[The 6th continuation of the Rin, Len, Miku, Nagisa and the Madoka girls thread, including Path 1, Path 2, and Path 3! (Path 3 has been branched off Path 1)]
[Homura narrowed her beady violet eyes at the statue of the goddess that resembled madoka, thinking. Hm, didn't she see that same statue, that same goddess that resembled Madokad in a different timeline? Wait, but that had been in a difefrent area. And, She didn't really remember this goddess being here when she last came to this area years ago... Could this be a result of the occasional glitches that happened within the difefrent timelines?" [Madoka giggled at the statue of the one that looked like Sayaka] "And she's even a mermaid! Sayaka always liked mermaids. I remember when she was younger she said she wanted to be one." [And boy , did she get that wish. Many times, Homura thought bitterly. She listened as Madoka asked the shrine maiden , and the shinre maiden explaiened the legend of how some curse and invisible female demons plagued the young girls of the villaige a long time ago, and the goddess appeared and healed them, and some of the girls fatally cursed were taken away to peace in a beautiful light....]
[The Shrine Maiden then smiled sweetly, and asked the tourists to come and pray at the Shinto Shrine next to the Buddist Temple, too. They were selling books about the local celebrities and artwork and legends there, she said, and held out a sample.]
[Tomohisa chuckled at that.]
- Yes, I did wonder why a Shinto Shrine Maiden was helping out at a Buddist Temple, I must admit...
[And so the Kaname family all went to the Shinto Shrine next door, and washed their hands at the old-fashioned Shinto wash-basin. They then went up into the Shrine itself, where a big sign said that there was a special showing of the most important statues of the Kami worshipped in the Shrine, just for two weeks.]
...Ohhh, we're in luck, everybody!
[Junko said with a laugh, and so Madoka and her family put some money in the donation box, rang the clapper, and prayed again. And then, they all went up into the Shrine, along with the other tourists.]
[And then, Madoka stopped dead as she caught sight of a rather large statue. It was a statue of a very beautiful young woman with long hair, who was holding something that looked like a bow in her hand, and pointing an arrow at an unseen enemy. The statue's expression was ferocious, and - Were the things behind her back supposed to be long dark wings or something?]
...Um, Homura-chan?
[Madoka whispered after a few moments, and put her hand in her pocket.]
- Could you crawl up inside my jacket, so you can see this better?
[Lizard Homura pushed her head against Madoka's hand, and then quickly crawled up the inside of Madoka's jacket. She poked her head out, curiously - And then, she froze too.]
[The statue looked very much like a slightly older Homura when she wasn't a lizard, though she didn't think she was half as beautiful as it was.]
[Homura nearly fell out of Madoka's jacket as she tried to turn around, then. She'd been to this Shrine before! She would have remembered something like a statue of a Kami that looked just like her, right?]
[Madoka quickly grabbed Lizard Homura, then, and put her back into her pocket.]
...Don't worry, Homura-chan - We'll figure something out, I promise!
[She whispered - And then, she looked up at the statue that looked like Homura again.]
- She's so beautiful, though! I do wonder what Kami she is supposed to be...
[And then, the Kaname family went out of the shrine building, talking to each other.]
...Ohh, such beautiful photos and illustrations! I'll take this one, thanks.
[Madoka's mother said, looking through some of the books they were selling. Madoka went up to her, and looked at the book - It was a book about local legends and history and artworks, she thought.]
Mom! Can I read it first?
[And then, she lowered her voice.]
...I mean, there's the Kannon that looked like me, and...
- Oh, of course, Madoka - Here!
[Junko said, and held out the book with a smile. Madoka smiled back, and quickly took the book and ran over to read it under some of the trees.]
[The very first page she opened was an photo of a really old painting of a goddess with a sad smile, apparently healing some girls who looked up at her gratefully, a white aura covering them. Yet another goddess was fiercely pointing a bow and arrows at some monsters, keeping them away from the first goddess and the people she was trying to heal.]
...Ohhh...
[Madoka whispered, and then she moved Lizard Homura to inside her jacket again.]
They really do look like us, I think...
[Neither Madoka or Homura realized that Junko was looking in their direction, a rather worried expression on her face.]
[And then both Madoka and Homura felt dizzy for a moment, as there was a quick static vision of, something... something beautiful, tragic... among the cosmos... two goddesses, one light and one dark....] "Madoka? It's time to go, honey!" "Huh? right, Ok then!" [Shaking her head clear, Maodka skipped back to join her parents. after the nice picnic lunch on the temple grounds by the pond, Madoka slipped pieces of food from her bento box into her pocket for Homura pond, and headingback to the hotel to finish packing up and checking out, they headed to the train station to take the train back home. Madoka yawned, feeling tired.]
[And then, Madoka and Lizard Homura both fell asleep on the train back home - And their dreams were strange indeed.]
[Madoka shuddered at a somewhat older-looking Homura in her dreams laughed, and put her own Soul Gem in her mouth, biting down on it. The Soul Gem looked strange, though, not like an ordinary Soul Gem at all...]
(...Noo, Homura-chan! What are you doing!?!?)
[Lizard Homura, in the meanwhile, was trying to run up to a strange version of Madoka with a golden aura and golden eyes, but never managed to get to her.]
(Madoka, come back - What's the use of managing to save all the Magical Girls if nobody can save you!?)
[The Madoka with the golden aura smiled sadly, then.]
(But I did save myself too, Homura-chan.)
[And then, an image floated up in front of both of them - The Madoka with the golden aura had pointed her magical bow and arrow at something that looked like a doll made of black strings covering an entire planet, and fired, destroying it.]
[And then, she waved her hand, and a small city filled with pretty buildings and parks came into sight. It was filled with happy-looking teenage girls, with the occasional younger girl or older woman thrown in. There were also a few men here and there, too, though they were much fewer then the women and girls.]
(And I'm not all alone - I have all those people keeping me company, and helping me with my mission, after all!)
[Lizard Homura shook her head, then.]
(But that wasn't what you wanted - You were happy being just a human girl, and you would have wanted to grow up to be a human woman, and do all kinds of things human grownups do...)
[And then, she rubbed her face with her lizard-paws.]
(...And what about your family? Didn't you want to be with them?)
[The Madoka with the golden aura smiled again, even more sadly.]
(You're probably right. But this is the path I choose, Homura-chan.)
[And then, she picked Homura up.]
(- But Homura-chan? If we're really, really friends, and if you thought I really didn't make the right Wish - )
( the ethereal madoka sighed and shook her head) " well, if you did end up doing drastic, for my sake, well then i would understand. I might be upset and saddened if what you did was something bad.... But i would understand, my dear homura. And i would not be angry. And i especially would never, ever hate you...." (And in madoka's dream, she watchec as kyubey was crushed in the now darkly ethereal homura's hand , as doll like young girls danced around her chanting in german, while lizard homura looked on sadly before being frozen into a jewel with the strange dark soul gem dangling from her tail...."
[And then, Madoka and Lizard Homura both woke up, shaking!]
[Lizard Homura had tumbled out of Madoka's pocket in her agitation, and woke up at the last moment to find Madoka's little brother staring at her in fascination as she clung to Madoka's jacket with her little paws.]
...Ooooo? Pretty, pretty!
[Madoka's parents, in the meanwhile, had both realized that their daughter had been mumbling in her sleep, looking upset indeed.]
- Madoka? You OK over there?
[Junko said, while Tomohisa patted her head.]
...I think you must have been having a nightmare, Madoka-chan...
[Tatsuya, in the meanwhile, had made a swipe at Lizard Homura, giggling.]
...Eeeek!?
[Lizard Homura squeaked - Oh, no, Madoka's parents were going to catch sight of her any moment now!]
[If only she could change herself into something else, something that wouldn't look out of place falling out of Madoka's pocket...]
[And that was when Lizard Homura felt her body changing again! All of a sudden, her body was cold and hard, though it didn't hurt at all -]
[And then, a very beautiful pendant fell down on the floor of the train with a clunk!]
[Madoka gasped as she caught sight of the pendant, and quickly picked it up. It was a crystal glass pendant, with a beautiful stylized purple lizard with a Soul Gem like ornament hanging from it's tail shining inside it...]
(...Ho - Homura-chan!?!?)
[And that was when she heard a very familiar voice in her head - ]
(.......I'm a pendant now!?!? And I thought being turned into a magical lizard was bad - Good grief!)
[Madoka blinked in worry, holding her over. Then they both heard Seven's voice in their minds] (wow, gee, we lend you some magic back and the first thing you do is encase yourself in crystal, gloomy Homura?) [Homura blinked behind the jewel hiding her] (Well I do not think Mister and Misses Kaname would appreciate a strange lizard in their daughter's pocket.) (Right. Well like I said, we managed to get you some of your magical energy back, not enough to turn you back unfortunately. But you can communicate now and do small tricks. Your'e welcome.) (Oh, thank you, Nanbei kun! but, where are you?) [Madoka looked around] (Around. keepin' an eye on you.) [Tatsuya pouted] "Homu Lizard all hard and shiny now!"
[Madoka's father said, laughing, and then he looked at the pendant in Madoka's hands.]
- Whooo, that's so pretty! When did you get it, Madoka?
[Madoka sweatdropped, and cradled Pendant Homura in her hands.]
...It, um...
[And then, an idea struck her, and she grinned.]
- This is borrowed, actually - My friend Homura-chan lent it to me! It's really pretty, so...
[Pendant Homura sqeeked inwardly, but did not make any further comments for the moment. So Madoka thought the pendant version of her was pretty? Uh, oh...]
[Madoka's father blinked, then.]
...Ha ha ha, look, look - It almost looks like the lizard part is turning a bit red now, when you hold it up!
[Madoka's mother, in the meanwhile, was sighing a bit. Her daughter was really bad at this fibbing and making up stories business. And anyway, why was she bothering to lie about a pendant in the first place, anyway?]
[And then, Junko grinned.]
[But on the other hand, Madoka was a teenager now, so... Maybe she should be glad that she's apparently started to do normal teenager things, ho ho ho...]
"yes, she's a very special jewel..." [Madoka stroked the homura lizard jewel, which blushed even redder.] (Madoka...) [Madoka's father nodded] "Well, take good care of it then." "I will Papa! Oh all right, tatsuya, you can hold her, but be gentle!" [She carefully placed the homura lizard jewel into her little brother's hands. He cheered, but was careful in holding her.] "There you go..."
[Tatsuya giggled, then, looking at Pendant Homura.]
...Homuhomu so shiny!
[And then, he played with the pendant for a couple of minutes, until Madoka took the pendant back, and put it in her pocket again.]
(Can you turn back into a magical lizard now, Homura-chan?)
[She said, patting the pendant with her fingers. Homura inwardly grinned at that, and almost cheered when she quickly managed to turn into a lizard again. Being a pretty pendant wasn't exactly horrible, but she hadn't wanted to become stuck as a magical inanimate object, after all...]
[That night, after they'd gotten home, Madoka and Lizard Homura talked things over, and decided not to tell Sayaka about any of the new developments until after she'd at least tried to do the "love confession thing", as Madoka had put it. Madoka had been quite surprised that Sayaka had actually managed to psych herself into doing the deed, to be honest, and she didn't want to do anything that could interfere with something that was obviously really important to Sayaka herself.]
(So sayaka and madoka headed off to the pizza place they liked. After getting their pizza, they headed to a table and sat down to eat.) " sayaka, are you sure you're ok?" Mafoka asked, a bit wirried. ( sayaka nodded with some reassurance) " i'm fine! I am glad i fonally told him and got that off my chest." ( she shrugged) " though, maybe i came on a little too strong? I guess it's not surpirising he seemed a bit hesitant. He does know i am a magocal girl and all, and..." ( she paused, remembering what mami had said in the begining, about magical girls not being able to live normal lives. It was true, she fouldn't bring kyousuke into danger or anythong....
[And then, Copy Sayaka froze for a moment - And her voice, when she opened her mouth next, sounded strange indeed.]
- But on the other hand, Kamijou Kyosuke probably wouldn't even be alive right now if I hadn't been there to save him. Right, Miki Sayaka?
[Madoka gasped as Sayaka almost toppled into her pizza plate, then, her salad fork falling from her hands - ]
...Sa - Sayaka-chan!?
[Madoka quickly ran to Copy Sayaka's side of the table, and tried to see what was wrong - And that was when Copy Sayaka's Soul Gem started to glow, and a small blob of dark energy forced it's way out of it! Madoka's eyes followed the little dark blob as it floated off to the ceiling of the restaurant, and then faded away sideways, somehow - Her eyes couldn't quite track what had happened to it.]
[Aand that was when a harried looking waiter ran up to them!]
...Honored customers - What happened!? Are you all right, young ladies?
[Copy Sayaka opened her eyes, then, her Soul Gem clean as a whistle again.]
- Huh? Hey, what happened?
[She said, muzzily. Madoka patted her arm, trying to reassuring, and helped her sit up straight on her chair again.]
...I'm not really sure, Sayaka-chan, but I did get worried for a bit - You almost collapsed into your pizza, you see!
[And then, Madoka looked at Sayaka's Soul Gem, and tilted her head. There wasn't even a bit of darkness inside it now, but - Had it always been that bright pretty plastic-looking blue color?]
...What the heck was that? So many weird things keep happening to me these days, jeez...
[And then, she shook her head, looking bright and chipper as she always did those days.]
- I'm feeling much better now, though, that's for sure!
[Sayaka turned to the waiter, then, and told him that she was all right. He didn't seem to be quite convinced, but did bring both of them some coffee au lait later free for charge, which was very nice of him, Madoka thought.]
[After their meal at the pizza place, Copy Sayaka and Madoka walked home, talking to each other.]
...You know, Madoka? There's been something I wanted to talk about with you...
[Madoka nodded at that. Sayaka really was acting strangely these days, she thought. And though yes, it was nice that Sayaka didn't seem to be all glum and depressed all the time anymore... It still was pretty odd, really.]
[The bluehead took a deep breath, then.]
- Ever since the fight at Hatsune Miku's concert - It's like everything has been weird. All of a sudden, my magical powers as a Magical Girl went waay down - I can barely fight a Familiar anymore, never mind any real Witches...
[Madoka stared at her, then, her mouth dropping open.]
...But...But...Sayaka-chan? How are you keeping your Soul Gem clean, then? You need Grief Seeds to clean them up, right? Oh, no, that sounds awful!
[Copy Sayaka nodded at that, looking puzzled indeed.]
- Yeah, you'd think I'd be in bad straights by now, right? But I dunno why, but - Everything's fine, for whatever reason.
The dark stuff in my Soul Gem started to just push itself out by itself, ever since the Hatsune Miku battle - It's like I don't need Grief Seeds anymore at all or something!
[Madoka stared at her, then, remembering the little dark ball of energies pushing itself out of Sayaka's Soul Gem in the pizza restaurant. So that was what had been happening!]
[Madoka looked at Sayaka, then, thinking - And that was when, suddenly, a feeling of dread hit her. Something had happened, after the battle at Hatsune Miku's concert, she remembered herself threatening to make a Contract herself if Sayaka ever dared to -]
[And then, Madoka shook her head, and took a deep breath.]
...It's OK, Sayaka-chan.
[Sayaka looked at her, quizzically.]
- You think so? I mean, I feel better then I have in ages, so I'm not all that worried, but the lack of power...
[Madoka nodded at her, trying to make herself smile reassuringly.]
...Yes, I do. I mean, it's really wonderful that you don't really seem to need Grief Seeds anymore, don't you think? And even if your magical power levels are down - I mean, it's not like you have to worry about getting more Grief Seeds anymore, and you can still transform, so you can help the other Magical girls fight and all that.
[Sayaka grinned at that.]
- That's true, I suppose. I still have a couple of spare Grief Seeds left, just in case, but I haven't used them at all since the battle at the concert.
[And then, she smiled widely.]
And besides, I have more important stuff to worry about now, like Kyosuke and stuff! I mean, I finally did manage that love confession after all, ha ha ha...
[Madoka nodded again, and made herself smile, and then, they talked about all kinds of things, eating pizzas and salads and other things.]
[Madoka walked home after that by herself, thinking. Kyoko-san and Mami-san had just seemed to have gone off the rader, too, and Madoka herself had barely noticed that they weren't around anymore.]
...So if that Sayaka-chan...wasn't really the real Sayaka-chan...
[Madoka mumbled - And then, she rubbed at her temples, thinking.]
- But even if she isn't the original Sayaka-chan, she's still a Sayaka-chan, and she's still my friend! What in the world should I do???
[And then Madoka stopped. Wait, where dis that thought come from, that Sayaka was not actually Sayaka now, but a copy? Madoka winced and put a hhand to her forehead as memories started returning of the other night at that concet....Sayaka had drawn them all into her mini dream world. and was so sad and frightened about the truth of magical girls becoming witches. Choosing to remain in this world, so she would not go witch and become a monsetr and hurt anyone ...... And then, Kyouko and Mami decided to stay there with her... Did that mean the real Sayaka was still there in that little world with them? If they had become some sort if half wiitch versions of the,selves, was Sayaka that way too?" [Homura lizard stirred in Madoka's pokemon and woke up from her nap, sension Madoka's upset] < < Madoka? > >
[Madoka blinked, then, and shook her head. Half-Witches? Did such things even exist?]
[But her subconsious was now insisting that they could and did exist, and was even showing her images of Sayaka - the original Sayaka - and Mami-san and Kyoko-san slowly turning into something strange and different, like something out of a dark fairy tale, and - ]
[Madoka shook her head, then, and patted Lizard Homura with her fingers. She then went into a nearby park, and looked around to make sure nobody was looking at them.]
...OK, Homura-chan, you can come out now...
[She said, and sat down on a park bench and put Lizard Homura on her lap. Homura looked up at her and chittered worriedly.]
(Are you all right, Madoka?)
...Yeah, I'm OK, please don't worry...
[Madoka said, and then she hugged Homura, and patted her jeweled head.]
- You know, Homura-chan - A manga called Miko of Dragons used to be pretty popular, a while back. It was a bit before our time, but one of Sayaka-chan's cousins used to be a big fan, and she gave Sayaka-chan the whole manga series as a present when she moved and had to clean up the house. And then, Sayaka-chan lent it to me, too, so...
[Lizard Homura blinked at that, thinking.]
(Wait, I remember reading the ending to that one. The main character decides to become a Dragon Goddess and marry the Dragon King, but she doesn't want her family and her old friends to miss her, so she creates a human version of herself to send back home, right?)
"Yes. It was sad and lovely..." [Homura Lizard narrowed her eyes] "Why are you brining this us?" "Ah, just thought about it...." "...It's because of a similar situation that happened with Sayaka, right? The real Sayaka." [Madoka blinked in surprise] "You knew, Homura?" "I have suspected it for a while. And then I have recovered the memories that were hidden of the events of that night. " [Madoka sighed and bit her li[p] "poor Sayaka...I wonder if she's still in that little world With Mami sempai and Kyouko Chan...And if she's a witch too..."
(...Maybe we should try asking Seven and Eight about this? I mean, I don't trust them all the way, they're still Incubators after all, but the stuff they'd told us has been fairly useful, anyhow.)
[Madoka brighted up a bit at that.]
...Oh, yes, that's a good idea, Homura-chan!
[And then, she looked around the park, and raised her voice, just a little.]
- Seven! Eight! Are you there? There's something we'd like to talk to you two about, if you don't mind...
[There was a chuckle at that.]
...You girls are in luck, because we're actually here despite having a clearly limited number of spare bodies, ha ha ha -
[And then, Seven and Eight came trotting out from behind some bushes.]
"yes..." "Hang on" [so the two of them stepped out in their human forms, Eight looking serious and Seven smirking" "What's up?" [Eight looked around to see if anyone was nearby,] "The coast is clear. go ahead." [Madoka sighed in worry] "Is it true? Did Sayaka chan, really remain in that little world? Is she, a witch?" "Sadly, yes" [Eight nodded] ". But circumstances are unusual, " "How so?" [Eight and Seven explained the story about Sayaka's mini world, the witch box, and the conglomerated witch world]
...So the Sayaka-chan I was just talking to is still Sayaka-chan, except that she's a copy of the original one, and the original one is now halfway a Witch. And they're all living together, with Mami-san and Kyoko-san, who are now slowly going Witch too.
[And then, she shook her head. Wait, she'd actually met Circe-san when she was on the trip, and Seven and Eight had even talked to her about at least some of what was happening, right? So why hadn't she been able to figure this out earlier?]
[And then, she sighed again, and rubbed her head. Things seemed much clearer, all of a sudden.]
- The original Sayaka really, really didn't want me to figure out what was going on, I suppose. Gaaah.
[Lizard Homura chippered, then, and looked up at Madoka worriedly.]
(Madoka! You mean...You mean, Miki Sayaka did something to your mind so you wouldn't figure out what was going on?)
[Madoka nodded with a sigh.]
...Probably. Ew.
[And then, she hugged Lizard Homura to her chest with a tired smile.)
- I'm OK now, though, I think - Whatever mental block Sayaka-chan slapped on me seems to be gone, now.
[And then, she picked up the bejeweled Lizard Homura, and looked at her again, her eyes going slightly hodded all of a sudden, and then glowing with a golden tint.]
...You know, Homura-chan? I really, really don't like it when people tamper with my head, or me in general, even when they sincerely think it's for "my own good", to be honest...
(So you mean it's all right if you do it to everybody else, as long as it's for the right reasons, but it's not OK if anybody does it to you, eh, Kaname Madoka?)
[They stared at each other for a long moment, then, while Seven and Eight twiched slightly, watching them.]
...That's not the same at all, Akemi Homura. It wasn't like I...I...
[Madoka muttered - And then, she put her hand to her head again, as the memories of her conversation with Homura just a few moments ago dropped away from her mind, like a stone falling into a pond.]
- Wait, so what were we talking about again?
[Lizard Homura blinked, too, and her eyes went back to normal as her memories faded as well.]
(...I'm not sure, but just a few minutes ago, we were talking about Miki Sayaka, I think?)
[Madoka groaned again.]
...Oh, right. Thanks, Homura-chan.
[And then, she blinked, and turned around, looking at Seven and Eight again.]
...Wait a minute, waait a minute...So this "Walpugis" you've been talking about is actually a...person or something?
[Seven and Eight twitched, feeling that there was just a time and reality glitch involving the two, but there was no way knowing at the time just it was.] " Well, Walpurgis here is essentially the current queen of the witches. The most powerful of them all. And like all witches, she too was a magical girl at one point." "More specifically, a magical lady. She was already kind of a grown up when she contactedd. and the queen of some German kingdom and had the strongest ever known magical girl potetntial so far. " [Seven added casually] "yes, queen Verena of Kalafine. Actually, she herself is the core witch of Walpurgisnacht, while the forces surrounding her are that of the power of the witches she had absorbed. It's like a mega storm. She appears every few decades in a different area of thhe world, by now we have figured out more or less the pattern of when and where she'll show up." ( Homura lizard nodded, remembering the timelines where Kyubey had told Mami about Walpurgisnacht's coming.) "Statistics show that Walpurgisnacht will arrive in this city at the end of the month." (Madoka's eyes widened in horror) "Oh no! She is going to atatck Mitikihara soon?!" (Homura Lizard cursed. She wwas really hoping Maodka wouldn't find out about that!")
[And in the meanwhile, Madoka was walking along the road, thinking.]
...Homura-chan?
[She said, and put her hand in her pocket, so she could touch Lizard Homura's back.]
- What do you think would happen, if the time the Walpurgis usually comes came, and I wasn't in Mitakihara at all?
[Lizard Homura thought about that.]
(...Well, I'd like that much better, of course, because you'll be safer, I think? But on the other hand, you usually wouldn't run away at all if you were - )
[Lizard Homura stopped, then, because she didn't want to mention the business of Madoka becoming a Magical Girl at all if she could help it, to be honest. Well, it wasn't like Madoka hadn't figured out that part of it already, she thought, but...]
(And well, in one timeline, I convinced your whole family to go on a trip to Mt Fuji, along with you, of course - And the Walpurgis appeared on Mitakihara, all right, but then it fought all of us and started to make a beeline toward Mr Fuji itself! It was like the world itself hated me or something, I thought at the time, but...)
[Madoka nodded, then, her eyes hooded.]
...Well, it doesn't really matter where I am, or where my family is for that matter, if the Walpurgis is going to smash all life on the planet Earth anyway, I suppose...
[Madoka sighed a bit, then. She still couldn't figure out what those visions meant, but it wouldn't be wise to ignore then, she was pretty sure. What the heck was going on here, anyway - Did she have a magical sign on her back, saying "Walpurgis come here" or something? And why would it keep heading in her direction, if that was what was actually happening, anyway?]
Re: The continuation of Path 3 2/2
[Madoka giggled at the statue of the one that looked like Sayaka] "And she's even a mermaid! Sayaka always liked mermaids. I remember when she was younger she said she wanted to be one."
[And boy , did she get that wish. Many times, Homura thought bitterly. She listened as Madoka asked the shrine maiden , and the shinre maiden explaiened the legend of how some curse and invisible female demons plagued the young girls of the villaige a long time ago, and the goddess appeared and healed them, and some of the girls fatally cursed were taken away to peace in a beautiful light....]
Re: The continuation of Path 3
[Tomohisa chuckled at that.]
- Yes, I did wonder why a Shinto Shrine Maiden was helping out at a Buddist Temple, I must admit...
[And so the Kaname family all went to the Shinto Shrine next door, and washed their hands at the old-fashioned Shinto wash-basin. They then went up into the Shrine itself, where a big sign said that there was a special showing of the most important statues of the Kami worshipped in the Shrine, just for two weeks.]
...Ohhh, we're in luck, everybody!
[Junko said with a laugh, and so Madoka and her family put some money in the donation box, rang the clapper, and prayed again. And then, they all went up into the Shrine, along with the other tourists.]
[And then, Madoka stopped dead as she caught sight of a rather large statue. It was a statue of a very beautiful young woman with long hair, who was holding something that looked like a bow in her hand, and pointing an arrow at an unseen enemy. The statue's expression was ferocious, and - Were the things behind her back supposed to be long dark wings or something?]
...Um, Homura-chan?
[Madoka whispered after a few moments, and put her hand in her pocket.]
- Could you crawl up inside my jacket, so you can see this better?
[Lizard Homura pushed her head against Madoka's hand, and then quickly crawled up the inside of Madoka's jacket. She poked her head out, curiously - And then, she froze too.]
[The statue looked very much like a slightly older Homura when she wasn't a lizard, though she didn't think she was half as beautiful as it was.]
[Homura nearly fell out of Madoka's jacket as she tried to turn around, then. She'd been to this Shrine before! She would have remembered something like a statue of a Kami that looked just like her, right?]
Re: The continuation of Path 3 2/2
...Don't worry, Homura-chan - We'll figure something out, I promise!
[She whispered - And then, she looked up at the statue that looked like Homura again.]
- She's so beautiful, though! I do wonder what Kami she is supposed to be...
[And then, the Kaname family went out of the shrine building, talking to each other.]
...Ohh, such beautiful photos and illustrations! I'll take this one, thanks.
[Madoka's mother said, looking through some of the books they were selling. Madoka went up to her, and looked at the book - It was a book about local legends and history and artworks, she thought.]
Mom! Can I read it first?
[And then, she lowered her voice.]
...I mean, there's the Kannon that looked like me, and...
- Oh, of course, Madoka - Here!
[Junko said, and held out the book with a smile. Madoka smiled back, and quickly took the book and ran over to read it under some of the trees.]
[The very first page she opened was an photo of a really old painting of a goddess with a sad smile, apparently healing some girls who looked up at her gratefully, a white aura covering them. Yet another goddess was fiercely pointing a bow and arrows at some monsters, keeping them away from the first goddess and the people she was trying to heal.]
...Ohhh...
[Madoka whispered, and then she moved Lizard Homura to inside her jacket again.]
They really do look like us, I think...
[Neither Madoka or Homura realized that Junko was looking in their direction, a rather worried expression on her face.]
Re: The continuation of Path 3 2/2
"Madoka? It's time to go, honey!"
"Huh? right, Ok then!" [Shaking her head clear, Maodka skipped back to join her parents. after the nice picnic lunch on the temple grounds by the pond, Madoka slipped pieces of food from her bento box into her pocket for Homura pond, and headingback to the hotel to finish packing up and checking out, they headed to the train station to take the train back home. Madoka yawned, feeling tired.]
Re: The continuation of Path 3
[Madoka shuddered at a somewhat older-looking Homura in her dreams laughed, and put her own Soul Gem in her mouth, biting down on it. The Soul Gem looked strange, though, not like an ordinary Soul Gem at all...]
(...Noo, Homura-chan! What are you doing!?!?)
[Lizard Homura, in the meanwhile, was trying to run up to a strange version of Madoka with a golden aura and golden eyes, but never managed to get to her.]
(Madoka, come back - What's the use of managing to save all the Magical Girls if nobody can save you!?)
[The Madoka with the golden aura smiled sadly, then.]
(But I did save myself too, Homura-chan.)
[And then, an image floated up in front of both of them - The Madoka with the golden aura had pointed her magical bow and arrow at something that looked like a doll made of black strings covering an entire planet, and fired, destroying it.]
[And then, she waved her hand, and a small city filled with pretty buildings and parks came into sight. It was filled with happy-looking teenage girls, with the occasional younger girl or older woman thrown in. There were also a few men here and there, too, though they were much fewer then the women and girls.]
(And I'm not all alone - I have all those people keeping me company, and helping me with my mission, after all!)
[Lizard Homura shook her head, then.]
(But that wasn't what you wanted - You were happy being just a human girl, and you would have wanted to grow up to be a human woman, and do all kinds of things human grownups do...)
[And then, she rubbed her face with her lizard-paws.]
(...And what about your family? Didn't you want to be with them?)
[The Madoka with the golden aura smiled again, even more sadly.]
(You're probably right. But this is the path I choose, Homura-chan.)
[And then, she picked Homura up.]
(- But Homura-chan? If we're really, really friends, and if you thought I really didn't make the right Wish - )
Re: The continuation of Path 3
(And in madoka's dream, she watchec as kyubey was crushed in the now darkly ethereal homura's hand , as doll like young girls danced around her chanting in german, while lizard homura looked on sadly before being frozen into a jewel with the strange dark soul gem dangling from her tail...."
Re: The continuation of Path 3
[And then, Madoka and Lizard Homura both woke up, shaking!]
[Lizard Homura had tumbled out of Madoka's pocket in her agitation, and woke up at the last moment to find Madoka's little brother staring at her in fascination as she clung to Madoka's jacket with her little paws.]
...Ooooo? Pretty, pretty!
[Madoka's parents, in the meanwhile, had both realized that their daughter had been mumbling in her sleep, looking upset indeed.]
- Madoka? You OK over there?
[Junko said, while Tomohisa patted her head.]
...I think you must have been having a nightmare, Madoka-chan...
[Tatsuya, in the meanwhile, had made a swipe at Lizard Homura, giggling.]
...Eeeek!?
[Lizard Homura squeaked - Oh, no, Madoka's parents were going to catch sight of her any moment now!]
[If only she could change herself into something else, something that wouldn't look out of place falling out of Madoka's pocket...]
[And that was when Lizard Homura felt her body changing again! All of a sudden, her body was cold and hard, though it didn't hurt at all -]
[And then, a very beautiful pendant fell down on the floor of the train with a clunk!]
[Madoka gasped as she caught sight of the pendant, and quickly picked it up. It was a crystal glass pendant, with a beautiful stylized purple lizard with a Soul Gem like ornament hanging from it's tail shining inside it...]
(...Ho - Homura-chan!?!?)
[And that was when she heard a very familiar voice in her head - ]
(.......I'm a pendant now!?!? And I thought being turned into a magical lizard was bad - Good grief!)
Re: The continuation of Path 3
(wow, gee, we lend you some magic back and the first thing you do is encase yourself in crystal, gloomy Homura?)
[Homura blinked behind the jewel hiding her] (Well I do not think Mister and Misses Kaname would appreciate a strange lizard in their daughter's pocket.)
(Right. Well like I said, we managed to get you some of your magical energy back, not enough to turn you back unfortunately. But you can communicate now and do small tricks. Your'e welcome.)
(Oh, thank you, Nanbei kun! but, where are you?) [Madoka looked around]
(Around. keepin' an eye on you.)
[Tatsuya pouted] "Homu Lizard all hard and shiny now!"
Re: The continuation of Path 3
[Madoka's father said, laughing, and then he looked at the pendant in Madoka's hands.]
- Whooo, that's so pretty! When did you get it, Madoka?
[Madoka sweatdropped, and cradled Pendant Homura in her hands.]
...It, um...
[And then, an idea struck her, and she grinned.]
- This is borrowed, actually - My friend Homura-chan lent it to me! It's really pretty, so...
[Pendant Homura sqeeked inwardly, but did not make any further comments for the moment. So Madoka thought the pendant version of her was pretty? Uh, oh...]
[Madoka's father blinked, then.]
...Ha ha ha, look, look - It almost looks like the lizard part is turning a bit red now, when you hold it up!
[Madoka's mother, in the meanwhile, was sighing a bit. Her daughter was really bad at this fibbing and making up stories business. And anyway, why was she bothering to lie about a pendant in the first place, anyway?]
[And then, Junko grinned.]
[But on the other hand, Madoka was a teenager now, so... Maybe she should be glad that she's apparently started to do normal teenager things, ho ho ho...]
Re: The continuation of Path 3
(Madoka...)
[Madoka's father nodded] "Well, take good care of it then."
"I will Papa! Oh all right, tatsuya, you can hold her, but be gentle!" [She carefully placed the homura lizard jewel into her little brother's hands. He cheered, but was careful in holding her.] "There you go..."
Re: The continuation of Path 3 1/2
[Tatsuya giggled, then, looking at Pendant Homura.]
...Homuhomu so shiny!
[And then, he played with the pendant for a couple of minutes, until Madoka took the pendant back, and put it in her pocket again.]
(Can you turn back into a magical lizard now, Homura-chan?)
[She said, patting the pendant with her fingers. Homura inwardly grinned at that, and almost cheered when she quickly managed to turn into a lizard again. Being a pretty pendant wasn't exactly horrible, but she hadn't wanted to become stuck as a magical inanimate object, after all...]
[That night, after they'd gotten home, Madoka and Lizard Homura talked things over, and decided not to tell Sayaka about any of the new developments until after she'd at least tried to do the "love confession thing", as Madoka had put it. Madoka had been quite surprised that Sayaka had actually managed to psych herself into doing the deed, to be honest, and she didn't want to do anything that could interfere with something that was obviously really important to Sayaka herself.]
Re: The continuation of Path 3 2/2
- Please go out with me, Kamijo Kyosuke-san - I want to be your GF, and I want you to be my BF!
[Madoka gulped, then. Sayaka was getting a red as a tomato, now - And so was Kyosuke!]
[Ho, ho, ho...]
[Kyosuke gulped again, then, looking at Hitomi, who was looking at him sadly.]
...Uh...Um...I..
[And then, he looked at Sayaka, and gulped again.]
- I - I - Sayaka! Hitomi-san!
[And then, he put a hand to his face, getting more red by the moment.]
I - Just let me think about this for a bit, OK!?
[Copy Sayaka watched Kyosuke run off, then, her eyes wide. So did Hitomi.]
...Uh, um...
[Madoka went up to Copy Sayaka, then, sweatdropping.]
- Um. Sayaka-chan? I...I have no idea what to say...
[Copy Sayaka took a deep breath, then.]
...Well, neither do I, to be honest!
[And then, she waved at Hitomi with a snicker.]
- See you tommorow at school, then, Hitomi.
[And then, she turned toward Madoka with a grin.]
...Well, however this works out - I did it! Ha ha ha, I really did it! Go, me!
[Copy Sayaka clapped her hand down on Madoka's shoulder, then.]
- Hey, you'll come to the pizza buffet place with me anyway, Madoka, right? I really do feel like I want some pizza today...
...Yes, of course!
[Madoka said with a grin...]
Re: The continuation of Path 3 2/2
" sayaka, are you sure you're ok?" Mafoka asked, a bit wirried.
( sayaka nodded with some reassurance) " i'm fine! I am glad i fonally told him and got that off my chest." ( she shrugged) " though, maybe i came on a little too strong? I guess it's not surpirising he seemed a bit hesitant. He does know i am a magocal girl and all, and..." ( she paused, remembering what mami had said in the begining, about magical girls not being able to live normal lives. It was true, she fouldn't bring kyousuke into danger or anythong....
Re: The continuation of Path 3 1/2
- But on the other hand, Kamijou Kyosuke probably wouldn't even be alive right now if I hadn't been there to save him. Right, Miki Sayaka?
[Madoka gasped as Sayaka almost toppled into her pizza plate, then, her salad fork falling from her hands - ]
...Sa - Sayaka-chan!?
[Madoka quickly ran to Copy Sayaka's side of the table, and tried to see what was wrong - And that was when Copy Sayaka's Soul Gem started to glow, and a small blob of dark energy forced it's way out of it! Madoka's eyes followed the little dark blob as it floated off to the ceiling of the restaurant, and then faded away sideways, somehow - Her eyes couldn't quite track what had happened to it.]
[Aand that was when a harried looking waiter ran up to them!]
...Honored customers - What happened!? Are you all right, young ladies?
[Copy Sayaka opened her eyes, then, her Soul Gem clean as a whistle again.]
- Huh? Hey, what happened?
[She said, muzzily. Madoka patted her arm, trying to reassuring, and helped her sit up straight on her chair again.]
...I'm not really sure, Sayaka-chan, but I did get worried for a bit - You almost collapsed into your pizza, you see!
[And then, Madoka looked at Sayaka's Soul Gem, and tilted her head. There wasn't even a bit of darkness inside it now, but - Had it always been that bright pretty plastic-looking blue color?]
Re: The continuation of Path 3 2/2
...What the heck was that? So many weird things keep happening to me these days, jeez...
[And then, she shook her head, looking bright and chipper as she always did those days.]
- I'm feeling much better now, though, that's for sure!
[Sayaka turned to the waiter, then, and told him that she was all right. He didn't seem to be quite convinced, but did bring both of them some coffee au lait later free for charge, which was very nice of him, Madoka thought.]
[After their meal at the pizza place, Copy Sayaka and Madoka walked home, talking to each other.]
...You know, Madoka? There's been something I wanted to talk about with you...
[Madoka nodded at that. Sayaka really was acting strangely these days, she thought. And though yes, it was nice that Sayaka didn't seem to be all glum and depressed all the time anymore... It still was pretty odd, really.]
[The bluehead took a deep breath, then.]
- Ever since the fight at Hatsune Miku's concert - It's like everything has been weird. All of a sudden, my magical powers as a Magical Girl went waay down - I can barely fight a Familiar anymore, never mind any real Witches...
[Madoka stared at her, then, her mouth dropping open.]
...But...But...Sayaka-chan? How are you keeping your Soul Gem clean, then? You need Grief Seeds to clean them up, right? Oh, no, that sounds awful!
[Copy Sayaka nodded at that, looking puzzled indeed.]
- Yeah, you'd think I'd be in bad straights by now, right? But I dunno why, but - Everything's fine, for whatever reason.
The dark stuff in my Soul Gem started to just push itself out by itself, ever since the Hatsune Miku battle - It's like I don't need Grief Seeds anymore at all or something!
[Madoka stared at her, then, remembering the little dark ball of energies pushing itself out of Sayaka's Soul Gem in the pizza restaurant. So that was what had been happening!]
Re: The continuation of Path 3 3/3
[And then, Madoka shook her head, and took a deep breath.]
...It's OK, Sayaka-chan.
[Sayaka looked at her, quizzically.]
- You think so? I mean, I feel better then I have in ages, so I'm not all that worried, but the lack of power...
[Madoka nodded at her, trying to make herself smile reassuringly.]
...Yes, I do. I mean, it's really wonderful that you don't really seem to need Grief Seeds anymore, don't you think? And even if your magical power levels are down - I mean, it's not like you have to worry about getting more Grief Seeds anymore, and you can still transform, so you can help the other Magical girls fight and all that.
[Sayaka grinned at that.]
- That's true, I suppose. I still have a couple of spare Grief Seeds left, just in case, but I haven't used them at all since the battle at the concert.
[And then, she smiled widely.]
And besides, I have more important stuff to worry about now, like Kyosuke and stuff! I mean, I finally did manage that love confession after all, ha ha ha...
[Madoka nodded again, and made herself smile, and then, they talked about all kinds of things, eating pizzas and salads and other things.]
[Madoka walked home after that by herself, thinking. Kyoko-san and Mami-san had just seemed to have gone off the rader, too, and Madoka herself had barely noticed that they weren't around anymore.]
...So if that Sayaka-chan...wasn't really the real Sayaka-chan...
[Madoka mumbled - And then, she rubbed at her temples, thinking.]
- But even if she isn't the original Sayaka-chan, she's still a Sayaka-chan, and she's still my friend! What in the world should I do???
Re: The continuation of Path 3 3/3
Did that mean the real Sayaka was still there in that little world with them? If they had become some sort if half wiitch versions of the,selves, was Sayaka that way too?"
[Homura lizard stirred in Madoka's pokemon and woke up from her nap, sension Madoka's upset] < < Madoka? > >
Re: The continuation of Path 3
[But her subconsious was now insisting that they could and did exist, and was even showing her images of Sayaka - the original Sayaka - and Mami-san and Kyoko-san slowly turning into something strange and different, like something out of a dark fairy tale, and - ]
[Madoka shook her head, then, and patted Lizard Homura with her fingers. She then went into a nearby park, and looked around to make sure nobody was looking at them.]
...OK, Homura-chan, you can come out now...
[She said, and sat down on a park bench and put Lizard Homura on her lap. Homura looked up at her and chittered worriedly.]
(Are you all right, Madoka?)
...Yeah, I'm OK, please don't worry...
[Madoka said, and then she hugged Homura, and patted her jeweled head.]
- You know, Homura-chan - A manga called Miko of Dragons used to be pretty popular, a while back. It was a bit before our time, but one of Sayaka-chan's cousins used to be a big fan, and she gave Sayaka-chan the whole manga series as a present when she moved and had to clean up the house. And then, Sayaka-chan lent it to me, too, so...
[Lizard Homura blinked at that, thinking.]
(Wait, I remember reading the ending to that one. The main character decides to become a Dragon Goddess and marry the Dragon King, but she doesn't want her family and her old friends to miss her, so she creates a human version of herself to send back home, right?)
Re: The continuation of Path 3
[Homura Lizard narrowed her eyes] "Why are you brining this us?"
"Ah, just thought about it...."
"...It's because of a similar situation that happened with Sayaka, right? The real Sayaka."
[Madoka blinked in surprise] "You knew, Homura?"
"I have suspected it for a while. And then I have recovered the memories that were hidden of the events of that night. "
[Madoka sighed and bit her li[p] "poor Sayaka...I wonder if she's still in that little world With Mami sempai and Kyouko Chan...And if she's a witch too..."
Re: The continuation of Path 3
(...Maybe we should try asking Seven and Eight about this? I mean, I don't trust them all the way, they're still Incubators after all, but the stuff they'd told us has been fairly useful, anyhow.)
[Madoka brighted up a bit at that.]
...Oh, yes, that's a good idea, Homura-chan!
[And then, she looked around the park, and raised her voice, just a little.]
- Seven! Eight! Are you there? There's something we'd like to talk to you two about, if you don't mind...
[There was a chuckle at that.]
...You girls are in luck, because we're actually here despite having a clearly limited number of spare bodies, ha ha ha -
[And then, Seven and Eight came trotting out from behind some bushes.]
- So this is 'bout that Sayaka girl, I reckon?
[Seven said with a laugh.]
Re: The continuation of Path 3
"Hang on" [so the two of them stepped out in their human forms, Eight looking serious and Seven smirking" "What's up?"
[Eight looked around to see if anyone was nearby,] "The coast is clear. go ahead."
[Madoka sighed in worry] "Is it true? Did Sayaka chan, really remain in that little world? Is she, a witch?"
"Sadly, yes" [Eight nodded] ". But circumstances are unusual, "
"How so?"
[Eight and Seven explained the story about Sayaka's mini world, the witch box, and the conglomerated witch world]
Re: The continuation of Path 3
...So the Sayaka-chan I was just talking to is still Sayaka-chan, except that she's a copy of the original one, and the original one is now halfway a Witch. And they're all living together, with Mami-san and Kyoko-san, who are now slowly going Witch too.
[And then, she shook her head. Wait, she'd actually met Circe-san when she was on the trip, and Seven and Eight had even talked to her about at least some of what was happening, right? So why hadn't she been able to figure this out earlier?]
[And then, she sighed again, and rubbed her head. Things seemed much clearer, all of a sudden.]
- The original Sayaka really, really didn't want me to figure out what was going on, I suppose. Gaaah.
[Lizard Homura chippered, then, and looked up at Madoka worriedly.]
(Madoka! You mean...You mean, Miki Sayaka did something to your mind so you wouldn't figure out what was going on?)
[Madoka nodded with a sigh.]
...Probably. Ew.
[And then, she hugged Lizard Homura to her chest with a tired smile.)
- I'm OK now, though, I think - Whatever mental block Sayaka-chan slapped on me seems to be gone, now.
[And then, she picked up the bejeweled Lizard Homura, and looked at her again, her eyes going slightly hodded all of a sudden, and then glowing with a golden tint.]
...You know, Homura-chan? I really, really don't like it when people tamper with my head, or me in general, even when they sincerely think it's for "my own good", to be honest...
[Lizard Homura's eyes suddenly glowed purple, then.]
(So you mean it's all right if you do it to everybody else, as long as it's for the right reasons, but it's not OK if anybody does it to you, eh, Kaname Madoka?)
[They stared at each other for a long moment, then, while Seven and Eight twiched slightly, watching them.]
...That's not the same at all, Akemi Homura. It wasn't like I...I...
[Madoka muttered - And then, she put her hand to her head again, as the memories of her conversation with Homura just a few moments ago dropped away from her mind, like a stone falling into a pond.]
- Wait, so what were we talking about again?
[Lizard Homura blinked, too, and her eyes went back to normal as her memories faded as well.]
(...I'm not sure, but just a few minutes ago, we were talking about Miki Sayaka, I think?)
[Madoka groaned again.]
...Oh, right. Thanks, Homura-chan.
[And then, she blinked, and turned around, looking at Seven and Eight again.]
...Wait a minute, waait a minute...So this "Walpugis" you've been talking about is actually a...person or something?
Re: The continuation of Path 3
"More specifically, a magical lady. She was already kind of a grown up when she contactedd. and the queen of some German kingdom and had the strongest ever known magical girl potetntial so far. " [Seven added casually]
"yes, queen Verena of Kalafine. Actually, she herself is the core witch of Walpurgisnacht, while the forces surrounding her are that of the power of the witches she had absorbed. It's like a mega storm. She appears every few decades in a different area of thhe world, by now we have figured out more or less the pattern of when and where she'll show up."
( Homura lizard nodded, remembering the timelines where Kyubey had told Mami about Walpurgisnacht's coming.)
"Statistics show that Walpurgisnacht will arrive in this city at the end of the month."
(Madoka's eyes widened in horror) "Oh no! She is going to atatck Mitikihara soon?!"
(Homura Lizard cursed. She wwas really hoping Maodka wouldn't find out about that!")
Re: The continuation of Path 3
...No, wait, of course I knew that already, I... Homura-chan told me...
[Lizard Homura stared at her, then. Whaat?]
[And then, Madoka closed her eyes as a whole series of visions flickered though her mind.]
[She was standing on a rooftop in Mitakihara in her school uniform, as the Walpurgis came.]
[She was in Hokkaido, sitting with a coat in front of a very beautiful garden filled with purple flowers, as the Walpurgis came.]
[She was in Okinawa, barefoot at a beautiful beach, with the sea water lapping at her feet, as the Walpurgis came -]
[Madoka shook her head, then.]
- Is it really coming to Mitakihara, though? Or is it -
[Madoka shook her head, then, and stood up suddenly, and put Lizard Homura back in her pocket.]
...Thanks, Seven, Eight. We'll talk more about this later, OK?
[And then, she forced herself to smile.]
- I'll even bake you some of those hotcakes with jam you two love later, if you want. Bye!
[Seven and Eight waved goodbye to Madoka and Homura, and then, they looked at each other, tilting their heads.]
...So how did she know that we both loved hotcakes with jam, anyway?
Re: The continuation of Path 3 2/2
...Homura-chan?
[She said, and put her hand in her pocket, so she could touch Lizard Homura's back.]
- What do you think would happen, if the time the Walpurgis usually comes came, and I wasn't in Mitakihara at all?
[Lizard Homura thought about that.]
(...Well, I'd like that much better, of course, because you'll be safer, I think? But on the other hand, you usually wouldn't run away at all if you were - )
[Lizard Homura stopped, then, because she didn't want to mention the business of Madoka becoming a Magical Girl at all if she could help it, to be honest. Well, it wasn't like Madoka hadn't figured out that part of it already, she thought, but...]
(And well, in one timeline, I convinced your whole family to go on a trip to Mt Fuji, along with you, of course - And the Walpurgis appeared on Mitakihara, all right, but then it fought all of us and started to make a beeline toward Mr Fuji itself! It was like the world itself hated me or something, I thought at the time, but...)
[Madoka nodded, then, her eyes hooded.]
...Well, it doesn't really matter where I am, or where my family is for that matter, if the Walpurgis is going to smash all life on the planet Earth anyway, I suppose...
[Madoka sighed a bit, then. She still couldn't figure out what those visions meant, but it wouldn't be wise to ignore then, she was pretty sure. What the heck was going on here, anyway - Did she have a magical sign on her back, saying "Walpurgis come here" or something? And why would it keep heading in her direction, if that was what was actually happening, anyway?]