Chapter 2: Some men, just want to watch the world burn.
Sayaka and Homura met again three days later in the park near their school, on their respective strolls.
After creating an iced frappe for them both, Homura suggested that the two of them sit somewhere shadier to get out of the hot sun for a while.
They found a stone bench beneath a shady cypress tree, where the two of them sat cross legged facing each other.
"So, how's life been treating you, Sayaka?"
"Well. As strange as this is going to sound coming from me. Pretty good. Having the chance to not fight all the time, and to be able to be my own person for a change is actually pretty cool. I've started building a good relationship with Kyoko. Our first date yesterday went pretty well, all things considered."
"I'm glad to hear that Sayaka. Really, I am."
"It's good to have days like these where not every conversation leads to an argument and then another violent fight. I've gotten so sick of those."
"As have I."
"And how have you been doing Homura?"
"Not bad Sayaka. Thanks for asking. Me and Madoka have been getting on quite well. She seems to be in a much better mood and I'm thinking about giving some of her memories back soon. But I think she still needs a bit of rest. She's getting very popular in school, and I'm glad."
"Glad!? I'd have thought you'd be jealous with how possessive of her you keep acting."
"I'm not like that Sayaka. If Madoka wants to have other friends except me, that's perfectly alright. I'm just glad I can be one of her friends."
"You mean you're not trying to take Madoka way for yourself?"
"If I wanted that, I wouldn't have brought you into this world Sayaka. I wouldn't have brought the others either. I really just want us all to be happy in this world, all of us."
"But if we're no longer magical girls, then does that mean we'll age?" Sayaka shuddered at the prospect even if at present she was a healthy young teenager.
"I've thought of that, Sayaka." Homura replied with a flourish. "I made it so that we don't age in this world. We can stay young and attractive forever, even if we're no longer magical girls. We will be here to see the next millennium and beyond. To see ships that can sail the stars themselves. Isn't that what you told me you wanted? To live long enough to see people fighting with lightsabres instead of guns?"
"And what about the universe? Don't your changes mean that the universe will end sooner now?"
"Through the many timelines I've been through, I slowly drafted a plan on how if one day I hypothetically was to find myself in the situation where I could control the universe, I would prevent the heat death of the universe by changing the laws of physics themselves. It's what I've done now Sayaka. This universe will not end. It will never end. So, sit back and relax. This really is our unambiguously happy ending. We won't age and neither will the universe."
"You've really thought of everything, haven't you?" Sayaka proudly remarked.
"Well I have had multiple timelines to figure everything out, so, yeah."
"There is just one thing that still ticks me off with your plan though."
"What is it Sayaka?"
Sayaka paused for a moment. She never thought that she would feel any sympathy for the despised enemies who tricked her into making everything bad in her life happen, but the idea of something as terrible as slavery even for them, was horrifying.
"Why did you feel the need to enslave the incubators, Homura? Do you really hate them that much? I mean sure, they did some pretty bad things but was what you did to them necessary? It sounds the slightest bit cruel to me."
Homura thought about it for a moment.
"With all respect, Sayaka, perhaps Kyubey is a man you still don't quite understand."
Sayaka opened her mouth only to shut it upon realising that Homura was about to launch into a long and detailed story of one of her previous timelines. She would do well to hear every word of this if she didn't want the mistakes of the past repeated in this bright and new universe of hope.
"A long time ago (or rather many timelines ago)" explained Homura, never taking her eyes from those of her blue haired friend. "I was in Burma. My friends and I were working for the local government. We were trying to secure the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But the stones were being raided near Rangoon by a bandit. So, we went looking for that bandit, but in six months, we never met anyone who traded with him."
Sayaka's one sentiment this far into the story, what was a four-eyed yandere bookworm doing in a place like Burma? She had to steel herself not to laugh disrespectfully.
"Then one day." Continued Homura. "I saw a child playing with a ruby, the size of a tangerine."
I like tangerines, Sayaka thought to herself. And I never knew someone as unempathetic as you could be good with children. Maybe I underestimated you after all.
"The bandit, had been throwing the stones away, Sayaka." Sayaka's amused grin vanished and was replaced by utter incredulousness as she nearly spat out her frappe.
"So, why steal them?" she managed to ask after a few steadying breaths.
"Well because he thought it was good sport" replied Homura, gesturing with her hands as she spoke to emphasize herself. "Because, some men aren't looking for anything logical like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with."
Homura's face darkened and her gaze seemed to harden to the extent where Sayaka felt she was looking through her and not at her. It was truly terrifying and Sayaka had seen some pretty messed up things in her life already to know what terrifying meant as Homura finished her narration in a deadly serious tone.
"Some men, just want to watch the world burn."
And as Homura finished the one line which consisted of the truest words ever spoken in the history of mankind, magical girls and the first incubators who existed long before either of the two, Sayaka looked upon the dark haired bookworm with a level of respect that would make even the most self-absorbed celebrity in the world blush.
"I'm sorry." Sayaka whispered frailly, as water began to fill her usually desert like eyes like a flood. "I should have trusted you sooner, Homura. You've been through so much just to try and get through to me and my friends, but all we did was throw your kindness back in your face. We thought we knew better, when in reality, we knew nothing while you knew everything."
"It's alright Sayaka." Homura soothed, placing a shaking hand onto her friend's shoulder. "You're only human and so am I."
"I don't know if I can ever thank you properly Homura. But let it be known that from today, I trust you with my life. If Madoka and the others were to turn against you now, know that you will find me on your side. You spent so long protecting us with your life, and now please, allow me to return your heroic selflessness with my own."
Seeing that Sayaka's sobs had still not quite subsided, Homura decided it was time for a little light heartedness.
"I saw some nicer things in Burma too. I once also saw a ruby playing with a tangerine the size of a child."
She held out her hands as a fresh and fruity tangerine appeared. "Some men just want to watch the world burn, while some men, just want a tangerine."
She gave the tangerine to a now lightly giggling Sayaka who was still dabbing at the last tears in her eyes as she took her favourite fruit which once again Homura had guessed correctly in addition to her favourite smoothie and ice cream flavours.
That girl was a know it all, but a good one.
The two girls continued to make small talk for a little while longer about the wonderful weather, their plans for the future now that each day was no longer a fight for survival and just basic girl stuff in general that they never had to opportunity to discuss when there was constant conflict afoot.
It was when a cooling breeze began to fan their hair as the sun started to go down just a teeny tiny bit, that with great regret Homura announced that it was time for her to go and attend to some urgent business (running a universe was tough work) but that she looked forward to their next meeting with avid interest.
She politely stood and bowed. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. It really means a lot to me."
She began to turn away.
"Wait Homura. One more thing." Sayaka pleaded, causing her friend to turn her attentive gaze back once more.
"Yes?"
Sayaka frowned as she put a finger to her mouth. She knew what she was about to ask was not exactly a savoury question, but she couldn't just leave the problem as it was either. She would die finding the answer.
"The bandit… in the forest of Burma."
"What about him?"
"Did you catch him?"
"We did…" Homura replied, these questions having the effect of knives on her fragile psyche.
"How?" Sayaka was smacking herself internally for forcing up clearly very painful memories from her guardian but curiosity had ensnared her like a fly in a web. This was the million dollar question that determined everything from her future relationship with Homura, to how she would go on to live her new life and the choices she would make.
Homura took a slow and painful breath as she closed her eyes for a few seconds before slowly opening them. Even without time-warping, she knew this question was coming. And while she had seen enough Sayaka's falling into despair in previous timelines to know Sayaka down to the tiniest detail, she could make no guess at how this was going to go down.
But at least this Sayaka wanted answers rather than continued ignorance. That was a good sign.
She steadied her trembling hands and body and cleared her throat. The next words out of her mouth would be the very words inscribed on her stone if it ever came to that. The words future historians would always ascribe as her signature quote whenever they studied her.
"We burned the forest down."
And before Sayaka could question her further, she took another much shallower bow and took her leave without looking back.
If she had been looking in Sayaka's direction at that second, she would have seen the blue haired girl drop to her knees as her eyes swelled the largest they ever had in her lifetime and her jaw dropped so far, that it hurt.
Homura Akemi wasn't just a hero.
All the lands she had liberated. All the respect she now had under her command.
She was even mightier than Madoka herself.
She was the true goddess.
"One of these days, I'll have to visit Burma myself." Sayaka resolutely vowed.
Originally just a one shot but due to a creative surge, I felt I had to continue it. The leaf village treats Naruto badly even when he's the only nice guy on his team. Kyon gets put through a lot of hell even when he has to pick up all of Haruhi's slack for her. And the most infamous one for me, Sailor Saturn in Sailor moon gets listed as a target to kill for the other sailors over things she had zero control over while the other Sailors happily waltz into every trap set by the villains. In a sense I like Homura a lot because she has traits comparable to Sailor Saturn, Kyon and Shinji.
It surprises me how so many animated series have characters who are horrible judges of character.
Like how in Evangelion, everyone listens to Gendo when he's practically destroying the world with his bad decisions as well as Misato and Asuka even though they are both domestically abusive bullies, but not the much nicer Shinji who does actually want to save the world.
She's the one person trying to improve the world who is also the one person getting the most hatred thrown in her direction.
It's about time the poor girl got some kind of reward or at least validation for her efforts.