Frohe Weihnachten, meine Liebe... (A Madoka Magica Christmas Story)

[Merci]

Before you begin, I want to make it clear that I started writing this all of a sudden, on nothing more than whim, a few hours ago. My original intention was to crush the Christmas spirits of everyone who read it, but by the time I was finished, it had gone in a completely different direction.
 
I tried to make this one-shot as accessible as possible for people who haven't seen Puella Magi, so even if you don't know about it, you should be able to get all the feels~
 
[Note: There's also a bit of yuri at the end, if you can tolerate that.]

Hope you enjoy!

[spoiler=Frohe Weihnachten, meine Liebe]

Sunday, December the 25th, 20XX
 

It was snowing.
 
Having spent so many years repeating the same months over and over, it was an odd feeling for her. It felt nostalgic. The last time she'd seen it, she was in a hospital room, unable to go out or even move without a heart attack. Being effectively trapped, secluded from the outside world, she'd been powerless back then to do anything but watch it fall.
 
Even now, when she had a stronger body and possessed amazing powers, she still felt powerless as she stopped the car. Was this really going to work? Was it really worth it? Or were things always going to stay the same?
 
"Madoka. We're here."
 
"Mm…?" In the back, a young girl with pink hair could be seen lying down, and she let out a childish yawn as she got up, a bit disorientated. It was so cute that the driver couldn't help but chuckle. "Is that you… Homura-chan? What are we doing here?"
 
"We just arrived back in Mitakihara Town. You said you wanted to come back."
 
"Eh? I don't get it, Homuuuraaa-chan?" It looked as though Madoka was still sleepy and confused, and in an adorable manner. She missed the sight. It wasn't going to last long, but she would enjoy it for what it was worth.
 
Having parked by the Mitakihara Tower, which had been repaired after the disastrous hurricane about a year ago, the raven-haired unlocked the doors with a button and got out. Although it was cold, she was wearing nothing more than a turtleneck jumper and jeans, since it wasn't as if the cold could affect a magical lich very much. Seemingly still confused, Madoka got out as well, and she was dressed from head to toe in warm clothing, with a thick jacket, thick trousers, thick socks, gloves, a beanie, and a long scarf wrapped all around her just so that she wouldn't get cold.
 
"Homura-chan, you're not annssweerring me, what're we doing~? Is Sayaka-chan around?"
 
"You'll see when we get there."
 
"Oh, okay."
 
Taking her hand, she was led into the tower. It was actually closed due to the potential hazards of getting too close to the sky in this weather, but Homura didn't mention anything about this, and opened the locked entrance with a key. If there was anything she was grateful for, it was that even after being rebuilt, the designers decided to stay with a retro system and didn't install any electronic doors or security systems.
 
The inside was dark and gloomy, and almost nothing could be made out. Without noticing it, Madoka was gripping Homura's arm tightly, as if the shadows would lash out and try to take her away at any moment. Once they reached the elevator, things were a little better since it had its own lighting, and a button leading to the glass dome at the very top was pressed.
 
"Um, Homura-chan, isn't that dangerous?"
 
No answer came.
 
As it started to go up, Madoka only held onto her arm even tighter, and Homura could see her expression from a placed mirror in front of them. It was one of fear and confusion, the girl not understanding anything about what was going on. The fact that her memories remained dormant this long could only mean one thing; she was suppressing them herself. She didn't want to remember.
 
No. No, no, no, no, this isn't a good idea! Suddenly regretting having come here, her arm moved to press 'F1' and return them to the ground floor, but was stopped as Madoka pulled her away.
 
"Madoka, wait, I- I- I changed my mind. How about we go someplace else?" she asked in panic, but the pinkette shook her head.
 
"Homura-chan, I…don't really get it, but you wanted to take me here for a reason, right?" Madoka pointed out.
 
"I- I- I…"
 
It was too late.
 
"Madoka," she began.
 
"Um, yes?"
 
"When we reach the top…" By that time, the elevator was almost there, with only a few more floors to go. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to bear what would happen next. "…Can you promise to stay calm?"
 
Then with a 'ding!', the doors opened up to reveal a small, circular floor with a transparent dome all around the two. Falling snow was brushing violently against it, and dark clouds could be seen not too far above, causing the sky to appear a dark grey. What looked beautiful from the ground, looked terrifying close-up. Even after all she'd been all, all the witches she'd faced, the sight was scary. Of all the places to go to, why did it have to be here—
 
Then, as she looked up, she saw that the girl had already stepped out and was staring out from the edge of the glass. The full view of Mitakihara was in sight. Horrified, she ran out with her arms outstretched.
 
"M- Madoka, get away—"
 
"Homura-chan," said Madoka, glancing behind her. "Homura-chan, where's Sayaka-chan?"
 
Homura froze on the spot.
 
"She's n- not here."
 
"Where is everyone?"
 
"Not here."
 
"Where?"
 
"Gone."
 
"To?"
 
"I can't answer that, Madoka."
 
Madoka's gaze switched back to the dome, outside being a much smaller Mitakihara with many of their once-famed glass buildings having been replaced by firmer ones. The whole city looked different, no longer recognizable as it once was.
 
"Why did you take me here?"
 
"You wanted to come…back."
 
"Back from where?"
 
"W- we were staying in Bali for a little while."
 
"Why did I leave?"
 
"You didn't. I took you."
 
"Why?"
 
"You can see for yourself, can't you?"
 
At that, Madoka paid closer attention to the town before her. It looked like it had been rebuilt, but surely there had been no reason to. If she looked closely, some of the buildings, such as the middle school they used to go to, remained, but many others were either absent or replaced. The rivers that used to run along it weren't there either.
 
She remembered. It was in the morning, and some sort of gear-like gigantic monster appeared out of nowhere and attacked, laughing on and on, though everyone else had acted as if it were a hurricane. Looking even closer, there were various structures that looked destroyed, as if hit by a hurricane, and some places were now entirely unoccupied the suburb where she used to live included. It was now an empty patch of land, covered in snow.
 
"Wait… Where's mama? Where's papa? They made it out alive, right?"
 
She remembered. While everyone else was evacuating, she caught a glimpse of Sayaka running off into the destruction along with one of her senpais, as if to stop the destruction all on their own. Pulling herself out from her mother's grasp, she ran off to find them, but got lost amongst all the crashing buildings around her. Her ears were ringing, she could see explosions up in the air, and debris were falling everywhere. Even though the town changed, she could make out the path she traveled through from the evacuation site.
 
And then, in the midst of all that rubble, just as a tower was toppling over by her side and about to crush her, a classmate of hers dressed in a grey outfit appeared and pulled her out of the way. Homura was like a cool superhero back then, as she took her hand and led her back to safety.
 
"You—"
 
However, that changed when they came across a corpse that had been crushed by rubble, splattered with blood and utterly unrecognizable. It might've gone by as just another casualty of disaster, but the one thing that was intact was a slender hand, and on it, a wedding ring which Madoka could never have mistook for anything else. It was the wedding ring of Kaname Junko, her mother, given to by her father, and it was one-of-a-kind. She must've gone out to look for her.
 
At that time, Madoka became dizzy. Did she black out on the spot, or had she screamed until she fainted? She couldn't remember.
 
"Homura-chan, you—"
 
When she woke up, Homura was crying into her shoulder, apologizing over and over again. In the distance, she could see Mitakihara Town, flattened and flooded. Many of the constructions were made of glass and focused on style, since nobody had ever expected a natural disaster to come close to the place. The evacuation sites hadn't been strong enough. It had been an absolute failure. Without a doubt, millions must have died.
 
Of course, Madoka had wanted to come back, to search for her friends and family and see if anyone was still alive, and Homura initially agreed…until suddenly changing her mind after seeing something in the distance. Then she remembered being forced into a car, being driven off without her permission, and she had definitely been screaming then, biting, punching and kicking her kidnapper to no avail apart from making her cry even more.
 
"Homura-chan, you, you, why did you—"
 
It took her weeks to stop screaming every chance she got, a month to eat food on her own, three months to stop trying to kill herself every chance she got, and another three until she finally asked what happened and why they left. As it turned out, the monster had been a super-powerful Witch that was just too powerful for anyone to handle, and Homura took her away to prevent her from meeting a creature called Kyubey. She explained about a ton of things that didn't make any sense, that she was a magical girl and had repeated the same month over and over, trying to save Madoka, that everyone always suffered no matter what she tried, that Madoka had a ton of magical potential and Kyubey would stop at nothing to make a contract with her, and that they had to be on the run from him until she was old . It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense.
 
They traveled by car, by boat, by airplane, constantly moving from country to country, constantly changing identities and wearing disguises, all against her own will. She wanted to stop, but had to keep going. She'd only begun to accept this sort of life a month ago, and she still cried herself to sleep every night.
 
Homura once told her that this—all of this—was for her, but she couldn't understand, even now. How could someone enjoy this sort of life? It was hell. Simply hell! There was no way anyone could live like this! DEATH WOULD BE WAY BETTER THAN THIS!
 
That was why, when Homura said, 'It's almost Christmas. If there's anything you want, anything, just tell me and I'll give it to you', she replied with 'I want to go home'.
 
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
 
When all the memories came flooding back into Madoka's mind, she had broken down, screaming out. That was one of the reasons why she'd been brought here; so she could scream as much as she liked without anyone to stop her. In the past, she always had to be stopped in case somebody got suspicious, but here, there was no one to hear her. She could let out all her emotions without worry, without restraint. It was twisted, but in a way, this sound-proof dome at the top of a top was like a paradise.
 
How long did she scream? Twenty minutes? Thirty? An hour?
 
Once it was over, the pinkette was choking for air as tears continued to flow down her face, her throat damaged beyond repair, although since Homura was a magical girl, she simply touched and healed it with her powers.
 
"Madoka, have you calmed down?" she asked softly, placing on her shoulder.
 
The girl in question looked up and did nothing but stare blankly into Homura's eyes, like a puppet. Her skin was much paler than it used to be, her body frailer, and even under the beanie, it could be seen that her hair unkempt and messy.
 
"Y- yeah," Madoka said in a weak voice. "Thanks for taking me here, Homura-chan. I- I- I guess this is enough…"
 
"Madoka, there's something I need to tell you," Homura stated, and she got up before offering out her hand. Now that Madoka had cheered up, she could tell her. "I know you haven't talked much to others in the past, and I'm really sorry for that! Really, really really, I am! Truly. So um, do you think you're alright with meeting other people?"
 
She opened her mouth in surprise. "Um, yeah, I- I think. What is it?"
 
"Well, tonight we're going to have a dinner party with some of your classmates that made it through Walpurgis Night… Shizuki-san included."
 
"Shizu—?"
 
Though confused at first, it didn't take long for her to remember who it was, and color flourished into her skin as she smiled for the very first time in almost a year. Even though it wouldn't last, it was as if she was back to how she used to be.
 
"H- H- HI- HITOMI-CHAN?! Sh- she's alive? She's alive! I can't believe it, she's alive!"
 
"Yes." Homura beamed, unable to contain the joy she felt within herself at seeing Madoka happy again. It was just, relieving. Extremely relieving. She wasn't sure how to put this colossal, massive relief of hers into words. "You should get ready, take a shower, and change into something nicer."
 
"Stop acting like that, Homura-chan. I can take care of myself now," Madoka pouted in response, but then realized something. "Um, are we going to sneak into a hotel and steal clothes again…? It's just, I'd rather not."
 
"Not at all." A smile growing on her own face, Homura placed her finger on the glass. "Look there."
 
She was pointing at a certain section just outside the city. It wasn't visible at first, but then as the sun came into sight amongst the clouds and managed to lessen the amount of snow falling down from the skies, it could be seen that the area she was referring to had trees and grass surrounding a clearing, and in it, a massive, decorated house that looked ultramodern and Victorian at the same time. As Madoka saw it, she seemed reluctant.
 
"I dunno… I really don't want to steal—"
 
"It's yours."
 
Then surprise crossed her face.
 
"Eh?"
 
"If everything went as planned, then there should also be a full-set wardrobe and an indoor swimming pool."
 
"EHHHHHHHHHHH?!"
 
"It used to be an abandoned church, but the winds damaged it, leaving only the internal structure. It wasn't hard to get a hold of it, and it made building over that much easier. I have a heat-reliant security system installed into it as well, so Incubator won't get anywhere near. It's in your name, and this way, you can live a normal life. If you want, you can think of it as my Christmas present- Madoka?" 
 
She was crying again.
 
"Madoka, is something the matter?! Did I do something wrong?!"
 
"No, Homura-chan, it's just… Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so, so, so much! I'm so happy now! You did all this for me, didn't you? I'm glad! I'm really, really glad!"
 
Without paying attention, she'd embraced Homura in joy, and was pulling her in tighter and tighter so that she wouldn't be able to escape, ignoring the fact that she was soaking the girl's jumper with her own stream of tears.
 
"M- Madoooka, you're hugging too hard! I can't—breatthhheee!"
 
"No way! This is your punishment for kidnapping me!"
 
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggghhhhhhhhh"
 
Time passed, and once Madoka had stopped hugging Homura to death, they took the elevator back down, though when it stopped and the electricity died halfway, Homura had to transform into her magical girl outfit and jump down while carrying Madoka in an epic manner, through the darkness, stopping time with the last few grains of sand that remained in her shield so they could land safely.

Once they'd gone through the lobby and exited out from Mitakihara Tower, all the snow that was falling down had settled, making everything look a lot less gloomy. Heading for the car, she opened the door and gestured for Madoka to enter, but it looked as though she'd paused in thought for some reason.
 
"Wait, Homura-chan. Can I ask something?"
 
"Erm, yes?"
 
"Where did you get all that money?"
 
"Money… You mean for the house?"
 
"Mmhm. You stole it, didn't you, just like this car?"
 
"No, I didn't."
 
"If you did, then I can't accept that!" Madoka stubbornly crossed her arms, refusing to move from her spot.
 
"I'm serious!" protested Homura, trying to look as honest as possible. She ended up looking more like a con artist. "Alright, I admit that we raided a hotel for stuff, stowed away on ships and snuck on planes, stole a lot of food from restaurants and stores, and that the car we had to live in for months didn't really belong to me, maybe even other things that I don't remember, but since then, I've been paying for everything! The cars, hotels, everything!"
 
"I don't know how long you spent repeating time, but in this world, you're sixteen years old, Homura-chan. Where would the money come from?"
 
"Do you really want to know that badly, Madoka?" Seeing her like this, Homura couldn't help but tease her a little. It was the first time she'd spoken so energetically, after all.
 
"Tell me the truth, Homurraa-chaaaan!"
 
"Ow!" Her cheek was being pinched. It actually shouldn't have hurt much since Homura was a magical girl and had dulled senses, but it hurt. It really hurt. Just how strong was she pinching, for it to be felt this much? "Oww! Okay, okay, I give up."
 
Then, reaching into her pocket, she took something out, which wasn't very big and looked like a black needle fitted with some sort of orb.
 
"Do you remember what I told you about Grief Seeds?"
 
"I think so." Madoka rattled her brain, trying to remember. "Ummm, when witches are killed, they drop those seed thingies, and Kyubey collects them once they're full because it's his goal, right? They produce lots of energy, and with it, he can stop the universe from running out."
 
"I sold them."
 
"Oh, okay- you WHAT?!"
 
"Apparently, a single Grief Seed can power a whole city for a hundred years. I wasn't really serious when I investigated on ways to try and sell it, and I don't know how much it's really worth, but I sold three at a price of a billion. Might be worth more though."

"A billion yen is a lot of money," remarked Madoka.
 
"Actually, it's in dollars."
 
For a moment, Madoka just stared at her incredulously.
 
Then, "WE'RE BILLIONAIRES?! Why didn't you tell me?!"
 
"I did, but you didn't listen."
 
"Oh."
 
A pause.
 
"Isn't Kyubey going to be mad at you?"
 
As if pulled by an urge or as if her magical instincts were acting up, Homura decided to look over her shoulder.
 
And she saw him. A little, white feline creature with long ears, ruby eyes and a catlike smile that never ceased, always waiting for an opportunity. He knew that he would be shot if he even came close, and had waited a very long time already to catch Madoka alone, to no avail. By the time Madoka was seventeen, he would have to give up and go away.
 
Then, ignoring the creature, she turned back.
 
"Incubators can't feel emotions, but I suspect that he wouldn't be very happy and try to prevent other magical girls from doing the same thing."
 
 
 
[hr]

 

They were driving again. It wasn't easy going through the snow, but the car managed, and it was making its way towards the aforementioned clearing. Although Madoka had cheered up a lot more in the past hour than she had in eight months, she was starting to revert to her more secluded, quiet self, looking down at her lap instead of out at the new Mitakihara. Homura didn't blame her.
 
Maybe after all that trouble, without going back in time or turning into a witch, it really was worth getting to this point. She beat the odds, and now here they were. Finally, after having cycled through the same thing over and over, there'd been a triumph. It wasn't much of a triumph, since Madoka had been mentally-scarred and might never truly live a normal life after what happened in this one year, but she'd tried her hardest to arrange a future for her. Kyubey wouldn't be able to get close without setting alarms off.
 
And now it was over.
 
This was the end.
 
"Hey, Madoka," she said to her left, keeping her eyes fixed on the road and her hands on the wheel.
 
"What is it?"

"Have you… Erm, have you forgiven me? For what I did?"

Madoka let out a sigh, and a shaky one at that, filled with mixed feelings and uncertainty.

"I don't know, Homura-chan. No, probably not yet. Not even close," admitted Madoka.
 
She closed her eyes, as if trying to search for the right words to say.
  
"I do care about you as a friend, and I think I understand what you had to go through. You saved my life and stopped me from killing myself even after I lost everything else. You bore with me for months even though I kept kicking and yelling, and if I understand, you even brought me all over the globe running away from some demon. And I'm not going to forget all those times you yelled at me about how precious I was to you. I'm glad that there's someone in the world who cares about me this much."

"In another timeline, you were my best friend. It's only normal," Homura explained with a smile.

"But I don't think so. I think it goes beyond friendship. Maybe it was that at first, but now it's like you've become obsessed with me or something. No offence, but I think you're kind of insane." Pause. "And a lunatic." Pause. "And a creep."

"I don't care, I'm used to it." Though she tried to say this coldly, it came out in a hurt tone.

"That's why, it might take a long time for me to forgive you and accept your feelings," continued Madoka. "Also, I'm not really comfortable with having to live with another girl. I mean, people might get the wrong idea! And um…"

Homura blinked in confusion, just as she swerved past a corner. "I never said that."

"What?"

"What?"

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"I said it was yours, didn't I? It's in your name, and so is the back account with all the money. It's not far from Shizuki-san's house, and I even arranged a way for you to go back and finish school if you want, there should be a slip containing information about that on one of the tables. After that, whatever you do is your own choice. Several books on different subjects, such as law, should be prepared somewhere. After the reunion tonight, I'll leave."

Madoka opened her mouth as if to say something, but then shut it again. She was speechless. Her expression couldn't be read, but it was most likely something along the lines of shock.

"So y- y- you just planned on dumping me? In a house? All . . . alone?"

"I thought that was what you wanted. To have me out of your life."

"But, um, but what about you, Homura-chan?"

"You won't see me again."

"No! What are you going to do?"

"Is that important?"

"Yes!"

"I don't know what I'll do. I've never really had the chance to think about it before. I'll probably just let myself disappear. Seeing you happy is more than enough."

"Don't you have anything? A family to come back to? A dream you wanna fulfill?"

The car stopped. Though the ground was covered with snow, trees could very clearly be seen around them, and up ahead a spectacular house. Having never actually seen it in person before, Homura couldn't help but be proud of herself as she looked at it. Madoka could definitely be happy in such a place.

"Answer me, Homura-chan," pleaded Madoka.

"None."

"Why? There's got to be something before you started that whole magical-time-reset-thingie."

"That's…"

"Tell me."

"I—I can't."

"Why not?!"

"It's just..."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"I don't... I don't want you to think badly of me."

"Homura-chan."

"..."

"Please."

"Alright... Alright, I'll tell you."

The raven-haired girl opened the door and exited out into the snow, while Madoka did the same and quickly ran over to her side of the car. Looking at all the trees, she might've been able to fool herself that she was in a faraway winter forest, instead of a fragile city recovering from a hurricane.

She closed her eyes, and then, with reluctance, opened them again.

This was going to be the first time she had ever talked about her past in a very, very long time. It didn't really matter anymore. From here on out, nothing mattered anymore. Nothing at all.
Her existence was irrelevant, so whatever she said from this point onwards wouldn't be able to change anything.

And then Homura began,

"I don't know who my father was, and my mother just disinherited me after I had that heart attack, leaving me with enough money to last until college. She called me a disgrace. My original surname was something longer, but she forced me to change it to 'Akemi'.
 
 
I spent my time in the hospital doing nothing but counting down how long it would take until I could go to school again. I spent two years on my own, with nothing but doctors and nurses to talk to, and they didn't really like talking to patients. Used to tell myself that when I returned, I'd make an effort to have as many friends as possible, to make up for this loneliness. I'd be smart, and popular.

But when the time finally came, I wasn't sure what to do. I ended up being bullied by my classmates. They made fun of my hair, my glasses, and my inability to do anything. I stuttered whenever I tried to talk. The mathematics gave me a headache I tried to think about it. There was nothing I could do. I did try my best, I studied hard and tried to meet their expectations, but I guess it just wasn't enough. Nobody seemed to care about me. Nobody seemed to pay attention to me. When I nearly collapsed during PE, they all laughed at me. Even the teachers were beginning to complain about how I couldn't do anything. I wasn't sure what I could do. I was scared. And then, I just wanted it all to end. I wanted to die. There wasn't anything left for me. I had no talents. No friends. Nothing. I was just a disappointment to everyone.

That was when a certain girl came into my life. The first time we met, I was at the nurse's office and she was there. I didn't know it then, but she was actually a magical girl, and earlier that day she'd been the one trying to help me with magic during school. When I found out, I was amazed by her. She was so cool and confident, and friendly as well. She was the one who always tried to be friends with me, and looking back, I should've made a better effort to be with her. I turned her down most of the time because I was afraid of disappointing her, like everyone else. I didn't want her to see how depressed I was. Eventually, I gave in and opened up to her, and still she accepted me for who I was. She saved my life. Not from witches, but from myself.
 
Then one day, just when she'd finally given me the confidence to live for myself, she died. Killed by Walpurgis Night. That was when Kyubey approached me, and I made a single wish; I wanted to meet her again, but this time I would be the one to protect her. That was how it all started.

I went back, and she died again. I went back again, and she died yet again. No matter what I did, she'd always die, again and again. It didn't matter how much I prepared, because she would always die. Every time I went back, I would be closer to her, but she would be further away from me, to the point that, one day, she looked at me with fear in her eyes. Even then I tried, and still she died. I stopped her from becoming a magical girl, and still she died. Again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and-again-and-again-and-again-and-again-and-again-and-again-and-again-and-again-and-again-and-again-and-again-and-again-and—"

"That's enough, Homura-chan!" Madoka cried out.

"...Sorry," Homura apologized with deep regret in her voice, before looking up to face the sky.

"Now here I am. After hundreds, many thousands of times, I finally conquered time and brought her all the way here. That girl is you, Kaname Madoka. I don't care what happens to me from now on, I can hardly care less. As long as you're safe, as long as you're happy, as long as you have a chance to live a long and happy life, that's enough for me. If I'm around you, you'll only suffer more. I'm more broken now than I ever could be. My existence here is worthless."

Then she turned away, and a tear flowed down her cheek. Possibly the first time she'd done so in a great many years, and whether it was a tear of sadness, or a tear of joy, she couldn't tell.

"There's nothing left for Akemi Homura to do."

But then, she felt the warmth of two arms wrap around her from behind.

"Idiot!"

"Huh?"

"Homura-chan, you idiot!"

Looking over her shoulder, she saw that Madoka was crying again. This time, as much as she knew her, she couldn't even guess why, and was utterly baffled at her behavior.

"What's wrong, Madoka?" she asked.

"Don't you get it?!"

"No."

"Idiot!"

"You're hugging a lunatic, you know that, right?!"

"Even then…" Suddenly gripping onto her shoulders, Madoka spun her body around and looked directly into the eyes of the obsessive creep, much to her confusion. Since their heights were similar, their faces were only inches apart, but Madoka didn't seem to mind or care. "Nobody deserves to go through all that! That's horrible! That's just horrible!"

"Because of me, you had to go through even worse," Homura pointed out, trying to avert her eyes, but it was impossible what with her being so close.

"It doesn't matter who went through worse! Suffering is suffering, no matter how you put it!"

"But you—"

"Homura-chan."

Pressing her forehead against the other, putting them so close that they could feel each others' breathing, Madoka stared into Homura's eyes with a determined, dead-serious look.

"Live with me."

"Eh—?"

"I don't want you on your own. You're probably going to get hurt somehow, and instead of trying to do something good with your life, you'll probably spend the rest of your time sulking in a homucave."

Was she saying this?

Was she really saying this?

For a fleeting moment, Homura had to doubt realty, and edged away from her face. This must be a dream, it was too good to be true. Sooner or later, she was going to wake up, and she would be back in the hospital at March where she started, as always. There was no way, there was just no way that it could be true. At all.

"Madoka, I don't want you to feel sorry for me," she protested. "You don't have to force yourself to do this. Just leave me! I kidnapped you, remember? For eight months! If I'm around, all I'll do is bring you more pain! I'm a creep, remember?! A nobody you don't even know! You hate me!"

"Homura-chan, that's wrong."

Then she felt herself suddenly being pulled forth, and the next thing she knew, a soft, cherry-like feeling brushed gently against her lips.

"I love you," whispered Madoka. "Merry Christmas, Homura-chan."

The way it felt, its sweet texture, its depth and uniqueness—nothing in the world could ever hope to replicate such a treasure, and because of that, it couldn't have possibly been anything else, especially not a dream.

Without a doubt.

This was real.

All of it.

"Merry Christmas… Madoka, my love."
 
 
[/spoiler]

I unexpectedly poured a lot of emotion into this piece~
 
It was originally going to have a depressing ending, but halfway through, I forgot all about that. This was also twice as long as it should've been, so, I apologize if it's long.

Though it's a bit late for wishing you Merry Christmas, I hope you, your friends, your family, and everyone else have a very, very, very happy new year!