Puella Magi Momo Magica

[Shinobu Oshino]

The dreams would sound crazy if I talked about them. But, if I don't say anything, how will anyone understand? "Lately, I've been having dreams. There's other 'me's. They're in pain. I don't know how, or why, but it all seems real."

"Other 'you's?" Noa-senpai furrows a brow, taking a sip of her tea. "Is it like those dreams where people are flying through the sky?"

"... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," I say, closing my eyes. I don't know why I thought talking about this was a good idea. They might start thinking I'm crazy. If they do, I don't think they would be wrong.

"Have you talked to Mami?" Yuu-senpai interjects, placing a hand on the table. "That doesn't seem like a normal 'dream', that seems like something is wrong," he eyes Noa-senpai with contempt.

Noa-senpai blushes, eying the door to avert her eyes. "W-well," she laughs. "I'm not too experienced with this kind of… thing, so I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I sigh. "It's not easy to talk about. I haven't said anything to Mami-onee-chan yet." I talked to Mami-onee-chan about that other dream with witches, but she assured me that there was nothing to worry about. I can't blame her, she doesn't know, but I know what happened then… that was real. Onee-chan transforming into a witch was real. I don't want to know what happened afterward, but deep down, I know.

I know what happened.

Everyone died.

But… why am I still alive?

I grasp at my neck. It gets harder to breathe. Sweat drips down my cheeks.

"Momo?" Yuu-senpai moves forward, helping me stay seated upright. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing! I'm… perfectly…"

Fine.
The world goes dark.

…

… …

… … …
_______________________
Place of Dreams, Starcrossed Place


Waves crash onto the shore. They lull me to sleep, but I already dream. My eyes are closed, but I can see the gray ocean. This is my nightmare, yet I'm not scared. What is this? What happened to me?

Footsteps crunch sand underfoot.

I turn back, expecting to see another 'me'... but it's Madoka-san. Her hair is longer, and her eyes are gold. "Madoka-san?"

"Huh?" she smiles faintly, with her hands in her pockets. "No," she shakes her head. "No one's called me that before. Well, Kaname-san, yeah, but… not that."

"Oh," I nod my head in apology. "I'm sorry. You look alike."

"No big deal," she waves a hand. "So what brings you here?" the girl takes a seat beside me, looking out at the shattered horizon.

"I don't know," I eye the sand falling through my fingers. "I dream about this place a lot."

"I did too," she says, scratching the top of her head. "A lot. It became a home away from home for me. You get used to the drab look."

"I don't want to," I hug my legs close to my chest. "It's scary. It hurts."

"It's not easy," she places a hand on my shoulder. "But you're strong. Really strong."

I don't respond.

"You're kind, you have the strength of heart. You can save those two for sure."

"Those two?" I perk up.

"You know who I'm talking about. I don't need to mention names," the girl shrugs, straightening her white blouse.

"... But what about Madoka-san, Sayaka-san? Are they in danger?"

"That justice freak?" the stranger pales. "I'd keep far away from her if you can help it."

"Why?"

"She gets her way, everyone suffers for it," she grimaces, looking up to the sky to hide her disgust.

"... I want to help," I don't bother pressing her. I set my head between my knees, staring at the lifeless beach. "But it's hard. There's nothing I can do."

"There's a lot you can do. Speaking from the heart is one of them. Who else do you know can do that?"

I don't have an answer.

"Everyone has their skeletons in the closet. A lot of things they want to hide from others," she kicks up from the ground, stretching her arms into the air. "Mami, Kyouko, … Akemi Homura," at that name, she frowns. "... Stubborn girl," she mumbles under her breath.

"Who's Akemi Homura?" I haven't heard that name before. Is it someone important?

"Someone who doesn't know their limits," the girl groans, pulling on her pink hair. I stand up, placing a hand on her wrist to get her to stop. "A source of a whole lot of stress for every party involved. Someone who doesn't listen, who won't communicate… well, not like people aren't all guilty of that, but I'll keep being mad because I want to be."

[_] "Who are you?"
[_] "What do I do about Homura-san?"
[_] "What is this place?"
[_] Custom

 

[Shinobu Oshino]

"Who are you?"

The words came out. I placed a hand over my mouth to stop myself. I didn't want to be impolite - but the girl just smiled at the question.

"Who am I? Hm, I never had a proper name," the girl leaned back, looking up at the rolling gray sky. "But… I was called Faust once."

"Faust…-san?" I blink, shaking my head. "That's a strange name…" I mumble, realizing that might be an insult. "No, I don't mean it like that. I'm sorry."

"It is strange, especially in a place like that."

"But…" I reach a hand up. There was something about her eyes. They were gold, they were pretty, but… there was something about them. I couldn't place it. It was like she wanted to cry, but no tears fell. "... What do I do? About Homura-san, I mean?"

"There's nothing to do," Faust-san sighs in resignation. "I never found the right answer."

Answer? Questions with more questions. My head spins trying to wrap around this. There are other Momo's, I know, but there was more to this than what I've been seeing. I hug my legs closer for warmth. "This seems complicated."

"Life always is, even when you're a kid. You just never know it until you look back," Faust-san laughs, laying back on the beach, her eyes closed. Her arms reach out to the sides and her legs toward the ocean.

"That's not what I mean."

"I know."

"What did you do, Faust-san?"

"You can drop the…" she shakes her head. "No, never mind," she sits upright. "What did I do? Hm, I could talk about all the mistakes I've made, but we would be here forever."

"What did you do?" I'm curious. I want to move the conversation forward.

"Straight to the point?" Faust chuckles, picking up some sand to toss out into the sea. "Homura was someone who never wanted help. Deep down, she wanted an answer to why things were the way they are. Why does this keep happening? Why can't I do anything? Stuff like that."

I slowly nod.

"Her dream was to live with Madoka in a world where she could be happy. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she suffered, it never came," Faust chokes, gripping her throat. "... And then, one day, something changed. She went back, but the world was different, almost dream-like."

"Dream-like? What do you mean?"

"Some things didn't make sense. Nothing was how it was supposed to be. Madoka acted differently, but things seemed fine. She didn't mind as long as she could make a difference," Faust-san drew in the sand with her finger, going around in circles. Repeating the same motion over and over.

"She finally did it. Homura succeeded - she beat Walpurgisnacht. Everything seemed all well and good. But what came after?"

I remained silent. I took in everything Faust-san said, trying to think if I could make some sort of difference.

"She didn't know the answer. At around that time, I managed to manifest myself using Madoka's image. I was ready to keep helping, to do what I could to make everyone happy," Faust-san slashed a cross through the circle she spent the last few seconds drawing. "But it never ends like that. You make mistakes. I was never really a 'person', I was more like an animal. I began losing my memories as time went on. I was scared. I didn't want to lose the happy heaven that I've been living in."

"That doesn't seem like heaven," I look to the horizon. "If you're not really happy, if you're still in pain, how can that be heaven?"

"It was heaven for me. I had a place to belong, but it was Homura's expense. The world the two of us were in… it wasn't real. It wasn't her home. It was a mistake… that I tried to correct. Everything started falling apart. Eventually, my memories faded, and I transformed into a monster."

"You turned into a Witch?" I gasp.

She solemnly nods. "Yeah. Madoka did what she could to stop me without making a contract, but… she died. The link we had was enough for me to undo the mistake, to kill myself. The witch was killed, the world fell apart. The two of us separated. I thought it was over," her hands shook. The pain of the past riddled her body with sweat. "It wasn't. More mistakes followed. I tried to give Homura the happy life she wanted, even if it was a dream. It broke down, too, into a shattered mess. Months turned into years, years turned into decades. It's all one big blur… but we finally managed to end the dream. She finally returned home."

"Returned home? So does that mean...?"

"You're not a dream. I don't think so, at least?" she furrows her brow, unsure. I feel doubt creeping up from inside. "It's not worth worrying about," Faust-san waves a dismissive hand. "If you're you, you're you. That's all you need. Just don't screw up."

[_] "Should I help Homura-san? If there's something I can do, I'll do it."
[_] "I don't know how to take this. It's a lot to swallow… I'm sorry."
[_] "I won't give up. No matter what happens."
[_] Custom

 

[Shinobu Oshino]

"Should I help Homura-san? If there's something I can do, I'll do it," I say, standing up while looking down at Faust-san. She peers out at the ocean, hiding a smirk.

"That girl can't even help herself. She's hopeless."

"Hopeless?" I blink. "I don't… believe that. There's always a reason to hope."

"A reason to hope?" Faust-san snorts, stifling a chuckle. "Yeah. Guess there is. Maybe someday you'll get that happy ending. Better girls have been crushed by their dreams," Faust-san reaches down to pick up a hand full of gray sand. It trickles between the gaps of her fingers like water. "That's how the world wor--... how it's always worked, really," a regretful sigh.

"Um… I…" I hesitate.

I look down, then at Faust-san.

"I can… carry that burden?" The words come to me. I don't know her, yet I can feel her pain. "I can do it. Just let me."

"It's a long road."

"I can do it."

"Really?" Faust-san laughs again, shaking her head. "No, it's … mine. You have your own problems, remember? People who care about you."

"... But is there nothing I can do?"

"You've done enough. Actually, I think I have a journey of my own ahead of me."

"A journey? Are you… leaving?"

"I've been here long enough," Faust-san walked forward, wading into the waters of this strange realm. "You have your own life. Even if it's hard, I'm sure you'll pull through. Now get going."

"Get going?"

"It's time to wake up," Faust-san vanishes.

The world melds into gray.
Everything distorts.
I'm falling. Falling deeper into the dark.
______________________________________________

Rain falls. It drenches my clothes, my hair, all the way down to my fingertips. It's humid, hot, it has to be summer. Where am I? I'm not in the Mitakihara or Kasamino. I blacked out when they visited. I thought the dream was ending.

"Who... are you?"

A dull, lifeless voice. Droning in pain. No, I recognize that voice. I slowly turn around. "You're… Miki-san?"

There's no light in her eyes. They're worn out, hollow, black rings around them. A white cape torn to pieces, ripped at the hem. Her hair falls down to her waist, knatted, unkempt. What was this nightmare? Who is she? Where am I? Or rather, no, it's… when am I?

"M-my name is Momo Sakura," my hands shake as I clench my chest.

Thunder rolls. Lightning flashes. I hold my ears.

"Sakura?" Miki-san looks up at the sky. The drops wash down her face. "Ah. You must know Kyouko," she reaches into her cloak.

She brandishes a tarnished, black ribbon… dye red at the edges.

"This is yours."

"What?" I reach out. My hands shake. I can hardly stand. "This is … Onee-chan's. What happened? Where did you get this?"

"She put up a fight," Miki-san says with a longing smile. "But it wasn't enough."

Enough? What wasn't enough?

Thunder cracks.

"Put up a fight?"

She killed Onee-chan? This was a nightmare. This had to be a nightmare.


[_] Confront Miki-san.
[_] Run. Run fast.
[_] Wake up from this nightmare. Wake up.
[_] Custom

 

[Shinobu Oshino]

"Why?" I grasp the ribbon close to my heart. "What did she do? Why did you do this to Onee-chan?"

"Onee-chan?" Miki-san relents, her gaze wandering up to the sky. "Ah, that's right," a smile pushes her lips apart. "You're Momo, aren't you? Her sister. That's… right," Miki-san approaches me. I take a step back. "It makes sense. Yes…"

The water at Miki-san's bubbles. A hilt protrudes from the wetted cement, flying up into Miki-san's hand.

Is she going to kill me too?

She seemed so friendly with Madoka-san. How could this have happened? She looks older, so this has to be in the future. This is a world that shouldn't exist. That doesn't exist.

Miki-san holds the sword out to me hilt first.

What?

"What is this, Miki-san?" my hands tremble.

"Please."

Please? No, she wants me to …

I grab the sword.

I look at my hands. They've grown. No, I'm taller. I look down. My hair is past my shoulder - wrapped up in braids.

I exist here.

This is another me.

Just like before, this is another me.

The Miki-san of this world wants me to kill her. I don't know why, but her sullen face. Her empty eyes. They're pleas for help. Even if she killed Onee-chan, this isn't right. There has to be more to it than this.

"No," I shake my head, giving the saber back to Miki-san. "This is yours. I… don't know what kind of path you walked, but this still isn't right."

I don't know how Onee-chan lived in this world.

I have no right to judge her.

"If… you did do it, there must have been a reason," I grit my teeth. Part of me doesn't want to face the truth, or if this even is the truth. There is so much that I don't know. So much that I want to know. These nightmares continue to plague me, but this is the first time I've truly 'lived' it. What did this Momo feel when she came here? Why was she searching for Miki-san?

The rain relents as the sun shines through the parting clouds. I hug the ribbon close. Whatever choices Onee-chan made, whatever choices Miki-san- there must have been a reason. Even if it was hard, there had to be… a reason for Onee-chan to leave, for this to happen.

I rub my eyes to stop the tears. "Miki-san," I take in a deep breath, calming myself. "Why did… you do this?"

Miki-san stands still, the rain pelting her sullen form. Her long, blue hair forms a veil over her face. "She said everyone was sad. They missed me… but I wanted to keep walking," she lets out a hollow laugh. "There's nothing in this world that makes any sense. Losing your friend to a wish, a selfless sacrifice paid back in full by complete oblivion," she grinned, throwing her hands out. "If I can shoulder that burden, then… that's all there is to it. I'll live my life."

"You're… saving others?"

"I'll make a world without wishes," Miki-san shakes her head. "Even if it means dirtying my hands. But… it's unforgivable, yeah. Of course it is," she shook her head. "But if I don't, no one will."

If this is for everyone, why is she still suffering? Why is Onee-chan gone? Why are there worlds where this keeps happening?

I clench my head.

It just wasn't right.

I had to--

The world distorts.

Everything turns black.

"Miki-san…" I reach out. I had more questions. I had to--
______________________________________
"Momo-chan?"

I gasp. I'm… not on the bridge anymore. I'm back home in Mami-onee-chan's apartment.

"Momo-chan, are you okay?"

I slowly meet Noa-senpai's gaze. "N-no, I'm not."

Why did I say that? It's the truth, yes, but it will just make them worry.

"Noa-senpai, Yuu-senpai, I think I need to get some sleep. I'm sorry."

Yuu-senpai nods, taking Noa-senpai's hand. "Get well soon, Momo."

She looks at me with a frown before walking out with Yuu-senpai. "I'm sorry."

The door shuts.

I wait until the two of them leave.

I grip my head and sit down on the floor.

What do I do?

There has to be something I can do.


[_] Try to find Homura.
[_] Call Mami-onee-chan.
[_] Try to sleep through the nightmares.
[_] Custom

 

[Shinobu Oshino]

I have to find Homura. I'm not sure where I would start, but if I'm going to get anywhere - I have to find her. But without a lead, there's nowhere for me to look. Maybe Mami-onee-chan knows something?

She's still at school, so I wouldn't be able to contact her.

The clock dings.

It's the afternoon, so Mami-onee-chan wouldn't be home for another few hours.

I sit on the couch and lean back, staring up at the ceiling. Think, Momo. Think. What can you do? If this Homura is a student, she would probably attend school with Mami-onee-chan, right? But I don't know what year should be in… Would I just have to wait? I could go asking questions, but… that won't get me anything but strange looks.


[_] Go to Mitakihara Middle School.
[_] Put this off, try to find Kyouko again.
[_] Text Mami-onee-chan and wait.
[_] Custom

 

[Shinobu Oshino]

I have to talk to Homura. If there's any answers to be found about Faust-san, then she's the person to talk to. If she's a student at Mitakihara Middle School, then the first place to look would be there. Though the hard part is going to actually be getting into the school grounds, because I'm not wearing a uniform. Mami-onee-chan would have a spare, I think, but it would probably be too big.

Hmm, I'll go anyway. I've been wanting to get a good look a the school anyway if I'm going to be attending next year. That's the goal, anyway. Granny just has to sign the papers when I enroll.

Just thinking about is making me smile. I run over to the door grab my shoes, tying them as fast as I can as I step out the door. I run down stairs as I hear a loud, obnoxious strumming coming from the street below. It sounds like the strings are screaming in pain. I grin and bear it, exiting the doubled-doors.

As soon as I step outside--

"MY NUMBAH ONE FANG!"

I place my hands to my ears. There's no mic to amplify her scream, if there was -- my ears would certainly be bleeding.

"HOW AH YOU TODAY?" Koharu-san screams at the top of her lungs. "ARE YOU GOOD? TODAY? YES?"

What happened to her English? Was she going to school at all? I slap my cheeks, take in a deep breath, and reorient myself. "H-hello, Koharu-san. How are you doing today?"

"FINE, THANK YOU?"

"I apologize, but I'm in a hurr--"

"WANT REQUEST?"

"No," I bow to her. I don't want to refuse her outright, but I really have other things I should be doing at the moment. I drop a few coins into her open guitar case, and run down the sidewalk. "I will listen next time!" I wave profusely as I round the corner.

____________________________________

I run as fast as I can. My lungs burn. My legs ache, but I keep running. I didn't think the school was this far away from the apartment. Keep running, Momo, keep running! "Huff," I heave, fighting the haggard breathing. I lean against a fence, gripping the slits to support myself. "Okay, keep going," I pull my hands free and place them on my head.

I take in deep breaths as I slow my pace.

Eventually I make it to the school gate.

This isn't the first time I've seen it, but it's still unbelievable. A school so large and vast, it looks like the churches in the books Mami-onee-chan gave me to study. How many floors is it? What does the inside look like? I haven't had a chance to even go inside. I wonder what it'll be like when I go.

The thought made me smile.

"Alright, time to--"

"Momo, what are you doing?"

I jump.

"Ah!" I turn around. "Onee-chan?"

"Yeah, what's up?" she walks over, pulling out a chocolate bar. "Here."

"T-thank you," I take the wrapping off. "What are … you doing here?"

"Hangin' around," Onee-chan says, placing her hands behind her head. "You look worried. Somethin' bothering you?"

"No," I take a big bite.

"You're not a very good liar."

"I'm… not."

"So what's up?"

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," I shrink away, hugging the candy bar close to my chest.

"Huh?"

I don't want to tell her about the visions, my dreams, the other 'me's. She would think I'm crazy, because the story is crazy. I'm not a magical girl, yet I'm still having these problems. It… probably isn't the same for them.

"It's not a big deal, really, it's … my problem, Onee-chan," I close my eyes. Part of me wanted her to walk away, but another part wanted to embrace her. I know that wouldn't be enough, but… I wanted to talk to someone. I really did.

"Your problem is my problem, Momo. That's what family is for," instead she ruffles my hair.

What did I do? What should I do?

[_] Tell Kyouko everything.
[_] No, avoid this. Continue on with trying to find Homura.
[_] Custom