Return to my Hometown - A Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Puella Magi Madoka Magica Fanfic

[Repentant_Dragos]

Return to my Hometown - A Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Puella Magi Madoka Magica Fanfic

Prologue - The Interloper

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha or Puella Magi Madoka Magica, nor the appearances of people from Ensemble Stars.

Author's Note: The pairings are Male OC/Kyosuke Kamijou (which may be replaced by Male OC/Male OC depending on story decisions) and Madoka/Homura, plus Kyouko/Sayaka and Mami Tomoe… I don't know who to pair with her yet.

The Returner's PoV

Mitakihara City shone brightly in the sun, the concrete and steel buildings mixing well with the abundance of greenery to create the finest fusion of nature and civilization on this side of Midchilda.

The last time I was here was at ten years of age; four years had passed since then. This was my hometown.

My superiors were skeptical about Earth having Magic except for a few exceptional individuals with immense potential (now out fighting a foe called the Hucklebein except for me, and none of them were from Mitakihara). But I know what I heard and saw when I was ten, before my recruitment into the Time-Space Administration Bureau.

"I wish my baby brother could escape this place! My wish is that he could go somewhere with real parents who would love and care for him!"

I still remember her voice, even though her face was blurred.

"She's probably dead, you know?" my Guardian Beast/Familiar - For those in the know, it's an animal soul put into an artificial, humanoid magical body who then becomes sapient and shares my magical energy and spells - said as he drove the car towards its intended destination. "Are you sure what happened to her even has to do with the increasing number of anomalies from this area?"

I glanced at him, double-checking that any trace of owl feathers was gone from his blond hair; he needed to look like a twenty-year-old human male. Then I responded, "Trust my instincts, Cody; I was born here. I even spent one or two stays in our destination; the nurses were kind to me."

The blond-haired, blue-eyed form of the Familiar shrugged in his business suit as he said, "Roger. Fair warning, though; I prefer transport duties over combat, so I'll focus on that. Now, we're about to reach our destination…"

The destination is Mitakihara General Hospital, where I finally received permission from an old friend to talk music with him after months of online chatting and attempts to convince him that, yes, I am the real deal—the poor redheaded kid who was bullied at school when we were young.

Now, where are my manners? My name is Ren, Hirose Ren. I have red hair, and blue eyes, and only my height and the set of my cheekbones and nose hint at my Japanese heritage.

I straightened the collar of my short-sleeved jacket, which blended well with the white cotton shirt, tan jeans, and shiny Nikes that indicated my current wealth and status - Essential in a country such as Japan.

I fully intended to heal my friend's hands; old debts have to be repaid. If I can get away with it, I'll throw in a few cancer cures for the other patients, damn the questions raised.

Kyosuke Kamijou, music prodigy. Kyosuke Kamijou, who didn't have to stand up for me that day. Kyosuke Kamijou, who may be in the line of fire if the temporal anomalies I was ordered to investigate by my superiors, temporal anomalies that might be connected to whatever gave my sister's wish power, proved to be dangerous.

The car was about to stop in the hospital parking lot and I needed to get out; I needed to meet him.

Even if he thinks nothing of what he did for me. Even if he has no clue about what happened to my sister.

Debts had to be repaid.

------

My social skills are crap.

If not for my researching known violins and violinists beforehand, both historical and modern, I would be out of the hospital room and told to never come back, such as how I screw up talking to people in general without a pre-memorized script.

Or I could just be overthinking, who knows?

"Are you nervous, Hirose-kun?" Kyosuke was looking at me somewhat skeptically as I sat beside his hospital bed, his prematurely gray hair - Unusual in a fourteen-year-old - matching his gray eyes and smooth skin. "You give off a certain… vibe."

I was cold-sweating now, "I… Is it a bad feeling?"

It was a relief when his answer was, "No. It's not something I'm used to, but it's… fine. Warm. So, why did you come back to Mitakihara Town? Is it just to see me? We barely know each other now."

He then continued, ominously, "I don't know what happened to Rika, either. The last thing I remember about your sister was Social Services taking her…"

Well, that was a lead. A real lead. I then told Kyosuke, "I listened to your early performances, you know. Part of my heart will always be in Mitakihara Town and Rika… She was a fan of yours."

Kyosuke nodded, remembering those early days.

He said, "I'm getting a medical check-up later this week; the doctors will tell me whether I can play the violin again, or…"

"What do you plan to do if your hands miraculously recover?" I asked him, fully intending to make sure his hands got a miraculous healing whether my superiors in the TSAB approved of it or not.

The flow of our conversation was easier - not harmonious, but easier - after that.

I am going to sneak in later. Once he is healed, I'll mix in a few cures for cancer patients and the terminally ill.

The last minute of my visiting hours ran out; I had to go. As I stepped out of the hospital entrance, a lift in my step…

"Hirose-kun… Is that you?"

Wavy, olive-colored hair that mixed well with bright green eyes, dressed in a Mitakihara Middle School Uniform. I remember this rich kid; she was also kind to me.

"Hitomi - I mean, Shizuki-san…" I needed to remember honorifics! "Yes, yes it is. I'm happy to meet you again."

I smiled at her, suddenly more confident now that I was rich too, not just because of my adoptive parents, but because as an officer of the Time-Space Administration Bureau (who justified their use of child soldiers by saying that their magic allows for nonlethal KOs 100% of the time), I got a generous salary that I used to make myself look as good as possible.

So I could be worthy of her. Also of him, if it ever turned out he wasn't only into girls. More to him than her, I had to admit in the depths of my heart, but then again, there was also Lucas...

Hitomi didn't notice my thoughts as she said, "Hirose-kun! We have to catch up! What have you been doing this whole time? Last we heard of you, you got adopted by an American couple! Did they treat you well?"

My smile grew as I replied, "More than well; I'm very happy."

I have had four years of new parents who were badass Magi and Scientists who love me.

That must have made me unrecognizable from the crying bullied kid Kyosuke and Hitomi hung around with back when we were in elementary, right?

And by unrecognizable, I meant that in a good way.

"We have to catch up on the last four years!" Hitomi was now saying, "School's over, so I know a cafe -"

"Sure!" I responded. "Can I pay? I have an allowance now, I mean…"

Hitomi blushed furiously at that, and as the sun shone down on her face, I could almost forget my troubles.

------

The parfaits were as good as anything in Cranagan City's restaurants, and I mean that as a high compliment. Hitomi and I made small talk about the weather; I had a pre-memorized script for that. Nevertheless, there was something I had to know.

"What exactly happened to Rika? Kyosuke-kun said she was taken away by Social Services. Was it because of -?"

My Birth Mother worked in a certain profession best not mentioned. I and Rika were born to one of her repeat clients who had enough guilt to pay her to keep us alive and fed.

"I… Hirose-kun… Do you want to know?"

I nodded, already fearing the worst.

"Your sister… They said she killed her. That she killed yours' and her birth mother. Then she ran away from the Social Services building and back to the apartment they lived in; there was a fire right after."

My eyebrows rose in shock, but not disbelief. I knew this was in character from Rika; once she had saved me, nothing could stop her from killing… Birth Mom.

I nodded and ate another spoonful of ice cream, suddenly realizing that Hitomi, sweet and sad and soft that she is, had put herself through the wringer to even speak of such a subject; taboo to her and others.

Instinctively, I put my hand on top of hers, having seen such a gesture reassure others on film, and said reassuringly, "It's okay. Thank you for telling me."

Hitomi flinched, but not out of hostility; rather, she was embarrassed and anxious as she said, "I - are you going there? It might be dangerous, you know..."

I gave her my best smile to reassure her, then said with as much bravado as I could muster, "Don't worry; the only thing I'm afraid of are the demons from my past."

Woah! Did she just look at me like I was some sort of celebrity? I should have said something similar to Kyosuke! Not that seeing it from her didn't make me feel good…

Now, back to business. I needed to revisit that apartment, now a burnt-out husk. But first I needed to heal my friend and maybe a few others whom I can afford to cure.

I'll do both tonight.

------

"Be careful," my Capital-D Device said to me as I drew it out from where I stood on the hospital rooftop, "This city has a lot of temporal anomalies that can only be sensed from ground level."

Basileus, my Device, was a bright garnet gemstone with a sophisticated Magical AI developed by my adoptive parents for my time in the TSAB. Attached to a pistol that fired not primitive and taboo bullets but bolts of magical energy with optional lethality, Basileus was capable of catalyzing my transformation into a Magical Boy; one of the elite foot soldiers of the Time-Space Administration Bureau.

It also gave good advice.

"We'll investigate once I'm done with my business. Kyosuke - and a few other terminally ill patients - need curing first. Now, Basileus - Set up!"

The bright sunset colored the sky enough that most onlookers wouldn't notice the Imperial Purple light from the hospital roof. My casual clothes changed to a blue-and-white long coat, a white shirt, tan trousers, and white combat boots with blue tips.

I didn't take my time transforming; no one was looking as far as I know.

"Basileus, prepare a wide-range spell targeting field, then designate Kyosuke Kamijou plus… You know what? Set everyone in the Hospital as targets for a Healing Spell - I'll take the heat from the Admiral and the rest of the top brass."

I could feel the disapproving vibration from Basileus as it replied, "Very well, Ren Hirose; targets have been designated for a wide-range Healing Spell. Will you use my pistol form?"

Grimacing at the very idea, I said, "No need for such flourishes. Now, casting in 1…2…3!"

A mild flash of light as the Sun dimmed and the Moon rose; those hid my healing spell from incurious people who did not want to believe in Magic they could not control.

Now, I can move on to the apartment my sister wished me away from, and find out just what happened to her -

"Ren!" Basileus screeched as it covered us with an emergency shield, "Temporal Anomaly Incoming!"

And time stopped.

I was able to move because of Basileus' emergency magical shielding, which I swiftly reinforced with my own swiftly cast spells as I instinctively zig-zagged across the rooftops in the direction of my old apartment, just in time to avoid armalite shots that whizzed by behind me.

"Unknown magical signature detected!" Basileus said. "It appears to be… an unlicensed Magical Girl?!"

My eyes glinted at that as I turned around and began shooting Imperial Purple bolts of magical energy at the source of the Armalite fire. Someone was using Magic on Earth, a Non-Administered World under observation, without the TSAB's knowledge?!

"Oi!" I shouted as my eyes settled on the unlicensed Magical Girl, a black-haired, pale-skinned female in a black-and-white schoolgirl outfit who looked poised and classy enough to be a Belkan Aristocrat. "Don't you know using Magic in a world that lacks it is against the Time-Space Administration Bureau's guidelines?! And who gave you that Illegal Device?!"

"Ren," Basileus interrupted, "That unlicensed Magical Girl's gemstone is not a Device; it's a similar piece of Magitech bearing similarities to a species that the TSAB signed a nonaggression pact with during the year 35 of the New Calendar -"

I and the unknown Magical Girl pointed our guns at each other, before she asked, "And what does your Soul Gem know about the Incubators?"

Hiiro Amagi from Ensemble!Stars; Ren Hirose, my OC, looks like him but younger
​

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

I've decided to make it so that Male OC/Male OC is an option instead of Male OC/Kyosuke Kamijou, as the canon characterization for Kyosuke is... bland.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Chapter One - Taking Stock

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha or Puella Magi Madoka Magica, nor the appearances of people from Ensemble Stars. Also, the Witch, Mara the Barren, is entirely my creation.

Author's Note: The pairings of this fic are Madoka/Homura, plus Kyouko/Sayaka; all else is ambiguous, but there will be male/male romance at some point because I like writing it.

The Returner, Hirose Ren's, PoV

I and the unknown Magical Girl pointed our guns at each other, before she asked, "And what does your Soul Gem know about the Incubators?"

Basileus began playing out a pre-recording, "On the 35th year of the New Calendar, a detachment of the Time-Space Administration Bureau's Seventh Scout Fleet encountered a new species, which introduced themselves as an interstellar collective species-state called the Incubators. This species, well-versed in cosmic science and metaphysics, claimed to be contemporaries of Ancient Belka and Alhazerd, as well as many even more ancient civilizations -"

I blinked, "That explanation makes them sound benign, but with a tendency to exaggerate -"

Basileus wrestled control of the conversation back by saying, "It isn't exaggeration; the Incubators were able to provide proof of their claims, and in turn expressed curiosity about our use of Magic, which they referred to as emotional energy, while demonstrating mastery over 'Soul Manipulation', a taboo but not entirely forbidden subject in the TSAB -"

The unknown Magical Girl pointed her gun at Basileus and asked, "And what is the TSAB? Don't tell me you and your… bearer are Aliens…"

I can feel that hostility in that last word, and I felt the need to defend myself by saying, "I'm from Earth, miss. I was raised among people who evolved out of the planet but are biologically the same as Humans except that a lot more of them have blue or green hair, for four years, but I was born here, in Mitakihara City, and I went back to investigate some temporal anomalies occurring in this place."

Yes, I did see her raising her eyebrows a little in surprise, and I made sure to strengthen my Barrier Jacket just in case she shot me. I then continued after a pause.

Looking at her in the eye, I then added, "And Earth, as far as the official sources state, is a world that lacks Magic and Mages except for a few individuals like me whom the Time-Space Administration has recruited. But now you're here, and despite hating the Incubators, you have something my Device says smacks of their handiwork that allows you to be a Magical Girl."

I then raised my officer's badge; good thing I got promoted to Sergeant Major just two weeks ago, then explained:

"The TSAB was founded as an alliance of planets after the collapse of the Ancient Belkan Civilization and has part of their main duties the security and containment of dangerous Lost Logia - Mysterious Hyper-advanced Technology. The TSAB doesn't pursue territorial claims. On Unadministered Worlds we just act to find and contain magical artifacts left over from the wars of those ancient civilizations. These Logia are fully capable of destroying worlds, it's been seen before.

"I suppose you could think of the TSAB as... Space NATO? So whatever is happening here we can't interfere in planets' sovereignty, especially if they aren't aware of us. We need to know more."

The black-haired Magical Girl looked at me back, almost glaring as she absorbed the information, then nodded, before putting down her gun and gently her palm on a small metal shield strapped to her right wrist, ending the time stop.

"Now, umm, what is your name? I don't know what I should call you…" I asked and implored.

-------

The 'unlicensed' Magical Girl, Akemi Homura and I had gone to the former's apartment, where I was getting my worldview shattered into dust that was stomped on before getting scattered into the wind.

"So, the Incubators were lying - No, not lying, telling technical truths - When they said that they were a species of researchers whose line of research was good for the cosmos," I summarized as I sat across from her, gulping some hot tea from my host's teacup to calm my nerves; I can be forgiven for ignoring etiquette right now due to her revelations, right?

Then I continued, trying to ignore how I was shaking with anger, "The problem was, their research was on Earth, where I was born, and it's about harvesting my species for emotional energy, and good for the cosmos is delaying a heat death that's billions of years away."

Basileus, my capital-d Device, voiced, "If what Ms. Akemi said is true, then the TSAB needs to know that they've been tricked into agreeing to a non-aggression treaty with the Incubator species. A treaty, by the way, that ceded them vaguely defined 'observation and research points' on various Non-Administered Planets, including Earth."

Homura was looking at me bickering with Basileus, clearly not impressed by what I and my Capital-D Device told her about the Time-Space Administration Bureau. And who can blame her? After all, she had to end her magical time stop so she could ask that weasel (the Incubator, Kyubey, who took the form of a white-and-read cat-weasel hybrid with long floppy ears) if I was telling the truth.

Speaking of that vile jerkface, Kyubey was still here with us, and Basileus was magically recording his telepathic testimony and sending it to Admiral Janneth, my superior as I instructed beforehand.

It was a good and profitable treaty. The so-called Time-Space Administration Bureau had many ancient relics - Magic and hyper-advanced technology - that they could not comprehend, yet might have unleashed on us if we had made the wrong impression. As it was, we salved their egos while impressing them with the breadth of our knowledge, and thus distracted them from the ongoing harvests of emotional energy from the worlds they have put under observation.

I glared at that prick and asked, "And I presume the way the TSAB uses Magic - Emotional Energy - is grossly inefficient in your worldview?"

You are correct, said Kyubey, The TSAB, and the Ancient Belkan civilization that preceded it, were prone to using Magic for primitive purposes and objectives, such as mundane comfort and petty warfare. Even the civilization of Alhazerd, which can match our advancements in hyper-advanced technology, was in thrall to the mental illness called emotion, which in the end led to its fall.

Rage flared in my heart as I said, coldly, "My sister is one of those Witches, isn't she?"

Yes, it confirmed. Hirose Rika lasted for only a brief time, but that was enough to create a Witch of moderate strength -

I lost my temper and shot at the Incubator with Basileus' Pistol form, hitting it with three beams of purple energy.

Homura glanced at me as if I had just done something useless, and a second later, the Incubator casually got up and shrugged off my blast of energy.

Huh, a non-lethal, but painful setting for this young boy's magical device. Yet another waste of energy that could be used to combat entropy, that trickster beast continued as it said, By the way, your sister's Witch is still in the apartment her physical shell died in…

I froze in shock. I had to see her again, despite what I now know happened to her. I need to see Hirose Rika, my sister, one last time.

After that, I'm keeping her Grief Seed until further notice - From what I know now, she is still alive.

Basileus had sent the logs. I received permission to engage potential hostiles and continue my investigations until further notice. Good; now I can go...

Akemi Homura's PoV

This is an irregular loop.

From what I know, Hirose Rika was relevant in only a few timelines, where she had turned into the Witch known as Mara the Barren, a Witch who constantly sang a song of lamentation about how she had to give up what she valued most, something - or someone - dear to her.

And now, the person she gave up was asking to see her, after her past wish had whisked him off to a civilization of magical people who treated him as one of them.

On one level, such loyalty was to be admired.

On another… Hirose Ren might be throwing away his sister's sacrifices, risking heartbreak to see what she has become.

"Are you ready?" I asked him. "I do not wish to sugarcoat things, Magical Boy or not, seeing your sister in such a way is not for the faint of heart."

His response was predictable; he insisted on going.

"Do you still remember the way?" I asked him.

The boy called Ren nodded, then said, "Let's go; we're wasting time."

Indeed, it was nighttime outside, and the few stars that shone through the city lights gazed down upon us as we hid in plain sight; the two of us walked towards Hirose Ren's car in our mundane clothes - I already had my Mitakihara High School Uniform.

He introduced his driver as "This is Cody; he's my Familiar, which in the Mid-childan magic system's context means an animal soul put into a body made of my magical energy that is sapient now and shares my spells. And before you ask, no; I did not put him in a contract in exchange for his life - I am no Incubator."

This remark caused Kyubey to whisper to me telepathically, The Time-Space Administration Bureau, despite its claims of enlightenment, has not illegalized the creation and contracting of Familiars/Guardian Beasts in terms that could be more overtly exploitative than ours' are -

I glared at him in response, a silent order to shut up before I splattered his remains inside the car as it started up.

Against my will, I was starting to think that this unexpected new variable may both be a possible benefit… and a risk.

We reached the burnt-out condemned ruins of the apartment where the Hirose siblings and their mother had lived, and sure enough, I sensed the chill of a Witch's Labyrinth at the back of my neck.

Mara the Barren was seeking to lure in new victims with her music.

Basileus, the intelligent 'Device' that Hirose Ren used for his transformation, voiced aloud, disregarding anyone who might hear, "Abnormal Dimensional Subspace Detected. The means of entry require overwhelming amounts of magical energy focused on a single point -"

I held out my Soul Gem to interrupt, flipping my hair as I did, "Let me do it; I want to see how your form of Magic works against a Witch."

The Soul Gem opened the gateway to the Labyrinth without excess collateral damage, parting the folds of space like a curtain to lead the way to the wasteland of barren ash and dunes that made up Mara the Barren's personalized hell of regrets and suffering.

"Don't rush in, Magical Boy or not," I said to Hirose Ren as he drew Basileus and projected several opaque barriers of purple light that served as a privacy screen - Surprisingly thoughtful - for his Transformation Sequence. "Let me lead the way."

After transforming seamlessly into my Puella Magi form, I stepped into the wastes lit by a gray sky; Mara the Barren was a tricky Witch that fused visual boredom with a heartbreaking dirge to distract any entrants.

And as several Familiars - The ones produced by a Witch, not Cody - burst out of the sands, I and Ren moved to take down these Sandworm-like creatures.

"What the heck?!" the Magical Boy from Space (a term even I found unusual) said as his bolts of purple light caused only mild burns to the Sandworms while a submachine gun I drew from my shield perforated two of the Familiars in six seconds. "Mass-based weaponry is so primitive - Why is it wreaking more damage than my Magic?!"

I broke the news to him, "Mara is resistant to purely Magical attacks, the opposite of Walpurgisnacht's ability to endure all but the most overwhelming amounts of mundane weaponry. As it is, your damage levels are somewhat less than a Magical Girl of the same level would have inflicted on such a foe -"

"Say no more," Hirose Ren interrupted as he held out Basileus and shouted, "Basileus, Crystal Glaive Form!"

"Roger," said the capitalized Device as the pistol's stock and barrel extended into a rounded shaft, as the gemstone added new crystal planes and fractals to itself, forming a sharp blade of garnet whose edge seemed to cut the very air.

When a Sandworm that had shrugged off his earlier shots burst under him from the ashy waste, Hirose Ren lunged down with his gun-turned-halberd and split it in two, then slashed sideways to bisect another of those monsters, dissolving it into wisps. I was not idle as I shot three more into ashes with my submachine gun, then eliminated a fourth by casually tossing a pipe bomb at its mouth.

"This Labyrinth is more of a maze than those of other Witches," I told him as we wound our way through the dunes, "Do not climb up to the top of the sands; follow the music if you want to reach the center."

To his credit, Hirose Ren listened, and we followed the sad song of Mara the Barren to the center of the Labyrinth; a bitter lake of salty tears, where an eternally crying girl in a black dress and white veil sang a song of lamentation in German.

Now I know that the song was about how she had to leave behind what she most loved for it to grow, and how she regretted not coming with them.

"Her wish," Hirose Ren was smart enough to realize, "She could have wished both of us to the TSAB, but she didn't realize that. Onee-san…"

I observed he resisted the urge to rush into the Lake of Tears, where large Lamprey-like shapes swam underneath the surface. Good; he knew some control over his emotions.

"Can you fly?" the young man asked as I nodded, then said, "I can, too."

As we floated up to terminate the Witch's existence, however, we were interrupted by a cry of -

"Tiro Finale!" As a huge bullet, made up of magic yet physical enough to count as one of those physical weapons Hirose Ren put down as 'primitive', struck the center of the lake; the resulting blast blew smoke and steam throughout the area, obscuring the Witch's form.

I whirled my eyes toward the direction of the shot; it had been fired by a blond-haired, gold-eyed, Magical Girl in a white-and-yellow outfit and a golden beret; Mami Tomoe, one of Madoka Kaname's friends. In several time loops, she was either an ally, an enemy, or sometimes just a hindrance.

Beside her was one of Kyubey's spare bodies; that red-eyed weasel must have fed her some of his technical truths.

This was confirmed when several old-style muskets emerged from thin air, shooting at Ren with magical bullets that blew through his outer defenses and had to be parried by his glaive's shaft.

I was also under fire, but I already activated my time stop to dodge the first volley and emerged behind Mami as she shouted at Ren, "You Alien! You're not going to do whatever you want in our City!"

Of course, that's the 'truth' Kyubey slanted into a lie to get her to attack us. I grit my teeth as the boy, under fire but not counterattacking, shouted, "Your Incubator friend is the Alien, not me!"

As I drew my machine pistol to point at her head, hoping to end the battle by forcing Mami to surrender, several Lamprey-like Familiars burst up from the bitter lake as Mara, her grey dress and veil smoking and burnt rose from the islet she stood on and wailed.

All three of us put up a magical shield that barely stood against the force of the sound. But the power of the attack was not just in physical force alone, but in the mental blast as the sheer desperate sadness scoured our brains with caustic despair.

I resisted. So did Hirose Ren. But Mami was shaken, and screamed, remembering why she made her wish 'to connect to life'.

Dozens, maybe hundreds of muskets appeared from thin air as our opponent's desperation was given form by magic - It was enough to kill us all if I did not stop time long enough to subdue Mami Tomoe.

Then… Hirose Ren decided to do something utterly unnecessary, but useful.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Chapter Two: The Illumina

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha or Puella Magi Madoka Magica, nor the appearances of people from Ensemble Stars. Also, the Witch, Mara the Barren, is entirely my creation.

Author's Note: The pairings of this fic are Madoka/Homura, plus Kyouko/Sayaka; all else is ambiguous, but there will be male/male romance at some point because I like writing it.

The Returner, Hirose Ren's, PoV

There were muskets made of magic that shot bullets made of more magic that was also solid while still being magic and thus were also mass-based weapons. Mami Tomoe, after hearing the mind-twisting wail of the Witch named Mara the Barren, was planning on shooting as much of them as possible until everyone except her was dead.

I needed to do something; it did not occur to me that Akemi Homura could just stop time again, so I lost my composure - my marbles - long enough for me to unleash my technique.

"Basileus - Incomplete Starlight Breaker!" I screamed in panic, causing my device to glow as I tried to use a technique only one other person had successfully made their own besides the legendary Nanoha.

My Device's gem glowed in its Glaive Form, condensing the stray magical energy in the air into a sphere. It was only too late that I realized that we were inside a pocket dimension where the air was charged with Mana.

Thankfully, Magic-based weapons can turn down the lethality for people; Fate Testarossa, now Fate Testarossa-Harlown, survived a Starlight Breaker to her face a long time ago, right?

It was still going to hurt; I realized that as the globe of magical energy grew into a truly massive concentration of Mana, one big enough to frighten Mami Tomoe into flinching momentarily.

Then the sphere launched itself against the Witch that my Sister had been, changing into a wide oval beam that caused a huge explosion of magical energies that disintegrated the body of my sister as it dried up the lake of bitter tears she stood in, before ballooning to consume the ashes and dunes beyond, shattering the labyrinth's barrier through brute force.

The explosion also burnt all five senses as my sight was consumed with white fire.

My skin was cooked; the smell of its smoke burst into my nose, mixed with ozone and steam.

Particles of energy lit up my tongue, bitter yet burning.

None of these were fatal or crippling due to Magic, but that just made my self-inflicted torment worse!

Mami Tomoe would also survive the blast, but I was gambling that Homura would stop her fellow Magical Girl from killing me while I was out cold - If anyone could find a way to avoid the blast and the pain, it would be her.

Then I blacked out.

------

I woke up to find out that I was right; Homura had tied Mami to a pole with military-grade metal cabling while I was asleep.

She was struggling against her restraints, while the tears in her eyes showed she had been told the truth and was now in a suicidal rage.

"Akemi Homura…" I looked at her groggily, "We may need to…"

Cody walked up to us, a communications device of metal, super-plastics, and crystal in his hand. He then said, "We need to report to Admiral Janneth in the Illumina immediately; she wants to talk to us about what we've discovered about the Incubators, their treachery, and how the treaty between them and the TSAB needs time to tear up and how our team can work around that."

I raised an eyebrow, suddenly alert. I was working with Homura, but she's not part of a formal team yet, no offense to her!

"I'll be teleporting you three up now, as per the Admiral's orders," Cody continued as a magical circle flashed underneath us, causing Mami to stop crying in surprise. "Also, Ms. Homura, we may need to sedate your 'guest' if she continues being like this; we do not want to bring in an additional danger alongside the Grief Seed belonging to Sergeant Major Hirose's sister…"

Oh, right, the Grief Seed - I planned to keep it! Where was it?

Homura tossed my sister's Grief Seed to me; I took what remained of my sister in my palm.

An orb of ivory filled with a pulsing darkness, with a small cane or spike at the bottom, while on the top, there was a small design? Motif? How does one describe a small spike that flares into five more that vaguely looks like five fingers?

Wait, I just did.

But as long as I had the Grief Seed, my sister was alive. True, I knew enough to know she'd probably turn back into a Witch, but I believed that the Illumina's shipboard laboratories should be able to contain that -

Then we were teleported to the ship itself.

Homura's PoV

In my attempts to understand the Incubators' mindset, foreign as it was, I had read many examples of science fiction books and Manga over several timelines.

Yet the sight of an actual spaceship's teleporter bay, bristling with trained soldiers armed with magical weapons, was as… redoubtable as it was dangerous.

Despite myself, I can't help but think that Hirose Ren's… people could be useful to my plans to protect Madoka Kaname, if only as an additional weapon against the Witch named Walpurgisnacht when it arrives in two weeks.

A tall woman with brown skin and slightly curled green hair that reached down to her shoulders and only that then walked towards us, her dark blue outfit marking her as some sort of Admiral.

"Admiral Janneth," Hirose Ren saluted her before introducing me and a temporarily calm Mami Tomoe, then adding, "I suppose you've received audio-visual confirmation of the Incubators' actions, while conducting independent observations?"

The Admiral nodded in confirmation, saying, "Yes, but the TSAB Admiralty is demanding more proof of our assertions; like it or not, scrapping a Non-Aggression Treaty with a sovereign species is a… delicate matter."

She then looked at Ren, me, and Mami, who was being sedated via sleeping magic, before adding, "However, that does not mean we are not allowed to do something - We have laboratory space, plenty of magic and technology, and of course, we have you and your new friend."

Her gaze settled on me as she spoke, "So, Homura Akemi, is it? You're the source of the escalating amount of time-space anomalies in Mitakihara City, but I've been told you have a reason for doing it. So let's make a deal: Tell us what you know of the Incubators' plans for Sergeant Major Hirose's hometown, and we'll help you with the reason you've been making those anomalies in the first place."

I looked back at her fearlessly. Trust was a precious commodity and she was requesting it with vague promises that it would be returned with help.

"How can you be sure I can trust you?" was my next question as I looked at her green hair. "Hirose Ren may not be an alien, but you are."

Her green eyes flashed a little as she thought about what I said, her dark brown features furrowing a little as she looked for an answer.

"This is true; you have no reason besides our words to trust us. But you have the look of someone who tried to do things by yourself only to fail, multiple times - I've seen it before. And now it's becoming everyone else's problem thanks to the temporal anomalies. So I don't think you'd reject something like Sgt. Major Hirose's help, right? After all… You'll need additional firepower for whatever you plan to do."

This was true; despite his panicked reaction in the face of death, Hirose Ren was a capable fighter. If that 'Starlight Breaker' technique of his can be used against Walpurgisnacht, it could be the card I could play to save Madoka.

"All right, I'll tell you," I said, smoothly revealing my decision. "What do you need to know?"

She asked what I did to cause the anomalies her spaceship was tracking. I casually told her I had been repeating the past month using my magic to reset the timeline.

It was good that Mami Tomoe was sedated, or she'd have become a Witch just then and there.

Admiral Janneth sighed, shaking her head slightly as her shoulders slumped. These were not indications of skepticism and refusal. Did they really believe me?

"That makes sense," she confirmed. "Time Travel… That's an extremely taboo area of magic and technology. The sheer implications of it… And the Incubators gave you this power? How?"

I explained, "They come to young girls who seek something desperately, offering them a wish in exchange for a contract to become a Magical Girl who fights Witches, which in turn are the 'Mature' form of the Magical Girl after giving in to the corruption and despair from the lack of foresight from the wish. In this process, the soul of the Magical Girl is taken out of her body and placed in the form of a gem - A Soul Gem - that builds up despair and corruption over time until it becomes a 'Grief Seed', and the Magical Girl becomes a 'Witch', who is then killed by other Magical Girls who use the Grief Seed to absorb the corruption of their Soul Gems, allowing them to use more Magic, while unknowingly delaying their transformation into Witches."

Admiral Janneth tensed, clenching her fists in anger; this gesture was echoed by the other 'Military Magi' who were still in the area. Her next question was, "How long has this been occurring, Miss Akemi?"

Oh, all of Human Civilization, a faux-affable, polite voice sounded in our heads as Kyubey crawled out from the shadows. You see, the harvest of emotional energy from a species coming out of their planet's last Ice Age, with conditions still mainly that of a death world, required a civilizational uplift to introduce the aspirations and dreams that would accelerate the number of wishes, which in turn are to offset the heat death of the Universe - Some might say the Multiverse.

As it is, the Incubator continued, This uplift more than made up for the costs paid by the individuals involved, while also preventing them from following the inefficient paths of civilizations like Alhazerd and Ancient Belka...

I glanced at Admiral Janneth, who was beside herself with rage, but forced her lips to form the words:

"Incubator… You say you cannot outright lie, right?"

Indeed, said Kyubey, If we have the emotion known as pride, it would be grounded in the fact that we only tell what is factually true, and let those under us interpret these factual truths as they will.

"Then tell me," the green-haired woman said through gritted teeth, "Can this ship's shields and wards keep you from going here wherever you want?"

Yes, but why would you want to do that -

"Illumina Shipboard Intelligence, Activate Anti-Intrusion Wards," she said without hesitation.

There was a flicker of white light, and Kyubey's body slumped down, cut off from the Incubators' collective consciousness.

I looked at Admiral Janneth, suddenly realizing that these people would be worthy allies… if managed.

"All right, what do you plan for Hirose Ren to do?" was my next question.

Admiral Janneth answered, "Well, believe it or not, his assignment is to protect our lead researcher, Lucas Callum Rex; he's a boy about his age, but already a prodigy on temporal anomalies and their interaction with both Magic and Science. He helped Sergeant Major Hirose acclimate to Midchildan life 4 years ago…"

Hirose Ren interjected, "He'll be going down to do his research while Cody will protect him. My assignment is to help you protect Madoka Kaname. Honestly, now that I've healed Kamijou-kun and met up with Hitomi -"

I turned towards him, almost whirling; his previous history with Kyosuke Kamijou and Hitomi Shizuki, and maybe Sayaka Miki, one of the people doomed to the life of a Magical Girl, and then a Witch, should this month pass without my intervention… That complicated things.

"My turn," I didn't hesitate to ask, "How do you know Kyosuke Kamijou and Hitomi Shizuki, and I presume, Sayaka Miki? Did you share the same school?"

Hirose Ren nodded and said, "Yes. Let's just say I was good enough with the Shakuhachi - An instrument I cannot normally afford, but I was given one anyway - to go to the same talent shows Kyosuke was in, back in the day."

The Shakuhachi Flute. A uniquely Japanese instrument to contrast the Western Violin; I can see why Kyosuke Kamijou would have an affinity with him.

So he had deeper roots in Mitakhihara Town than I do in this irregular timeline, yet at the same time, he was more foreign than I am due to those four years on another planet. But it was the potential connection with Sayaka that concerned me the most, so I asked:

"Tell me, if Sayaka Miki became a Witch because Hitomi dated the boy she liked - Kyosuke Kamijou - what would you feel about that?"

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Chapter Three: A Musical Reminisce

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha or Puella Magi Madoka Magica, nor the appearances of people from Ensemble Stars.

Author's Note: The pairings of this fic are Madoka/Homura, plus Kyouko/Sayaka; all else is ambiguous, but there will be male/male romance at some point because I like writing it.

The Returner, Hirose Ren's, PoV

In my cabin in the Illumina's Officer's Quarters, I dreamt softly in my bed after Homura's revelation and her subsequent return to her apartment.

My life first changed when I played a Shakuhachi Flute I borrowed from one of my mother's 'customers', and it was Rika, my sister, who caught me instead of my birth mother or that customer, then promised to talk with my mother about getting me a flute of my own. My birth father had just sent us cash, so my mother was willing to entertain the idea of a musical career for me at seven.

I proved good enough to get to a talent show, where I placed second to Kyosuke Kamijou. From the beginning, my sister and I found his music sweet, and on my eighth birthday, he told me my flute playing was also nice.

Can you believe it? He praised my music! He told me he liked it! His next words were:

"Why don't you come to my house later? I want to see what else you can play…"

Those words, said in all innocence, filled two years of my life with joy.

Did I mention a past of getting bullied earlier? Well, to be honest, that was what Kyosuke, Sayaka, and later Hitomi helped me with.

The flute opened the gates. Other instruments were the glue. But I always had to return to the Flute; my birth mother insisted on doing so - She hoped she could escape her 'job' that way; that would have been easier if not for the drinking problem she had.

That drinking problem nearly made her hit me, as self-destructive as that sounded. To be honest, I sincerely feel I would have died had Rika not taken the blows for me, again and again.

I remember now; the first time I met Kyubey was not when I returned to Mitakihara Town - I overheard him talking with my sister first; I thought it was a dream.

My sister was desperate, but not so desperate that she didn't ask that damned Incubator what the catch was, and kept pressing when given evasive answers.

It wasn't a dream when I heard her accept the inevitability of becoming a Witch.

I remember forcing myself to get up; even at ten, I knew that what she said was dangerous. But it was too late, she wished for me to be sent away.

Realizing she could have come with me must have added to her despair… Or did she realize it would have put me in danger too?

Either way, I am not letting Sayaka Miki end up like my sister. Hitomi too, even though Homura didn't say she was at risk.

I sighed; it seemed that I had to go back to school, then.

Sayaka Miki's PoV

My name is Sayaka Miki, and right now, I feel like I am the happiest girl in the world.

The boy I like, Kyosuke Kamijou, just got his hand miraculously healed! Same for all the sick and injured people in the hospital - They think it was divine intervention!

I didn't seriously believe in the Gods or God before, but maybe someone is looking out for us.

I am headed for school with my best friend, Madoka Kaname, and my other best friend, Hitomi Shizuki. Our district of Mitakihara City is safe, so I didn't have to worry much.

"Umm…" Hitomi said mildly, but her next statement was good news, too: "Do you know that Hirose-kun has returned?"

Hirose Ren. That's a name I haven't heard in a long time. A flute player who was whisked off to be adopted by an American Family, according to his sister.

I remember the rumors; Hirose Rika killed her mother for abusing her, then set their apartment on fire. I hope Hirose Ren wouldn't be targeted by people whispering about that; he was such a sweet kid back when he, Kyosuke, and I were friends.

Hitomi was a latecomer to our group. Speaking of Hitomi -

"Kamijou-kun, Hirose-kun!" she was running towards the two boys who were walking to school together.

Wait, Kyosuke was returning to school today?! Along with Ren?! This was good news!

I began running after her, taking in how cool Kyosuke looked as I took in how happy his smile was.

This was why I liked him.

I waved hi, and was greeted with surprise.

"Oh, Sayaka, Hitomi!" Kyosuke's voice was like a melody to my ears. "I guess I'm coming back to school today with Ren!"

Ren waved hi too, then silently but enthusiastically nodded at us. He then found the words, "Hey, Sayaka, hey, Hitomi, and hey… Kaname-kun?"

Huh, he remembered Madoka; I recall him disappearing before I and her became close friends.

Madoka replied shyly, saying, "Uhh… Hello. So, you're back from America?"

Ren smiled widely, nodded again, then said, "Yep! My adoptive parents decided to send me to Mitakihara City; I wanted to go too."

Why do I get the feeling he wanted to see us? I returned his smile, before saying as confidently as I could, "Don't worry about it - If anyone says anything less than positive about you coming back, I'll make sure they don't say it again as long as you're here!"

I saw both him and Kyosuke smile - Considering how they were walking alongside each other, could it be that Kyosuke knew Ren was going to return and made it a surprise? Have they met again without telling me?

Oh, well, I trust them, so they were probably trying to tell me later.

"So…" Ren said, "By sheer coincidence, we all share the same class. Isn't that good?"

Kyosuke replied in his melodious voice, "Huh, we do. I guess we're going to see a lot of each other, then, Sayaka."

My heart skipped a beat at those words; as if butterflies were fluttering in my stomach and ribcage.

Was I given a chance with Kyosuke?

Homura Akemi's PoV

It was a scene that had repeated itself several times over again; my introducing myself to Kaname Madoka's Class.

But it was the first time I had an ally, one who actually believed me, among my classmates.

I would not be too optimistic, however; this was an irregular timeline and not all surprises from those were good.

But first, I have to meet Madoka again, and warn her about the dangers of listening to people who offered to grant her wishes for a price too good to be true. Let Hirose Ren mingle with his old friends and help keep Sayaka stable this time; Sayaka becoming a Witch caused a lot of needless pain for Madoka.

To be honest, after Hirose Ren had succumbed to childish panic after Mami Tomoe's own loss of control and attempt to murder us all, I had a better sense of his flaws, his tendency to resort to overwhelming force without the finesse and focus needed to make it stick.

It would be better if Hirose Ren didn't come off as thinking he did have finesse, focus and trigger discipline.

Either way, I need to fake a miniature health emergency so I can talk with Madoka Kaname, and tell her not to accept promises from a certain Alien of the Incubator species…

Wait. Kyubey already used technical truths to deceive Mami Tomoe into thinking that Hirose Ren and the TSAB were 'alien invaders', and while she was safely under lock and key and magical sleeping spells, what about her former friend, Kyoko Sakura?

After I talk to Madoka, I will need to check up on her; I already checked if this irregular timeline had Oriko Mikuni, Kirika Kure, and Yuma Chitose as Magical Girls (it did, but they were in another city and Oriko had no visions of Madoka becoming a Witch who would destroy the world, and thus isn't going after her).

At least this time, fewer girls were hovering over me and asking questions due to Hirose Ren drawing them like moths to a flame; new clothes, personal hygiene, and money did that for people.

Good; less interruptions.

The Returner, Hirose Ren's, PoV

After school, I took extra time to hang around with Sayaka, Hitomi, and Kyosuke, rebuilding old ties while Cody, my Familiar (not the Witch-y kind!) established a forward operations base close to the Mitakihara General Hospital so that Lucas from the Field Research Team can finally begin scientific studies on Witches in the wild, their natural habitat. I continued receiving coded messages that Mami Tomoe was all right, and was even amenable to short conversations with Admiral Janneth - Might this pave the way for a new ally?

God knows we need allies; I know full well that if a lie technical truth worked with her, it would work with others, and so the TSAB needed its FOB as soon as possible so it could station forces in the city.

Right now, I was in that cafe Hitomi took me to a while back, playing my trusty Shakuhachi Flute for Hitomi, Sayaka, Kyosuke, and Madoka over tea and cake.

Kyosuke was smiling at me as the sun caused his naturally gray hair (stress caused it) to shine, then he remarked, "You haven't grown rusty; good - I thought you lost interest in the Flute due to how eager you were to talk about Violins."

So he remembered that aspect of that hospital talk before I healed him.

My retort was, "Hey, I couldn't think of a better topic to catch up with you with - It's been years; I thought I'd talk about your eternal love!"

Kyosuke loved playing the violin more than anything in the world; I knew that wouldn't change. I was jealous of how much he loved it, knowing full well that if he was ever attracted to other boys, he'd still put the violin over them.

Which is why I was surprised when he said, "Play with me again some time; I usually like playing alone, and the Violin and Shakuhachi are an untested combination, but with you… I think there's something special that makes it work."

Sayaka raised her eyebrows at that remark, Hitomi blushed, pursed her lips, and began muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'boys shouldn't like boys…'.

As a boy who did like boys as well as girls, I hope that was not what she said.

But as someone who did not want her, Sayaka, or Madoka to become Witches, I had to keep calm and get up, pay for my coffee and cake and everyone else's, and say, "Well, look at the time; I have to go back to where I'm staying - It's paid for by my parents in America, after all…"

I do not want Hitomi to become uncomfortable with me. Same for Sayaka, whose eyes were shining with love for Kyosuke. Hurting them would hurt Madoka, whom Homura loved, and that opened a can of worms I would rather stay closed.

Nice wordplay, Hirose Ren!

"See you later, guys!" I said as I walked out of the cafe after giving the staff a tip and began walking through the sidewalks at random, trying to lose them -

"Hey," an unamused, sharp voice sounded behind me; Kyosuke was almost barbed when mad, and it seemed that following me to the mouth of an alleyway several streets over, just a few days after his discharge from hospital, had made him angrier as he huffed, then spoke, "Ren… Mind explaining what that was all about?"

I turned around and said, "Well…"

Then a spear thrust itself in my general direction, its shaft changing into multiple sections held together by links of chain that wrapped around me as I was distracted by Kyosuke, who was gaping at the sight, frozen in fear.

I tried to summon Basileus, but the chain-spear wrapped itself tighter around me as a warning, even as the section with the tip pointed itself at my neck menacingly.

The one who held the chain-spear walked into view; she was a magical girl with red hair, a sleeveless maroon dress with a mandarin collar with white accents and lace-y frills. Kyubey walked beside her; that cat-weasel thing no doubt trying to present itself as the benign presence it wasn't.

This magical girl then said to me in a sharp, questioning tone, "So, you're the one collaborating with the Aliens who took Mami away… I wonder why you did that; was it to get those 'Magical Boy' powers of yours?"

Damnit. More technical truths from the Incubators; Kyoko Sakura, the odd one out among the Magical Girls who were constants in Homura's time loops, must have listened to enough of them to agree to kidnap me and Kyosuke.

This was bad.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Chapter Four: Kidnapped!

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha or Puella Magi Madoka Magica, nor the appearances of people from Ensemble Stars.

Author's Note: Take anything Kyubey says with a grain of salt; he does not fully understand Humans and he is given to technical truths.

Kyosuke Kamijou's PoV

I should run away. I should scream. If it had been Hitomi or even Sayaka, I should be running while screaming for help; that was normal, right?

But somehow, with Hirose Ren, I can't. When that crazy girl had that speartip point itself at his neck, it was then that I found out that I could not leave him alone.

Why was that? What was wrong with me?

"Oi," that weirdly costumed red-headed girl said to him and me, "Follow me, both of you - I have some questions to ask. Don't try anything funny."

I was already walking with her and Ren before I realized it; why can't I abandon him? We haven't met for four years; we aren't that close yet!

But to see him die before my eyes, knowing he won't be able to play the Shakuhachi Flute again… I found that unbearable.

Not as unbearable as not being able to play the violin anymore, but it was very… similar.

This weird girl led me and Ren through a maze of strangely empty alleyways and streets that ended in front of an abandoned, burnt-out church.

That white cat-weasel thing accompanying her… what was it, anyway? As we were led to the moonlit altar, I couldn't help but ask, "Is this a cult or something -"

A flash of red, and the girl had an impossibly strong grip on my throat - Was she some sort of Vampire or something?

She then said as Ren struggled harder against the chain-linked spear wrapped around him, "Do not say I am part of a cult. Ever."

Letting me go and pushing me away, she turned her gaze back towards Ren and spoke, "Now, tell me the truth and nothing but the truth - Is what the Incubator is saying bullshit?"

I saw Ren's eyes glint as he said, "Yes. Also, Magical Girls eventually become Witches if their Soul Gem blackens; that's why I'm collaborating with 'Aliens' to fight… other Aliens."

As he looked at that white cat-weasel thing, my eyes opened wide with shock, and my mouth gaped a bit as I realized that Ren was utterly sincere.

Was that how he got adopted? Who exactly adopted him?!

I was no longer listening to what Ren and that girl were talking about; Ren lied to me! To Hitomi and Sayaka, too!

Huh, it seems that while Kyosuke Kamijou's emotions are less useful for harvest than a girl of his age, they generate enough power to be of notice. A shame that tapping into Human Male emotional energy is… suboptimal for our needs.

It was the white cat-weasel thing talking in my head. Why was it talking in my head?!

Our species has sought to 'streamline' the Human Race, not just for energy generation but for a more efficient progress through the stages of civilization, to the stars, it talked to me without giving a straight answer as Ren and the other redhead argued. To do this, we made sure to exclusively focus on adolescent girls as beneficiaries of the Magical Girl and Witch systems, with the welcome side effect of encouraging men to view women in general as an enemy with powers they cannot have, yet greatly envy.

This cat-weasel thing is a psycho! And he was clearly against Ren if he got that girl to kidnap him - Wait, did that girl just let him go?

It was then that I realized why that thing, the real Alien, told me this.

"You - you're not letting us leave here alive, are you?," I asked, not believing that I was talking to a real live Alien.

This is true, that beast confirmed. You see, Kyosuke Kamijou, Hirose Ren's presence threatens to upend the… structure where men have raw strength and the levers of mundane power, forcing young women to wish to be Magical Girls to score some progress that is then undone by their transformation to a Witch, thus furthering the cycle of… relations that allow us to optimize the collection of energy. Same for the faction that adopted him, the Time-Space Administration Bureau, whose Magitech-inclined civilization is prone to inefficiency and waste.

It has come to the point… That I had to get Kyoko Sakura to kidnap Hirose Ren so he can be eliminated, along with any bystanders who equate to acceptable losses to avert the risks he poses. Problem is… One Magical Girl is likely to question our motivations no matter how we optimize our way of saying truths to achieve a desired result.

It was still talking while Ren and the redhead magical girl ceased their argument, and casually ignored the latter looking at it with a shocked, appalled gaze.

Which is why we have decided that after having lured Hirose Ren and one of the people he is attached to to this place, we can now arrange for their elimination. Kyoko Sakura, you may leave now; this is no longer your battle.

"Like heck I will!" the redhead girl spat out at the white cat-weasel thing, her chain-linked spear unwrapping itself from Hirose Ren, each section merging until it was a single shaft with a sharp point now-pointed at the… thing which had deceived her. "I'm done letting myself be used by you!"

How irrational; will you then die with Hirose Ren and Kyosuke Kamijou -

The cat-weasel thing's body squelched as the redheaded girl - Kyoko Sakura? - stabbed it without hesitation, only for an identical cat-weasel snatch the corpse away and begin eating it.

It then said, You know, you humans can be so irrational; forcing me to recycle one of my spare bodies. Nevertheless, I calculate that your decision to participate on Hirose Ren's side will increase his chances of survival by a slight percentage; within acceptable levels. Farewell, Kyoko Sakura; we will be initiating the Kill Protocol now...

The space around the Church flickered, as a dome of scintillating, multicolored lights covered the sky, blotting out the stars. I heard the thud of multiple small objects, five white orbs with spikes at the bottom, piercing the rotted wooden floors of the building. These white orbs filled with a black miasma, and then…

"Basileus!" Ren shouted, drawing a gun (I don't remember him having one!) with a purple gem on its handle that glowed brightly. As he surrounded himself with rectangular panes of violet energy that acted as a privacy screen, the white orbs all burst into various monsters, which Kyoko was now calling 'Witches!'.

Hirose Ren re-emerged from the panes of violent energy wearing a blue-and-white long coat, shirt, trousers and boots, helping Kyoko hold off the Witches and their minions with a Magic Gun that shot beams of purple light at the foe.

I can only stand there as the two fought for their lives… and mine.

Homura's PoV

Do I have to save Hirose Ren again? At least reinforcements from the TSAB came with me; a dozen adult Mages whose presence was unusual to the point of unsettling, as many of them were men.

Accompanying them was a TSAB Mage my own age; Lucas Callum Rex, a bespectacled boy of about fourteen years of age with short, curved, downward facing blond hair with slight white spikes at the end. He was a scientist despite being so young, and had devised the Magic-based Technology that shielded people from my shield's Time Stop ability; this made him someone to watch for as long as this irregular timeline shows promise.

Outside the Church where Kyoko's father once preached, was a kaleidoscopic dome of colors and lights that was no doubt an amalgamation of several Witch Barriers.

"Amazing," Lucas spoke as he drew a wand whose end held his capital-D Device, Amelié. I made a mental note that the boy scientist was already in his 'Barrier Jacket', a Magical Boy costume made of several overlapping magical fields; unlike Hirose Ren's, this 'uniform' took the form of a navy blue shirt, a long white coat with silvery trim, black trousers and combat boots, and a pair of platinum-rimmed glasses.

As his wand glowed with the maroon light of his Device's gem, he observed, "Hmm… This barrier has five different energy signatures with a multiplying number of sub-signatures. It'd take an orbital strike to break it by brute force."

He turned towards me and said, "Akemi Homura; you can open this mass of barriers, right?"

I nodded coolly in affirmation before drawing my Soul Gem; best to remind these people that they don't have a monopoly on 'exotic powers'.

The overlapping Witch Barriers parted, the doorway large enough to let me, Lucas, and two dozen TSAB Mages charge right in, the latter drawing magical staves, guns, and a few swords.

I assumed that they would fall in short order to the sea of foes like cannon fodder; I was glad to be proven wrong as a volley of beams, fireballs, bolts of lightning, and cutting disks of energy were launched at the Witches' Familiars, clearing a path through them for Lucas and I to saunter through; the former was pointing Amelié at each of the Witches, listening to her cool, soothing voice as it commented on each enemy.

"Lucas, each of these monsters is a foe equal to a Juvenile Dragon, and together, can compare to one Adult Dragon," Amelié's voice then took on a touch of concern as she continued, "Under no circumstances must they be allowed to merge into one entity; a possibility opened by their converging magical signatures."

The young man nodded, then pointed Amelié at one of the Witches, an insectoid female with a centipede-like lower-half and an upper half that was barely humanoid, with four mantis-like arms that ended in black scythes and clacking mandibles where a human mouth would be. It was eye-less, but the empty sockets squirmed with black miasma.

"Amelié, Lightning Cage!"

A circle of lightning bolts sparked around the Witch, blocking its charge as electricity coursed through its flesh, causing it to howl in agony as it tried to force itself past the crackling construct.

After he loaded a small cartridge - Which I understood contained magical energy - into his wand to feed the prison of electricity, Lucas spoke to me, "Homura! Can you extract Ren and those with him? We might need his Incomplete Starlight Breaker once enough Magic is spread around!"

That was a solid plan. As Admiral Janneth had told me, the original Starlight Breaker was a technique meant to absorb the magical energy scattered into the air in the late stages of a battle between Mages and focus it into a beam and explosion. At the same time, Hirose Ren cannot control it well enough to prevent himself from being caught by the explosion.

He won't die from it; others have made worse sacrifices.

And so I took out an M14 Assault Rifle, one a normal teenager could not normally lift, set it to full autofire and began blasting my way through the sea of Familiars, trying to find my way to the epicenter, where Hirose Ren and Kyoko Sakura were struggling to hold off two Witches each and their assorted Familiars.

I stopped time, making it easier to sneak up on a bat-winged Witch trying to bite off Hirose Ren's head, then strap several bricks of C4 Explosives onto the two leathery wings where they met the flesh of the back, rig them to explode, then jumped down just as I started time back again, causing them to detonate in a split-second.

"Thanks, Homura!" Hirose Ren said, having seen everything due to his Barrier Jacket's Anti Time-Stop defense, which also helped Lucas and the other TSAB Mages by allowing them to freely attack the Witches when I had used my power. "So, umm, you need me to use an Incomplete Starlight Breaker?"

The boy then gestured to Kyosuke Kamijou, who had been sitting there, shaking in fear, then said, "You're going to need to evacuate Kyosuke, then; he's not protected against Magic."

I nodded, then walked over to the naturally gray-haired boy, extending my hand and saying, "Come with me if you want to live."

Kamijou nodded meekly and took my hand as I stopped time again and ran with him towards the exit I had opened, then, as he was close to collapsing, threw him out of the Witches' combined Labyrinths and back to the real world as a glow behind me signalled that Hirose Ren was gathering energy for an Incomplete Starlight Breaker.

I looked back to see the huge ball of magical energy gathered in the air, trying to change shape into a beam of burning light, but collapsing into an explosion just before it hit the Witches.

The Witches died anyway, and so did all their Familiars, causing the Barrier around the Ruined Church to collapse into panes of multicolored light that broke into glowing motes upon impact with the ground.

I sighed in relief, then prepared to de-transform -

"What. Just. Happened?!"

A voice. Sayaka Miki's. She had followed us here?

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

I will be shifting to 'No Consistent Schedule' to avoid burning out. On the plus side, I have 900+ words for the next chapter now.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Chapter Five: A Hopeful Breather

Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha or Puella Magi Madoka Magica, nor the faces of people from Ensemble Stars (which I am using for at least one OC).

Sayaka Miki's PoV

Kyosuke was worried about Ren, so he followed him. I was worried about Kyosuke, so after making my excuses to Hitomi, I took my leave and snuck off just behind Kyosuke to see what he wanted to talk about with Ren and what bothered him. Was it what Hitomi said?

If it had been that, did he… No, that cannot be. Best not to think about it.

I managed to keep quiet as I walked until Ren and Kysouke were kidnapped by that psycho with a magically extending chain spear; I avoided their attention by hiding behind a mailbox before preparing to follow them again to where that prick was taking them -

"Sayaka Miki?"

It was Ren's driver, the blond foreigner; good timing!

"Hey, you're Ren's friend, right?! You need to call the Police!" I couldn't help but blurt out.

He nodded, took out a weird phone, and began sending a call; somehow, I didn't think he was calling the Police, but I squashed that suspicion as it came.

The Driver then said, "So, are you okay, Miss Sayaka Miki? I just called for help; would you like me to stay with you while we wait for them to solve things?"

I raised an eyebrow at that, then realized that his offer was sincere. Also, Ren must have spoken positively of me to his… chauffeur? Wait, his adoptive family can afford one?

"Sure," I replied, realizing he was speaking in perfect Japanese, "So… it seems Ren-kun… Ren - is doing well? If so, I'm happy about that; he always seemed so sad sometimes, back when we were younger kids."

I knew his mother was hitting him and Rika; if not for the fact that I was little then, I would have kicked that adult in the shins! But right now, I'm just glad Ren was okay… Was he?

"Say…" I asked his Driver/Chauffeur, "Can I ask you about Ren? Also, what should I call you?"

He responded, "Cody; you can call me Cody. And yes, you can ask about my… employer."

I nodded, then asked, "Cody, is Ren happy? His adoptive parents seem to treat him right, but they also sent him back here. Did he really want that?"

The answer was, "More than you can ever imagine. Either way, reinforcements should be coming to save my employer and Mr. Kamijou, so it's best to stay put."

Something picked away at the back of my head at the way he said that.

"You know something I don't, don't you?" I asked Cody, my voice suddenly turning suspicious. "It just occurred to me that a few 8cops can't take someone with actual magical powers."

The blond guy turned to look at me, then smiled, before nodding and saying, "Want to come with me, then? Maybe we'll see something normal people won't normally know. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe; Mr. Hirose will kill me if I don't."

At first, I looked back at him, suspiciously at that. Then, I suddenly remembered what brought this on in the first place.

"Ren… he likes boys, doesn't he?"

I hoped the signs were wrong, that he wasn't in love with the same boy I was in love with - Kyosuke Kamijou. But that was probably what got him to walk away and get kidnapped.

And as Kyosuke had followed him and gotten kidnapped too…

My heart sank like a stone thrown into a lake as I realized he - Kyosuke - may return those feelings.

"Yes, I have permission to say that my employer, Mr. Hirose, likes boys and girls," Cody confirmed somewhat bluntly. "So if you want to resolve the issues it causes with you, follow me to where he's being saved."

He's right. Nothing is sure yet - I cannot just give up like that!

So I followed Cody to where Ren had been taken, to where… wait, was that a real forcefield?!

"I know you'd be surprised," Cody spoke. "But yes, this is Magic. Right now, Hirose Ren and Kyosuke Kamijou are being rescued… while the person who kidnapped them must have changed sides by now - They would eventually betray her as well."

I wanted to ask who 'They' and 'Her' were first, but I decided I'd rather wait for the forcefield to fade or collapse or whatever energy shields like this did when they stopped running.

And when it did, I'd ask what exactly is going on.

The Returner, Hirose Ren's PoV

Oh, no, Sayaka is here. Granted, Cody let her come with him, but why did he do that?!

I was freezing up, blanking out, panicking. What if Sayaka hated me for keeping secrets? What if she hated me for not being able to keep Kyosuke completely safe? What if she figured out I liked Kyosuke and hated me for it?

"Ren," it was Kyosuke's voice; he must have run back to where I stood after defeating the enemy witch. "It's okay. You saved us all. We're all safe."

Sayaka was now getting her explanation from Cody and Lucas. The redheaded Magical Girl - Kyoko, right? She was purifying her Soul Gem with a Grief Seed. As for Akemi Homura, she was watching, maybe pondering what it all meant moving forward.

Wait, she told me earlier that Sayaka and Kyoko had some romantic tension in other timelines before Sayaka turned into a Witch and died. Maybe that'll help Sayaka get over losing Kyosuke.

Because as we looked into each others' eyes, I realized that if there was ever a ghost of a chance he may like me that way... I'm taking it.

------

The very next day was peaceful; I later learned that Mami had been released from TSAB custody after promising to ally with them, hopefully, to find a way to reverse the Incubators' soulcraft and restore the Humanity of Magical Girls. I was also told that the TSAB is currently being held back by bureaucracy from scrapping their Non-Aggression Pact with the Incubators, but that the pact did not forbid them from researching ways to reverse 'Witchdom' or break the Magical Girl System.

Sayaka took the news about Magical Girls, Witches, and other types of Magical Girls from Space relatively well; she even thanked me for healing Kyosuke. This single change would prevent her from becoming a Magical Girl and thus a future Witch - I hoped.

That said…

Sayaka also asked to meet me and Kyosuke in a secluded pavilion in the School Gardens in the afternoon, just before classes ended.

I agreed, and when we got there, I already knew what she was going to say.

"So, Ren Ren…" she looked at me when I and Kyosuke entered, "You and Kyosuke… Do you like each other?"

I and Kyosuke looked at each other. I didn't hide that I liked him but I made sure to look intently into his eyes, hoping that he returned my feelings -

"Sayaka, I…" Kyosuke looked at her, me, then at the both of us. "I don't know how I feel. But I can see it happening, though."

Ouch. Just like that. Fearless and tactless and yet honest in his insensitivity. I can see why it'd hurt others while at the same time, being the truth and nothing but the truth.

Sayaka's eyes flashed with disappointment, pain, and the sort of hurt when something important gets taken from her out of the blue. I lifted up my hand to apologize -

"No."

I saw she was adamant about it.

"Just don't hurt Kyosuke, and make sure he's happy."

Her tone was cold for a while before warming up as she reminded me, "That transfer student - Homura, right? - She told me you healed his hand so that Kyosuke can use the violin again. More importantly… Kyosuke likes your music."

Kyosuke nodded in confirmation, saying, "I like Ren's flute-playing, yes. And quite frankly, I don't care if anyone says they don't want me getting together with him."

I almost teared up at that, causing Sayaka to say even more warmly, "You've always been a big baby; can't blame ya, though - I'm happy you're happy now."

And I was. But before I can cry happy tears -

"Sayaka," Kyosuke interrupted, "Just so you know, you'll always be our friend; thank you. One day, you'll find someone best for you; I know it."

I decided not to bring up the other redhead, Kyoko Sakura, right now. On the one hand, she and Sayaka had not fought, nor did she say to Sayaka's face that she wanted ordinary people to be consumed by Familiars so they can become Witches and thus become more Grief Seeds.

Kyoko Sakura had issues; from what I knew, she made a wish for her family's sake, but it ended badly enough that she lost that family. It didn't justify her selfish behavior and slight misanthropy, but it did make her understandable.

The point was that Sayaka still saw Kyoko kidnap me and Kyosuke, so they did not have a clean slate right now. That meant that it would take time for her to notice the other girl, much less see her as a potential romantic partner -

"So, that jerkface Magical Girl who kidnapped you and Kyosuke… I want to talk to her. Don't worry, I won't maul her yet; I just want to talk!"

Did Sayaka just bring Kyoko up on her own? Maybe there's a chance!

Akemi Homura's PoV

I was back in the Illumina, where Admiral Janneth had news regarding the Time Space Administration Bureau's policy towards the Incubators; while the treaty with those creatures had not been scrapped yet, they are now ordered to find ways to subvert or even reverse the 'Witch System', while the protection of Mitakihara City went without saying.

"If the TSAB Admirals hadn't granted my request," Admiral Janneth said as she sat across from me in her office, "I'd have done my best to interpret their orders as though they have or even just gone rogue; such horrors as have been inflicted on a civilization of sapient beings cannot be condoned. As it is, once Walpurgisnacht arrives at your city, we're ready to help - including with an orbital strike."

There was tea in a western-style teacup, which I sipped before saying, "This is true. But about my request…"

The Admiral nodded, saying, "We are ready to evacuate Madoka Kaname and her family should all else fail; another planet, maybe Mid-Childa itself, may put enough distance between them and Walpurgisnacht, although the Incubators may try and follow her even with magical shields warding them off. As it is, we've sent operatives not just to your city but the rest of Japan, with a few even going to other countries."

She frowned, sipped from her porcelain teacup with gold etching, then continued, "Your world has quite a bit of poverty, war, and conflict to give fodder for the Incubator's Witch System, and the Incubators are encouraging even more of that as time passes. Not just that, but some of our agents have gotten some of Kyubey's 'terminals' to admit that they've infiltrated TSAB-aligned planets as well."

Her eyes flashed as she spoke, "Let's just say that if that last part is true… It's an act of war."

It's rare for an adult such as her to wear her heart on her sleeve, to be so sincere. Even now, I am confused as to how a person like her could have survived in grown-up society and gained any bit of power and importance, even if the TSAB were good people.

I changed the subject by saying, "It seems Mami Tomoe is on our side now."

Admiral Janneth affirmed it, then spoke, "Her emotional state is… volatile. But we - me and Lucas, mostly - managed to talk her into finding hope. But that is dependent on us succeeding in reversing… That horror."

Witchdom. I decided to sip my cooling tea first, then ask, "Is there a way to reverse it? The transformation of a Magical Girl into a Witch?"

The Admiral pursed her lips and said, "Normally, the process is irreversible as it affects the body and soul. However, there is someone with the intelligence, both magical and scientific, to open up a chance to make the impossible possible. The problem is… Jail Scaglietti is a criminal who has gone beyond the boundaries of what is acceptable."

Lucas had mentioned that man a few days ago, a mad scientist who sought to use science and magic to turn the capital planet of Mid-Childa and its population into his private laboratory and test subjects.

But if there was ever a ghost of a chance that he could help protect Madoka… Well, I'm willing to take that chance.