773/Your Very Worst Nightmare

Your Very Worst Nightmare
Date of Scene:	31 December 2015
Location:	Mitakihara - Downtown
Synopsis:	Madoka is attacked by thugs while on a shopping trip. Homura has a few things to say about that.
Cast of Characters:	Madoka Kaname, Homura Akemi

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Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's another cold winter day in Mitakihara, though not quite as cold as the last few days as clouds have rolled in from the sea to help keep in some of the warmth. It's still below freezing though, and with the wet winter air comes snow. Light snow today, just enough to drift down and put a fresh white patina on all the outside surfaces, giving the world a wonderfully clean and pure look.

    Madoka Kaname has two favorite colors: white and pink. Seeing everything around her covered in one of them makes her happy, and the snow also puts her in a festive holiday mood. New Years is just around the corner so she's clinging to that happiness, wearing a bright smile on her face as she walks through Downtown Mitakihara's shopping district, a spring in her step as she moves from one of her favorite dress shops to the next- there's a New Years dance coming up she plans to attend and she's either outgrown or recently worn all her nicest dresses. Her family is also wealthy enough for wearing the same outfit to events twice to be considered a faux pas.

    So she's out shopping for fancy clothes, yet one more reason any fourteen year old girl should be happy.

    All this would be fine except there is trouble afoot, the kind seeking exactly her type: naive rich girls with more money than observational skills or sense. A lure is set. A slightly ragged looking puppy sits cold at the edge of an alleyway, shivering in the cold.

    Madoka can't possibly not feel a pang of heartache when she sees it, but when she goes to crouch down beside it it barks at her and runs into the alley. Heedless of any potential danger Madoka follows, only to find herself shoved against the side of one of the buildings as soon as she passes a dumpster. She lets out a sharp cry of surprise, only to quiet into a squeak when a sharp and shiny knife is waved in her face.

    "Hey, Kentaro, look what we have here. Some brat sticking her nose where it doesn't belong," speaks a middle aged man with square glasses, a long brown trench coat, and a bandana tied to hide the lower half of his face.

    Another, younger but similarly dressed man takes a drag off a cigarette before flicking it away. "Stupid chicks just can't help themselves. Looks like she'll have to pay the toll." There's a shiny brass dog whistle hanging around his neck, and the puppy is sitting down at his feet.

    "You heard him," the first man says, waving the blade of the knife in front of Madoka's eyes close enough to cause her to press backwards harder against the wall, sucking in her breath. "This alley is our territory. No one passes through without paying our toll. I don't think you have enough, but everything you've got and that nice coat of yours should do the trick."

    Just in case the pink haired girl is especially thick he says in a harsher tone, "So make with it, and hurry. Cash, cards, jewelry. And no sudden moves- you wouldn't want to slip and cut yourself."

    The younger man lets out a laugh at that, walking past to stand closer to the alley's entrance to make sure there's no unwanted company for the transaction, hand slipping inside a pocket for something as if to reassure himself.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Retaliation is not long in coming.

    Shots ring out from above, aiming for the knees of the younger man, and the shoulder of the middle-aged man. Specifically, the shoulder that holds the knife that the first man is waving around.

    None of these shots would be all that deadly. No, no that would be too easy. They're also angled to not pose any threat to Madoka, though that might give her a front row seat to some juicy gore.

    "Your territory?" asks a cold, shakey voice from above. A voice that is sharp with rage, like an icicle cutting into your back.

    A dark silhouette drops down into the alley, landing with a soft tap. Long hair spreads from its relatively short (to the thugs) form. For a moment, purple eyes catch the light, seeming to glow in the darkness.

    "No... this isn't your territory. This is hell, and I am the devil."

    Two things happen at once. First off, Madoka is picked up and carried far away from the two thugs. This happens during a timestop, and she has plenty of time to see who her rescuer is. Homura glances down at her, asking, "Are you alright? Just stay safe for now. I'll take care of them."

    Choosing to place Madoka higher up, on a rooftop, to avoid drawing attention to her, Homura lets her go.

    The second thing that happens is that Homura, while still timestopped, takes out a golfclub and whacks the two thugs in their respective guts.

    When time resumes, Homura has a shotgun leveled at the middle-aged man.

    "Get scared. I'm wont forgive you until I see the fear in your eyes."

    The shotgun might be recognizable. She stole a lot of weapons from thugs and the like. She's sure she could put them to much better use, after all.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Paired screams erupt from the two men simultaneously as the bullets impact. There's a flash of blood at both knees and shoulder, some of the latter unavoidably splattering onto Madoka's face. It all happens so fast that she doesn't realize what's happening, trembling fingers reaching up to touch the blood on her face and then hold them up in front of her eyes, her irises having grown tiny from fear, thinking at first that the blood is her own.

    The middle aged man drops his knife as the pain shoots through his shoulder and beyond, and after the initial shock of the gunshots wears off there's a loud bout of cursing from both of the Yakuza thugs.

    They both look over towards Homura as she lands. The older man glares at her while clutching his shoulder while the younger collapses into a seated position, his knees useless, visibly paling at the taunting with rapidly widening eyes. He lets out a scream.

    The pink haired girl is trembling and terrified when Homura goes to her, but when she recognizes her rescuer(by the way she's held before actually seeing her face), she lets out a gasp of, "Homura-chan!" As she's set down Madoka hugs more tightly onto the other girl, comforting herself in the frozen moment. "Thank goodness you're here! I don't know what they would have done to me..!" She's clearly terrified to think about it- this is a terror she's never had to seriously consider before now. Magical threats she's encountered, but nonmagical ones? They can be just as scary.

    She looks over herself and to her relief finds that she hasn't been cut, wiping the rest of the blood off of her face with her palm. "Yes, I'll be fine. I'm not hurt." A short pause, "Take care of them? What do you-"

    When time resumes the men both gasp out in pain as they react to the golf club swings, which to them appear to be phantom blows coming from nowhere but feeling all too real. "What are you, some kind of monster!?" the older man shouts in agitation. His eyes go wide when the shotgun is leveled at him, flicking over to the side of the alley, where his own shotgun sits propped against the wall, unattended.

    "No," wails the younger man, "Some kind of demon!" His hand emerges from his coat pocket, holding a handgun, and he begins firing wildly at Homura, emptying the clip if given the chance. Some of them might even hit her if she doesn't react.

    It's also a very familiar handgun, just like that shotgun sitting against the wall. In fact if Homura were to look closely she'd find even the serial numbers are an identical match. But that handgun's current owner is far less trained with it than the black haired Puella.

    She's had 12 years of practice with it.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura glances upwards, once, to check up on Madoka, to see if she's still there. After all, protecting Madoka is her first priority here, even if she has to abandon her wish for vengeance.

    But that flicker of her eye lasts only a moment, before shifting her focus back on the two who have gained so much of her ire.

    "Monster. Demon. Whatever. You're just lucky she's watching."

    Homura's purple eyes turn towards the younger man's handgun as it comes out, tilting her head at it. "Hm."

    Isn't that the same handgun that she's had for a few timeloops? She's robbed these people before. How interesting.

    She moves with unnatural speed as that clip is entered in her direction. Unnatural accuracy, too, as each bullet fired is trickshot out of the air by a bullet from Homura's own, matching, handgun. She must have been a perfect shot too, because her own clip empties at the same time the youger man's does.

    "It seems like your own violence is being turned against you. Remember this feeling. You are helpless before me. Remember the terror you so gleefully inflict upon others."

    Homura moves impossibly fast again. One inhumanly strong punch goes towards the younger man's stomach, and a high kick goes towards the middle-aged man's chin.

    Then that shotgun that was on the wall vanishes. Homura is between the two of them, this timeline's shotgun aimed at the younger man's chest, and the previous timeline's shotgun aimed at the middle-aged man's head.

    "I could kill either of you in an instant. It would be so easy."

    Homura glances to the shotgun, and to the handgun, from this timeline. "I'm taking these, by the way. I think that's fair. You tried to rob that girl, so now I'm taking your stuff."

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka is visible as soft pink hair up in twintails backlit against the gray sky and falling snow, tiny up there on the roof. She's leaning over the side a little to see what's happening down below, but Homura's choice of roofs was good- the wall is high enough to lean on but low enough to actually look over without any risk of falling.

    As the twin guns fire bullets ricochet off bullets and scatter into the walls of the alleyway. A squeak can be heard above, Madoka wisely ducking and covering just in case any of those bullets randomly goes very high- though none actually go anywhere even close to her.

    Homura knows when to stop firing, but the young man keeps pulling the trigger to the sound of half a dozen bare clicks as the hammer's action finds no purchase. "Th-th-there's no way that happened! That's impossible!" the younger man screams, recognizing what just happened but his mind finding it completely impossible to accept.

    Despite the pain in his legs he desperately tries to drag himself away from Homura, a horrified yell escaping him only to be cut off as the fist hits his stomach hard enough to completely knock the wind out of his lungs, his eyes bulging in their sockets as pain overwhelms his senses.

    The middle aged man might have been about to try something of his own when the kick hits him beneath the jaw hard enough to break several of his teeth, his own screams muffled by gagging and choking. He only notices the shotgun is back in his face after spitting out a mouthful of broken teeth and gore.

    Another string of cursing is hurled Homura's direction. It's the angry swearing of a beaten man. "You've made your point, cosplaying freak," the man spits out, along with another small piece of tooth, "take the guns. Fine." He's not very happy about that- it's a good shotgun. And guns aren't exactly easy to come by in Japan, especially reliable ones. But what choice does he have?

    The younger man has his own method of surrendering. "Please! Pleaaaase! Don't kill me! I don't want to die!" he gags out in fear as soon as he's able to breathe again. "I have a family!" he adds after a moment, lying through his teeth and trying to appeal to any kind of sympathy the dark haired terror with a finger on the trigger in front of him has.

    By this time the gunfire has stopped long enough that Madoka is looking over the railing again. Her own eyes are very wide, taking in the scene of blood and violence. She's turning a little green, too, as Homura so coldly puts the guns in the mens faces. To her it looks like she's about to kill them both. And Madoka knows very well just how committed to protecting her the Puella is. She's torn between being undyingly grateful and terrified for the lives of the men who accosted her. "Homura-chan..." she whispers, "please don't..."

    But it's probably not loud enough to hear.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura Akemi glances between the two of them with a piercing purple gaze. The two shotguns pull away. She steps backwards from them, looking at the two of them. "You think you can take care of your family this way? Don't you know you could be killed? And really... I don't think you should be insulting me, since your life is in my hands."

    "You're both so pathetic."

    With that, she's gone. She reappears on the roof, next to Madoka. Her guns, new and old, stowed away into her shield. "I'm sorry you had to see that. If you don't teach them a lesson, they'll just keep doing things like that."

    As enraged as Homura was at the prospect of Madoka getting hurt by them, she did have at least enough mental capacity to respect Madoka's feelings on the matter. Besides, at that point, it wouldn't be self defence anymore.

    She drops to one knee, next to Madoka. In the light, it's clear that some amount of blood managed to get in Homura's hair and on her face. "How about you? Are you doing okay? I know you said you weren't hurt, but even so something like that can be scary."

    "It was really scummy, what they were trying to do to you. You certainly don't deserve to be treated like that. Especially not for just being concerned about a dog."

    Homura takes a moment to wipe off her face with her right sleeve, and then wraps her left arm around Madoka, trying to comfort her with a hug.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    The two thugs don't seem to relax as the guns are removed from their faces. Even with the immediate threat gone they're still suffering from gunshot wounds and bloodloss, and who knows when more instantaneous blows are going to rain down upon them.

    When he's berated for looking after his family in a terrible way the younger man starts to stay something, but it silenced by a glare from the older one. Once left to their own devices they begin scrambling to get away.

    Up on the roof Madoka is letting out a sigh of relief as the worst possible outcome doesn't happen, only to turn away to find Homura next to her again. "Thank you," she replies, "for going easy on them. I know they're bad men who were doing horrible things, but I don't think they deserved to die."

    Though she thought the blood on herself might be her she doesn't consider even for a moment that Homura might be hurt. She's seen her fight and knowing how her time magic works, having been saved by it repeatedly, can't imagine an ordinary human even with a gun hurting her unless she was taken completely by surprise.

    She gives a little shake of her head, "I'm... scared." She lifts her hand to her chest, feeling her heart beat quickly even through her winter coat. "It was all so sudden! They came out of nowhere, and I thought they might hurt me even if I gave them everything I had."

    When hugged Madoka puts her arms around Homura; it's a much gentler hug than she normally gives, and her arms are trembling lightly, her heart beating fast in her chest.

    Madoka takes a few moment to calm her breathing down, "I have a lot of money on me right now, and this is a nice coat..." The small girl shakes her head, swallowing hard before looking at Homura, tears in her eyes. "I'm... I'm wearing my necklace, Homura-chan!" It's not hard to guess which one. "Something like that... what would they have done to take something like that from me?"

    Very bad things, she seems to think, as drops from her feet, using her grip on Homura to sink to her knees. Her eyes turn to her own hands for a moment, which briefly shake harder, before hugging herself and curling slightly, only to lean forward to hug onto Homura again before a long whimper bursts into a stream of sobs and crying.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    "People rarely get what they actually deserve," says Homura, somewhat bitterly, "but I wasn't going to kill them. There'd be no point. Who'd gain anything from that? I just wanted to scare them. Besides... I know how you'd feel about it. That would be enough to stop me."

    Homura's dirtier right hand reaches up to run her fingers through her hair. "Maybe it's mean to even do that much, but I was just so angry. I'm sorry."

    Madoka says she's scared. Homura looks at her with soft eyes, squeezing the other girl with her one clean arm. "Well... they might've..."

    Wait... that necklace? The one Takashi gave her, that Homura thought was her Soul Gem? That one? A part of her blames Takashi for endangering her even further... though really, mentally she knows it's kindof a stretch to actually blame him for that, but emotionally it's hard to ignore the thought.

    As Madoka sinks to her knees. Homura feels more and more terrible. She should've seen to Madoka first, instead of focusing on those two punks. They had already been shot in a way that really disabled them.

    No, actually, one had a gun to shoot with. Homura had to deal with them somehow. That situation had to be resolved for their own safety.

    Homura takes a towel out of her shield, tries to wipe the blood off of her face, hair, and arms. Once she's satisfied that she's gotten as much as she can get, she releases her henshin and drops to her knees next to Madoka. Homura wraps both, now clean, arms around the other girl, holding her close. "It's okay now. I wont let anyone hurt you, Madoka-chan."

    Homura gently pats Madoka on the back, caressing her. She's angry, very angry, that they were going to hurt Madoka... but for the moment she's more worried about Madoka herself.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Despite the fear and tears Madoka manages a small smile. Homura would hold herself back because she knows she'd be upset? Even if it's because she was there and watching knowing that does make her feel a little better. "It's okay, Homura-chan. You don't have to be sorry. I know you're just trying to protect me."

    For Madoka it isn't a matter of blame; the only she blames for any of this are the two men who were trying to rob her. But the fact she was wearing something so ludicrously expensive scares her; it's a matter of amplitude. The normally optimistic Madoka was actually afraid the two men might kill her just to keep her from telling any tales for that kind of prize. She'd never considered the necklace as anything approaching dangerous until now.

    But soon Homura is hugging her, and comforting her. A part of her knows that the fear she's feeling now is irrational. The danger is over. And with Homura here with her she's safer right now than she would be safely tucked away at home in bed.

    "I'm sorry," she eventually manages to get out between sniffles, feeling slightly bad for getting tears all over Homura's shoulder. It's so cold that when they slow their tracks begin to freeze on her cheeks. "I'll be okay. I promise." Her voice is weak and strained. Homura's heard that voice many, many times.

    She's also seen Madoka much more terrified, much more upset, and much sadder than she is right now. But that's likely scant consolation when she's practically hiding herself in Homura's arms.

    "Sorry," she whimpers again eventually. "I just needed some time to feel like things would be okay again." Madoka takes in a deep breath and lets it out shakily as Homura carresses and soothes her, and with it most of the sobbing and blubbering comes to an end. "I know you'll keep me safe, Homura-chan. I don't know where I'd be without you."

    It's not just the physical protection she's thankful for, either. Homura staying here with her and comforting her makes her feel a lot better. Being able to turn to someone she can hug and having a shoulder she can cry on means she'll recover from this much more quickly than she might have otherwise. "I'm so thankful to have you as my friend. Thank you for staying with me, Homura-chan, and holding me..."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura Akemi has had it very clearly communicated to her that hugs are always welcome, and so she's taking full advantage of that to make Madoka feel better. She can't stand to see she's upset like this, so she's going to do everything in her power to comfort her.

    Fortunately the only power she has to rely upon right now is the power of hugs and friendship. For Madoka, she has plenty of those two things to spare.

    "It's okay. You've got nothing to apologize for. They scared you. That takes some time to recover from, even if you are safe now. Nothing irrational or strange about it."

    Madoka promises that she'll be okay, and Homura smiles. "I know... but I'm here for as long as you need me, and even after you don't."

    Homura thinks about where Madoka would be without her. Her mind flashes back to the first time she saw Walpurgisnacht. She hates the thought of it. Homura isn't the kind to give herself too much credit, or really any credit, but she knows exactly where Madoka would be without her. "I'm just glad you're alright. I never imagined someone like that would go after you, I admit. It's not the kind of threat I usually think about... but it's okay now."

    "... and I'm always glad to hold you, and protect you, and stay with you, Madoka-chan, because you're my very best friend."

    Leaning against Madoka, she rests a head on her shoulder. "Do you want to go? I'm not sure where you were headed to when that happened. I'll keep you company though, if you want."

    It's a bit cold out here, especially on the roof. When Homura sees Madoka's tears start to freeze on her face, she reaches up to brush them off. Homura doesn't feel that cold, so close to a warm friend to hug, but they should probably eventually move somewhere warmer.

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    It's at a time like this that Madoka is very glad she imparted upon Homura just how welcome hugging is to her. Otherwise clinging onto her like this might seem out of place. It's true that Homura wouldn't judge her to clinging like this because she's afraid, but it also means she's willing to comfort her without worry, and Madoka is grateful for that.

    Hugs and friendship are exactly what the unpowered, nonmagical girl needs right now. It's something that stems from Homura herself rather than her magic and right now it can do more than super strength or speed ever could. It can calm her down and make her feel safe and cared for in a way that even the complete termination of the threat itself can not.

    Madoka nods and looks up to Homura a little, a small smile that coexists with the fading fear in her eyes, both equally honest and genuine on her expressive face. "Thank you," she says again as her friend offers to stay with her.

    It's a paradox. Without Homura Madoka would have been an amazing magical girl, brimming with self confidence and a powerful sense of duty and passion for doing what's right, no matter the cost to herself. Now she kneels, huddled in Homura's arms for shelter and comfort, terrified if a situation that before that intervention couldn't possibly have harmed her or even scared her beyond a simple startling.

    On the other hand instead of being a girl who could look back at a scared, powerless girl for whom she's the only friend in the world and say a final goodbye before leaping off to certain doom she is before that very same girl, holding her close in a grasp of friendship more powerful than she'd ever known possible, with a bond forming between them of care and affection that is beginning to border on necessity as much as mere wanting.

    But no, even that isn't quite true. Because without Homura at all, without that lonely girl with the braided hair and glasses Madoka might never have had the strength of character to face down Walpurgisnacht alone in the first place. Even then that newly formed friendship was one of the things she through herself into battle to protect, though neither of the two girls kneeling together on the roof could possibly know it right now.

    Madoka Kaname sniffles once more and nods as Homura comforts her and tells her things will be okay, and then when some of the sweetest words she's ever heard are spoken she pulls away just enough to peer into purple eyes with soft pink ones. She holds her gaze for a moment before leaning in again, hugging onto Homura in a softer, gentler way that has nothing to do with fear.

    "Mine too, Homura-chan," she whispers, acknowledging now the thought that crossed her mind the other day.

    As Homura rests her head Madoka lets out a very soft sigh. The honest answer to the question is that no, she doesn't want to go. But she knows that they should, and now that she's no longer thinking out of fear she recognizes it. "Yes. I was going shopping... but I think that can wait for tomorrow. I'd like it if you kept me company though, Homura-chan."

    She makes a soft sound when the tears are wiped away, but smiles again once she realizes what Homura is doing. This time she doesn't say thank you with words, instead letting her kind gaze say the words for her.

Homura Akemi has posed:
    The two girls together like this, hugging on a rooftop, does some good for Homura on a very basic level. She thinks she could stay here forever, and she would if she had a choice. Well, as long as she succeeds in her mission, they'll continue to be able to have times like these. At least, that's what she hopes.

    Aside from that, keeping Madoka safe and happy does include the happy part, and that means caring for her emotionally. It's only a bonus that Homura enjoys the hugging as much as Madoka does. It isn't something she was very good at in previous timelines... but things are different now. She's had to adapt, and being able to see Madoka smile more does a lot to help Homura, too.

    She loathes to admit anything that would give Pluto even the slightest amount of credit, but this timeline really is the best thing that has ever happened to her.

    When Madoka returns her sentiment, Homura holds her more tightly. "I'm glad. I'm glad we can be this close. I'm glad I can be here for you, because I know you've been there for me too."

    Homura Akemi, finally, once she's sure that Madoka is alright, releases her and starts to stand up. She offers a hand to Madoka. "Should we go somewhere more warm? It'd probably be easier for you to get down from here if I just carried you." She looks down at herself and then at Madoka. "I should probably henshin first, though, if we're going to do that. There might be someplace to eat nearby, if you want to."

    Homura glances over her shoulder down at the streets below, looking at what's available. Of course, they could also just walk somewhere else. "It'd be nice to go to a coffee shop or something. To have something warm to drink. Would you like that, Madoka-chan?"

Madoka Kaname has posed:
    Madoka might feel the same way if it wouldn't complicate things so much. Her parents would eventually get rather upset when she didn't come home. And then later when she eventually starved to death.

    Madoka wanting to hug so much is because that's who she is, but also because she's been given so many hugs and so much affection. The more she gets the more she wants, both from the enjoyment of the contact itself and the emotional bond it implies. She really has always slept with her stuffed animals and given them every hug she's held back from giving her friends, though.

    "When I first met you I never imagined that we'd become so close, Homura-chan. But I'm very glad we have. It makes me happy that we can be there for each other when we need it. You've done a lot for me recently, so remember that I am always here for you if you need me, too." She pulls away only when Homura starts to get up, taking the offered hand and using it to climb to her feet, starting with one and standing up from a one knee kneel with Homura's help.

    For the first time today Madoka giggles in front of her, and she nods a little, "It's okay if you carry me. I'm starting to get used to it. Just set me down after a while so I don't forget how to walk!" She laughs at her own joke, and laughing feels very good. The saying about it being the best medicine is true for a lot of situations.

    She nods her head quickly at the mention of a coffee shop, "Oh, yes! I'd really like that. Something nice and hot to make me feel warm again, that sounds perfect!"

    After a short moment she asks in a slightly less enthusiastic voice, "Can... it be somewhere else in the city? I'm not afraid anymore... but I'd like to be far away from here just so this can be behind us."

Homura Akemi has posed:
    Homura would probably start searching through her shield for snacks if it came to that, but even if they were going to do that it'd be more fun to find a warmer place to hug. That had food.

    With a smile, Homura says, "I haven't been this close to you in a long time. For a while I thought that protecting you meant pushing you away... but... well... I'm a lot happier with things being like this."

    Homura activates her henshin, and whatever blood she failed to clean up before has vanished. The joys of magical clothing. When Homura picks Madoka up, carrying her in her arms like a princess, she says, "You help me a lot more than I can ever express. Seeing you like this is a dream come true for me. It's all I've ever wanted. The fact that I can be your friend, too... that just makes it so much better."

    Homura turns to step towards the ledge, but she stops when Madoka mentions wanting to go somewhere else. Homura nods and says, "Well alright. Let's go to another part of the city, then. The sooner we can forget about this the better."

    Homura was just going to jump from the roof and let the henshin absorb the impact, but if Madoka wants to go to a different place entirely, she turns and takes a different route. She bounds from rooftop to rooftop, crossing the distance rather quickly, holding onto Madoka the whole time as the two girls go on the search for a coffee shop.