Disclaimer: I do not own Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Fate/Zero. They belong to SHAFT and TYPE-MOON respectively…also, they were both written by Gen Urobuchi. :D

A/N: So…this is just a little idea I had in my head for a while now ever since finishing PMMM. When Homura fought against Walpurgisnacht for the final time…Holy Godoka, I tip my hat off to thee! I was instantly reminded of Kiritsugu—the guy single-handedly destroyed an entire Hyatt hotel just to get at Kayneth, not to mention blowing up that Air France jet and killing everyone inside just to avoid a plague of the undead. xD

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's had this idea; the fandom can get pretty crazy at times. Although, I'm certain that other people who have better writing than me can do this concept justice. :D

Also, I feel that Kiritsugu might be a little OOC here. I'm not used to writing him outside of a Fate/ setting. Sorry about that…

Enjoy.

"Uwaaaaaah…! What do I do now?!"

Akemi Homura stared with a mixture of fascination and horror at the gleaming black objects arranged neatly on her bed. They were guns. All of them. Guns of various types—Desert Eagles, assault rifles, simple handguns, etc. Near her pillow, a few boxes of ammo lay next to a small pile of grenades and her own home-made pipe bombs.

…Yes, she was fully aware that one wrong move could blow her apartment sky high.

"I don't even know how to use any of these…!" the bespectacled girl with twin braids lamented to no one in particular, pulling at her dark hair in frustration. "Maybe…Maybe this was a bad idea…" She cautiously picked up a Desert Eagle—though she did not know that was what they were called back then. "But I can't just go back and return these with my fingerprints all over them…They'd throw me in prison or kill me, and then I'd be utterly useless…"

The rookie Puella Magi sank to her knees in dismay, the gun clattering to the floor as she hugged her knees close to her chest. The action caused her glasses to slide down her nose a bit, but she made no move to push them back up. "If only there was someone out there who could teach me…Tomoe-san deals with muskets, but I can't keep bothering her for help when she and Kaname-san are working hard to protect the city. I feel bad for slowing them down so much…"

I guess…like my name, time manipulation is too good for me…

Homura sighed heavily, reluctantly rising to her feet. There was a burst of violet light as her Puella Magi outfit materialized on her, the time-shield appearing last and fixing itself onto her left forearm. The dark-haired girl pushed her glasses back up her nose and tentatively held out her left arm, scrunching her eyebrows as she tried to focus on her magic, bending it to her will. The shapes of the firearms in her room distorted a bit as they were seemingly sucked back into the limitless confines of her shield, leaving hardly a trace save for the indentations made on her bed to indicate they were there in the first place.

The bespectacled Puella Magi let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and dispelled her battle garb, heading for the door of her apartment. Maybe a walk will help me decide what to do…was her thought as she paused to grab her keys before leaving, locking the door behind her. If nothing comes to mind then, I guess I absolutely have no choice but to ask Tomoe-san to help me out…

Homura trudged down the sidewalk of Mitakihara's historical district, biting her lip as she tried to wrack her brain for any solutions to her problem. Although it was a nice and sunny day out, the rookie Puella Magi couldn't feel anything else but worry and gloom inside. It was like she had her own personal cloud of doom raining over her, drenching her in a deluge of guilt over the theft of several dangerous weapons. As she crossed the street, she couldn't help but glance furtively around her, paranoid that either the yakuza or the JSDF would suddenly appear to apprehend her…They didn't.

"…Well, you seem rather down, little girl." a voice commented, sounding worn with age.

…Eh? The dark-haired girl looked up to see an elderly gentleman standing outside of a café, tipping his hat back to appraise her with his crimson eyes. His worn hands gripped a cane with a ruby on its pommel, which he pointed in her direction. He smiled warmly, in an almost grandfatherly way despite the mischievous gleam in his eyes. "How about a cup of coffee at the Ahnenerbe? It might help to raise your spirits a bit. Who knows? Perhaps you'll meet someone there who can solve your problem."

Shy and clumsy as she was, Homura nonetheless raised her guard at the mysterious man's words, managing a shaky look of suspicion towards him. My problem…? Using the guns! How would he know about that? He's an old man who definitely has nothing to do with Puella Magi, so…how? Oh, if only her voice was as confident as her thoughts…

"H—How do…you know—" she began to stutter, feeling as if the man just grew an additional foot or two with his overwhelming presence. In reality, the elderly gentleman was still the same height, though he tried to make his smile seem friendlier (Homura could have sworn she saw a fang somewhere).

"Oh, let's just say that I'm…investing in your future, little girl. Doubtless you would go far with such a moe outlook on things, no? There's rarely been a time when the fate of such a vast multitude of parallel worlds would become so…interesting, for lack of a better word. I thought it would be wonderful to meet the genius architect of it all!" Here, he frowned slightly, stroking his white beard as if in thought. "Although…I couldn't help but land early. I would have rather preferred to converse with your much cooler self, but…I suppose I can give you a guiding hand."

Homura's eyes widened in surprise. "I—I become…cool?" she clarified hesitantly, unsure if she had heard right.

The mysterious man's crimson eyes gleamed in amusement. "One of the coolest, my dear. Though, your name has recently become synonymous with the term, 'badass', around certain circles. You should be proud, despite the pyrrhic victory! Perhaps the Rebellion Story will set things right, eh? One can only hope…"

"Um…m—maybe you should…explain…?"

"Oh, don't be such a moe-blob, little girl!" the elderly gentleman exclaimed with a hearty laugh. "Now get in there and convince him to help you! Of course, I doubt that will be much of a problem for you—the two of you are similar enough that I wouldn't be surprised if he was your father in an alternate universe!"

"W—Who, exactly…?" Homura asked timidly as the man gently pushed her with his cane towards the door to the Ahnenerbe café.

He smiled once more, doffing his hat as he turned to leave. "Just order a cup of Joe and ask to speak with the Magus Killer. Tell him that the Kaleidoscope sends his regards."

With those words of wisdom, the elderly gentleman parted from her in the blink of an eye, vanishing into the wind.

Literally.

Shivering at the obviously magical departure, the rookie Puella Magi touched the ring on her right hand, seeking comfort that she knew it could not give her. If ever she encountered that man in battle…hopefully she'd be able to stop Time long enough for her to run as far away as she possibly could.

"…your name has recently become synonymous with the term, 'badass'…"

Homura clenched her fists and faced the oak door, attempting to strengthen her resolve and walk inside the establishment. Even though the man was certainly suspicious in every way possible and she didn't entirely trust his words…she had nothing else available to her. Sure, she could try to practice shooting in some abandoned junkyard or the Mitakihara dump for this timeline (and probably the next), but if she could find someone to mentor her—especially someone with a name like the Magus Killer—then for the sake of protecting Madoka…she would definitely take it.

"Welcome!" a voice politely greeted her as the dark-haired girl walked in on shaky legs. A girl walked up to her, dressed in a maid outfit and carrying a silver serving tray. Her appearance was unremarkable, almost like a background character in an anime, but her presence was nonetheless jarring for the rookie Puella Magi. A—Am I in…Did I just…walk into a MAID CAFÉ?! Homura thought in dismay, her face flushing in embarrassment at the thought.

"Just one? Right this way, please…" the waitress piped up cheerfully, disregarding her inner turmoil and indicating for the bespectacled girl to follow her as she grabbed a menu. "I hope you don't mind sharing a table with another patron—we're awfully busy at this time of day."

"N—None at all…" Homura stammered as she looked around, taking in the Ahnenerbe café with wide, curious eyes. The café seemed modeled after a German tavern setting, with plenty of wooden furnishings and lamps. A bar was located at the far end, where a…cat(?) was serving customers their food and drinks. The patrons in this so-called café seemed fairly normal at first glance—families, teenagers, salary men and the like—but upon closer inspection, she noted that some of them seemed to bristle with a certain power. A presence that could not be ignored…like the strange man from earlier.

"Ah. Pardon the inconvenience, but would you mind sharing your table with another?" the waitress asked a scruffy-looking man with messy dark hair and dark eyes, who was sitting alone in a booth. He wore a black trench coat over his black suit and his chin had some stubble on it, serving to further his unkempt appearance. His cup of coffee steamed nearby, forgotten, as his attention was directed elsewhere. The man did not look up from the newspaper he was reading intently, only nodding once in consent to the serving girl's inquiry.

Nervously, Homura sat herself across from this intimidating man with the lifeless dark eyes. It was too late to turn back now—she had to see this through.

"So…what will you have for today?" the waitress asked as she took out a notepad and a pen while Homura cautiously picked up the menu.

"I, uh…that is…I—I'll just have a regular cup of coffee."

"Gotcha! Anything else I can do for you?"

Teach me how to shoot a gun properly, perhaps? Instead, the rookie Puella Magi twiddled her thumbs fearfully as the menu was taken away, swallowing hard. "Um, well…I'd like to s—speak with someone who goes by the name of…the Magus Killer…please?"

"…And why is that?"

The question did not come from the waitress…but from the man sitting across from her in the booth. He had set his newspaper down and was now regarding her with a cold and calculating stare, watching her carefully. In that instant, Homura knew that this was the guy she was looking for—the Magus Killer, a title that certainly did not seem like it was for show.

She tried desperately not to quail under his intense gaze, but couldn't help shaking her knees underneath the table. "I—I heard you could help me with…a problem of mine…The K—Kaleidoscope sends his…regards…"

The Magus Killer narrowed his eyes slightly at the name, though something akin to curiosity seemed to spark faintly in his dull eyes. "What are you standing around for?" he gruffly addressed the waitress nearby. "Get her order; you guys have your hands full, don't you?"

"R—Right! Of course, sir!" she stammered as she scurried off, remembering her duties.

Heaving a sigh, the man turned his attention back to her, frowning as his impassive expression gradually turned troubled.

"Your name." It was an order, not a request.

"A—Akemi Homura."

"Your purpose."

"I, well…I n—need someone to teach me…how to use a gun. I need to know…so I c—can protect someone close to me." Homura mumbled, avoiding his daunting stare.

"Don't stammer so much. It's unbecoming." the Magus Killer snapped as he picked up his cup of coffee, taking a sip.

"Sorry…"

There was a 'clink' as the man set his drink down, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. The bespectacled girl hazarded a glance in his direction and caught him staring at her once more, as if scrutinizing her for her worth…which probably wouldn't be much, anyway. She bit her lip and broke eye contact.

"Akemi-san. For what reason must you resort to guns as your modus operandi?" he asked flatly. "You seem rather young—a middle schooler, I'd say. If your actual plan involves gunning down a bully or even a school shooting, I'm afraid I'll have to decl—"

"It's not like that! All I want is to protect someone I care about!" The force of Homura's own denial shocked even herself.

"Oh? Pray tell, why would you need to learn how to shoot? Surely you can protect this cherished person of yours some other way? Have you ever considered simply talking with them and resolving whatever issues they have?" the man asked, arching an eyebrow inquisitively as he peppered her with questions.

"I…I can't. We're not exactly…normal. With my abilities…I can't fight as well as my friends can…" the rookie Puella Magi began tentatively, deciding to throw caution to the wind. "I can stop Time with my powers…but I don't have any offense…to go with it. I can't…protect the city like they can…I can't protect her as I am now."

The Magus Killer uncrossed his arms at this news, leaning towards her with that calculating look on his face once more. "You can manipulate time, you say?"

"Y—Yeah."

The ghost of a smile danced across his lips at that. "Devastating, if partnered with guns, indeed…"

Homura almost felt hopeful with his comment. "Will you mentor me, then…?"

"That depends…How badly do you wish to protect this girl? To what lengths would you go; to what depths will you sink to? Would you be willing to shoulder the evil of all Hades for this cherished person of yours? To become that which must sacrifice anything and everything for the sole attainment of your wish…your ideal?" he asked, his dark eyes seeming to spark with life as they pierced into her hesitant violet ones. The flurry of his words overwhelmed the rookie Puella Magi so much so that she couldn't help but tremble under the weight of those questions.

The Magus Killer's voice took on a much quieter tone.

"Tell me, Akemi Homura…Would you be willing to lose yourself in the process of protecting this person?"

She stiffened. Although she was terribly afraid to face his other questions, this…this one she could definitely answer. All it took was remembering Kaname Madoka's reassuring smile before she left to face Walpurgisnacht…alone. All it took was recalling her dead form sprawled beneath the unforgiving sky as the rain drizzled on heedlessly. All it took…was the collective memory of their short time together—every smile, every word, every hug, every tear shed, every cry uttered…

But most of all…Homura had but to remember that heart-wrenching scream tearing itself from the sweet pink-haired girl as she turned into a Witch.

"Oh, I got it! Homura-chan…why don't you just try to become cool yourself?"

Madoka writhing in pain on the ground.

"I'm so glad I got to meet you and be your friend, Homura-chan."

Her kind face distorting into a dreadfully anguished grimace.

"You did it! Homura-chan, that was so cool!"

Oh, God…the screams she made then as her Soul Gem shattered into a Grief Seed…

Homura swallowed the hard lump that formed in her throat, beating back tears at the horrible memory. Madoka's cries rang in her ears as she forced herself to stare the Magus Killer straight in the eyes, pouring determination into her next words.

This is what she signed up for when she became a Puella Magi.

…Protect Madoka.

"It doesn't matter what becomes of me, so long as she can continue living…so long as I can change her fate."

A moment of silence passed between them before the dark-haired man casually took a pack of cigarettes out from a pocket in his trench coat. "You didn't stutter over your words at all," he mused as he lit one and held it to his lips, arching a dark eyebrow. "So it appears that you are serious…We're making progress."

Homura bit her lip, the fight leaving her at his appraisal. It…wasn't as comforting as Madoka's would have been. "So…how much…should I pay you?"

"Teaching someone how to shoot properly isn't easy by any means—monetary or otherwise. But you're still in middle school, so I doubt you have access to a large pool of funds…unless you stop Time and steal them, of course. Truthfully, I'm not in this business for money, so I'll settle on 15,000 yen for now." the Magus Killer said as he released a plume of smoke off to the side, ignoring the way Homura tried to cover her nose a bit at the strong ashen scent. "Bullets aren't hard to come by with someone of my caliber, but I still need to be compensated for my time…and with you, we may have a lot of work ahead of us."

She wanted to protest at his quick assumption of her potential, but sighed heavily instead, knowing that it was probably true. "Well…bullets actually won't be…much of a problem. I could always steal some," the rookie Puella Magi said as she briefly met the dark-haired man's gaze. "So…when should we get started, erm…"

"Emiya Kiritsugu," the Magus Killer said gruffly, holding the cigarette up to his lips again in preparation for another smoke. "And we can start as soon as you are free."

"O—Okay. How about tomorrow?" Homura suggested as the waitress from earlier came by with her coffee. She accepted her drink with a mumbled 'thank you' and proceeded to pour in copious amounts of sugar and milk—she wasn't a huge fan of drinking it black.

"Very well. Meet me here as soon as you are able. The café secretly doubles as a sort of inn for certain patrons, and I'm staying here for a while." Kiritsugu said as he took a deep drag of his cigarette while the bespectacled girl sipped tentatively at her coffee.

"Th—Thank you, Emiya-san."

This Akemi Homura was dedicated, he had to admit that.

Kiritsugu calmly watched as the dark-haired girl fired round after round at the target he had set up for her—a sheet of scrap metal with a bulls eye painted on it, positioned 10 meters away. They would start out slow; she would continue firing until she got consistently close to the mark before he would increase the distance, helping her maintain proper form all the way. This abandoned warehouse the café owners had suggested was perfect for this kind of training—not only was it relatively isolated, but there were also piles of junk everywhere that would make for great targets once Homura furthered her shooting skills.

It had taken a few days for her to get used to the recoil of the gun in her hand, and her arms no doubt were aching after all the abuse of the past few hours of today, as the Magus Killer had insisted that she learn how to shoot with both hands. Even so, the bespectacled girl continued to grit her teeth and forge on, ignoring the beads of sweat that lazily trailed down her face. She was tiring, he could see that…yet she doggedly kept firing at the target, having progressed to the point where she could actually hit the metal sheet.

This person she has to protect must truly be someone of grave importance. No 14-year-old should be called upon to wield such dangerous weapons like this…Cursing under his breath for letting his mind wander away from the task at hand, Kiritsugu forced himself to stifle memories of a burning island beneath an ashen sky…of that blood-red gaze and that desperate plea.

"I don't…want to be a monster! I don't…want to hurt anyone…!"

The ghostly feel of a gun in his hand—the same weight as the one he had pointed at the trembling, bespectacled mage who searched for a way to control the flow of time.

"Kerry!"

"That's enough for today," Kiritsugu finally called out as he walked over to the dark-haired girl. "We will continue again tomorrow."

Homura lowered the Desert Eagle in her hand, looking up at him with determined violet eyes as she breathed heavily from her long hours of relentless practice. Her dark bangs were plastered to her sweaty forehead. "But…I can still—"

"No. You look like you're about ready to drop dead on the ground. There's a point in time when one has to realize where to draw the line in terms of practice," he chastised not unkindly. "It will do you no good to carry on if your arms are too tired to aim properly; you waste perfectly good bullets in that way."

"But with bullets—"

"It doesn't matter if you can get them any time you want. You have to make every shot count, Akemi. Efficiency is the key to wielding firearms—I believe I told you that on the first day," Kiritsugu said with a sigh. "There may be a time when you run out of guns to pull from your time -shield. What then? A marksman is only as good as the bullets he has at his disposal; even the most talented would be rendered useless without any ammunition on hand."

The dark-haired girl was silent for a moment, obviously cowed by his words. She averted her gaze, slipping the Desert Eagle back into her strange, gray shield. "I'm sorry, Emiya-san. I'll…I'll try to remember that."

He nodded as Homura willed away her strange outfit, reverting back into her school uniform. She was a magic-user, that much was certain, yet…he could not sense any magical circuits activated. The Magus Killer hadn't pressed for details behind exactly who Akemi Homura was—his job was to teach her how to shoot properly, not inquire about outfits that look straight out of a magical girl anime.

"We'll meet here again tomorrow. You've been getting closer to the target, so I'll increase the distance to 20 meters," Kiritsugu said as they both turned to leave the warehouse. "Your form still needs work, but you're catching on quickly. Reloading, on the other hand…"

"S—Sorry! I guess…I'm still relying on pulling out another gun…"

The Magus Killer narrowed his eyes at his student, frowning disapprovingly. "What did I say about that? There might not be another gun to whip out—you have to get into the rhythm of reloading until it becomes almost second nature to you."

"I understand…"

Homura was making progress; they had since moved on from using Desert Eagles to using sniper rifles and assault rifles now. She still preferred her Beretta, though; that was probably better than possibly evolving into a machine-gun-toting manic. Even so, it was…hard to believe that such a timid girl like her could wield such dangerous firearms with relative ease after a few weeks.

Kiritsugu still didn't question where she was getting all this heavy equipment from. His curiosity had been held in rigid check up to now—he was almost starting to accept it as is.

That is, until the dark-haired girl asked him a certain…question.

"Emiya-san…do you know how to use RPGs and bazookas?"

He nearly choked on his cigarette, but only years of being a professional assassin and mercenary kept him from doing so. It took a lot to shake up the Magus Killer after all he had seen and done, but this…

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Well…last night I managed to get a few to store in my shield…and I figured that with something big like Walpurgisnacht next week, I…might need a little more kick? She's pretty…massive." Homura mumbled, withering slightly under his relentless stare. Her problems with stammering had improved over the weeks, too, as well as her own self-confidence. Unfortunately, that didn't help her here.

"I am not going to teach a 14-year-old how to properly aim with an RPG, bazooka, or any sort of missile launcher."

"But, Emiya-san—"

Kiritsugu massaged his temples, suddenly wondering why in the world he had accepted the girl's offer in the first place. It was too late to turn back now, he knew that, but still…Perhaps this was a bad idea, after all. She's developed a thirst for power, it seems like.

…Or maybe she's really intent on protecting this person of hers, a voice nagged at the back of his mind, which he stifled half-heartedly. Such a move was not like him, but…the Kaleidoscope sent her to him. Surely there was a reason why such a powerful individual was invested in the future of this timid girl?

"No, and that is final, Akemi."

Homura bit her lip, crestfallen as she glumly returned to sniping pigeons off the rooftops of the skyscrapers around them.

Geez, I feel like her father sometimes…

"Emiya-san, I'd…like to thank you for all your help."

The Magus Killer arched an eyebrow at the dark-haired girl before him, setting down his cup of coffee. "My tutelage is no longer needed, I take it? Judging by your uneasiness, you have to fight this 'Walpurgisnacht' tomorrow," he said, carrying on despite her involuntary twitch of surprise. "Don't look so stunned, Akemi. I'm not an idiot; I've managed to pick up on whatever you unintentionally let slip. Were you in my profession, breaches in information could get you killed by rivals."

Homura winced at his words, looking away meekly. "Sorry…I've promised to myself that I'd try to stop doing things like that. It…made things worse, and now Kaname-san is the only one of my friends that's still alive."

"You didn't…kill them, did you? Akemi, I told you that you should only use what I've taught you to—"

"It wasn't like that, Emiya-san! I…I told them some sensitive information, hoping it would make things easier for tomorrow, and…Tomoe-san snapped after we lost Miki-san. She killed Sakura-san and then used her ribbons to tie me up. Then she…she pointed her musket at me, and was going to shoot! I was so scared, terrified that this would be my last time loop, and then…then Kaname-san, she…she killed her to save me! It was so awful, Emiya-san!"

'Time loop'…Kiritsugu furrowed his brow minutely, filing away the slip for later. He gazed impassively at his student, noting the tears that were springing to her violet eyes.

This was the girl he had taught how to kill.

This was the girl who controlled Time.

This was the girl…who could possibly die tomorrow.

The Magus Killer inwardly grimaced. Suddenly it seemed as if they didn't have enough training over the past month or so, even if he felt mildly reassured of her abilities (she was quickly becoming a natural). There were still many things to teach her, so many things that still had a few corrections to be made…Since when did I start showing some concern for this girl? My job was to teach her how to shoot. Nothing more. It matters not if the client dies after the deal is over….right?

"…I'm sorry I couldn't teach you any other way of life…Some mother I am, huh?"

Kiritsugu sipped at his coffee for want of anything better to do while Homura tried to compose herself again. I must be getting soft…

"Well…I should get going. I have to make a few last minute stops at yakuza dens…and make a dozen more bombs," the dark-haired girl said as she stood up to leave the café, bowing deeply in his direction. "I cannot thank you enough for all you've done to help me, Emiya-san."

She sounds so much more confident than when we first met.

"…Kiritsugu."

Homura blinked as she straightened up from her humble bow, pushing her glasses up. "Pardon?"

The Magus Killer sipped his coffee again, careful not to meet her gaze. "Just call me 'Kiritsugu'. If there's a chance you'll die tomorrow, at least we'll part on a friendlier note."

He half-expected her to lose that confidence and grow flustered over his words—she certainly would have done so a few weeks ago. Instead, she simply offered a small, hesitant smile. "Thank you…Kiritsugu-san."

"Good luck tomorrow…Homura-san."

"A good luck from me as well! Keep fighting against fate, eh? You're a strong girl; you'll pick yourself off the ground after this is over." a voice added cheerfully, signaling the sudden presence of someone who wasn't there a moment before.

Homura let loose an 'eep!' at the sudden appearance of the Kaleidoscope, who merely burst into laughter at her reaction. For his part, Kiritsugu merely arched a dark eyebrow, intrigued at the ancient's impromptu arrival—that could never be good. "What brings you here, Zelretch of the Kaleidoscope?"

"Oh, I just thought it interesting to see Moemura off. From this point on, you'll have Hommando to deal with, Kerry!" the old man chortled, his crimson eyes adopting a strange and…frightening gleam to them. "She won't be as nice and timid as this one."

"H—Hommando?" the dark-haired girl squeaked out, confused.

"I did mention you would become a total badass, did I not? One is not born a badass, little girl—not unless you're someone like Sir Tristan de Liones. Limits must be pushed, wills must be tested, spirits must be broken…it is not an easy path, especially when you have a Time hax ability."

Kiritsugu frowned, not quite getting what Zelretch was babbling on about. "What do you mean?"

"You must become the bullets of your gun, Akemi Homura." the Kaleidoscope continued on in a serious tone, ignoring the Magus Killer's question as he slammed the end of his cane down on the floor for emphasis.

"…Eh?" The poor girl was so befuddled; he did not envy her in the slightest.

"Glass is your body, and sand is your blood."

"Kaleidoscope-san, I don't think—"

"Just call me Zelretch, my dear. You will amass over a thousand guns, after all."

Kiritsugu pinched the bridge of his nose, sensing an approaching headache. There was a reason why the user of the Second Magic was often described as a mad genius.

"Zelretch-san, I don't think—"

"Unknown to life, nor known to success, your path as a badass will be a long one. Why, I know a certain AKEMI who—"

"Please, you're not making any sen—"

"You will repeat countless timelines to change her fate. That is the mindset you had when you made the contract with that Incubator, correct?"

"Well…yes, but—"

"Yet your hands will never save her…A pity, that. She contracts every time."

"How do you know—"

"So as you pray…"

The Magus Killer coughed loudly, managing to cut Zelretch off before he could stress Homura out even more so than she already was. The dark-haired girl was trembling from the weight of the Kaleidoscope's words—no doubt, there was truth in there…or at least, some of it. The thought of Akemi Homura as a badass of all things was hard to wrap his mind around.

"I won't claim to know what it is you are implying at, old man…but Homura-san needs to go prepare for Walpurgisnacht tomorrow. You are not helping her cause."

Zelretch smirked; a reaction that Kiritsugu was expecting, given his nature. However, he was not entirely prepared for what he murmured next to his student—er, former student.

"See? What did I tell ya, little girl? He could've been your father in another universe! Ha-ha! He sounds like he's sending you off to bed, doesn't he?"

Homura's response was enough to make his eye twitch—a first since becoming the infamous Magus Killer.

"Y—Yeah…it kinda does."

Kiritsugu set his empty cup down, fishing out some money to place on the table as he stood up. "I'm heading to my room," he said as he walked away. "Remember…never stop fighting for your ideal, Homura-san. If all goes well…I'll treat you to whatever the Ahnenerbe café has to offer. Your choice."

Satisfied with his parting words, the Magus Killer took out a cigarette and was about to light it, preparing for a smoke, when…

"…Told you. He could be your father, all right! Birds of a feather, eh? Ha-ha!"

In a corner of the café, a certain someone facepalmed as they typed away at a laptop.

A:N Just for the record…there is one more chapter coming up. :3 Surely you didn't think I wouldn't include Kiritsugu meeting the badass Homura and going, "WTF?!" now, did you?

Also…that aria. To be honest, I've got The Bullets of My Gun sitting in my flashdrive—4 chapters done and counting—simply waiting for me to upload it onto this site. I've already got Chapter 1 of it up on dA, but as for here…not yet. And to make things more awkward, someone's written up Homura and Madoka as Servants for a Holy Grail War over in the F/SN and PMMM crossover section. It's a very promising story and I'd suggest giving it a read, but still… xD;;

Awkwaaaaaard.

Well, anyway…review, you guys! Check out my other story, eat a pizza, run around in circles, help me find a job, or bend the laws of time and space to reunite Homura with her Madokami! Whichever best suits you. :D

…Oh. Nearly forgot. I kinda need a beta-reader. :/ For fanfics in general, of course. If you feel like I'd be someone worth investing some time in despite my terrible writing skills, just drop me a PM. I kinda need one to help me for Chapter 5 of Off Balance. xD