The Carriers of her Banner

[bondtolife]

Laying on the grass, in the new world that Mami was reborn in, Mami held Homura's hand.

It was a moment of relief that Mami barely felt happening. In those days that she pondered about her duty after Kyouko's passing, and realizing all she was left with was Homura in a world that condemned them to endless fighting, there also came a moment in which the fights turned into a crawl as they found the source of the wraiths.

And then, as if waking up from a nightmare, Mami woke up on a field of grass caressed by soft mountain winds, holding Homura's hand, with a picnic kit and tea already served for the two of them nearby, looking up at an unfamiliar blue sky.

There was a long moment in which Mami realized there were threats in the distance that made her soul gem glow, evidence that the fight would not be over just yet. Then, she turned her head to Homura, not letting go of her hand, silently asking her if this was real.

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[timeunending]

Under no circumstances would Homura let herself forget.
Always, somewhere, someone was fighting for her.
As long as she remembered Madoka, she would never be alone.

Clinging onto that distant hope, Homura committed herself to her fate of endless fighting. After all, this was to be her final timeline, in this universe created by her best friend. She would find peace no matter what happened to her in the end. Even then, too used to timelines of fighting alone, Homura found it hard to truly reconnect with the other puella magi; there was too much emotional baggage left over from previous timelines that she didn't want to spring on them. By the time she and Mami Tomoe were the only ones left, they were certainly staunch allies who could depend on each other. But whether they were friends...

Homura couldn't say that she was truly happy, but she was okay. That was more than enough for her.

But waking up in an unfamiliar world, without any trace of her long-lost friend after fighting for so long, left her feeling as if she was about to wake from one nightmare to be plunged straight into another.

Mami might have caught the briefest glimpse of Homura covering her eyes with her free hand, her face uncharacteristically taut with emotion. When Homura glanced over to her former senior, her expression was back to normal- as if that brief lapse hadn't occurred.

"We're not safe here." Homura pulled herself up to a sitting position, letting go of Mami's hand. Her gaze lingered on the picnic set for a moment before holding up her own glowing soul gem, her lips pressed to a thin line. "You must sense that as well."