in her hobby of making bombs, but she was willing to let that hobby be neglected if it meant saving Madoka. Maybe she could even enlist the team's help with this endeavor of keeping an eye on Madoka, although at this point it will probably not be the most wise choice given how much Takashi, and even the other to a certain extent are suspicious of her.
And she will have to be careful with Sayaka already being contracted, which she found out on yesterday in school. That, in and of itself, was no big shock to her—Sayaka sometimes contracted very early on some timelines—but it will further complicate things for her.
She shook her head, regardless, she will deal with that later, and so she went around to the back of her house and entered the blue door to the Velvet Room.
"Welcome back my guest," said Igor, "do you require my services?"
Homura shook her head. "Not at the moment. I wanted to ask you a few things."
Igor's grin never left his face. "Of course, what would those questions be?"
"Recently I talked with a previous guest of yours, Aragaki Mianko, and she told me that there used to be assistants for Wildcards, if that's the case why don't I have one?"
Igor tilted his head to the side. "Ah yes, young Minako, she was truly a remarkable guest along with her brother, unfortunately, I couldn't prepare an assistant for this game."
Homura looked at him with an intense stare. "I have another question."
He beckoned her to ask it.
"Having a Persona automatically cleanses a Soul Gem, correct?" asked Homura.
"That is indeed, correct."
"In which case, would you be able to grant other magical girls in the city Personas?"
He hummed. "I would not be against it; however, I only grant those Personas who have a strong will. And, unfortunately, the rules of the game don't allow me to fulfill that role currently for anyone else other than you."
She raised her eyebrows at that and sighed aloud. "I have one final question. What do you know about this 'Philemon' person?"
He let out a loud hum at her question as he tapped his fingers together. "I would advise against trusting him. During this game he may appear to be genuinely helpful, but that's only because the rules of the game force him to be."
Homura looked at him critically, then she pulled a Grief Seed out of her shield. "And would you be able to take of these for me? Naoki said that Philemon offered to do that for him and Kido Takashi, and Toudou Alice."
"Yes, it's one of the rules that was agreed upon, I would be glad to take off you, and in exchange I'll give you something as well," he said as he extended his long hand towards her.
Homura looked somewhat suspiciously at the hand. "And what will you do with then?"
"The souls held within them will return to the Sea of Souls, and you will no longer have to worry about them turning into Witches."
"So you know about that as well. I would bet that you know all about Magical Girls, right, Igor?"
His grin got wider as he replied, "Indeed, and so does that 'Philemon' being."
Homura looked down on the Grief Seed. If I agree I would make it so it does not fall into the hands of Incubator, that being said, I am not 100% trusting him on this, but I don't have much to lose on this in any case.
So she reluctantly handed the Grief Seed to him. Igor then stared at it for a couple of seconds before he crushed it in his hands. "There, I returned the soul back to the Sea. And also here's..."
He handed her some cards.
"What are these used for?"
"They are called Skill Cards, with them you can impart a specific skill on a Persona of yours that normally can't learn them. If you need some help with them, I'll gladly assist you."
Homura's eyes widened at that. These Skill Cards are incredibly useful! With these I could...
Suddenly she felt conflicted. On the one hand handing over the Grief Seeds that she accumulated thus far was looking quite enticing, but, on the other hand, they can still be useful in negotiating with Magical Girls, like Kyoko.
"Now, do you have anymore questions, my dear guest?" he asked.
Homura shook her head. In any case, I will decide what to do with them in the future.
"Then, I will bid you adieu."
It was just a week and a few days since Sayaka made her contract, during this time she helped out Mami deal with Witches, healed Kyosuke's body, and did a lot more Magical Girl business.
She, so far, was really enjoying everything they did, with how they helped so many people, and fought back against the evil Witches.
But one day as they entered Mami's home, they soon discovered something quite shocking.
"There seems to be a group of Shadow users who decided to make Mitakihara their base of operations," reported Kyubey.
Sayaka clenched her fists as she stared at Kyubey. "You mean there are evil people in Mitakihara who forged contracts with those monsters?"
"Indeed, I just discovered it 2 hours ago, and yes it seems like there are people who forged contracts with their Shadows in Mitakihara."
Mami sent a concerned look towards Madoka and Sayaka before she turned towards Kyubey. "Just how strong are we talking about, Kyubey, could they be able to defeat me and Sayaka?"
Kyubey seemed to ponder for a moment. "Yes, they would most likely be able to defeat you and Miki Sayaka. If Kaname Madoka were to make a contract, then the odds would flip in your favor."
Mami looked at the girl in question, who shifted awkwardly. "In that case, I'll have contact a certain someone."
Kyubey shot a look at her, but he didn't say anything.
Sayaka in turn shot a concerned look towards Mami. "Who is this 'certain someone'?"
Mami wore a pained expression on her face. "It's someone I was once friends with, a veteran magical who's more than powerful enough to help us.
"But before we get to that, Kyubey would you able to tell us more about these Shadow users?"
Kyubey tilted his head. "I can, yes. These Shadow users, once they forged a contract with their Shadowsnthey can summon their Shadows in worlds close to Shadow worlds, like the labyrinths, this does mean that they are most of the time not capable of wielding outside labyrinths.
"Furthermore, if a Magical Girl were to make a contract with her Shadow, then she'll be no longer have to honor her contract with me."
"That sounds awful, so those who forge a contract with the Shadow can just break their contract with you?" asked Sayaka in a serious voice.
"Correct," replied Kyubey, "thankfully very few Magical Girls do that."
"I'd hope so, I mean what Magical Girl would want to forge a contract with monsters like Shadows after fighting Witches," muttered Sayaka in a low voice.
"In any case, dealing with these Shadow users should be quite easy if the person Mami is thinking agrees to come back," said Kyubey as it stretched.
Madoka was not expecting Mami's once friend to be so...delinquenty...
Kyoko Sakura was definitely different from Mami, but she wasn't as bad as one would assume.
She was fun to be around, even if Madoka didn't like Kyoko's nickname for her or how she and Sayaka always got into arguments over the smallest of things.
Nevertheless, after some point their arguments started to become less heated and they started to spend more and more time together.
Madoka was happy that they were starting to get along and hoped that helped with whatever was going on in between her and Mami.
She did not miss that there was some tension there, most likely the one that Mami referenced, but she hoped that with the two of them working they might be able to overcome it.
In any event, three of them should now be able defeat these evil Shadow user, Witches, and the normal Shadows.
And hopefully, she'll be able to think up a wish, so that she could join them. She doesn't want to waste her one chance on a wish she'll regret.
"Madoka," called out a voice from behind her, she turned around to see Mami behind her. "Is everything alright, you seemed to be deep in thought."
Madoka giggled a little. "I was just thinking about what I could wish for."
Mami smiled at her. "Sayaka and Kyoko sensed a labyrinth nearby, would you like to come with us today?"
Madoka nodded eagerly.
Being invited along into a Witch's labyrinth got progressively more rare for her, mostly due to Kyoko who said that she shouldn't come along into a labyrinth if she isn't a Magical Girl.
Despite Sayaka's quick rebuttal of that, Madoka had to agree with her. By being there she, ultimately, was placing herself in danger and distracting her friends' attention from the Witch.
Mami almost couldn't believe how well things have been going recently for her. First, she now has a new student in the form of Sayaka. Second, Kyoko agreed to come back after she told her about these Shadow Users. And third, she now has actual friends, perhaps Kyoko would even agree to come back after they deal with the Shadow Users.
She, herself, was still not quite sure how to deal with them,
Mami along with the two other magical girls and Madoka stared at the group who cleared out that particular labyrinth.
"Naoki..." muttered Madoka as gazed at her cousin with a few tears in her eyes.
Sayaka went to comfort her, she also couldn't quite believe that Naoki was affiliated with these Shadow users.
Mami was tempted to do the same, however, she needed to keep a close eye on them, in case they notice the Magical Girls and decide to attack them.
Thankfully, nothing of that nature happened, but she, nonetheless, kept up a constant vigilance.
Kyoko was snacking on some chips as she turned to Mami. "So, besides pinkie's cousin, is there anyone else you know in that group?"
Mami looked down once more and pointed at long black haired girl. "She's a Magical Girl."
Kyoko turned her attention to Kyubey. "Hey, you said that magical girls who signed a contract with Shadows have no need to hunt Witches, right? So, what's she doing?
"And by the way, I thought you could sense these Shadow User, so how did you not notice Pinkie's cousin?"
Kyubey stretched out as he anwsered, "I wasn't certain for a long time, but now I know that she had made a contract with her Shadow. As for fighting Witches, yes, she need not do that anymore, however it seems like she decided to still do it. As for how I have not noticed it before that, too, is a mystery to me..."
"Alright that's that, and what about the pretty boy leader? He was also wearing you school's uniform, does anyone know him?" Kyoko asked in a bored voice as she turned to the others.
"He's a classmate of mine, and he's also the student council president. His name is Amada Ken," this came from Mami.
Kyoko whistled mockingly to that. "So, pretty boy is popular, huh?"
Mami regarded the group critically. "Amada-san seems to be the most powerful of the group, if I had to guess, I would assume that he had made a contract with his Shadow before the others."
"That is most likely correct, I also felt that Amada Ken uses some sort of other Shadow summoning process than the others in his group do," stated Kyubey as he walked up to the group.
Sayaka's attention then turned towards the south side of the city. "I sense a witch over there. I suggest that we go over there and deal with it, so that we have enough grief seeds for when we confront these Shadow users."
Madoka looked down on the ground. She clearly didn't want her friends and family to fight each other, and to hurt each other.
The red haired girl grinned. "Heh...I can't believe I am saying this, but Blueberry here is right for once, we should stock up on 'em."
Sayaka squaked in indignation. "What do you mean 'right for once'!"
They soon started to bicker again, and Mami let out an exacerbated sigh.
Then they went to deal with the nearby Witch. And they swiftly dealt with it, they waited for the labyrinth to disappear, but nothing happened.
"I'll get the grief seed..." muttered an anxious Sayaka as she glanced warily at the still not disappearing labyrinth.
Before Sayaka could even go there, a laughter rang out from where the grief seed landed. And the figure of a familiar pink haired boy appeared there.
"Minato...?" muttered a confused Sayaka as she and Madoka stared at him with wide eyes.
Minato didn't even turn to them and merely regarded the grief seed in his arm with some curiosity.
"Minato...what are you... doing here?" asked Madoka from behind her with a confused voice.
"Hahaha..." he laughed aloud at her question. "I wanted to see you 'Magical Girls' personally, and I have to say that I'm not impressed..."
Sayaka got angry at his words and shouted, "And what were you expecting?"
He turned towards and regarded her with a look of contempt. "I was expecting something more grand, I mean you, humans, sold yourself for a single miracle, and I'd have expected for you all to be disappointed and cursing the world and yourself for what you got."
Kyoko let out a chuckle. "I gotta respect your guts, I didn't any of Pinkie's relations would have ever said something like that. But"—she raised he spear and rushed at him, stabbing the wall near his face—"that doesn't mean you can just spout stuff like that!"
Minato didn't even flinch from that, and Madoka let out shriek at what Kyoko did.
Kyoko, on the other hand, appeared to somewhat impressed as she took a step back from him with a grin.
Sayaka, meanwhile, clenched her fists as she glared at Minato. "Oh I get it! You're jealous of the fact that you can't be one, right?! Well tough luck, a bully like you doesn't deserve this kind of power!"
"Sayaka-chan!" shouted Madoka from the side, "Don't call Minato a bully, he's—"
Whatever she was about to say was cut of by Minato as he started to laugh loudly once again. "Ha...Even Phil's people are far more worthy of respect than you are. Not to mention that I would never be jealous of person like you, with such a little power alloted to you by deal which you clearly didn't understand."
"Phil's people?" muttered Sayaka in confusion trying to make sense of what Minato was saying.
Mami had a wary look on her face as she intterupted them, "And what exactly are you planning to do with that Grief Seed, Kaname-kun?"
"Hmm..." he trailed off as he threw a glance at it before moving it up to his mouth and then he threw the Grief Seed into it and began to chew it.
Mami had a horrified expression on her face, and Sayaka's was also similar. Even Kyoko had shocked expression at what he did.
It seemed like Kyubey was also somewhat alarmed by this as he made his way over to Minato and communicated to him, "That's not good. If you swallow that, it would cause you to die."
As soon as Madoka heard that she rushed up to Minato. "Minato spit it out—"
But before she could even reach him, he swallowed it. They stared at him in horror and then a black fog erupted around him which quickly vanished.
And once it did, they could see Minato still standing with a bored look on his face.
Kyubey was the first to approach him. "Kaname Minato...how are you..."
However, he was unable to finish his sentence as Madoka ran up to Minato and embraced him in a tight hug.
Minato during the whole hug wore an irritated look on his face. "Who did you think the one was who was maintaining this labyrinth after witch's death?"
"That's not possible...unless..." Kyubey muttered while he gazed at Minato.
The boy smiled back at him and asked rhetorically, "Unless what?"
"I figured it out, you're not real."
Minato let out a small hum at that as an arrogant smirk appeared on his face; he motioned for Kyubey to continue.
"A person by the name of Kaname Minato has never existed. You're merely a Shadow who took this form."
Madoka eyes widened as she took a step back. "No! That can't be! Minato was always...Minato was..." she tried to search through her memories for Minato, however, no matter how hard she tried the earliest memories of Minato she had was the day Naoki arrived.
She took a step back as Minato's grin changed into a smirk. Mami and Sayaka stepped protectively infront of her.
The "boy" glanced back at Kyubey. "Heh, you're right in some things; however,"—a tentacle erupted from his shoulder and quickly crushed Kyubey—"I am no mere Shadow!"
"Kyubey!" the girls shouted; Mami quickly summoned a musket, and she fired at Minato.
The shot hit him right where his heart is supposed to be, but he didn't even flinch back. He started to laugh mockingly, "Heh, truly pathetic, unfortunately, or rather, fortunately for you all, that little rat will no longer be able to interfere as he's dead, I also have some business that I need to take care of with these Persona users. So, I'll just leave you to your grief, perhaps you will even uncover the truth that way."
The "boy" started to turn into black butterflies; these butterflies, too, disappeared soon after they appeared. The labyrinth followed it; completely disappearing as well.
Mami stared at the place where Kyubey once stood in shock. Kyubey was always by her side even when no one else was.
She felt tears gather in her eyes as tried to process everything, suddenly a hand reached out onto her shoulder.
"Hey, Mami is everything okay?" asked Kyoko in a...worried tone?
Kyoko is worried about me? she suddenly felt better enough to put on a steadfast face for Sayaka and Madoka and told them that they should talk about this all in her apartment.
Kyoko Sakura looked over the others thoroughly once they returned to Mami's apartment.
Pinkie's and Sayaka's reaction was quite obvious to see. Mami's on the other was more...difficult.
It was obvious to her that Mami was trying to put up a strong front for Pinkie and Sayaka. The death of Kyubey no doubt shook her to her core, what with Kyubey being her first friend, even if Kyoko herself never trusted Kyubey after what happened with her father, his death still shocked her.
And now they'll have to deal with these Shadow users and this Minato Shadow. She should just leave now, she wasn't even sure why she agreed to even come here—maybe the fact that Mami had asked for her to come back—but now that Kyubey is dead she felt like she could not just leave her alone (again).
Sayaka asked Mami somethings, which Kyoko wasn't really paying much attention to.
She waited for Pinkie and Sayaka to leave. And then she confronted Mami. "You can drop the act now that they are gone."
"I am not sure what you're saying, Kyoko," he lips trembled as she got that out.
"Right, right..." Kyoko muttered, "listen, I am not saying that you should drop the mask infront of Pinkie and her friend, I know that you'll never agree to that, but you don't have to keep that mask on when we both know that it's just a mask."
"My, my...it almost sounds like you're trying to comfort me, Kyoko, I thought that the only reason you agreed to come was for the food and the Grief Seeds," said Mami.
Kyoko frowned and then threw a glare at her. "You're not changing the subject," she shifted around awkwardly. This is going to be so embarrassing, "Just listen, I know that you cared quite a bit about him, so...if you need someone to talk to...then I am here..."
Kyoko quickly looked away. Why did I say that, this just made everything more awkward, guh...
Then she heard a noise coming from Mami, so she turned to look at her.
There were tears in her eyes as she tried to hold them back.
Kyoko's body reacted without she could think and took a step towards Mami. And Mami in turned took a step towards her and embraced her in a hug.
Kyoko's immediate thoughts were to push her away, but her body didn't react to them. Instead she hugged Mami closer to her as she cried into her shoulder.
They stood there for around 5 minutes till Mami stopped crying, and then they she started to wiggle out of the hug, which Kyoko reluctantly let her.
Her eyes were puffy and she looked really vulnerable at this moment, they stood there for a few awkward seconds in silence until Mami finally spoke up, "I would appreciate if you didn't tell this to Sayaka, and Madoka..."
Kyoko shook her head. "Yeah, no problem, you gotta look cool infront of Pinkie and Sayaka."
A small smile appeared on Mami's face. "I appreciate that...and thank you, Kyoko, I would like to prepare some tea and cake for you..."
"You really don't have to—but who am I to decline," Kyoko chuckled a bit.