X-posted Drabbles: Fairy Tales; Puella Magi Madoka Magica - Akemi Homura/Kaname Madoka
And here I am again, posting these even though I never intended to.
These are drabbles done to the pairing of Homura/Madoka for Puella Magi Madoka Magica from the challenge before last of Fairy Tales. I only ever finished half of the set, which is why I never submitted them (or, indeed, ever claimed the pairing).
Too /lazy to edit a table for them, but I think that's okay.
All are exactly 100 words [per OpenOffice]. All are rated between PG-PG13.
Thanks as usual to piraskel for the beta (and the fact this ever even got posted).
01. Beauty and the Beast
She is ruthless.
She can't recall when it started, but each time Kyuubei explodes in a rain of white fluff and non-existent alien innards, she knows it only becomes worse.
She'd done nothing wrong.
But she can't do anything right.
And each time Madoka looks at her in horror over something she's done (perhaps she's killed the undying rodent before Madoka's very eyes, or she's left Mami to fend for herself again against something she stands no chance, or she's stood by patiently as Kyouko eviscerates Sayaka with her spear), she remembers.
She chose to become this beast.
For her.
*****
02. The Red Shoes
Homura is a quiet girl, with few needs, and even fewer demands.
She would like to think that her demands are not in excess, but after the thousandth time reliving the month, she is forced to re-evaluate that possibility.
Had she used up all her karma on recovering in the hospital, before this ever started?
Does karma follow time incongruity?
She guesses not.
In terms of maybe saving herself, Madoka seemingly hadn't accumulated enough good karma, either.
Still, Homura cannot let go.
The dance itself is the most wonderful part, and she will selfishly revel in it for all eternity.
*****
03. The Nutcracker
The witches' landscapes are surreal and speak volumes of the magical girl they once were.
Homura does sometimes wonder, in her more idle moments, what her own might contain.
There are gears there, well-oiled and perfectly tuned, giant bucklers that appear out of nothingness to protect her from the blasts, and dozens of tin soldiers, all marching around her, filled to the brim with determination to attack invaders, even though they are without the heart to know why they do it.
She is baffled at their resolve, but a grim satisfaction lies beneath it.
After all, they are within herself.
*****
04. Cinderella
The first iteration, the one where she was never a magical girl in the first place, her time, Homura had gotten a taste of freedom. She had known what it was like to love Kaname Madoka with no strings attached.
She works diligently, without complaint, to reach that point again.
A few times, she moves too fast, and forgets just how sudden these things seem to Madoka, forgets how magical and unsettling all of this is to her.
But after so many times of destroying the dream gone wrong, Homura forgets the magic herself, too.
She rewinds the clock again.
*****
05. The Steadfast Tin Soldier
It's what most people would call obsession, but Homura never questions her loyalty to Madoka.
She wonders if Kyuubei's right, that humans are the most fascinating creatures because they manage to survive despite their emotions. (The wonder doesn't start until her own emotions have been deadened to nearly everything except compassion for the girl in pink, of course.)
She wants to say he is right, but that it's also what allows them to be passionate.
Homura won't say this though, because she knows that she too has become a slave to the ends, damn the means.
Madoka's survival is everything.
*****
06. The Golden Goose
Kyuubei leads them to the slaughter each time; an ancient force whose only purpose is to show them the path to their own destruction. Madoka rarely realizes the sway he holds, yet she sees value in everything, and protects him as fiercely as she might any of them.
Homura is not one to take offense easily to much of anything, but she eventually finds herself rankling at Kyuubei's very existence, for one, and Madoka's attachment to him, for another.
If she's being honest with herself, she is hideously jealous.
It's about then that she begins to wonder if Incubators bleed.
*****
07. The Little Match Girl
It's about the thirtieth time Homura's repeated the month and Kyouko's managed to throw Mami's hat over the edge of the bridge, struggling for an errant grief seed. Mami's eyes go vacant, and Kyouko panics, stumbling upward. "Hey... hey, I didn't mean...!"
Immediately, Homura's eyes scan the area for Kyuubei, but find Madoka instead. "Why?!" Tears stream.
Now Kyuubei is there, curling around her shoulder, and speaks quietly to them all.
Homura stares quietly. She finally understands the problem. There simply isn't enough to keep them all alive.
She narrows her eyes with new resolve.
Madoka becomes her only priority.
*****
08. Goldilocks the the Three Bears
Eventually, Homura is reduced to categorizing her failures; this seems the only way for her to make sense of the situation she's put herself in.
At times, Madoka is killed by some freak accident, and Homura feels lost, bereft of even the chance to change things.
At times, Madoka is killed by some outside force, and Homura feels powerless, the need to train harder growing.
At times, Madoka is killed by her own hand, and Homura feels disgust at herself, at the waste of it.
Regardless of these circumstances, Madoka is innocent and caring, and regardless, Homura hoplelessly loves that.
*****
09. The Six Swans
Homura wishes she could forget the iteration where she realized that words meant nothing.
Instead, she remembers the paranoia and the edge in the air, the pervading chaos brought to a simple order with the shot of Madoka's bow. She holds the memory tightly, so she remembers to just keep her mouth shut.
She muses that perhaps someday, when she really knows that it's her last time doing this, she'll be able to speak again.
She looks forward to it, looks forward to the gibbering mess she knows she'll be.
To Hell with the scars necessary to reach that point.
*****
10. Rumpelstiltskin
A small, white figure claims they can spin straw into gold.
Their reasons are varied, but Kyuubei accepts them all. Madoka accepts them all too, and that stands out more to Homura, not simply because she hates Kyuubei, who knows no emotions, but that Madoka does the same despite knowing them.
Homura guesses she should be pretty thankful that none of the girls are actually greedy or jaded enough to wish for destructive reasons. After all, self-destruction is a form of destruction, and frankly one person is enough.
Unfortunately though, no matter what name she calls Kyuubei, he never disappears.
*****
11. The Frog Prince
One time, Homura is drowning.
The witch’s landscape is a scentless, tasteless ocean full of brightly-colored fish, dolphins, sharks, and frogs who swirl around, pulling her further down.
Then through the wall of creatures comes a pink light, a burst of magic, and suddenly she can gasp air. No water remains, but Homura's hair clings to her body all the same, and she stumbles to her knees.
Madoka peers down and smiles. “I thought you said 'be prepared for anything'?”
Homura silently reaches for Madoka’s helping hand, and only once she stands does she feel she can breathe again.
These are drabbles done to the pairing of Homura/Madoka for Puella Magi Madoka Magica from the challenge before last of Fairy Tales. I only ever finished half of the set, which is why I never submitted them (or, indeed, ever claimed the pairing).
Too /lazy to edit a table for them, but I think that's okay.
All are exactly 100 words [per OpenOffice]. All are rated between PG-PG13.
Thanks as usual to piraskel for the beta (and the fact this ever even got posted).
01. Beauty and the Beast
She is ruthless.
She can't recall when it started, but each time Kyuubei explodes in a rain of white fluff and non-existent alien innards, she knows it only becomes worse.
She'd done nothing wrong.
But she can't do anything right.
And each time Madoka looks at her in horror over something she's done (perhaps she's killed the undying rodent before Madoka's very eyes, or she's left Mami to fend for herself again against something she stands no chance, or she's stood by patiently as Kyouko eviscerates Sayaka with her spear), she remembers.
She chose to become this beast.
For her.
*****
02. The Red Shoes
Homura is a quiet girl, with few needs, and even fewer demands.
She would like to think that her demands are not in excess, but after the thousandth time reliving the month, she is forced to re-evaluate that possibility.
Had she used up all her karma on recovering in the hospital, before this ever started?
Does karma follow time incongruity?
She guesses not.
In terms of maybe saving herself, Madoka seemingly hadn't accumulated enough good karma, either.
Still, Homura cannot let go.
The dance itself is the most wonderful part, and she will selfishly revel in it for all eternity.
*****
03. The Nutcracker
The witches' landscapes are surreal and speak volumes of the magical girl they once were.
Homura does sometimes wonder, in her more idle moments, what her own might contain.
There are gears there, well-oiled and perfectly tuned, giant bucklers that appear out of nothingness to protect her from the blasts, and dozens of tin soldiers, all marching around her, filled to the brim with determination to attack invaders, even though they are without the heart to know why they do it.
She is baffled at their resolve, but a grim satisfaction lies beneath it.
After all, they are within herself.
*****
04. Cinderella
The first iteration, the one where she was never a magical girl in the first place, her time, Homura had gotten a taste of freedom. She had known what it was like to love Kaname Madoka with no strings attached.
She works diligently, without complaint, to reach that point again.
A few times, she moves too fast, and forgets just how sudden these things seem to Madoka, forgets how magical and unsettling all of this is to her.
But after so many times of destroying the dream gone wrong, Homura forgets the magic herself, too.
She rewinds the clock again.
*****
05. The Steadfast Tin Soldier
It's what most people would call obsession, but Homura never questions her loyalty to Madoka.
She wonders if Kyuubei's right, that humans are the most fascinating creatures because they manage to survive despite their emotions. (The wonder doesn't start until her own emotions have been deadened to nearly everything except compassion for the girl in pink, of course.)
She wants to say he is right, but that it's also what allows them to be passionate.
Homura won't say this though, because she knows that she too has become a slave to the ends, damn the means.
Madoka's survival is everything.
*****
06. The Golden Goose
Kyuubei leads them to the slaughter each time; an ancient force whose only purpose is to show them the path to their own destruction. Madoka rarely realizes the sway he holds, yet she sees value in everything, and protects him as fiercely as she might any of them.
Homura is not one to take offense easily to much of anything, but she eventually finds herself rankling at Kyuubei's very existence, for one, and Madoka's attachment to him, for another.
If she's being honest with herself, she is hideously jealous.
It's about then that she begins to wonder if Incubators bleed.
*****
07. The Little Match Girl
It's about the thirtieth time Homura's repeated the month and Kyouko's managed to throw Mami's hat over the edge of the bridge, struggling for an errant grief seed. Mami's eyes go vacant, and Kyouko panics, stumbling upward. "Hey... hey, I didn't mean...!"
Immediately, Homura's eyes scan the area for Kyuubei, but find Madoka instead. "Why?!" Tears stream.
Now Kyuubei is there, curling around her shoulder, and speaks quietly to them all.
Homura stares quietly. She finally understands the problem. There simply isn't enough to keep them all alive.
She narrows her eyes with new resolve.
Madoka becomes her only priority.
*****
08. Goldilocks the the Three Bears
Eventually, Homura is reduced to categorizing her failures; this seems the only way for her to make sense of the situation she's put herself in.
At times, Madoka is killed by some freak accident, and Homura feels lost, bereft of even the chance to change things.
At times, Madoka is killed by some outside force, and Homura feels powerless, the need to train harder growing.
At times, Madoka is killed by her own hand, and Homura feels disgust at herself, at the waste of it.
Regardless of these circumstances, Madoka is innocent and caring, and regardless, Homura hoplelessly loves that.
*****
09. The Six Swans
Homura wishes she could forget the iteration where she realized that words meant nothing.
Instead, she remembers the paranoia and the edge in the air, the pervading chaos brought to a simple order with the shot of Madoka's bow. She holds the memory tightly, so she remembers to just keep her mouth shut.
She muses that perhaps someday, when she really knows that it's her last time doing this, she'll be able to speak again.
She looks forward to it, looks forward to the gibbering mess she knows she'll be.
To Hell with the scars necessary to reach that point.
*****
10. Rumpelstiltskin
A small, white figure claims they can spin straw into gold.
Their reasons are varied, but Kyuubei accepts them all. Madoka accepts them all too, and that stands out more to Homura, not simply because she hates Kyuubei, who knows no emotions, but that Madoka does the same despite knowing them.
Homura guesses she should be pretty thankful that none of the girls are actually greedy or jaded enough to wish for destructive reasons. After all, self-destruction is a form of destruction, and frankly one person is enough.
Unfortunately though, no matter what name she calls Kyuubei, he never disappears.
*****
11. The Frog Prince
One time, Homura is drowning.
The witch’s landscape is a scentless, tasteless ocean full of brightly-colored fish, dolphins, sharks, and frogs who swirl around, pulling her further down.
Then through the wall of creatures comes a pink light, a burst of magic, and suddenly she can gasp air. No water remains, but Homura's hair clings to her body all the same, and she stumbles to her knees.
Madoka peers down and smiles. “I thought you said 'be prepared for anything'?”
Homura silently reaches for Madoka’s helping hand, and only once she stands does she feel she can breathe again.