Chapter Text
She watched silently as the towering form of Kriemhild Gretchen overtook the city.
[Quite the shame, if you ask me.] A small, cat-like creature spoke from a nearby rock. [This planet was a valuable source of energy, but we can make do. We always have.]
"..."
[You were quite close to Madoka Kaname, were you not? I suppose that-"]
*BANG*
The creature's corpse went flying in a bloody mess as the girl put her shotgun away, before reaching up to turn her shield.
Kriemhild Gretchen's hands shot out towards her-
XX
Can you hear my voice?"
"..."
"You, who have willingly forsaken their own future for the sake of another. All odds have been stacked against you. If my voice reaches you, then there may be hope yet. You only need ask..."
"Who are you?"
"That's right, I haven't introduced myself. My name is-"
XX
Homura Akemi awoke with a gasp, much different from her usual, more subdued awakenings. She stared up at the ceiling, almost numb.
"476." She mumbled, reaching up to heal her heart and prepare for another loop. Then she thought back to the strange dream she had just had, and the strange voice that had accompanied it.
And the weird butterfly.
"What a weird dream."
XX
Elsewhere, a pink haired girl jolted awake, looking around her room blearily. She could remember her dream clearly: A destroyed city, a mysterious girl fighting some kind of giant monster, and a strange talking cat thing asking her to make some kind of contract.
"What a weird dream." She muttered, laying back down for an extra five minutes sleep.
XX
With every new timeline Homura jumped into, there was bound to be some natural alterations. But even so, they all generally followed the same path. Ms. Saotome would rant about eggs, then introduce Homura to the class. Homura would get Madoka to take her to the nurse, at which point she would warn her about contracting. That was where the first deviation hit.
"Um, Akemi-san? Is this some kind of Phantom Thieves thing?" Homura paused, then blinked, confusion written across her face.
"Phantom Thieves?"
"You know, the Phantom Thieves! 'Take your heart!' and stuff like that?"
"...What?" Now it was Madoka's turn to be confused.
"Have you never heard of the Phantom Thieves Akemi-San? They were huge about seven years ago, like, a worldwide phenomenon. Even today there are some people who still go on about them. Like my friend Sayaka, she's a huge Phantom Thieves fan."
"I..." Well, this was a problem. "Well, I've been hospitalized most of my life, so there's still some things I'm not caught up on."
"Oh, yes, that's right. My apologies."
"Anyway, what I'm talking about has nothing to do with these... Phantom Thieves. If a strange creature approaches offering a contract, do not take it. Your life is perfect as is and doesn't need to be changed." With that, Homura turned and walked to the nurse, leaving a confused Madoka behind.
XX
The rest of the day went like usual. Homura would awe the school with her mathematical and athletic skills, and afterwards she would search up information on these so called Phantom Thieves. Apparently they showed up completely out of nowhere seven years ago in this timeline, claiming to change the hearts and steal the distorted desires of corrupt individuals throughout society, including a P.E. teacher who physically and sexually abused his students, a mafia boss, and even a man who was pretty much guaranteed to win the election for Prime Minister. Afterwards they disappeared only to reemerge the very next summer, now claiming to 'return the stolen desires' of the people their targets had apparently taken, including an idol, an author who originally plagiarized his work but has since made a name on his own merit, and even the Mayor of Sapporo, before vanishing once again, and haven't been heard from since. Homura couldn't help but admit that these Phantom seemed to some sort of mysterious powers, since their targets, many of whome were practically untouchable, suddenly broke down and confessed their crimes not long after receiving calling cards from the Phantom Thieves. It was as if their personalities had done a complete 180. Given the whole Magical Girls thing and the fact that she herself was a time traveler, Homura didn't feel much more than a mere curiosity for these Phantom Thieves, wondering where they were now.
"Come on Madoka, I wanna stop by the Music Store."
"Actually, I was hoping we could try something different this time." Homura stiffened. Another deviation. Madoka almost always went along with Sayaka to the Music Store, while Homura would follow them discreetly in hopes of intercepting that damn Incubator.
"Eh? Different?" Madoka nodded.
"See, this new cafe just opened up a few blocks from my house a couple weeks ago, and I was hoping to try it out. Papa got some coffee from there a few days ago and he said it was some of the best he'd ever had."
"Really? Huh. Maybe I can get something for Kyousuke from there." Madoka nodded.
"It may be a nice change of pace."
A new cafe? That had never happened before in any of the timelines. Still, that Incubator was relentless, so Homura would tail Madoka without second thought.
XX
"Thanks, come again." A trickster's grin adorned the man's face as the couple left, leaving the place empty once more save for the proprietor and his hidden companion. Sure, the cafe itself was small, only seating about 15 people, 20 at most, but it proved surprisingly popular. This could be attributed to the cozy atmosphere, but many would say it was because the owner was such a fantastic cook. When asked what his secret was, he would simply laugh and say 'I had a great teacher, is all.' The owner in question was a strange young man, with an ominous glint in his eyes as he seemed to read his customers like a book. The tiny bell dinged as as the door opened. In came a pair of teenagers.
"Yeesh, doesn't look like much." The blue haired girl muttered.
"Sayaka!" The pink haired girl chastised.
"Welcome. What can I get you?" Ren asked with a grin. The girls looked up at the menu.
"I want Miso soup... And a cola... And a coffee to go." The bluenette answered, while the pinkette 'hmmmd'
"I can't decide. Surprise me!" She cheered, while the bluenette rolled her eyes.
"Sure thing." The girls sat at a table as they waited for their food.
XX
[Madoka...] Madoka blinked, looking around the cafe in confusion.
"Who's there?"
"Who's what?" Sayaka asked.
"I thought I heard someone calling my name."
[Madoka...]
"There it is again!"
"I don't hear anything." Sayaka explained. "Though I could have sworn I heard a cat a few minutes ago."
[Madoka, he-]
"...Oh, it stopped."
"Sound like you could use some coffee." The owner said as he dropped off their food, before turning and strolling back to the kitchen. Sayaka raised an eyebrow as she saw Madoka's food.
"Coffee and curry? What the hell?"
"Sayaka, be nice. I told him to surprise me."
"But what the hell kind of a combination is that? Seriously Madoka doesn't this guy give off some strange vibes? Like, the name of this place, who the hell names their cafe Raoul?"
"I happen to be a fan of Arsene Lupin!" The guy called cheerfully from the kitchen. Sayaka jerked.
"He heard that!? I was whispering! What the hell-" She saw Madoka cheerfully enjoying her food. "Wait you're actually eating that?"
"It's so good!" Madoka cheered. "The curry's amazing and the coffee compliments it perfectly! Try your soup!" Sayaka raised an eyebrow before ladling up a spoonful of soup and taking a bite.
"Huh... Really good. I'm surprised." Up above the two girls, a black and white cat lay lazily upon the rafters.
"Another pair of satisfied customers." The cat snickered.
"There it is again! I swear there's a cat in here!"
"Are you sure you're not the one hearing things Sayaka-Chan?"