Disclaimer: Puella Magi Madoka Magica and all related things are owned by Studio Shaft and whatnot. I am not making any money off of this, and have written it and published it for the sole enjoyment of others.

Reflections on Destiny

Akemi Homura stood atop a high-rise building, looking down at the city below. Thinking back, almost everything before had seemed like a dream – the world engulfed in cataclysm, horrible monsters ran amok, and everything you knew was a lie. But she knew it was real; the ribbon in her hair was proof of that.

As the reality was real, so was the sacrifice that went with it.

She closed her eyes, thinking back to her earliest memories with Madoka: of their meeting for the first time, the kindness that Madoka extended to her, a complete stranger, to be rescued by her from a witch… and she remembered the horror and despair she felt when she saw her die for the first time.

And then she remembered the wish, the wish that would change everything: she remembered most vividly the first several timelines, of seeing Madoka and her companions dying and falling into despair, and of Madoka herself becoming a witch, a thing that her subconscious has mysteriously labeled "Kriemhild Gretchen". She remembers the horror of realizing the fate of magical girls; the pain of the Incubator's betrayal of mankind.

And she remembers, increasingly in blurry, melded-together memories, of trying over, and over, and over, and over again to prevent the horrors that came with each timeline. But no matter what she did, she could not stop Mami from dying or falling into despair; she could not stop Sayaka from transforming into Oktavia; she could not stop Kyouko's suicidal attack on Oktavia; and worse of all, she could not prevent Madoka from contracting, defeating Walpurgisnacht, and becoming Gretchen.

And, much to her grief, she cannot forget the clear, vivid memories of having to take her life on several occasions.

And slowly, she remembered as she transformed into the opposite of what she was: how she became cold, distant, and ruthless in her pursuit to save the only thing in life that gave her hope. And she saw how Madoka, with each successive timeline, grew more and more distant from her as a result.

And then she remembered the lecture of the Incubator: how Kyuubey figured out that with each new timeline, Madoka grew more and more powerful. Tried as hard as she could, she still could not deny that she was inadvertently screwing the world over in her attempts to save Madoka. And she felt the despair begin to grow within herself.

And then she remembers the miracle: Madoka appearing out of practically nowhere to make her wish, the wish that would change the very fabric of the universe. She remembered seeing Madoka transform and shooting the arrows of light to the far corners of the universe and beyond. And she remembered finding herself upon the moon, at the end of the world, and seeing the hideous face of Kriemhild Gretchen screaming through space like a malevolent comet of old.

And she remebered how Madoka materialized, transformed into what could only be called a goddess, and by her own hands conquered her own dark side with her might.

Doing so erased herself from all dimensions and timelines; the universe would not remember Kaname Madoka. She remembers thinking that this was worse than death, worse than becoming a witch; but then she remembers the feel of soft, kind arms around her, how Madoka shared one last embrace with her, and told her of her plans for bringing hope to the universe. And she promised that they would meet again one day; as a symbol of that promise, she gave her own ribbons as a gift, to ensure her memory survived.

And it was that memory of a ribbon that drives Homura now.

She had learned from other Puella Magi that one could potentially prolong their existence if they had the drive and motivation to do so. She heard stories of a Puella Magi who had been fighting for thirty years, lasting on nothing but her own will and determination, through which she somehow was able to purify her soul gem. However, her story is for another day.

And so Homura made it her own motivation, and she accepted her destiny: as the only one to remember Madoka, she would not let the world Madoka sacrificed herself for to go to ruin. She will fight, to the end of time if necessary, to ensure that Madoka's wish was not in vain. She will fight for her memories of her, and for the multitude to wish to form loving memories of their own.

She would fight for her love for her.

She would remember always what Madoka did for society. And as long as she remembered her, she would never be alone: even if what she felt was all in her head, she would always believe that deep down inside that Madoka was watching over, guiding her; and she would always believe that she was Madoka's servant on earth, and that she had been given a mission to fight for all those who are alone and defenseless.

She would be a knight to all that were in need – and a dark terror to those that would dare spoil the world that Madoka created.

A darkness, a knight – a dark knight.

Homura was interrupted from her internal reverie by picking up a psychic message from another Puella Magi.

"Hello? This is Kawaguchi Aya, of the Northern Lights Brigade. We are experiencing heavy fighting from the demons here, and are requesting support from any nearby Magi, whether they be in groups or are solitary. I repeat, we need support!"

Homura opened her eyes, and saw into the distance flashes of light and conflict. Flicking her hair to the side, she walked towards the edge of the building, leaped – and formed white wings that allowed her to glide to her destiny.

Don't forget.

Always, somewhere,

someone is fighting for you.

As long as you remember her,

you are not alone.

Author's Note: Wooh! First fanfiction published in forever. To tell the honest truth, the inspiration for this fanfic was when I was watching the final episode, and how when Homura leaped off the building, it reminded me of the final scene to the old animated Batman movie "Mask of the Phantasm".

The scene in question: .com/watch?v=DIHPr747JXI

It was then that I formed the conclusion that Homura is, was, and always will be Mahou Shoujo Batman.

…admit it, you think it's awesome too. Search your feelings, you know it to be true!

As an additional note, I just may develop a story based around the whole concept. Just leave in the reviews if that's what you would like to see.