Desire

Episode 12

As we emerged from our position on the railing, the sight before us shocked us. Above Sayaka's body was some sort of Mermaid Witch with music scores circling around it. The labyrinth wavered a bit, as if it was in the process of shaping itself into its final form. "Sayaka!" Kyoko-san screamed as she leapt off from her perch and I did as well.

We ran to her body, transforming while doing so. As we were running, the Witch pointed its cutlass that was shaped like a violin bow and wheels began to fall, rolling towards us. I shot projectiles a them and they exploded into wooden splinters. We grabbed Sayaka's body and retreated, hiding in a crevice of floating objects but the Witch found us, as we turned and were face-to-face with its face. "What is this?!" Kyoko-san cried. "What the heck are you?! What have you done to Sayaka?"

As we jumped to another location, a shadow passed. Homura stood on the floating music score. "Get back," she growled at the both of us as she pulled out a grenade, yanked the safety off and chucked it at the Witch. It exploded on contact and enveloped the Witch in flames as it shrieked. As the smoke began to clear, Homura leapt in front of us. "Take my hand," she ordered. Hesitantly, Kyoko-san grabbed her open hand with her free hand and I clung onto her arm cradling Sayaka.

Suddenly, everything froze. The levitating objects within the labyrinth, the embers from the explosion, and even the pebbles that were flying froze. The Witch froze as well, smoke still surrounding it like a dress. "If either of you let go of my hand or each other, time will stop for you as well," she warned and yanked us so we could get out of there as quickly as possible before the spell Homura casted wore off. "Be careful."

"What the heck is going on here?!" Kyoko-san demanded as we were yanked around by Homura like dogs on a leash. "Where did that Witch come from?"

"That is what used to be of Sayaka Miki," Homura explained, not looking back at us. Basically it's every man to himself to her right now. If either of us let go, she isn't going to come back for us. "You both saw it for yourselves, correct?"

"Are we just going to run away?" I said.

"If you both want to fight it, drop the needless baggage right now...and we'll turn back and kill it," Homura stated. When Kyoko-san refused to drop Sayaka's body, Homura sighed. "You are only going to slow all of us down with that. We need to withdraw for now."

We had reached the ext of the labyrinth and escaped, since time was frozen so no Witch can prevent or escape. The environment surrounded us wavered and then morphed back into its original state, which was the train station.

*~*~*~*~*~

We walked on the tracks, using them as a path back to the city. Kyoko-san carried Sayaka's body as Homura and I followed close behind. Madoka, who was heading our direction while following the tracks, spotted us. "Sayaka?" She cried, running up to us and then bombing us, or, rather Sayaka, with questions. "Sayaka! What happened? Where's her Soul Gem? What happened to Sayaka?"

"Her Soul Gem turned into a Grief Seed..." Homura explained bluntly, getting right straight to the point without sugar coating any words as usual. "...And was obliterated after it hatched a new Witch."

Madoka fell to her knees right in front of us, too shocked to cry or even react to the situation. She looked up at us, desperation in her eyes. "You're...joking, right? Right?" She begged, not believing us and praying it was all some sick joke. That Sayaka would jump out of Kyoko-san's arms to get a laugh out of Madoka.

"It's the truth," Homura continued even further, pulling out her Soul Gem as it radiated a healthy purple. "That is the final secret of the Soul Gems. When these gems grow tainted and tun completely black, they change into Grief Seeds...and we are reborn as Witches. That is the inescapable fate of all who become Magical Girls."